Free form painting that creates new ideas that were never in my head before!

"Brandon the Robot" by Julie Jacobsen

I just have too much fun doing watercolor washes and then looking at all the squiggles and splotches to see if I can make anything out of them.  It always happens.  Do you remember in school when your teacher would have you scribble all over your paper with a black crayon and then have you fill in the designs with bright colors?  Well, this is similar in the way that nothing is planned.  The only thing I did ahead of time was to make bookmarks for friends using swirling colors.  I tried different color combinations.  This one I happened to really love.

My main intention with this watercolor was to make a birthday card for my grandson, Brandon.  After I saw all the creatures that popped out I decided to write a story to go along with the illustration. It just flowed right out of me because I really am an illustrator at heart.  It was so fun.  The story and card are safely in the mail and, hopefully, will arrive in time for his birthday.

If I look at this painting I can see some color combinations on their own that really look so vibrant together.  If you look inside the gray snake you can see a light peach and yellow.  Then next to that I love the pink and yellow.  I might do something with that sometime.  I also love the bright cobalt blue band, the golden yellow inside of it, and the purple/burnt sienna underneath. 

It's a very good thing that I take photos of all the art work I do before it leaves my house.  That way I can look back on them for even more ideas and fresh approaches.