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Some of you have asked me to talk about how I paint.  I am honored when people are interested in how I do my work (thank you!).  Although my approach can be varied, depending on the subject, the paper size, how much time I have, how intrepid I feel, etc., I’d like to show you the creative process I typically follow, using Las Hermanas, one of my watercolors in Spanish Landscapes Collection, as an example.

I used this photo (shown above) I took in Cordoba, Spain as a reference.

My pencil drawing is usually very quick and simple with no intricate details.  I prefer using 4B.  Laying down the first wash is when I feel really excited as I begin to see the vision I had in mind.  While I may be painting fast and freely with a big brush, I keep telling myself, in the back of my mind, to take utmost care to cut around the highlights wherever possible.

Mostly working on the mid values, I start putting in details with a smaller, pointed brush.

Now it is time to lay in the darks.  I put in shadows cast by the buildings on both sides of a narrow street in as few brushstrokes as possible.  It is also at this stage that I refine and define the shapes where I want hard edges.  More work on little details such as railings and street lamps.

It is a little easier to talk about the technical side of my paintings from designing to the finish.  But my emotional involvement in each piece is so diverse and, honestly, I am not consciously aware of what I am doing during the creative process.

Las Hermanas is a streetscape but, as the title suggests, its focus is two sisters I saw in Cordoba.  I hope you can feel the closeness of them as well as the hot summer air in the southern Spain.

Las Hermanas (Cordoba, Spain)

Media: Original watercolor on paper

Image Size: 21.5 x 14.25 inches

Purchase: Sold

-- Visit my website to view more paintings in my Spanish Landscapes Collection.