Fungus Foray

Hello all!  I'm glad you enjoyed touring the Tiny Greenhouses.

I'm back today with one of my watercolour experiments... and it's of something you might just find tucked away in the mulch behind the greenhouse.

Cestina is always complaining there aren't enough mushrooms to be found here at Words and Pictures (as a Czech by blood, she's an avid fungi forayer), so this appears with the aim of keeping her quiet for a while!

As you know, I'm still playing with the watercolours - learning how to use them and exploring different styles, and I'm not entirely sure about these.

Even though I'm in two minds about them, I wanted to share these mushrooms in time to play along with the Handpainted theme at Moo-Mania and More.












This is a much more precise effort than my loose Watery Florals or the Two Tree Doodles.














It was fun making the attempt, but I'm not sure I'm ever going to be botanically accurate, especially as I made this species up out of my head!















I almost wish I'd left it at the earlier "sketch" stage.















There's a fresher look to it (though it was a duller day when I took these photos).  They do say one of the great risks with watercolour is overworking a painting...














... and I think I may have fallen into that trap here, losing some of the lightness of touch.














Though I must confess I like some of the detailing on the mushroom caps in the "finished" version.













I'm pleased with the stalks too - using a flat brush on its side to create the shaping and dimension, and taking those strokes down to create the first outline of the earth in which they're embedded.














I kept the background very soft and loose.  I like that the imagination fills in the gaps and shapes of what might be there.















I used the other end of one of the paintbrushes to add some grassy texture amongst the stalks.

And a touch of splatter always makes me happy, as you know.















I think some of the shading works quite well in creating dimension and shadow.










I hope you like this little foray into the world of imaginary fungi, another watercolour adventure.

Let me know what you make of it - it's always great to hear your feedback, and every comment is very much appreciated, especially when I'm daring to share these handpainted creations.  I hope you're all enjoying a restorative weekend, however you are spending it.

Každá houba je jedlá, některé však jen jednou.
Every mushroom is edible, but some only once.
Czech proverb

I'd like to share this at Moo-Mania and More where they are asking to see something Handpainted