Our Process
SKETCH IT!
Everything starts as a pencil or pen sketch. I have to teach my brain how a subject or a scene is constructed so I can intuitively paint it.
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If it's a particularly detailed subject, I'll refine the sketch with tracing paper overlays. Finally, I'll transfer the design to watercolor paper.
USE QUALITY MATERIALS
The high-quality watercolor paper I use (mostly 140lb cold press) impacts everything about the finished painting. The paint and water interact differently with a paper's composition. If you have a dense, textured page, the paint will be absorbed more evenly, creating beautiful transitions and blooms between colors.
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The professional watercolor pigments I use are made to be lightfast, in other words, not fade over time. Factors like where the art is hung, what glass and framing materials are used, can play a role in whether an image fades over time.
CREATE!
There is an element of play and fun in things I create - bright colors, juxtaposition of patterns and shapes in unconventional ways.
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I mix the colors I'm going to use, make a cup of tea and put on my favorite playlist. I focus on the action of paint and water exploding and blending on the paper.
Sometimes, an area will bleed or blend in an unexpected way, but those are the accepted "happy accidents" that usually end up adding the unique quality to a finished painting.
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