I’ve posted the final stages of this Tulip Salvage Project on the “Work in Progress No. 2″ Page (at right).  Check it out to see the complete salvage project plus the FINAL painting.   Judge for yourself if the painting was made better or worse.  More later…

Tulip Salvage No. 3 - Sketching

Okay… what I’ve done next is sketch in the additional tulips, overlapping to create a sense of distance.  I’ve decided that five tulips (imperfect balance) would be more interesting than the two I began with.  You can see here the area that I’ve scrubbed.  As I suspected, I was unable to remove all the paint, but that’s okay because in that area I intend to use a glazing technique, which is essentially layering color.

Tulip Salvage No. 4 - Controlled Washes

What I’ve done here are several controlled washes.  A controlled wash is wetting only the areas where I intend to apply paint, i.e., the tulips and around the leaves.  At this point we need to let everything dry completely.  I feel the piece has already been improved a bit although there’s still much more to do.  It is likely the foliage will need to be darker than I would typically make it since I have to cover my initial mistake.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  Time to let things dry.

Tulip Salvage No. 1

This next project is a bit different from the first (see Artwork In Progress No. 1) where I demonstrated my painting process from start to finish.  This time I’m going into my pile of unfinished paintings.  These paintings were left unfinished because I felt they we failing in some way.  So let’s see if this painting of tulips can be revived.  Even if this painting doesn’t end up being something you might hang on your wall, it is likely you will learn something by finishing it.

I feel this painting is a “failed attempt” to paint tulips because it is lacking a pleasing composition and interesting value pattern.  My choice of  two tulips is uninteresting, the focal point not defined, the tulip on the right is too long and narrow and the foreground foliage is overworked (too gray).  I’m not sure this piece can be salvaged, but let’s make it the best it can be.

My first step is to tape the painting (using masking tape) to a board.  I am using my sketch board, but you can use a piece of plexiglass if you have it or some other rigid surface.  The disadvantage to taping your paper to the table is you cannot pick it up easily if needed to move the water and paint around the paper.

Tulip Salvage No. 2 - Scrubbing

My next step is to take a damp paper towel to scrub specific areas of the painting in an attempt to remove  the unwanted paint.  The Arches 140 Lb. Cold Press Watercolor paper can take a fair amount of scrubbing.  It is unlikely you will remove all the paint - certain colors are very staining - but do the best you can.  My paper towel preference is Viva, they are very thick, absorbant and durable.  Be sure to stop  by later to check on the salvaging progress!