# My life is abstract!



## Firemajic (Jan 15, 2020)

I am pleased with the colors, but not the composition ....Poppies are one of my favorite things to paint, but watercolor paints are not easy to master...


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## PiP (Jan 15, 2020)

Composition is a topic all on its own and one I struggle to master. If the picture is a snapshot of a poppy field, then the composition looks fine to me.
Yep, watercolours are difficult to work with and take some time to master.


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## Foxee (Jan 15, 2020)

Those colors are luscious! Do you ever try turning your paintings/drawings upside down to troubleshoot them?


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## Firemajic (Jan 15, 2020)

The size of the watercolor paper is 14x17 inches, larger than I am used to working on, so I feel like I was a bit intimidated by the size of the paper...


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## Firemajic (Jan 15, 2020)

Foxee said:


> Those colors are luscious! Do you ever try turning your paintings/drawings upside down to troubleshoot them?



No, I have not tried turning my paintings upside down, but looking at them in a mirror helps, so does taking a photo of them... I will give that a try! Thank you... and thanks for noticing the colors, I wanted a very dramatic bold painting, so I applied many layers of color...


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## Foxee (Jan 15, 2020)

I don't think that the composition is really bad or anything but if you find that you want to adjust it I could see it going into a collage/multimedia direction or unconventional matting. 

The layers of color are great! And part of what makes the piece pop is that you've included really good, dark passages, like the center of the flowers, that anchor the piece while still not detracting from the airy, ethereal quality.


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## Firemajic (Jan 15, 2020)

I think I will frame it in a nice frame, then see how it looks ... a nice frame hides a multitude of sins ......


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## Thomas Norman (Jan 16, 2020)

Why are you dissatisfied with the composition? To me it is vibrant and well proportioned. I (attempt) to paint with watercolours and wish I could achieve something half as good! I must try looking at mine in a mirror.


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## Firemajic (Jan 16, 2020)

Thomas Norman said:


> Why are you dissatisfied with the composition? To me it is vibrant and well proportioned. I (attempt) to paint with watercolours and wish I could achieve something half as good! I must try looking at mine in a mirror.



Aww, well thank you for the nice comments.... I just thought that the arrangement of the Poppies should be more.... longer, wispy long stemmed.... abstract painting is new to me, I love detail, so I struggle not to add detail.... if you look at my thread "A lotta lizard" you will see my attention to detail... one trick with watercolor paint is to know when to stop....


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## Thomas Norman (Jan 18, 2020)

Yes I see what you mean but you would need to be careful not to dilute the depth in the flowers at the expense of giving length to the stems. A little more wispy would be good.

I agree about knowing when to stop, that's my main problem. I always end up with too dense and solid colour. I've tried washing with a pale colour but usually end up with a murky blob!

I loved the Lizard painting. The way it came to life as you progressed was remarkable, he is gorgeous.


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## Firemajic (Jan 20, 2020)

Thank you, Thomas... I appreciate your compliments 

One way to avoid making your colors muddy is to let each layer of color dry before applying the next layer....


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## Amnesiac (Jan 20, 2020)

LOVE the colors!! I see what you're saying about composition, though, if you look at it, it's a pyramid It's beautiful!


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## Firemajic (Jan 20, 2020)

Amnesiac said:


> LOVE the colors!! I see what you're saying about composition, though, if you look at it, it's a pyramid It's beautiful!



Thank you ... I am pleased with the color, poppies are such... joyful flowers and a lot of fun to paint...


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## escorial (Jan 29, 2020)

so much movement and life....subtle use of space with the three flower heads vying for attention while the wind blows through the rest...if you painted that from static bunch of flowers than you made them move...outstanding...the use of colour shows skill....alot of it


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## Firemajic (Feb 4, 2020)

Thank you Escorial  I actually painted this just playing with the water and paint, it was an accident that evolved into a painting... that is why the composition is wacky...


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## escorial (Feb 4, 2020)

Pure creativity....cool


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