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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Owl Experiments #88 and #89


Barred Owl #88

Barn Owl #89

I was in experimental mode when I tackled the two owls. I wanted to paint a similar subject, but on very different papers. The Barred Owl (the one with all the barring on his face) is painted on 300# cold press Winsor and Newton watercolor paper. The Barn Owl ( plain face) is painted on 140# hot press Fabriano. Wow! What a different in paper. Each has their strong points. The W & N behaves pretty much like to Arches cold Press except its surface is smoother. I had very good luck layering one wash over another.

It had been a long time since I painted on a hot press surface…. A very different paper. It loves detail, but I had difficulty managing washes. When I tried to layer one on top of the other, I tended to make smears and mud.

Now I’m itching to take advantage of what hot press has to offer. I have another piece (another brand) thanks to my friend Judy who sent me a handful of paper samples.

3 comments:

Kelly said...

Elva...these owls are gorgeous. I love their expressive eyes and faces.

Mermaid's Palette said...

They are both so beautiful! Nice work, Elva!
Sheryl

Bev said...

Both owls are wonderful, #89 looks like he is staring me down, great work