In the moonlight, even the smallest things hold light.
Layer by layer, the glow begins to breathe.
These watercolor gumdrops are part of my illustrated story, The Night the Gumdrop Fell, where something small and unexpected becomes something magical. In this piece, I focused on building luminous color through transparent washes and soft transitions of light.
Beginning with a light sketch on cold-pressed watercolor paper, I place small drops of resist onto each gumdrop. These will later become the sparkling white crystals of sugar, preserving the brightness of the paper beneath layers of transparent color.
I begin with a thin wash of Winsor & Newton New Gamboge, a high-intensity transparent pigment, allowing a warm glow to form across all of the gumdrops. Once dry, I lay in a first wash of Winsor Blue to establish the luminous background.
Each gumdrop is then painted individually, using clean brushes and fresh water to keep the colors clear and vibrant. For the red-orange gumdrop, I apply a soft wash of Winsor Red along the edges, gently sweeping the color inward. While still wet, I introduce Cadmium Orange toward the center, allowing the colors to blend naturally on the paper.
After drying, I deepen the background with an additional wash of Winsor Blue, enhancing the contrast and glow. Returning to the gumdrop, I glaze a final layer of New Gamboge over the surface and add touches of Cadmium Red where needed to enrich the color.
Once everything is completely dry, I carefully remove the resist—revealing delicate white specks that create the illusion of crystallized sugar.
This painting is one small moment in a larger story—one that continues to unfold, page by page, through light, color, and imagination.
