Written by I’m back to practicing glass for today’s doodlewash of this bottle of perfume. For an extra challenge, I decided to do it in only two colors: Opera Rose and French Ultramarine Blue. This required me to wait a bit for the paint to dry between layers to get the contrast I like, but the effect was kind of interesting. I always remember growing up, I would often buy my mother perfume as a gift. The primary reason for this was that she had a particular kind of perfume and so I was absolutely guaranteed to succeed in the gifting. I’ve never been the guy who surprises people with tangible things. When it comes to those, just tell me what you want and I’ll get it for you. Really, we’ll both be so much happier that way.
Perfume is such an interesting thing. It’s mass produced, but there’s so many options that each woman is able to feel like she’s found her own personal scent. When I’m getting into the elevator at work sometimes, it smells like the entire perfume department of Macy’s blew up in there. Gasping for breath, I try to suppress my gag reflex while counting the floors until sweet freedom and clean air. But today, when this happened, I thought about it differently. The mixture of perfumed smells was still hideous, to be sure, but it was a symbol of their individuality. Art as scent. These women, who were no longer physically present, had spent time finding just the right way to leave their own unique mark on the world.
As artists, we also seek to find our own unique imprint that we can share with the world. Each color we choose and each brush stroke we make is a defiant symbol of our own individuality. We may not think that we’ve gone as far as to have defined our own “personal style” sometimes, but the mere fact that we painted it already means that we have. Nobody else could have made the painting that we just created. Each day, as we practice and make our attempts at swirling paint around on paper, we can rest assured that one thing is always true. What we made is truly unique to us. A beautiful impression of who we are as individuals. And all this, without even having to brave traffic and make that trip to Macy’s. Our art is always right there in front of us, waiting to reveal itself to the world.
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About the Doodlewash
Sennelier L’Aquarelle Watercolours: Opera Rose and French Ultramarine Blue. Lamy Safari Al Star pen with Platinum Carbon sepia ink in a 5″ x 8″ 140 lb. (300 gsm) Pentalic Aqua Journal.
Really like the color here Charlie. Nice depth and angels. A one of a kind!
Awww thanks so much, Susan! 😃💕This was a total experiment…hehe…glad you liked it!
It is a beautiful bottle! Wow. Love your perceptive words about each of us and the art we make
Thanks so much, Teri! 😃💕And super happy you liked the post as well!
The depth is wonderful! I’ve been studying this for 5 minutes! The colors, reflections of light, and angles are terrific.
Aww thanks, Deborah! 😃💕 I think I learned to just forget it’s glass and paint the shapes, no matter how counterintuitive they seem! Hehe
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You make me want to try to paint glass, something I’ve never done.
Yay!! Do it! Do it!! It’s really fun, Evelyne. Definitely try it! 😃💕
I love reading the short notes that come with your artwork. You inspire me, Charlie.
Awww thanks, Joy! 😃💕What a lovely compliment! I really appreciate hearing that!
I can smell a sweet lavender scent from your perfume bottle, Charlie! 💜 So nice to give your mom a bottle of her favorite scent! 😍💐💕 Love your color combo too!
Awww thanks so much Jill!! 😃💕This was super challenging… hehe… glad you like how it turned out!
A lovely and moving post – and a marvellous painting of glass.
Thanks so much, Michael!😃 I don’t know what it is with me and glass lately, but I’m loving it! Lol Glad you liked it!
Perfume is unique to every person because the scent interacts with the body producing fragrance that is distinctive to that one person. What smells great on one person may very well stink on another. And of course, those of us who get near the perfume wearer also sense a smell that a companion might not sense at all. So it is with art – I love artwork (music, dance, poetry, anything….) by some artists that my husband dislikes. Perfume is an interactive experience.
So, I love your perfume bottle, and I say that because i do, not because so does everyone else.
Beautiful sketch. Interesting issue with the elevator. I’ve not had that happen in years. Here in the people’s republic of Western Washington, there are so many signs about keeping a “fragrance free environment” that no one wears perfume anymore. Even at a local figure drawing venue, they announce on the event page: “For artists that are bringing paints: please only bring odorless supplies such as turpenoid, gamsol and odorless mineral spirits. Please keep jars closed or capped while not in use.”
