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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

When Vintage Illustrations and Watercolors Meet...

Meet Me in Philadelphia meetmeinphiladelphia.blogspot.com
I'm by no means an artist; but when I saw the opportunity to enhance illustrations from a secondhand book with a wash of watercolors, I dusted off my artistic skills and put them to work creating another piece of art for the living room.
Thrift stores, on the right days, can be an absolute treasure trove if you go with an open mind and the willingness to look at everything. On one such day, I found a $1 book that intrigued me. The names of three prominent socialites appeared on its cover: First Garden, written by C.Z. Guest, introduced by Truman Capote and illustrated by Cecil Beaton
Meet Me in Philadelphia meetmeinphiladelphia.blogspot.com
Meet Me in Philadelphia meetmeinphiladelphia.blogspot.com
But it wasn't the premise of the book (a guide for novice gardeners authored by a member of America's upper crust) that sold me, it was the illustrations from Cecil Beaton that piqued my interest. His simple pen and ink florals weren't destined to be hidden in the pages of a thrift store book--I wanted to unearth them, introduce color and frame them.
Meet Me in Philadelphia meetmeinphiladelphia.blogspot.com
So, I that's what I did.

To do so, I needed just a few supplies. I had been wanting to try this 36-color watercolor palette, part of the Kid Made Modern line of crafting supplies from Target, for awhile and this project seemed like the perfect reason to take it for a spin.
Meet Me in Philadelphia meetmeinphiladelphia.blogspot.com
 (a b/w photo or illustration, a cup of water, a paintbrush and a watercolor palette)

The picture above accurately depicts the monochromatic illustration I was working with--it wasn't actually black and white, but green. The floral still life was very pretty as-is, but I could hear it begging for some understated color.

Admittedly, I hadn't touched watercolors since the tenth grade so I was slow and cautious when applying color to the illustration. I started with a light wash of coral for the illustrated poppies and built color gradually--this is really the key with using this medium.
Meet Me in Philadelphia meetmeinphiladelphia.blogspot.com
 First the coral went on, then a hint of green for the stems and touches of plum and navy elsewhere.
Meet Me in Philadelphia meetmeinphiladelphia.blogspot.com
The results were delicate and, I think, only helped to enliven the illustration. My newly-colored print found itself in this affordable frame from Target (which I spray painted white) with an over-sized mat. You like?
Meet Me in Philadelphia meetmeinphiladelphia.blogspot.com
Meet Me in Philadelphia meetmeinphiladelphia.blogspot.com
(all via Meet Me in Philadelphia)
No, this isn't a precious piece of artwork, but it sure is pretty all awash in color if you ask me.

12 comments:

  1. Beautiful and what a great idea! Love your collection/display of pottery! Take care, Caroline

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  2. Gorgeous!

    When I was little, I always colored in the black and white illustrations of my picture books (with horrible results, obviously...). This is such a beautiful way to satisfy that exact urge!

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  3. I think that's awesome - great work! Perfect addition to that corner!

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  4. you're style is so understated and pretty...much different from the in-your-face stle that I have been seeing a lot of lately. kudos.

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  5. Thank you, everyone!

    @Megan--Aww, shucks. Thanks a lot.

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  6. Cool idea. Love how you framed it, too.

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  7. LOVE! Feels like those hand-tinted photographs, but more sophisticated. And the frame/mat is perfect!

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  8. I think it's the perfect touch and looks great right where you have it. I should probably upgrade my watercolors to an adult pack like you've shown - although my daughter's watercolors have been doing a nice job recently too as I've been playing around with them.

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  9. Love it! If you have more they would make a wonderful gift.

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  10. I think it's amazing!! Love, love, love!! x S

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  11. I love this! A woman of my own heart

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I'd love to hear your thoughts!