Sydney~Completed

As it happened, this turned into more of a pastel piece with a watercolor underpainting than a watercolor with a bit of pastel. I'm glad I was working on HP paper and was pleased it took the pastel so well. The background color was decided for me when my masking fluid decided to stain my paper. }:( I've never seen it do that before. Ummmm....anyway, I've sent an image to my niece for her approval. I'd love to paint Sydney again, this time with just watercolor and probably not in this particular pose.

Sydney~WIP 2

I've been working on this portrait for three solid days now. Unfortunately, my first attempt ended in failure. I was well into the painting when I realized my subject was too small for the size of the format. I've never pulled that stunt before and hope to never have it happen again. Thank God for my scanner and it's ability to enlarge drawings. What a time saver.

Yesterday I realized I wasn't happy with the fur. A Golden's fur tends to have lots of wispy waves and it just wasn't happening for me with the paint so I got out my pastels again. The nice thing about adding soft pastels to a watercolor...you can go back in over the pastel with the paint to bring back that vibrancy if things are begining to look a little dull. I'll probably have some colored pencil in this before it's over.

Establishing Color & Values with Pastel

Colorful, isn't she?

Here I've greyscaled my pastel to double check the values. Notice the arrow I've drawn to indicate my light source. Ummm...the center top of the head looks too dark. Needs tweaking.

I originally planned to print out a copy of my sketch onto cardstock and use pencil and charcoal to determine placement of the appropriate values for Sydney's portrait. Then I had the brilliant idea to get out my soft pastels and experiment with those instead. I had forgotten how messy soft pastels are and how fun they are to work with.:) Cardstock is not a good support for soft pastels and I struggled to not wipe them completely off the surface when I tried to blend them. I did the best I could but wound up digitally enhancing my results to get the color saturation I wanted.

Sydney the Golden Retriever~WIP

From looking at the other photos of Sydney I noticed her eyes were quite large so I increased the size here which also worked to lessen the distortion. I enlarged the width of the top of her head, too. I also fixed the flash bulb eyes. Now to sort out the light source.

My working reference photo

My niece Kali's Golden Retriever, Sydney recently passed away quite unexpectedly and she requested a portrait. She had some nice large file photos of Sydney for me to reference which will help greatly. She also hoped I could paint Sydney with her mouth open which apparently was her normal expression. We had a Golden when the kids were little and he always had his mouth open in a perpetual goofy grin so it must be a Golden 'thing'. Kali provided me with one shot of her dog with her mouth open but the camera distortion wasn't going to make a nice portrait IMO so I'm sorting that problem out first. The photo was taken fairly close to the dog's face making the nose look too large, the eyes and head too small. It was also taken indoors with a flash so I'd like to change the light source. I don't want to lose the angle of the shot completely, just lessen it a bit.

This is a very rough sketch and I'm posting it mainly for my own purposes. I can spot things on screen I often miss IRL.

Crabby Cat Birthday

Crabby Cat first appeared this past Christmas and I thought it would be fun to bring him back for another holiday, this time a more personal day. I adore cats with lots of 'catitude' so when I saw Mefisto, a Maine Coon owned by MaLu on Paint My Photo I was inspired to create a birthday card. I'd like to extend my apologies to Mefisto for turning him into a Persian and adding the party elements. Mefisto is a gorgeous black & white Maine Coon with loads of attitude and I just couldn't resist.

I used the same method to create C C Birthday as I did C C Xmas. I drew my outline onto tracing paper, transferred the image onto card stock, scanned it and then printed it directly onto 140# HP watercolor paper. I went over the outline with a 05 Micron pen, then added the color using a combination of Prismacolor CP's and watercolor and I will be turning this into notecards again. I did learn one lesson from C C Xmas...I drew in my own text this time because I was not happy with the way the text printed out that I added using my photo editor.

Life

Tulip 'New Design' macro shot.

I planted the New Design tulips below my pink weeping cherry tree because they bloom at the same time and match the blossoms and newly emerging pale green leaves of the tree. Clever of me...huh? ;)

My weeping cherry blossoms in their prime.

Just when I was at my lowest today look what I found...a morel! It was growing in one of my flower beds. This is a first and it was certainly a morale booster. (pun intended)

I've recently let life get in my way rather than go with the flow and my creativity has suffered partially because of my choices. For instance, this time of year I'm usually complaining about Spring cleaning the house but this year my gardens have gotten the better of me. The past few years I haven't been as diligent as I should've about clearing grass out of my flower beds. This year I'm reaping the rewards(?) of that oversight and frankly I'm feeling overwhelmed at the moment. Why does grass grow so well where it shouldn't and never where it should?! It also occurred to me today as I was tearing up clump after clump of grass how short a time it would take to undo all the blood, sweat and years I've spent creating these beds. Mother Nature could turn my usually well manicured flower gardens into a wild meadow without breaking a nail. On the bright side, I managed to get some nice photos to share.

