It has been months since I last painted. I plan to paint more this month so I got my art groove going by painting on the first day of the month. This is a loose watercolor painting. I was just enjoying the process and did not go into detailed work.
You may follow the process through this graphics.
This is the video of the painting process.
Let me know of any painting tutorial you want me to try to do next.
I finally completed the move to a new website after a few weeks of trying to figure out how to implement the changes. I am now starting from scratch in terms of SEO (search engine optimization) but I did not give much thought to SEO in the previous blog so not much harm was done, I think. I hope I have placed enough preventive measures against vulnerabilities in my new website. Having gone through website rebuilding, I can always create a new one should this one encounters a problem in the future. (This is not a sound advice for those setting up their websites. This is me trying to play cool and unfazed over stressful matters like website downtime, hackers, trojans and viruses. So do not take my word for this. Always have a backup and maintenance plan.)
Let me walk you through the website and let me be your tour guide. The first part of the homepage is a slider. The front page opens with a slide of my current mantra: Dream. Create. Love. Repeat. On the right side of the header, there are links to the different pages of the website.
When viewed on devices with smaller screens, the menu can be found on the upper left part of the header.
The slide automatically shifts to another one but you can also click on that arrow button to swipe to the next slide. The next slide introduces me, the website owner, and what this website is all about. When you click the “Read more”, a window opens with my about-me page. I wish I had a newer photo and had photo shoot specifically for the site. I no longer look like this person in the photo. I was thinner and younger in this photo. On second thought, let’s stick to this photo. Ha!
The next slide has a link to my art portfolio. I am happy that I was able to set this up. I was too lazy to set it up in the previous website because the main page was already the blog itself. I was trying to figure out how to incorporate it with theunstressed.com. Now that it is KatrinaKaren.com, it is all about me so it is easier to include my art. (That sentence sounded so narcissistic but you get the drift.)
I hope you also noticed my logo. It is k-squared for the double “K” in my name. My father taught me my signature when I was kid so I always sign with k-squared even before I learned what squared in Mathematics meant. I guess I was pre-destined to major in Math in the future. (Yes, I have a Mathematics degree which I now conveniently use in estimating pixels and ratios in art.)
If you scroll down my site, you can read my recent blog posts. I was able to get my blog posts from the old blog. I am just glad I was able to retrieve seven years of writing so you may find some of my photos marked with theunstressed.com. I will not be editing some of those photos. I am still in the process of checking broken links. I had 380+ posts. I don’t know if I have the time to change the watermark of the photos inside those 380+ posts.
If you are not much of reader, you can follow me on Instagram and just view my photos.
Or you can also subscribe to my Youtube channel for travel, recipe and art videos. I am still thinking if I should start vlogging. Ha!
And if you like to receive updates, you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow my social media accounts.
That’s it. I wish I can do a lot more in terms of design and functionality but this will do for now. I hope you like the new design. You can always send me a message if you find a glitch or ask me any question in general. You may also leave a comment below.
Thank you for visiting KatrinaKaren.com!
I have always painted flowers. Recently, I started painting landscape photos for practice. I believe in continuous learning.
These are some of my recent work.
Notice that I always paint from a photo reference. I think it is a good way to practice.
I also believe in sharing knowledge so I am showing you how I paint sunset.
For the sunset painting practice, I am using a photo I took years ago. It was a sunset in San Agustin, Surigao del Sur.
I start with a sketch. I am not really good at sketching so what I do is add grid lines to the photo. I use Photoshop to fill the photo with square patterns.
I have the same square patterns on my paper. Then I start sketching grid by grid. After I finish sketching, I erase the grid lines.
I can start painting. I start with Sennelier yellow. I am using a flat 3/4 synthetic brush. I lightly brush over the areas with yellow. Then I use ivory black. With a wet brush, I blend the color.
I paint an outline around this area with yellow and blend the color.
I always look at the reference photo and try to see where the yellow glow of the sun hits the water because once I start painting with black, there is no turning back.
I lightly put another layer of ivory black.
I am now painting the dark areas. I use burnt sienna and ivory black. I also changed my brush into a Kolinksky round brush size 0. Every now and then, I switch from a round brush size 0 and round brush size 4.
From here, I am going to start filling the sketch with black. I hope you will be able to follow what I am doing.
This is the completed artwork.
You can also follow the painting process on my Youtube channel. Don’t forget to like and subscribe!
Let know if you were able to paint the same scene. If you want more tutorials, please let me know what you want me to paint next.
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Materials used: Fabriano Artistico 300 gsm paper, Sennelier watercolor, 3/4″ synthetic flat brush, Kolinsky sable round brush size 0 and 4
Late last year, my college blockmate messaged me about painting a custom artwork for her. She recently moved to the US for work and she wanted to spruce up her apartment walls with art. I am happy that she thought of me to do this for her! She is a repeat client for my artwork. She ordered watercolor artworks with motivational quotes from me before which she gave as gifts to her friends for Christmas. I really appreciate her for trusting me again with this task.
She wanted 6 or 9 pieces of A4-sized artworks that she can display side by side and everything would look like a continuous piece. I love her idea. It was quite clever. Shipping one large artwork would be expensive. Having small pieces is easier to pack and move should she need to transfer residence. She hoped I would be able to send the artwork to her family in Manila before they leave for the US to visit her.
I asked for pegs so I have an idea of what she wants. She gave me free rein over the art work so I just bounced off ideas to her. I told her I thought of painting something tropical to remind her of home. She said tend to like green and orange colors and she preferred the mountains over the beach. I remembered the photos on Facebook of all the climbs she did. She also sent me a poem that she loved. I told her I will find a way to incorporate the poem into the painting.
So I looked for photos of Philippine mountains. I picked Mt. Batulao for its lovely ridges. I thought about painting from a vantage point similar to Katy Perry’s Roar video where she looked over Taal Volcano.
Katy Perry’s Roar Video
For the artwork, I decided to make 6 pieces. Mt Batulao would be at the center.
It was framed by trees and tropical plants and flowers. So I picked the following flowers to paint:
Angel’s trumpet and Hibiscus (Gumamela)
Lobster claw (Heliconia) and Taro leaves (Gabi)
Wild orchid
Plumeria (Kalachuchi)
Birds of paradise and Tahitian Ginger
I filled the blank areas with palm leaves and green vegetation.
Individually, the artwork can be displayed on its own.
Collectively, it is one large artwork.
Oh, I did not forget the poem. The verses are hidden somewhere in the painting.
I am really happy with the result. The whole process took 25 days from the time she messaged me until she received the artwork. I had other work to do in between. I paint when I have enough time to enjoy the process. Painting is my happy pill. Every work of art from me comes from a happy place. I do not paint to express sadness.
I am glad the my friend loves the painting. She found acrylic frames being sold online so it appears like the artwork is floating on her wall. The paintings now hang in her bedroom wall. She posted this on Facebook.
Thank you, Hannisel!
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For custom artwork, just message me here or in any of my social media pages.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrinacenteno/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katrinakarenart/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/katrinacenteno
Oh, I also have paintings for sale through Artfinder. I also accept commission work through Artfinder.
