TRAVEL WITH MY ART #7: ZAVALA, ISLAND HVAR, CROATIA

Hello dear readers! Today is time for 7th another edition of TRAVEL WITH MY ART SERIES.  I'm very excited to share this landscape/seascape painting with you because I feel that I managed to capture this location pretty well. At any rate, I have the feeling that I'm back in Zavala when I look at it, so I would say it turned out pretty well.   If you remember the idea of this series is to take you place with my art since travel is somewhat restricted these days and all that. Most of the time I will paint or illustrate places I have actually visited, but I might thrown in some surprises and share some places from my 'bucket list' as well.

 This time my art will take you to beautiful Zavala on island Hvar, a place I visited a couple of times. You can read my original posts about Zavala here and here. This place has got some amazing beaches and I couldn't resist painting one of them. I worked hard on this painting and I'm getting a lot of enjoyment from it. The medium is acrylic paints on canvas. I finished this canvas with an acrylic varnish to protect the colours and because I like the shine effect. The canvas was a gift and the acrylic paints are from royal talens (not sponsored). I will also share some photographs from to Zavala. If you want, I can make another separate post about Zavala. If that is something you would like to see, let me know in the comments. Let's get started.  


THE REFERENCE PHOTOGRAPHS I  USED TO MAKE THIS PAINTING
I used two reference photographs that I have taken myself. You can see them in this little collage bellow. That is my husband walking on the beach on both of them. The photographs were taken last spring when we visited Zavala for the first time (and I simply fell in love with it). It was a sunny day, so the quality of reference photographs was pretty good. I zoomed in a bit for my painting and framed this seascape in such a way as to enable me to focus on the waves and the sea. However, I also added some creative touches. I tried to keep close to original colours because they are so gorgeous, but my waves are a little more foamy. I kept the husband out of the painting, but I might include him in some other version. Naturally, I might paint or illustrate this gorgeous location again. 


WORK IN PROGRESS PHOTOGRAPHS- SEE THE MAKING OF THIS PAINTING!
Bellow you can see the colours I used. This canvas is quite large so I obviously used a lot of colour to cover it initially and then a lot more again because I choose to work on the details. I had to repurchase a whole new pack of acrylics for it (as you can see bellow). I worked slowly on this one, layer on layer on layer. If you remember, you actually saw a glimpse of the initial stages of this painting in this  Friday fashion illustration post back in March. I didn't really keep a strict track of time while working, but in my estimation this canvas took me about 50 hours to complete. Less than my last detailed painting of Vrboska, but still a lot of time. I would say that a detailed seascape with a lot of water movement takes about 4 hours of painting a day over the course of a few weeks to complete. It might take a lot more time if it was painted in a hyper-realistic style. I'm not sure how I would call my style but it is not typical realistic or hyper-realistic. However, being obsessed with water as I am, I might move into hyper-realism or realism eventually. You never know. Anyhow, seascapes in which you want to capture the movement of the sea are quite  time-consuming. It's a lot of work, but I love painting the sea so I don't mind it. 


On the photographs above you can see the painting slowly coming to life. Many hours spend trying to figure out how those greens and blues come together. The sea is a mighty fascinating thing. I can stare at it for hours. Bellow you can see how I'm adding more and more sea tones, more and more waves as I go along. I would say that once I added the foaming waves, I knew I was on the right track.  That is when I could visualize the final steps of this time-consuming painting. BTW Bellow you can see me adding those finishing touches (and wearing a t-shirt with my own fashion illustration design, similar ones  can be purchased here). 


THE FINAL STEPS AND THE FINISHING TOUCHES
The final stages of the painting were possibly the  hardest ones. I decided to add a light reflection of the sky on the waves. These tiny strokes enable me to connect the different parts of the sea and create a coherent looking seascape. However, they are quite time consuming. I made them using the tiniest brush I have. I even have a nickname for it, I call it 'babe'. When I lost it, I always call for it: 'Babe! Where are you, babe?' Hm, maybe I'm spending a bit too much time painting. Do you ever talk with your art supplies?

Speaking of that, this is not an art tutorial. I don't do those because I'm still experimenting with art techniques and developing them as I go. Some day when I have my art techniques all figured out, I might put together some art tutorials, but I doubt it will be anytime soon. Until then, I'll just give you an overview of my process, that might or might not be helpful. Probably not very helpful to most people. To be completely honest, sometimes I'm not sure myself as to how I achieve some effect myself. Often it is a trial and error method I'm using. Anyhow, there are millions of art teachers out there for those who want to learn more about art. Art teachers are better equipped to explain those things than me, a language teacher. I personally like learning from others and I think it helps a lot to watch good art tutorials.  We all learn differently. I admit to using trial and error method, but I also watch a lot of art tutorials. There are a lot of great art resources out there, it's just a matter of finding what works for you. As I always say, some things you need to work out for yourself, but fortunately not everything. 


It felt good to finish this canvas. The next and the final step was applying varnish. This time I used one in a spray and I'm still not sure do I prefer it to the one that comes in a bottle. I need to sit down and think about it. I don't really do detailed reviews of art supplies because I don't particularly care for it. Art supplies might be important when you have something specific in mind, but it is never too good to be too dependent on the tool. 

