First, I wet the whole paper with a large mop brush. Then I picked some blues and purples and just started putting them all over the paper, and since it was so wet, I picked up the painting and moved it around, causing the watercolor to move around. I've never tried that before and it was really cool! The colors run, mix and blend in a way you can't get with pushing paint around with a brush. So I let it dry, and repeated that process a few times, giving it several layers of paint.
When I was turning the paper all around trying to spread the paint, it started dripping over my masking and into the flowers. I decided to keep the spontaneity and let the paint drip through the flowers. Why not?! This is an experiment in loosening up, after all. The drips and splatters will show through even after I paint the flowers, but it will give it some interest, I think. (Hope!)
I then decided to add some texture, so using the back of my paint brush I just started scribbling into the paint like cursive writing. I didn't write anything legible or of any significance, just scribbling because I like like look of cursive writing, but I didn't actually have anything to say lol.
I figured at this point, the masking is pretty irreverent, so I removed it.
After the scribbling, I did more layers of paint and let it dry. Then I started just using a wet brush to move some dry paint around, hoping to cause some blooms in the paint. I thought it still needed something, so I mixed up some very dark versions of the colors already used and started flinging paint at the paper randomly. Some got in the flowers, but again, so what?! :) Flinging the paint was the most fun!
So now I have this crazy background and I hope it doesn't turn out ugly, but we will find out! The background is done, and onto the flowers! Stay tuned ;-)