Batik Tulips~Completed

Ta Da! It's finally done. Last night I removed all the tape and finished the centers of the tulips. Today I looked at it and thought I could've done a better job on the tulip in the lower left corner so I retaped a few areas and applied another light wash. I got some very nice bleeds on the tulip and the background and thoroughly enjoyed this process. I would definitely try this again. It's a bit tedious applying the tape but more fun than a chore. Kudos to Sandy Maudlin for creating this technique.

Batik Tulips~Update 2

Here I've applied my dark wash over everything. I used Indigo as a base color. I added some Phthalo green in a few areas, perm. yellow in others to get a mix of warm and cool.

Everything is now covered in masking tape. This process was actually fun! Kinda like putting a jigsaw puzzle together.

I masked off some leaves and one bud and here I've removed the tape from those areas so I can put even more tape on.

I had hopes of completing this today but it seems like it's taking forever to dry. The tape as well as the paper has absorbed a lot of moisture and it's a bit humid here today so I'll just have to wait...but it's hard. I'm dying to start tearing off tape to see what's underneath.

Batik Tulips~1st Update

I'd call this the ugly stage. Every painting seems to go through at least one. I've added color and now I'm beginning to add more tape. Then more color, more tape and so on. It's my understanding that before it's completed the entire piece of paper will be covered in masking tape. I will reiterate...I have no idea what I'm doing. I'll add that I also have no idea what my end result will be. I think it's going to be like opening a present on Xmas morning...a nice surprise or a big letdown. I'm still excited to what happens either way.

Batik Tulips~WIP

This is as far as I got before the big 'boom' and the flames. I used artist's tape to mask the areas I wish to keep white in hopes it will not allow any bleed as I add the next layers of color. I will be switching to a regular brand of masking tape to complete the painting. Bleeds will be desirable now. Just a note: I really have no idea what I'm doing yet. This should be interesting.

My working drawing.

Here I ramped up the contrast in my photo editor and greyscaled the image to get a better handle on the values.

This is a crop of a photo submitted by Lorenz on Paint My Photo. I cropped it quite a bit to create a macro.

I've been so impressed by Sandy Maudlin's masking tape batik watercolor paintings I decided to try my hand at it. See Sandy's batik poppy Here and the work of some of her students Here.

I chose to try tulips as my first subjects. Fairly simple shapes to contend with. For my reference I'm using a photo submitted by Lorenz on Paint My Photo, a site I found and joined through Facebook where photographers and artists share their work without worries of copyright violation. I haven't gotten very far yet as my hair dryer decided to burst into flames when I was drying the first wash so until I replace it, it'll be slow going.

Peaches Strikes A Pose

"Be sure to get my good side!" What a diva.

What a ham. *eyeroll*

She suddenly notices me!

Not ready for her head shot yet.

I recently visited a friend of mine that raises laying hens in her backyard. I was excited to hopefully get some photos of her chickens for a future painting, however most did not want to cooperate. One exception was Peaches, an Isa Brown. I went right into the pen and sat on the ground, camera in hand hoping for a few good shots. Once Peaches noticed I was focusing on her I swear she began posing for me. I'd bring the camera up for the shot, Peaches would position herself and freeze in place until I took the photo. Then she would go about her business until I brought the camera up again. As a model she was very professional.

Hollyhocks~Completed

Actually this was more of an experiment in color or lack thereof than a serious floral. I still can't decide if I like it or not so I'll be putting it away for awhile. Someday I'll get it back out and either love it or wonder what the heck I was thinking at the time. I did add a little Cad. yellow light to the centers of the flowers. That orange was much too jarring all by itself, IMO.

Review~Cirrus Floating Picture Frame~Update

Pond Life I
watercolor on matboard
11" x 14" frame

Pond Life II
watercolor on matboard
8" x 10" frame

Pond Life III
watercolor on matboard
8" x 10" frame

I've just completed framing three paintings using the Cirrus floating frame system. See my initial review here. I really like the glass for these smaller frames. The extra weight isn't an issue at this size and I'm always so nervous when working with Plexi for fear I will inadvertently scratch it. Glass also doesn't collect static as much (cat hair is a major problem at my house).

I see Framatic has corrected their instructions regarding the adhesive tabs. Unfortunately the adhesive provided was not strong enough to support even a small piece (7" x 9") of 3/16" matboard. I'm not quite sure if it was the weight or the paper on the back surface of the matboard that was the problem. Either way it's of concern so I chose to use another adhesive I had on hand. For larger pieces I wouldn't bother with the tabs at all and instead use acid free foamcore in the traditional way.

July 6, 2010~Update: Framatic no longer produces the bronze floating frames which I show in the above images. The only colors now available are silver and black.

