Friday, September 27, 2019

Colorful Watercolored Veggies

The last card this week is a celebration of the harvest season.  It could be a Thanksgiving card or it could be any card.  Just look how colorful those veggies are!  Pretty as a bouquet of flowers.




With Gansai Tambi paints I watercolored Power Poppy's Farmer's Market Veggies on Arches 140 lb hot pressed paper.  Designer paper finishes the grocers kraft card base.  Did a little out of the box cutting of the image, and added no embellishments because I couldn't decide what would look best with it.


The next photo is just for fun.  It shows my very unglamorous coloring space.  I have no craft mat or glass mat, but the coloring table Rich made for me is tempered glass, so it cleans up nicely.  I like to clean it with 90% alcohol so even the Copic smudges come off.  See the white edge on the image panel?  That end was taped onto the watercolor paper before printing.  It's regular cardstock weight and it fools the printer into pulling the heavier watercolor paper through.  Probably most printers will print on WC paper just fine, but won't grab it without being tricked.




I don't tape down my image because I like to turn it every which way when I'm coloring.  Sometimes I do the background first, sometimes I do one element of the image at a time.  In this case, I didn't have time to finish it in one sitting, so I painted a light base of color on each veggie so I'd remember my plan later.

Coloring a detailed image, being fussy and trying to get a result I'm satisfied with can sometimes take a while.  Trial and error is the way it goes.  For me, the fun and wondrous thing about coloring has always been the transformation of the image, and that's why I keep at it.




Okay, that's it from me.  Have a great weekend and stay safe!



23 comments:

Glenda said...

Well this turned out beautifully! The colors are truly amazing and your attention to detail always blows me away!

Pauline said...

Beautiful harvest card Leslie! You are certainly the 'queen' of watercolouring. I'm amazed at the depth and shading you achieve with watercolouring. The outcome of your pieces always look true to life as you put so much detail into everything you touch. Just stunning! I love that you added the wood grain paper at the bottom, surely gives it a true fallish, country feeling. Colours are wonderful. Oh you inspire me in so many ways. Have a great weekend Leslie! (I will have to try your technique on fooling the printer as mine won't pull through the heavier c/s, thanks for the tip).

nancy littrell said...

Absolutely Gorgeous watercolored veggies, Leslie. So cool to see the start and finish of your beautiful image. Watercoloring does take time, but so relaxing and the results so beautiful. I love how you used your DSP and partial cut outs. No embellishments needed. Nice to have your veggies the star of your work of art! TFS my friend. Hugs..nancy

Anne Buckingham said...

I admire your talent of water coloring. The card is stunning.

Maria Rodriguez. said...

Oh my gosh Leslie, these veggies look just as fresh as those at our local Farmer's Market, what a delight they are to see.
Your water coloring is masterful, and it's enhanced by the fabulous wood pattern paper.
Amazing fussy cutting too, my friend, thank you for sharing.
XO
Maria.

Margaret said...

Your creativity always amazes me. You can take a simple image of veggies and make it into a beautiful card. Thanks for the inspiration.

Verna Angerhofer said...

Wow girl! You certainly know how to do watercolor designs. This is so amazing and realistic looking.

Yogi said...

you're right. Beautifully colorful. Love the card and the sentiment. Have a great day

Kathy Krug said...

Beautiful, Leslie. Ilove thea beautiful lettuce leaf flowing over the table. The colors are so gorgeous and of course so is your coloring.

pam said...

Absolutely gorgeous Leslie, your colouring never ceases to amaze me! those stunning vibrant colours on this is image!!!..good tip regarding the printer, might try that thank you.
Pam x

Donna Ellis said...

Wow! I'm nourished and feeling completely flourished just looking at this delightfully yummy card! I'll take those radishes please. Once again I am wowed by your artistry, Miss Leslie, and feel so blessed every time I visit your lovely piece of heaven in blogland. hugs, de

Cat Craig said...

Fabulous watercoloring, I especially love the fading of the color off to the side.

Cindy Beach said...

I agree, the watercolored veggies look every bit as pretty as flowers with your rich coloring details. I'm delighted to say that I also have Gansai Tambi paints but that's as far as the similarity goes, lol! In all seriousness, this is gorgeous, Leslie. Your coloring is amazing and I appreciate hearing more about your process. You also know just the best way to highlight images with the other fab details. Love this card!
Have a great weekend.

Nanny's Pansy Patch said...

I never thought vegetables would look so good! It does makes a great harvest card perfect for this time of year. I also like the woodgrain paper you used. Have a great weekend!

aussie aNNie said...

This is so so beautiful and love that harvest festival stamp. You sure have a way of colouring your images and stamps and would love a couple of days with you to learn, though, a bit far away to travel...would be nice as your shading is perfecto.....

I used two stencil for that background you commented on....xxx

Conniecrafter said...

Your coloring of this is just Stunning, it is neat to see the base coloring before you put all the detail in it, my printer can't even be tricked, it just can't handle any kind of thickness, keep hoping that it will die so I feel ok about buying another, but I am sure it will last years now. That is such a unique sentiment to go with it and I think you have so much detail in your coloring for the eye to soak in that it doesn't need anything else to go with it, I love how you used wood for the base to give it that natural feeling through to the background!!

Christine Alexander said...

Leslie your watercolouring always blows me away, love a the effect on all these wonderful vegetables :)

Evelyn S. said...

This is another amazing example of your coloring skill, Leslie! (The beet greens look real!) I love this beautiful colorful creation.

crafty-stamper said...

WOW that is one stunning card,brilliant and such amazing colouring-and the wood paper is just perfect and you are soo right it definitely needs no embellishment.My printer is too streetwise to be tricked like that anything over 150gsm and it throws a right teenage tantrum and turns off!!!
Carol x

Ros Crawford said...

See this is what you call painting... Me I just kinda splodge colour on but you are an artist and every time I see your work I am dumbstruck. Incredible work Leslie!

Diane said...

Amazing colors you have achieved with your water colors, a beautiful Fall bounty for sure!!

Pretty Paper Junkie said...

The colors you've picked up in this masterpiece are so vibrant and beautiful.
Who new that veggies could be this gorgeous? You did obviously!

Lynette said...

Another masterpiece, for sure, Leslie!! Thanks for sharing a picture of your work space, too. My mom used to tell me she "didn't have the patience" for cardmaking, and I never understood that. It doesn't take patience! :) However, your awesome watercoloring (and all of your other coloring) certainly DOES take patience!