I decided to experiment with watercolor on a wood section base for the Little Good Things Swap. My partner, @Koreena, really likes peacocks so the subject was obvious and it gave me a chance to use my metallic/iridescent watercolors as a finish! I’m really pleased with the end result. In-person the metallic watercolors give the piece a velvety feel.
The only prep I did on the wood was giving it a quick wipe down to make sure there was no dust. It’s an interesting surface to work on, the watercolor can still bleed but not as much. It soaks down rather than sideways. I also gave the areas a quick water wash before adding initial color. I layered quite a bit of watercolor, used a light final wash of metallic watercolors, and used gouache and white acrylic ink for the bright whites. When the piece was completely dry I added a matte sealer to protect the colors.