Hollyhock~Update 2

This will be my final update until the painting is completed. As you can see, I've gotten the buds finished on the right stem and have started working on the last blooms and leaves on the left. I've also been adjusting values and will probably continue to do so as I go along. Still not sure if I like this or not but it's growing on me(no pun intended).

Hollyhock~Update

This is turning into a monster. I have to go back again and again to adjust the values making the matboard more & more absorbent. As for flower form, I'm pretty much flying blind although when I look at reference material I tend to make more mistakes. I seem to be better off using instinct to judge where petals go and at what angle they turn and fall. I do plan to see this one through to the end though it may take me longer than planned. In the meantime I may start another project so I don't get frustrated and go stale on this one.

Hollyhocks~Experimental Palette

I've always wanted to try this sort of two tone palette...one color that will give me a full range of values and another as an accent color. Daler/Rowney Payne's grey is my main color and DS Pyrrol orange is the accent or 'pop' color. I like working with a limited palette so why not take it to the next level? Not sure if I like it, though. It's too soon to tell. Also I want to mention I'm working on white matboard.

I'm also currently cleaning mini blinds, a chore I hate with a passion. I had to have the blinds with ladder tape so I can't throw them in the tub and spray them clean. Oh no....that would've been too easy. Nope, I'm wiping each individual blade, one at a time. I'm taking frequent breaks though and working on this painting in the 'tween time.

In The Mood for Hollyhocks

Actually I'm in the mood to paint something in a long, narrow format and hollyhocks came to mind. I doodled up a sketch last night, working from memory. Today I found a photo I took of some double hollyhocks I grew a few years ago. I think the photo may already be on my blog somewhere but I'm too lazy to go hunting. The light source isn't the best so I will have to work that out in the sketch and I see I forgot what lovely large sepals hollyhocks sport. Now to decide if I want to do this painting loose style, more realistic, on paper, on gesso, on matboard....decisions, decisions.

Turtle on Matboard~Complete

I'm calling this one done. I took a few snapshots of the painting, adjusted the colors & resized the image in my photo editor, then realized my fly needed a couple of legs. I added the legs, went through the whole process all over, then saw a few areas that needed some tweaks...blah, blah, so on and so forth. I think I'm finally happy with the finished painting and the image now, thank God.

As I was painting this I was reminded of Jimmy the Turtle who I rescued from certain death when I was just a kid, probably around 4 years of age. He was trying to cross a busy road near a pond when I spotted him. Despite turtle's reputations for being slow they can actually move pretty darn fast when they want but they tend to pull back into their shells when they hear cars coming. I begged my parents to let me keep him so I brought him home, gave him a name and he lived in a galvanized laundry tub with all the amenities in my side yard for a few weeks. My Dad finally made me realize that Jimmy needed to be back with his family so I had to let him go. Man, that turtle sure hustled when I turned him loose in that pond! It was my first lesson in "If you really love something, sometimes you have to let it go".

Turtle on Matboard~ Update 2

Here's where I'm at today. I decided I like the turquoise and I'm glad I decided to add it. The turtle is basically done. I've got more work to do on the branch he's resting on and I have a fly in the sky to add that my turtle has his eye on. Working on matboard is very different than working on w/c paper. It's difficult to add glazes as the paint tends to lift more easily on this surface, even after the first layers have completely dried, but I believe the textural effects are worth the trouble.

Turtle on Matboard~In Progress

I just finished painting the turtle's shell so I thought I'd post an update. Much more to be done on this one before it's completed but I'm very happy with the way the shell turned out. Not too sure about the turtle itself yet but he's not completed anyway. I stayed with my previous palette of carbazole violet, perylene green and Quin. gold but added some Phthalo turquoise and I'm questioning the wisdom of that right now. We'll see what happens.

Dragonfly~Complete

SOLD

I punched up the values, added more texture and glazed the dragonfly wings with iridescent medium. The dragonfly still needed something more so I found a tube of DS Iridescent Electric Blue (no idea when or why I bought this color) and gave it a 'charge'. It certainly made this dragonfly 'pop'!

Dragonfly~Update

I've been playing around with this one today and thought I'd better put up an image on screen before going any further. Funny how I can spot things that need to be tweaked or changed better on screen than off. I'm staying with the same palette and starting to define the dragonfly. I added some blades of marsh grass for composition's sake and deepened the values in a few areas. My instincts are telling me I need to get some darker values going on, especially on the main subject to make it pop.

Dragonfly on Matboard~WIP

I just started this a few minutes ago so not much is done but I thought I'd post a quick update. I truly enjoy painting on matboard. I like the interesting textural effects that can be achieved so easily on this surface. I started with a loose sketch of the dragonfly, then brushed on some juicy Quin. gold, perylene green and DS carbazole violet. I spritzed the painting lightly with an atomizer bottle/water to move the colors and let them mix and mingle on the board. I encouraged a few blooms and splattered paint here and there. No plan in mind, just seeing where things lead me. After this dries I may add some ink, colored pencil, more watercolor...I'm only limited by my imagination. This is the method of painting that relaxes me.