AFTER APPLYING VARNISH - Here is a  few more photographs of the varnish painting and we'll call it a day. 


For those interested, prints of this painting are available in my redbubble shop (on stickers, t-shirts, poster prints and so on). I might sell the original too. That would be all for today. I hope you have enjoyed visiting Zavala with me. As always thank you for your visits to my blog and your comments. Have a great week ahead!


Comments

  1. Ma che meraviglia che è questo dipinto Ivana!!! Guarda, secondo me i paesaggi, soprattutto con l'acqua, sono proprio il tuo forte!
    Stupendi i colori ed i riflessi, sei stata proprio bravissima nel rendere le meravigliose sfumature del mare! *_*
    Baci!
    S
    https://s-fashion-avenue.blogspot.com

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  2. Che bello questo ultimo dipinto Ivana, pensavo che fosse vero sai? Gli hai dato un bellissimo effetto!
    Don't Call Me Fashion Blogger
    Facebook
    Bloglovin'

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  3. So Cool To See The Hubby Making An Appearance - Stunning Realism And Amazing Color Match Of The Sea - Dig That Braided Hairstyle - However, That Lower Wave Painting, Fabulous - Would Love To Showcase That On My Wall - Be Well This Week

    Cheers

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    Replies
    1. So cool you noticed the lower wave painting. I painted it on a left over wood plank.

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  4. You have definitely captured this seascape scene in Zavala very well. It looks so inviting and tranquil at the same time. I always love the movement you manage to create in the water.

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  5. I always love when you paint the sea as you do such a good job of capturing it! it looks beautiful! :) This is another great painting, I love all the detail and it's so nice seeing how it all comes together! :)

    Hope that your week is going well :)

    Away From The Blue

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  6. Me encanto esta pintura sientes el movimiento del agua. Te salio genial y la isla debe ser muy linda. Te mando un beso

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  7. Hey Ivana, I hope you're having a good week :)

    Thanks for making us travel with you once again with your beautiful art! I may say that nowadays I am still missing trips but looking to photos, seeing video guides and exploring art based on travel and special places is making fill that void :)

    I remember many posts related to Hvar Islands on your site, and the place is really magical and of course it has to be featured on this series on your blog! Good to know that you're taking us with you through this journey! Of course the place has to be linked to water and the piece of the ocean.

    You can really feel the movement of the ocean and I imagine these kind of paintings are really time consuming but you can really see why, the level of detail in these is impressive and leave me spechless. Of course it is not a tutorial but thanks to your techniques I feel that I can explore too!

    Pablo
    Hey Fungi

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  8. Wow! Very nice picture. Thanks for sharing.
    I hope you'll visit my blog soon. Have a good week!

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  9. I love the way you found the texture of the sea and how it evolved. Beautiful work!

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  10. I think it will be great for you do even more with the inspiration of the photo. I am sure this process gives you such a unique feel to the sea and landscape. Wonderful painting!

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  11. Oh! Beautiful painting, Ivana! I might saw it the post on your instagram, and I am so moved again...
    Those sea splash is really great, and 'babe' brush sounds so cute<3

    akiko
    www.akikohiramatsu.com

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  12. Tvoj entuzijazam za slikanje me uvek oduševi, ali to kako slikaš more je magija! <3


    http://www.couture-case.com/

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  13. Your painting is beautiful Ivana!

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  14. This seascape is gorgeous, Ivana. The sea and the waves are looking very much alive and sparkling. Your love of the sea is very apparent and shines through in your art! xxx

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  15. You really have a wonderful way with water, Ivana. I sincerely did a double-take on the first couple of pictures here, then realized THEY were the painting! I could dive right into that sea! Thanks for sharing your art with us!

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  16. It looks great. Has so much detail :-D

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  17. Jako mi se sviđa ovaj serijal jer svaki put mi otkriješ neki novi kutak Jadrana koji želim posjetiti. Ova zavala je predivna i nijanse mora su savršen i nevjerovatno mi je kako si ih vjerno dočarala. Predivna slika.

    New Post - https://www.exclusivebeautydiary.com/2021/04/vichy-aqualia-thermal-rehydrating-rich.html

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  18. This is amazing! You are so talented! The detailing in the painting is really cool!
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

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  19. This painting is a masterpiece, you are really talented!

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  20. Complimenti è fantastico sembra una foto vera!
    Baci Mary
    Maryblog.it
    My Instagram

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  21. Bellissima la tua Terra, l'acqua di quel dipinto sembra reale... sei bravissima!
    Kisses, Paola.

    Expressyourself


    My Instagram

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  22. You have such a talent for capturing the movement and tones of the water, Ivana. xxx

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  23. Hi
    I think Ivana should feel very proud when taking these pictures next to your work of art, the first impression I had is that it was real, it is very well painted, looking at the reference it looks like the photo and not a painting, it is very interesting to see the evolution of your work and the way you have evolved in painting, you are getting better !!!!!
    Have a nice weekend!
    xoxo

    marisasclosetblog.com

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All your comments mean a lot to me, even the criticism. Naravno da mi puno znači što ste uzeli vrijeme da nešto napišete, pa makar to bila i kritika. Per me le vostre parole sono sempre preziose anche quando si tratta di critiche.

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