I blame the paper!

I started this over half a year ago (when I still still at my old place) and it's sorta a commission from my boyfriend to do an Endor montage scene, larger than 16x20" (which is really my limit of comfort ability) in watercolor (my preferred medium). I'm really having issues with it. Loved the drawing that I worked so hard on. bought a big sheet of watercolor paper from Daniel Smith and I KNEW it was hot press. I wanted something with tooth and texture, like my 140lb cold press paper that I love. But all of the cold press papers they had were too textured and wouldn't take the tons of layers and scumbeling I put in my pieces. Put this paper (I noticed on the FIRST stroke) absorbs too quickly and shows off brush strokes like nobody's business! I don't know how many layers it'll take! The paper is too think I feel to support other mediums.

Gouche would work in washes, but not my normal gouche technique of textured layers...that I have done since college because it's alot of work...alot more than I have time and tolerance for.
Then there's oil washing and colored pencil, but the paper is really too thin for that. Usually I use 4 ply illustration board (about as thick as 10+ sheets of this stuff). Then there's acrylic, which I'm really not very good at. I asked my boyfriend and he did the "I dunno hun..." thing. so please, thoughts? I don't want to scrap this!

OMFG! I just realized I have all my college art on unscanned slides! Oh shit! Posted 8:18pm 5/12




I couldn't NOT do SOMETHING, so I tried to take advantage of the over absorbency. Obviously the paper sucks are washes (big smooth areas of color) because it sucks all the moisture up and leaves streaks. I decided to go against all my art education which stressed 'tackling the big job first.' Basically, paint the big areas first, do details last, that way you finish faster and each step looks like you accomplished more. I realized I'd have to do this texturally, adding strokes and lines where they didn't belong. In the forested areas that's fine, but not in the sky. I', still stumped there. the technique is working well on the Ewoks (this IS Endor after all).

Then I realized another terrible truth: my paint tubes are at work because I've been doing a SWEET watercolor of Boba Fett. Oh well, more on this piece tomorrow I guess.