ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #89, PART 1:

The Mystery Tree is a Yellow Buckeye! Here’s a step-by-step demo of one of my bark experiments. First I wet 140 lb. hot press watercolor paper, then applied a quick wet-in-wet mix of watercolors:

While the paper was still wet, I applied a piece of very thin plastic cut from a free “gift” bag from UPS; they gave to me when they left a large package by the door in the rain. Different weights of plastic create different effects, so it’s fun to experiment!

Manipulating the plastic with a palette knife added more variety to the wrinkling pattern. I also tilted the paper and touched the edges with a loaded brush to darken the colors in a few spots:

After about 5 hours, I took off the plastic. Here’s the result:

The granulating pigments I used increased the sense of texture. You can see my paint choices below:

The plastic-on-wet paint technique is just step one. Here are some actual pieces of bark mixed in with a few of my texture samples:

Can you pick out the painted ones? I’ll explain the rest of the process in March, or you can see the steps demonstrated in person if you sign up for the next Mixed Media session — we meet on Thursdays, and classes start on March 12!

Do you recognize this tree? I’m inspired by the intriguing textures in wet bark and leaves that catch my eye on winter walks in the woods — it’s fun painting texture experiments! The first photo is a snag, a dead yet still standing tree. And here’s a living example of the same kind:

You can find out what it is next month and see some of the texture experiments it inspired if you’ve signed up for email updates!

ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #88:

It’s exciting to play with new colors! This Mystery Technique stars some of the Daniel Smith watercolors that I’ll be sharing with my classes this year. I started with a wet-in-wet layer of Hansa Yellow Medium and Quinacridone Rose and let that dry, then rewet the paper to paint the background sky with a mix of Cobalt Teal Blue, French Ultramarine, and Blue Apatite. After that layer dried, I wet both sides of the paper for more control while painting the darker clouds, which are a mix of Quinacridone Rose and Rose of Ultramarine.