Transparency

For the past year in my drawing journey, I have tried to concentrate on seeing what is in front of me. Of really seeing it, not just assuming what it is shaped like. Not just the shape of something, but also seeing the colors. (I suspect this a lifelong study.) No where does this seem more obvious as well as difficult than in transparent objects. I spend a lot of time looking at transparent objects with things inside them and seeing how the reflections are shattered and scattered. I try to not see a glass of cranberry juice, but instead see how the transparency breaks the color, how the broken shapes fit against each other within the whole. That sounds rather mystical and whimsical but it something I have been training myself to do. But visualization is a whole lot easier than execution. So I got myself and instruction book* and read all about cast shadows, and projected light, inner shadows, reflected colors, and distortions. This is my first attempt at this, following the instructions in the book. I think I grasped the basic idea, but I think there is so much to learn and explore. The projected light coming through the transparent object was the real revelation for me and I think the key to making it look transparent. I really enjoyed this process, and may work my way up to that gorgeous glass of cranberry juice. My ultimate goal will be to paint cut-glass crystal, but for now I will start simple. I think next will be dewdrops. I tried hard to connect his to an EDM challenge but it just didn't match up.

Water color in the Moleskine journal.

*Nice, Claudia. Painting with watercolor, pen and ink. 2001