Any Watercolor Experts Out There?

[Gorthaur]

I dug up the old brushes, and figured I'd ask for advice before botching this. Here's an unfinished portrait I've been working on for the last couple of hours, and I was wondering if anyone could give me any hints on how to pull off the background with watercolors - I always have problems with it ending up looking messy, especially around the edges of whatever it is that I'm trying to paint it around. I was thinking of using a fairly simple Apokoliptic landscape, with burning skies and all that.

(Yes, I know it would probably have been smart to plan this thing further ahead and maybe start with the background - but what can I say, the face is just the most interesting part. Of course, I might just leave it blank, but hell, I could stand to actually finish even one painting in my lifetime, background and all.)

[howyadoin]

Shit, that's really good. If I were you, I'd do a background separately, scan it, and put them together in Photoshop.

Either that, or mask off the existing painting and then paint the background. That approach pretty much precludes doing wet-on-wet, though. And the background's just cryin' out for something like that.

[Gorthaur]

Yeah, the photoship thing is something I considered - however, I am something of a traditionalist, and would like to have the finished piece on a single piece of paper to hang on my apartment's still far too barren walls. But then, I guess it would be less risky to just use Photoshop.

Oh, and thanks. I thought it turned out pretty (surprisingly) good myself.

[Gorthaur]

Some progress:

[Gorthaur]

Damn, nobody's got anything to say? I still haven't started on the background, and any tips or tricks are welcome.

The effect I wanna be able to create for the burning skies would be something like this (http://www.site-for-art.com/Collin_site/Bristlecones/Br_Fire.html).

[howyadoin]

The effect I wanna be able to create for the burning skies would be something like this (http://www.site-for-art.com/Collin_site/Bristlecones/Br_Fire.html).Oh yeah. Wet-on-wet is definitely the way to go.

[Sheldon]

I don't know much about watercolor, but I do know that that is a some nifty artwork.