White Birch Watercolor Painting on Panel

Trying something new today!  A new panel that can be used for watercolor or oil paints. The panel is not available for sale yet, I was asked to test it out.

It is made from True Gesso panels, which are wonderful, archival panels. This version has a special coating (which I am not privy too, unfortunately) that allows different mediums to be used.

So let's see how a birch tree painting turns out with this.

The panel surface is great to draw on - so that's a good start. Putting in the first washes, the paints get a bit puddley, but I love that juicy wet-into-wet washes can happen:


 See what I mean?


 Adding more color to the background:


The twisted roots of this birch which I saw clinging to the thin, rocky soil along the path up Mt. Chocorua in New Hampshire are intriguing. So, I think I'll name this piece, "Twisted Roots".


So far, I'm really liking working on the panel!


Once the first washes dry, additional color on top does not puddle the way the first washes did. It's super easy to take paint out too with a wet brush where needed:


I've got the whole panel painted, but the focal point, the two birches in the foreground, don't stand out as much as I would like:


So I add evergreens behind them. Now I'm happy!

"Twisted Roots" original birch tree watercolor- for sale in my Original Art Shop

All it needs now is a thin coat of spray varnish to protect the watercolors. I hope this version of the True Gesso panel makes it to production - I'd use it again.






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2 comments:

Unknown said...

Love the way the colors and the painting turned out. The panel seems to be a good product. Wonder about their affordability.....

Janet Zeh said...

Thanks, Beth. Affordability would certainly have something to do with whether it is produced. I'd love to know how to prepare the panel myself - can't get that out of the person who developed it, though I have tried. :)