Limpkin in Water--Vickie Henderson

Some painting efforts leave me feeling satisfied.  Others leave me feeling eager to paint more.  This painting of a Limpkin foraging in water presented some challenges and in the end, left with me a real desire to try painting more water--water in different settings, moving water, still water, splashing water, all kinds of water.

In this painting I was challenged by the smooth water and by the shadows in water.  I need more practice in this area.  I used both mask and my reliable scrubbers to work my way through these challenges until I was happy with the results.

Above you see my favorite scrubbers.  The one on the left is about 3/8 in wide and has a softer bristle.  I use it to lift paint from large areas.  The smaller brush has a firm bristle and is a nice shape for smaller areas.  I keep these two scrubbers handy, right beside my favorite paint brushes.  They give me a sense of freedom.  If I don't like the results, I pick up a scrubber and get to work on correcting it.   Most of the time it works.  And if it doesn't, there is always more paper!

For more about this painting and it's challenges, visit:  Sketching a Limpkin in Water at Vickie's Sketchbook.