Art: Ginny, Snape, and more Snape (all G)

[sigune]

I did a few pictures last weekend, trying out my new (and tiny) box of watercolours. It's a Cotman set - that is, the cheap line of Winsor & Newton. The main difference seems to be that these paints are made with substitutes for some of the more expensive pigments. My watercolour handbook strongly advised against buying anything that is not the professional standard, but I thought I should get a feel for watercolour first, and I always feel guilty when I make a mess with what is essentially very good material :/.

sscrewdriver warned me that the cheaper watercolour paints are usually less transparent than the expensive ones. Because I haven't any real comparison, I guess this is something I may see with my own eyes in the future, when I am confident enough to start using the Winsor & Newton set that is as yet stashed in my cupboard... The only thing I can say so far is that I do see a difference with my (even cheaper) watercolour pencils. The pencils' pigments appear to my untutored eye more luminous than the Cotman set's (?). But to be honest, I don't think the paint is to blame for anything that went wrong with my pictures - it might just be my lack of skill :P.

Anyway: my recent exploits are below.




I guess this is just less good a picture than "A Scarlet Ribbon" was, but I do think the skin tones I used for Eileen were really more luminous and transparent than those I got out of my Cotman set... Hm.

I'm not too happy with this picture, for some reason. Part of it is that I think I set the eyes off too much. It seems I will really have to make a choice between my comics-like style and realism, because I feel uneasy about the combination that I get here.




Again, mixed feelings about this. I dropped all attempts at realism and using the paint as anything more than just colour. All the colours are of my own making, except for the Cadmium Red of Ginny's hair and the Burnt Umber of her shoes. Unfortunately I don't think I did a very good job :/. Also, the skirt's folds aren't particularly well-done.




This was fun. I do adore my marten and petit-gris brushes; this was an improvisation with them, drawn directly with paint. All went well as long as I stayed with the Snape figure. Then I had to cook up a background, and I think it is quite obvious that I hadn't given it any thought :P. I drew a tree, but it looked stupid, so I covered it with broad brush strokes, but you can still see some of it, and the result isn't particularly clever or good either *g*. Ah well. I enjoyed myself, and I do like the hues.

...I really should take classes, shouldn't I? But I have no time at present, and I can't keep myself from pottering around until I do...

Comments

[lunafish.livejournal.com]

Haha, did Ginny charm her eyes to play into Harry's Oedipus complex? ;-)

I really love the coloring with that one, esp. the awesome stockings. The Snapes are both gorgeous, imho, but the second really appeals to me. It makes me wonder what he's up to.

[sigune.livejournal.com]

Er - ouch. Did I get the colour wrong? I didn't really check it (wouldn't know where). It just looked nice with green... At least canon doesn't proscribe the design of Ginny's stockings ;).

It's always good to wonder what Snape is up to, I think *g*.

Thank you! :)

[lunafish.livejournal.com]

According to the HP Lexicon, Ginny's eyes are brown. *bows before the awesomeness that is HP Lexicon* ;)

But, seriously, the green does look nice--it works well with the rest of the coloring, and those eyes just seem to fit her personality. I like them!

*Gazes adoringly at Snape once more*

[sigune.livejournal.com]

Eek! That will teach me to check the all-knowing Lexicon before I start colouring XD! Mind you, I can easily change green eyes into brown; it's the reverse that would have been problematic :).

(Look, the_bitter_word gave me an appropriately blushing icon! *g*)