Behind the scenes - Process of creating a painting
Painting “From seeds to Blooms” a painting composed of miniatures of seeds, fruits and flowers.
How I create my artwork
Most of my paintings have a story behind. Since the main goal is to bring art and science together I like to do extensive research before doing a painting. Many times new ideas come from trips, so sometimes I like to do quick sketches in pencil to record some of those ideas.
I like to get inspiration from travels and things around me. This one was done while traveling in Florida in a small botanical garden.
After doing some research I start sketching the idea. Sometimes the final painting will be completely different than the initial sketches. Other times what came first on the sketchbook is good enough too!
Painting the anatomy of a chili pepper on a sketchbook
Many paintings start with a pencil sketch before doing the final painting.
After sketching I start painting and adding details. Many of my paintings are very detailed while others more loose. When I do miniature and detailed work I like to use a magnifying glass.
I always keep a side piece of watercolor paper to test colors and brush strokes. Sometimes I feel they can be abstract pieces of artwork on its own so I save my favorite ones every now and then.
For miniature pieces I like to use a magnifying glass to check my final work.
I do small tests of color or brush strokes quite often while painting with watercolors. I feel that sometimes they look like pieces of art on its own.
Besides watercolor I like to use other media to bring freshness and variety to my work. One of my recent favorites are color pencils since it gives a lot of texture and it’s great for details for bigger paintings.
Also, I like to make digital modifications, normally backgrounds or adding scientific information to make artistic info graphics. I feel it’s a nice combo between scientific information with artistic details.
Some pieces are a mix of watercolor and color pencil for details and texture.
Many of my final pieces are a combination of traditional with digital media.