Process, process, process!  Here is the beginning of a new watercolor.  I feel the need to get as much out of the flowers as I can.  And they change so quickly that I need to complete paintings, or at least get them to a stage where I no longer need the real deal to finish.  I love to work from life, whether it be a flower or a figure.  I don't mind a photo, but definitely prefer studying a thing or person sitting with me.  It is just a fun way to discover the shapes of things.  Anyway, I plan to add to this one and show the process.

I started on a piece of watercolor paper that I thoroughly wet on both sides.  I used some nice thick, juicy paints, since I had so much water on the paper already.  I used a lovely green gold  and added orange and cerulean blue.  I didn't draw on the paper before I started, but I knew where I wanted the flowers.  I wiped out the white areas with a clean wet brush.  As the paper began to dry, I was able to add purple to the shadow side of the flowers.  I thought about the shape of the petals and the warm side and cool side of the shapes. 

I am at a good stopping place because the paint should be dry when I go back into the painting.  Tomorrow, I will continue to carve out my shapes and design my painting until it looks finished.  With any luck, someone will take the brush out of my hand before I overdo it.