I really learn from your narration. Thank you for sharing your encouragement, talent and style with us. I SO agree about “feeling” color. Watching you demonstrate your mastery of shadows is soooo helpful. And I didn’t know there was such a thing as masking paper either! Thanks again! 😊

Thank you so much for once again sharing your color discoveries with us. I have thought of “thinking in color” as like painting “intuitively” but I love how you describe “feeling colors” and that that is related to what’s happening in your life or how you are feeling at that moment. Very thought provoking…thank you.😊

Great idea! Shadows are not grey! I so wish I could take weekly classes with you.

I love your style! And you are not alone in feeling colors. I feel them and it is so hard to describe to others. I’m an art teacher and sometimes I forget most others don’t feel colors so sometimes I have students looking at me in very strange ways. 😊

Love it💖

Lovely!

How lovely! Thank you so much for sharing!

Beautiful

Very lovely 😊

What a cool idea. Love it and will have to try it! And I absolutely "feel" my colours! :)

Oh my stars! 🤩 I never saw frisket masking film before (not sure if that's brand your usung, couldn't find on your links) - what a game changer! I thoroughly enjoyed your dialogue and production. Appreciate your generosity in sharing - can't wait to try some of these methods! Thank you!

Once again you totally captured my attention. Now I must drop my waterlilies studies and give this a try. You’re painting is beautiful and technique is fascinating. I’ve always dismissed black backgrounds because most of the time they’re just too flat. However you seem to have solved this issue. Will the technique work with other very dark backgrounds? And will it work with other black shades? I also love how you pulled the paint into the flower. You’re very generous to share your secrets. I look forward to attempting this morning. Thanks so much💕

Your timing! Should be getting my Janes Black tomorrow. I DO normally mix my own..but lately have been doing more and more black backgrounds..and just needing it more, while not mixing QUITE enough… Also..having something like this that’s great for improvisation, having it right at my fingertips ready to go… Also, want to try this paint on my xuan paper, using it instead of ink that, in my opinion, just makes a really dull night sky behind my bunnies (for Fall Festival next month). Last year, my attempts with western paints that were MUCH too granulated (specifically, the only black I had and added to some UM..PBk11) ended up tearing holes in my paper. That was also before I’d perfected my “brush water technique” (I add some traditional mediums that help the paint both glide above and “stick” to the paper-enabling me to use at least MOST western paints on xuan paper..with some exceptions, including most heavily granulating paints. The paper is just too delicate). My “mad scientist” bestie is coming over to “borrow” a pan of this black..AND she’s going to take the pan of PB31 I got a few days ago…NO offense to Gregory..it’s just too low-tinting and gritty for me. Liz is going to try, somehow-it’s in a pan and not easily wet..but..she’s going to try and grind it down more. We ARE going to get more of the PB33 pigment from him though..we’re still obsessed and Liz has graciously volunteered to mull. My eldest, who I barely had enough to send her 1/4 pan…has already texted us begging us to save some for her. I love this painting! I don’t think I’m brave enough to attempt a floral with this background. I saw the incredible Zeze Lai on DS’s website who did MANY Red florals with the black background..absolutely STUNNING! Watching her in a video…I just can’t wrap my head around the skill and vision needed to do what she does.. Then again, you painting effects me the same…I started painting just 13-14 yrs ago..in a very different style..spending several years learning calligraphy before my tutor “allowed” me to start using paint. (Yes, I “cheated”, but even 10k miles away..or however far Chengdu is, the wrath of an 80-something Chinese grandmother struck fear in my 50-something heart. My Dr Kitty Leela snitched on me one time by proudly walking by carrying an attempt at Bamboo…Leela is obsessed with Chinese ink..the highest quality is imbued with Chinese TCM Herbs & flower essences. She doesn’t try and eat it, it’s like catnip to her and she’ll roll on, carry around, even sleep with pieces of xuan with dry ink. My bamboo attempt, I had laying on the far side of the table, out of Zoom camera reach..until she decided to pick it up and walk right in front of my iPad as I talked to Lili. 😂. I said she was showing off her skill…and then learned a new Chinese expletive, and got another lecture on learning the strokes and the reason they teach it the way they do. She then complimented Leela on “her” painting, in Chinese..and Leela knocked over my iPad as she happily plopped down on top of HER art. I have a strange cat) Anyways, I only started playing with Western watercolor 2 years ago after my son died. He had introduced me to Lili and got me back into creating. But, I’ve never had any “formal” training, except for Lili, and still prefer to learn on my own by trial and error. Unfortunately, I’ve had a lot of health issues that interfere with painting…BUT, these days, I have my daughter and Liz who drag me back into it, thankfully. And Lili..although I only speak to her a few times a year during family celebrations. She’s now in her late 90’s and has her own health issues. But..next Month..or the first of Oct, when her granddaughter turns on WeChat for our usual chat for Mid-Autumn Festival..I’m HOPING to finally have a bunny painting ready to show her. 😁. (This time with no holes in my night sky or moon…😂)

Somehow I have never noticed this before (or just didn’t realize ) … left handed!

Wow! I've learned so much from your excellent content. THANK YOU! I was wondering if one can print directly onto the masking paper with a laser jet printer... it might be too sticky but worth asking.

I love how you bring in the background color for shadows and build up the painting by gently pushing the background colors into the subject layer by layer. Adding the other colors to the background is brilliant. This paper mask is something I have never seen before...did you make it yourself or did you purchase it? Also....I do not have Jane's black. I do have D.S. watercolors Lamp Black, Black Tourmaline Genuine, Black (Red/Green), Black (Blue, Orange) and McCracken Black. I am thinking of playing with a some of those. Kyanite might be interesting and perhaps a color I just discovered...Moonglow. You're right...a series of these would be helpful. I am thinking of white lilies as I missed taking pictures of white magnolias.....maybe white roses???? I am really interested in that masking paper.

Lovely and helpful. Is it janes grey or black?

Beginners mind. So important. Occasionally I’ll meet an artist who no longer takes classes, and they have settled into a style and they are happy there. Me, I’ll always be happy to be a beginner. Once you stop learning, what’s the point?

I'm obsessed with this painting. It's so beautiful! I'm on your Amazon page looking for the masking paper and cannot find it. What brand of masking paper do you use? THANK YOU!

Where do you purchase the masking paper?