5 Minute ATC. 2.5 x 3.5 watercolor. © 2016 Sheila Delgado
Inspired by Dotty Seiter’s recent posts, and reminded by Val van der Poel that I like yellow, I picked up a brush and spent five minutes in my happy place.
Hope you get some time to create today!
Floral repeating pattern. © 2016 Sheila Delgado. sheiladelgado.com
Design project complete. I am still deciding on colors. The design came together quickly. I divided the “canvas” into quads. (If you look closely you might see the pink lines.) I started by placing the largest bloom, then the medium, then filled holes with the smallest buds.
I used five different blooms, and rotated copies of them for variation.
I played with some mock-ups, the colors may change. They are not showing well here. One has large yellow blooms, another has yellow and green with the white. On top you see it with a few small yellow flowers. I like my first thought best. Just white on blue. (middle photo.)
Funny to me, this simple design that came together easily. I worked on so many complicated designs, some didn’t work, and others I just did not like in the end.
I had to travel that long and winding road to find this. Isn’t that always the way?
Oodles of Doodles. Watercolor on paper.
Giving away my age here. I apologize in advance for the song headache this post might cause. Here is the link to the cure, a video of Marie Osmond singing Paper Roses. The minute I saw this pile of doodles, the song came to mind. Didn’t leave until I watched the video.
These are not roses though. I suppose they could be. My take on a Ranunculus.
I have been working on a fabric design. Many designs in fact. The project is for upholstering a chair. I have gone through at least a dozen possibilities. But none of them felt right. I think it has been so difficult, because I am designing this for me. And I have come to realize, it is all about the feeling.
The other night, just as I was falling asleep. I remembered something that helped to explain my color choice. I am set on a navy base, with white accents.
One of my first jobs, was cleaning for a physician and family friend. Perfect for after school and weekends. I cleaned her office, and home. At home, there was a navy corduroy chair next to the fire-place. It had soft looking cushions, perhaps down filled, and a matching ottoman. Seemed warm and cozy. At the same time, I hated cleaning it. They had a big white dog.
Step one: draw. With a brush.
Taking inspiration from fabrics I love, I worked to distill the elements that mattered most. Simplicity. Clean lines. A repeat that does not call attention to itself.
Step two: choose elements and prep for placement.
For this design, I want line work. not details. So I delete the white of the paper, and clean up the rough edges. I am working on a grey background (Photoshop) to highlight the areas of paper (white) I have missed.
Pattern WIP.
The green, white and dark blue on the bottom have a color overlay. As you can see, the original color unevenness isn’t a factor. I thought to use only one element, one bloom. Alternating the size and direction would create variation. As it turns out, I have about fifteen that are good options. I will narrow it down to no more than five, and as few as three.
Continuing with the clean up, and then on to placement.
Have a great one!