Royal Hydrangeas Painting, so far

After attending a Royal Wedding Breakfast, I noted that my hat blended beautifully with Hydrangeas growing in my yard. This inspired a painting.

Working mainly in blues and purples, I painted a palette sample with watercolors I had on hand and you can see that there is a wide variety in this range.

Next I painted some glazing options in my journal/practice book. I also looked at some colors for leaves. It is helpful to keep these notes as most paintings stop and start.

Now I drew and transferred the hat to the 140lb Arches Cold pressed watercolor paper to establish the position in the composition. I used some masking fluid, including a masking fluid Pen by Fineline to show the texture of the draped material. Then I did a diluted color first wash of the flowers and leaves.