Correction: I previously titled this post 'Dragonfly on Mountboard'. I'm working on matboard, not mountboard. Sorry.:(

Delphiniums~Loose Style

I act as the moderator on a Michigan gardening site and recently someone started a thread asking members to name their favorite flower. I didn't hesitate to choose delphiniums as mine, particularily the Pacific Giant cultivars. Delphiniums are one of the few true blue flowers found in nature. Related to the buttercup (can you believe that?!), their common name is larkspur. Like roses, many gardeners have excellent luck growing them while others do not. I've been one of the lucky ones. They make the perfect subject for a loose, juicy watercolor, too.

Chocolate~Complete

I've finally completed Chocolate, the Great Dane. I'm just not sure if the background is complete. As this is basically a full length portrait of this dog, I didn't want to create any detail in the background but I had to find a way to ground him. I used various washes of my original palette (FUB, burnt sienna and cobalt blue deep), applying them at different angles to give a faint impression of backdrop and floor. The reference photo showed the light coming from above which didn't leave many shadows and highlights to work with. As I look at this my instincts are telling me I need to bring in a dark value somewhere to make the dog better relate to the background. I'm just not sure where to place it yet. I've printed out a few copies and experimented with different options but I think at this point I need to set Chocolate aside for a few days until I have an epiphany.

Chocolate~in Progress

Meet Chocolate, a Great Dane and what a beauty he is. My niece, Megan Russell graciously sent me the photo so I could paint him. He is actually a Chocolat Dane, the chocolate color being a recessive gene carried in the harlequin (white with black spots) danes and his blue eyes are considered a flaw so he is not considered 'showable' by AKC standards. According to Megan, technically the spots make him a chocoquin, the spot color combined with white. There are also merlequins (white with blue spots), fawnaquins (white with tan) and brindlequins (white with tiger striped spots). None of these colors are AKC acceptable. What a shame.

I'm painting Chocolate on #140 Fabriano HP and the finished painting should be approx. 12" x 18". My palette is just FUB and burnt sienna. I did use just a little very dilute cobalt blue deep for his eyes.

Duck Duck Goose~Completed

I decided to go with the simple background for this. It may need more work to create depth in the grass but I'm calling it done for now.

At first I planned to do a simple blue sky and low grasses so I outlined a few areas of the goose and the ducks with a Prussian blue Derwent w/c pencil to prevent color bleed. It sounded like a good idea at the time! Unfortunately, the pencil didn't want to blend out as well as I would've thought so I have a nice blue outline showing in some spots and those lines absolutely refuse to budge. Lesson learned once again.

Seeing this on the blog just now made me realize the grass needs a lot more work. Maybe at a later date.

Deciding on Backgrounds & Intention

Do I want to continue developing the detail in this background and create a barnyard scene?

Or do I want the birds to be the main subject with a few simple stands of grass to frame them?

Planning the entire painting before actually starting it is always preferable. However, if you've ever found yourself stuck for background ideas after you've completed the foreground subject/subjects this is a great way to try different options without ruining your painting. Here I've printed out two copies of Duck Duck Goose on cheap printing paper and penciled in a couple possible backgrounds. I can even add color with Prismacolor pencils to see which colors will work best. I'm still undecided but I can continue to experiment indefinitely or until my printer ink runs out.

Another thing to consider is the intention of the artist which will impact the type of background chosen. Do I want to paint a farm scene with a few ducks and a goose in the foreground or do I want the birds to star?

Duck Duck Goose~in progress

I'm not terribly clever when it comes to titles but despite the fact that this title is obvious, it's also the name of a popular children's game in the U.S. and I remember playing it many times with the other kids in my neighborhood when I was growing up. I mentioned the game to a friend of mine that grew up in Great Britain but she wasn't familiar with it so I'm posting a link for those who are wondering how you play Duck Duck Goose.

My reference for this piece is a photo I shot last weekend of someone's barnyard. They had a variety of geese and ducks in a pen near the road and I couldn't resist taking a few pics. This is fairly tight (realistic) and it's been awhile since I've painted this tight and now I remember why I don't like painting tight....too much room for error.:( It makes me nervous and when I get nervous I mess up. Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy sort of thing. If all goes well I'll post the completed painting. If it doesn't...well, one more for the bin.

Purple Cat

Hey, why not? I've finally used up all the paint on my latest palette, too! This colorful kitty was painted freehand, wet-into-wet on #140 Fabriano Uno. I added some violet Bombay ink with a pen and nib after the painting was dry. I wound up with a few unplanned 'blobs', one right on the cat's face. I'm a menace with bottled ink and nibs. :(