How Did You Do That?

‘How did you do that?’ is a question I was asked more than a few times after I presented the paintings in the December 2020 Glimmers Of Hope series. It just so happens that I took some photos of the process so that I could write about it and share the magic with you. Here’s how it went.

First, I cut watercolor paper into five inch squares.

I prepared a number of different colored ‘mats’ for the work by applying masking tape to the paper squares.

The tape preserved both an outer ‘frame’ and an inside square area with rough edges for the image in the center while I applied the various colors to the outer ‘mat’ portion of the squares.

Once the color that had been applied to the ‘mat’ area dried, I lifted the masking tape inside the color to reveal the painting surface for the image.

I added a set of lines to further frame each image – sometimes using white on the dark ‘mat’ colors and other times using black or brown on the lighter colors.

The colors of the ‘mat’ were matched up with the images I had in mind – choosing either something that would complement or contrast with the image.

I then created the images – sometimes drawing and then painting and other times going in with direct watercolor without sketching first.

The moons and suns were drawn using a Staedtler Circle Template. The shimmer and glimmer was added using Schminke’s Aqua Bronze in a pale gold color.

When everything had dried completely, the masking tape that had been preserving the outer white frame was lifted to reveal the finished product. Each image was then mounted on top of a 6×6” white mat for presentation to its new owner.

And, that, is the back story to the creation of the Glimmers of Hope series.

It was very rewarding to see the popularity of these paintings. 23 of the 31 original images found new homes.

BTW, there are still 8 original paintings from the series available (all of the ones shown in this 3×3 collage with the exception of ‘Unboxing Day’ in the top left).

You can let me know if one of the remaining pieces is of interest to you.

Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, the entire collection has been uploaded to my Fine Art America website where they are available for purchase as reproductions. This link will take you there.

Hope you enjoyed this ‘behind the scenes’ look at the creation of ‘Glimmers of Hope’.