Got my mojo working

Cottage

I have just come through a long, dry spell. I was finding it very difficult to paint. I was doing other "artsy" stuff, just to keep from getting totally rusty, but I wasn't able to paint. I just wasn't FEELING it. But, I waited it out and now I'm back, baby! It's great.

This is a painting in gouache (opaque watercolor) of a little cottage on a hill at the end of stone walkway. It's meant to be kind of whimsical. It was fun to do. It's a somewhat different style for me. Gouache is great to work with. It's creamy, like pudding, and goes on smoothly. But, it is substantial enough to build layers if you're careful. It dries very quickly so you can't mess around too long. It also will reactivate when it gets wet, so underlayers will bleed through it you muddle around it. I've also started working a little bit with gouache acryl, which is supposed to be something between gouache and acrylic. I think it is more permanent, but I haven't experimented enough to figure it out. I'll let you know what I find out. Happy Painting, ya'll!!