Watercolors by Celia Blanco

A Yellow Feathered Visitor 23 x 30 cm watercolor on paper I painted this from a photo reference provided by my talented friend Cristina Mihailescu (see her beautiful works here ) .  I believe this bird is a Lesser Goldfinch . This will be my last post before Christmas. I wish you a blessed holiday season. 

Shades of Lavender watercolor on paper 24 x 32 cm I am working from the same lavender photo of my last post. This time I stepped back in order to add more lavender in my composition. I took a different approach to my painting process and tried to draw less before, going right into the painting. I also kept my palette to a minimum of colors. I like to let my imagination wander a bit, not adhering strictly to the photo. Thank you for visiting!

Bumblebee watercolor on Fabriano Artistico cold press 18 x 12.5 cm This is a larger than life bee painted from a photograph I took last summer. They visit my lavender pots regularly. It has become unusual to see this type of bee because it is, sadly, in decline. I mixed the black body using Viridian Green, Alizarin Crimson Red and French Ultramarine Blue. I  prefer to not use black from a tube. I like this method because it enables the creation of more interesting shifts of color.  (my work in progress)

Untamed watercolor on paper 24 x 32 cm I am increasingly enthusiastic of painting animals. It is the first time I tackle painting a fox. Depicting the fur texture was absolutely a challenge. Thank you for the visit!

Nightfall Blooms watercolor study on paper 26 x 18 cm. The inspiration for this flower is drawn from a beautiful  John Livzey photograph (painted with permission). It is for the monthly challenge for my online art group. The gorgeous photographic image was a delight to work from. I did many washes of blue to get the nocturnal feeling and to keep the middle area light I sprayed out the color with a spray bottle. To regain some of the whites I went over the petals with white watercolor pencil.  Thank you for stopping by! I hope every one has a wonderful week!

"Flying Colors" 28.5 x 20cm / 11" x  8"in.  I love the color of this blue jay's feathers and its stance, so graceful ... the various blues were hard to imitate. I am working on leaving more white areas in my painting and loosening up a bit. Thank you to Mim White for allowing me to use her photo! When I saw her photograph, I immediately imagined it as a watercolor painting.