Eatn' watermelon (c. 1952)

Every family has a few classic photos.  This is one of my Dad and his brothers and sister eating watermelon on the porch of their house.  It's fantastic in so many ways.

 

I thought I'd give it a try and paint it.  I decided to go big with a full sheet of watercolor paper (22" x 30")  It's taken me quite awhile to finish.  I learned a lot along the way.  There are some things that I can see need to be better, but overall I'm happy with it.  I'll crop a bit off the top and left side and flatten it out.  You can really see the wavy paper in this photo. 

 

 

As a painter, my favorite parts are not the faces, but the red striped dress and the wicker chair.  I'm learning to add more color.  The dress has a lot of orange and purple and the chair has a surprising amount of green and blue.  This is what makes it a painting and not just a colorized photo.

 



On to the next one.  I think I'll tackle something a little simpler, looser, and smaller for my next one.