Masquerade Roses, against the light in watercolour

Masquerade Roses contre jour, watercolour and coloured pencil sketch in 7x7 inch S&B sketchbook

This was a challenge to myeself to do some blowsy roses, strongly backlit by the bright day outside, creating deep shadows on leaves and window frame (which I simplified to abstract geometric shapes).  Flowers aren't something I do very often.  They are climbing masquerade roses that I remember buying for £1.60 as a sickly little plant a few years back, that have now spread yards along a fence and flower and flower.  They start out yellow and gradually the red creeps in and takes over as the flowers open.

The route I took was to play with the intense shadow, lost edges and brightly backlit elements.  Interestingly this week A&I magazine (July issue - in May!)  was about painting light, featuring a series of different painters.  One, Edward Seago whose main interest was the depiction of light, said that there were 2 ways of tackling bright light:

1. to darken the whole painting, dramatising the lights
2. to make the whole painting higher key

He said his preferred option for backlit subjects was the first .... the very route I'd decided to go with this :>)

In the same magazine, Ken Howard in different words, says something very similar and of course models backlit by large windows are a key subject for him.

It turned out a bit tighter than I would have liked but it was a good learning excercise.  Practice practice practice ..............