Thanks so much! Glad you liked this! 😃💕Oh wow! That actually sounds awesome that they’re cracking down on scents! Here in the Midwest we usually get the memo a bit later.
Wow what a cool bottle, and superbly done, it’s interesting this waiting for paint to dry, I love how the paint blends and mixes when wet to wet, with seamless changes, but sometimes this bleeding out is a problem, and important lines are lost that define the painting into what it should be, especially when working smaller, I have found this lately a lot, starting with semi wet in wet, then loosing my lines so have to go back in over the top, this creates a mess! Your waiting for the paint to dry has worked really well, and still appears seamless, I need more practice I think?….love your thoughts on women leaving their individuality lingering, after painstakingly choosing their aroma…..they should bottle that and put it in a gallery room? It would be a million dollar art piece, what would your art be called?….up-lifting? Love in a mist? Tangled elevation? Scent or sent to stay? Lol you could retire on that creation, Royal academy art? He he
Haha!! I love ALL those names!! Can’t choose!! So glad you liked this one, Rebecca! 😃💕I do a little be of wet in wet in places, but often I like to mix the color on the paper. It’s kind of fun that way and frankly…. since I never make swatches first, it’s really a crapshoot anyway as to what colors are going to come out! Lol I want to go back to scenes and skies (always wet in wet for me!) and thought I would this month, but haven’t yet.
Yes it is interesting, I tend to mix on paper too, but find when working so small with a detailed image this creates unwanted bleeding…..probably because I can’t wait for it to dry!
Yeah… I have the same problem… It’s not just impatience. I honestly don’t have much time to paint each day! Lol
Beautiful painting, I love the reflections on the bottle… 🙂 I don’t wear perfume, and it does make me gag too when I find myself somewhere filled with strong fragrances… It’s like with makeup, a lot of women tend to be heavy handed with perfume… 🙂
Thanks so much, Noémie! 😃💕Glad you liked it! yeah… usually it’s not a problem, but whoa when it is, it’s sooooo horrible! hehe
I’m allergic to perfume, so sometimes the subway leaves me with eyes and nose running…many men have their aftershave scents a bit overdone as well.
But your glass bottle and reflection are beautiful. I don’t wait long enough for the paint to dry with watercolor before putting on the next layer. Perhaps I’ll mend my ways, but my guess is…probably not.
Thanks!! Happy you liked it! But yikes… I can’t imagine being allergic and on public transport. And yep… guys can be culprits as well! Sometimes worse! Lol It’s like they can’t smell themselves. Maybe the fragrances burned their noses out! Hehe
Beautifully done Charlie! Glass is another one of your special gifts I think. And definitely writing. Oh the gasping for air! 💜
Awww thanks so much, Laura! 😃💕Hehe… yeah… it can be a terrifying elevator ride some days! So glad you liked this one… it’s another of your prompts!! Hehe… working my way to monochromatic! 😉
So cool Charlie, your glass painting is awesome. The reflection of color makes for a challenging and willing subject. Beautifully done.
Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕Wasn’t sure with the two colors if I could pull it off! Glad you liked it!
Wonderful painting, the bottle absolutely glows and shimmers like glass should. Still laughing at the perfumed elevators. Thank you for a lovely post.
Thanks so much!! This was a total experiment. Glad you liked it, Haunani! 😃💕
This is so cool! Love the glow of the glass and the colors you used.
Awww thanks so much, Annie! 😃💕
Captivating glass! You’re getting too good at this. Seductive colours, too. I’m sure this is one of the more pleasant fragrances out there!
Totally with you on the gift-getting, aswell – wish people would just say what they want. Seriously. I once ended up getting a girl mens’ perfume – I’m that bad!
I had a similar experience to the elevator at college. My graphics teacher I’m sure swam through aftershave every morning. Overbearing as it was, it actually came in quite handy – when you caught that wave of ‘frangrance’ coming your way, you knew to hide YouTube and look busy!
Thanks so much Jacob! Glad you liked this one! 😃 And haha! That’s awesome that you had fair warning of your teacher heading your way. Albeit it rather obnoxious one. Sounds like he bathed in the stuff! Eww!! But fair warning to look busy at least!