Sunday, April 18, 2010

Experimenting with Soft Press Paper - Part II

I have played some more wiith the Fabriano's 140 lb SP paper.
In completing the  Gondola sketch  I observed the following:
  • Removing masking over painted areas also removes the paint. This is the downside of the fact that this paper allows for such easy lifting techniques.
  • In the same way, the smallest addition of water to a painted area will immediately disturb this first layer.
  • I tried an automatic eraser on this paper and was pleased to see that it did lift out paint without any apparent impact on the paper: this is a good way to add highlights in small ares.
  • The colors seem to remain more vivid than on the cold press paper. This picture was taken with a flash inside - so the colors are not true.
In conclusion, I will certainly use this paper again. I now know that if I use masking, it has to be to retain whites and not to protect already painted areas. My next experiment with this paper will probably be combined with my attempt to develop my floral painting skills.

As you can see, I am still procrastinating before starting a larger, more demanding painting:-)

Have a great week!

9 comments:

  1. I use the 300lb SoftPress quite often and really enjoy it. I like your little Gondola painting.

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  2. Thank you,Vicki, I did not know that this SP came in the 300 lb weight. Ah ah! More experimenting in my future.
    I found it relaxing to work on a small, quick painting.

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  3. Great results with your experiment. This is a very nice painting.

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  4. Becky, thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I hope that you will drop by again.

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  5. christiane,
    beautiful picture...
    thank you for sharing the technique...
    congrats...

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  6. Thanks for the posting about the Fabriano paper and really love the blues in that gondola. I prefer to work on Fabriano because of its soft texture. Enjoying your blog, Christiane.

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  7. Jyothisethu,
    Thank you very much for stopping by and for the kind comments.

    Ann, thank you! The Fabriano is certainly a nice paper.

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  8. Hi Christiane, thank you for sharing your observations and process.
    I admire your passion for painting.
    Your watercolour of le gondole is delightful, and each painting is a stepping stone..yes? Someone once told me, "Your best painting is ahead of you!"
    ciao a presto
    perugina

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  9. Perugina,
    Thank you for your continued support. You are absolutely right in saying " each painting is a stepping stone". I learn whenever I pick up the brush, regardless of the value of the resulting painting.
    A presto, ( I did learn this expression in Venice:-)
    Christiane

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