Extra Fiddling with Fiddlehead Ferns #Watercolor #AquariusII #FiddleheadFerns

I had already chosen the Fiddlehead Fern reference photos I wanted to use for my January '52 Weeks of Watercolor Paintings' but one of my friends, Margaret Meara, showed me a photograph she'd taken and gave me permission to paint it.  I decided to paint one more, using my go-to Strathmore Aquarius II watercolor paper.

I used a 1 inch Connoisseur Mop brush to lay down my initial wash of color.  It's been a while since I've used a Mop brush, and I realized I like it much better than using a flat.  I think the softer bristles make for less brush strokes.  Of course, on the Aquarius II my brush strokes don't show the way they do on the Stillman & Birn Beta paper.  That's good in some ways, but I sort of miss the drama I get on the Beta.

Once my initial wash dried, I switched to my Silver Black Velvet size 6 round and used that for the rest of the painting.

Colors used were Qor Green Gold, Winsor Newton Sap Green, and various mixes of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna.  Painting is approx. 8 x 10 inches.


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