Hey everyone, it’s Kate here! Today, I’m playing around with some new watercolor paper I got from Jerry’s Artarama. It’s a 100% cotton block called Fluid 100, and I’m working on a small 4×6 inch, 140lb sheet.
I already did some swatches and brush strokes on another sheet, but this time I wanted to try a full-fledged painting. I was feeling like creating a dark and abstract atmospheric landscape – kind of a mouthful, but it was so much fun!
I grabbed my Windsor and Newton Cotman watercolors, along with some Payne’s Grey I had in a tube, and aimed to create a stormy sky with loose and abstract washes. I tilted the block to let the water flow, and started with the sky using Payne’s Grey and some purple lake from the palette. It was all about creating a sense of drama with dark stormy clouds.
This paper is fantastic! The paint goes on really well and gives me a good amount of working time before drying. One thing to note though – if you like to lift color a lot in your paintings, this might not be your favorite paper. It was the hardest paper I’ve tried so far for lifting color after the paint dries.
The whole painting process was pretty quick, maybe around 10-15 minutes, but I built it up in three layers. The first layer was all about getting those dark and dramatic colors in.
While testing the Fluid 100 paper, I noticed that the colors blend really nicely on it. I love how the second layer went on – the bottom layer stayed put perfectly, which is great for building up color. I used fresh Payne’s Grey this time to go even darker, and reintroduced the purple lake along with some browns for the landscape. I kept everything quite dark, especially where the landscape meets the sky for a good contrast.
I love how the colors blend on this paper! I used some yellow ochre, sap green, and more burnt umber to add some hints of greenery at the bottom for some color interest. It’s a very abstract piece, but that was the whole idea – to play with darker colors and create a moody atmosphere.
The Payne’s Grey and purple lake combo creates such a beautiful dark and rich color, and with a little green mixed in, it becomes even more interesting. I used a smaller brush to add some shadowy trees, foliage, and shrubs in an abstract style.
I couldn’t resist adding some more detail to those hills in the background, and of course, more of that gorgeous purple lake in the foreground. It could be wildflowers, a path, or anything you imagine!
The sky dried beautifully, so I went in for some finishing touches. The whole piece was loose and flowy, so I wanted to add some sharper details for contrast. I used Payne’s Grey again to create some grasses in the front for extra interest.
This turned out to be such a dreamy landscape! I really enjoyed working with this new paper and the Cotman paints. It was a different experiment for me, and I absolutely loved the entire process. Hopefully, you got some creative ideas from this video!
I also love how the paint dried on those hills to the right – it almost looks like rocks with some of the color dripping down. The way the purple lake dried is beautiful too.
This painting turned out so nicely, with some rich and beautiful colors. I hope you enjoyed watching and maybe even painting along! If you haven’t tried this Fluid 100 paper yet, I highly recommend it. Until next time, keep creating!