My Second Serious Attempt at A Plant in Watercolor
red Fittonia argyroneura in mini ceramic planter, early stage of study
Now this didn't end up quite like the image I had in my mind before starting, but we'll roll with it. The plant I used as a reference for this informal study is a houseplant which lives in a white ceramic planter next to a window.
A plant's life
This is the first Fittonia argyroneura I've cared for. It has aliases, two are nerve plant and mosaic plant. So far it seems like an easy-going housemate; I got it at the beginning of the month, right before the covid-19 episode came to [my] town.
Being new to the species, I did a quick search on Fittonia argyroneura care and found that its brilliant pink-red veins grow most colorfully when the plant is kept in a "bright indirect light". It also likes high humidity and well draining soil. This plant's vivid red vein pattern is why I bought it (more on that later). The contrast between the intense red veins and the rich, dark green of the the leaves was simply stunning.
OK, Back to the Art Please!
Cat face instead of owl face, because sure
All finished!
So, the planter could have been done a bit differently to make it stand out with more oomph. As it is now, he blends in with his background and it kinda looks like he's got a black eye. That sucker was tricky! Getting the highlights and shadows in the right places and the correct intensities was a challenge.
But the saving grace is the leaves, those pretty little leaves. I like the warmth that suggests light coming through the leaves on the left side and the contrasting colors on the leaves is quite satisfying. Overall it's not a masterpiece by any means, but it was never meant to be. I'm getting more comfortable and confident with the ways of watercolor, this study was good practice.
Now for the "more on that later" part...
Maybe I am over-analyzing things. But, while working on this study, I was thinking, maybe a better idea in the future would be to find a plant I like in my local area and acquire it through some reasonable means instead of paying USD at a national (international?) chain retailer. As for the planter, no issue there. There are so many items that can be re-purposed into a planter, so no big deal, I got that ☝️ on the planter.
You made it through -- this concludes my inner monologue section.
On a lighter note, yay for Hive and for innovation!! It's so fortunate that we can share this experience - we are separate but together!
Please consider contributing your ideas and responses in the comments. Thank you all. Enjoy the rest of your day!🖌 My previous watercolor plant endeavor
I think the pot worked out fine (cat face works just as well as owl face XD), if you wanted it less in the background maybe think the leaves could have been a bit more vibrant so they stand out from the background more but I'm not sure how one does that with watercolour because I don't really know how to watercolour (last experience/experiment was a hundred million years ago with one of those cheap sets people buy as presents for kids). Love the light rays :)
Hopefully the virus will make everyone think about everything XD
It's funny because while I was putting the paint to the paper, the leaf colors seemed super vivid, overly vivid. But once it dried, I stepped back...damn. It's all flat and pale and junk. All good though, one more practice sesh done.
Thank you for your feedback, it is very helpful and it means a lot that you took the time to share it!
Aargh, perils of watercolour? XD
Me to the watercolor perils: BRING IT 😠🙏👊
:-D