Watercolor Painting - Shady Cat

Sometimes when an artist comes up with a new idea it can be a disaster! I have been thinking about a painting that indicates an abstract pattern while reflecting reality. It requires looking at it in terms of light and dark values which from a distance will reflect the reality of the scene. Early sketches failed to give me what I was looking for in this new concept, at least new for me! A restless night, milk and cookies, and old photo references, can do wonders! I found a picture of cat resting in the sun at my Mothers house. With several modifications it was exactly what I was looking for in this Painting.

My early sketch looked very good, and I was getting excited about the painting. There are times when you just know a painting will work. It was sketched on 300lb Arches CP paper. Next, to save the whites, I laid down large flows of mask. In retrospect, I should have used masking tape and mask. The abstract pattern was completed.

After all that work, it was time to drop in the darks. I mixed several test patches of color to get the luminous grays and browns I wanted. I ended up using only three colors, Ultramarine Blue, Aureolin Yellow and Red Rose Deep for my palette. As I began to place the darks in the painting, out of nowhere I decided to drop in some mid-values. Sometimes a painting will lead you where it wants to go, or is it the right side of your brain? At any rate, the painting lived up to my expectations. I hope you like it. An artist friend from Australia said it was purrrfect (if you will pardon the pun)!