Little Cowgirl Watercolor Series

 Early 2015 has been fairly busy, but I've managed to find time to fulfil one of my unwritten resolutions- to finish my Little Cowgirl series of watercolor paintings.  Between painting Gizmo Granny and 7 Inch Kara, I don't have a lot of time for personal projects.  After getting some upsetting news in early February, I decided to make time to finish this series off.




"Morning"

I've always liked the aesthetic of western wear, from practical and sturdy jeans to gaudy rodeo and square dancing wear.  I'm sure part of this appreciation is due to my father, a man who taught me to appreciate Westerns and a good pair of cowboy boots, a man who grew up on a farm in Franklinton, Louisiana and paid his way through college working odd jobs like tending dairy cows.  While I think life on a full fledged farm is not for me, I often cater the fantasy of gentlewoman farmer- some chickens, ducks, and of course, a couple goats.

Below the cut are the three other pieces in the series, "Sunset", "Noon" and "Midnight", all painted at different points of 2014.  All pieces feature a young girl and her favorite animals, from Midnight's coyotes singing along to Noon's ginger cat snoozing peacefully on a bucket.  On a practical level, all four pieces were designed to force me to think about lighting and atmosphere in a medium that isn't all that forgiving- watercolor quickly turns to mud with the addition of one wrong glaze.  Although they were each a unique challenge, I enjoyed painting them and treated myself to the use of my beloved Canson Arches.  Although Arches is too expensive and too soft (in my opinion) to paint comic pages on, I love painting single illustrations on this cotton rag watercolor paper. 




"Sunset"



"Noon"



"Midnight"