I usually begin with dark lines when I begin my compositions with ink. Today I began with red. I applied yellow adjacent to the red lines.  Starting my design with these colors was unsettling, to my surprise. Perhaps this is a reaction to my standard practice of late: using bold, dark lines.  At any rate, discomfort is a good place to start, if one wishes to try new things.

My strategy was to make the forms outlined in red contrast with the background. I started on the upper portion with a bright green, which didn’t work at all. Along the border of yellow, I used purple, its compliment again, to bring out contrast.

I darkened most of the green and added a blue-to-red blend between the two yellow fields, succumbing to the familiar.

Red Lines
12″x9″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Block