Name this flower

Painting by Vicky Christensen, watercolor on cold press paper 

I saw this flower while taking a walk yesterday and took a photo. I think it's a Gerbera Daisy, but I'm not sure. In any case it is a beautiful flower and I hope I did it justice.

PS, I'm an idiot. It's a zinnia. 

Purple Coneflowers

Painting by Vicky Christensen, watercolor on cold press paper 

The Coneflowers are fading as Summer wanes. Here is a watercolor painting to memorialize them.

Rose

Painting by Vicky Christensen, watercolor on cold press paper 

This was supposed to be an exercise in negative painting after watching a Linda Kemp video. The underpainting didn't go quite as planned so I had to improvise a bit. So it's not as loose as I hoped. But I like it anyway!

Spring blooms

Painting by Vicky Christensen, watercolor on cold press paper 

Here's another watercolor painting done with Qor watercolors. Enjoy!

Watercolor Iris

Painting by Vicky Christensen, watercolor on cold press paper 

I had an underpainting set aside that looked ready for an iris so that's what I painted today. This is my first time using Golden Qor watercolor and I had a few problems glazing over some of the colors. I'm not giving up, just need to get used to the brand. The pigments are beautiful.

Here is what the underpainting looked like:

Saran Wrap peony

Painting by Vicky Christensen, watercolor on cold press paper 

This one started with an underpainting that used Saran Wrap to create some texture for the flower and leaves. The key is to apply the crumpled Saran Wrap on still wet paint, then wait for the paint to dry completely.

Negative roses

Painting by Vicky Christensen, watercolor on cold press paper

I've seen some really exceptional watercolor painters who take negative painting techniques to great heights. This is a watercolor skill I really want to work on. This painting started with a loose wet on wet underpainting of pink and yellow.

Joe Pye Weed

Paintingby Vicky Christensen, watercolor on cold press paper

 I'm still finding my way with watercolor. I did a painting yesterday (see below) and I was unhappy with results, primarily the background was sloppy. I gave it another shot today and took a different approach. Who says old dogs can't learn new tricks? Okay, I know I have a lot more to learn, but that's half of the fun.

Craftsy Lily

Painting by Vicky Christensen, watercolor on 9 x 12 inch cold press paper

I learned how to paint this Lily in an online class at Craftsy, Close-up Flowers in Watercolor, instructor Nan Carey.

More roses

Painting by Vicky Christensen, watercolor on paper, 9 x 12 inch

Here's another rose! Enjoy!

Big sunflowers

Painting by Vicky Christensen, acrylic mixed media on 14 x 18 inch canvas

This is the third painting in my flowers series, employing sgraffito on black gessoed canvas.

Big fat pears

Painting by Vicky Christensen, watercolor on paper 

Here's three big juicy pears. Enjoy!

Watercolor practice

Painting by Vicky Christensen, watercolor on paper

 I've tried watercolor in the past and never felt confident doing it. Since I help some senior citizens paint with watercolor once a month, I figured I better improve my skills. My first attempt at urban sketching is below. It didn't go too well. Today I decided to paint a rose (above). The background is a mixed bag but I'm satisfied with the overall results.