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. :(

Review~Cirrus Floating Picture Frame

The adhesive square has been applied and the backing plastic is ready to be removed.

Here's a closer shot of the adhesive tabs. I've lifted the backing plastic off slightly. One adhesive tab will have to be applied to each side of the mounting tabs...one for the underside of the artwork, the other to adhere the work to the foamcore backing board.

The 1" adhesive squares actually contain only a 1/4" square of adhesive in the center, sandwiched between plastic. The adhesive is supposed to be repositionable and I've been putting that claim to the test. So far I've removed the mounting tabs from my paper 2-3 times with no damage to the back of the painting.


These are the 1" acid free foamcore mounting tabs and a sheet of adhesive squares.

The locking system is made of sturdy plastic. Flip the tabs up and grasping the sides of the top of the frame, simply pull straight up. When replacing, slide the clips into the frame's channel and once in place snap the tabs back down. Everything is locked in nice and tight.

The hanger system is simple and sturdy. No picture wire to deal with here. The hanger can be easily removed by gently prying up on each side below the holes you can see in this image with a flathead screw driver and it pops back in with some minimal effort.

Here's the frame as it arrived. Well, not exactly. I had taken it apart and replaced the original image crookedly before snapping this shot.:(

The instructions that Framatic included regarding the float mount tabs are incorrect. The adhesive is not already on the tabs when they arrive even though their graphic shows this.

I've received my float mount frame from Your Picture Frame.com and I'm pretty darn happy with it. I ordered an 8" x 10" frame in bronze which will accomodate an image up to 7" x 9" but plan to use it for a 5" x 7" painting. The frame itself is made of aluminum and is 1 1/4" deep with a 1/4" reveal. The reveal is smooth, the sides are slightly brushed. With the combined thickness of the foamcore and the float mount tabs it allows for 1/2" space between the artwork and the glass(no Plexi). The backer board/mat is acid free foamcore in an off white/slightly ivory color(no other color choices). The float mount tabs are also acid free.

Overall I'm very happy with this framing system. The materials are all acid free and this system makes float mounting artwork extremely simple and easy. My only negative critiques...(1.)The instructions contained an error and (2.) I wish they would've included some of those little wall protectors that attach to the lower corners of the back of the frame.

This frame is produced by Framatic of Los Angeles, Ca. and sold through various distributors. I did have some questions when it arrived and found the representative at Your Picture Frame to be friendly, helpful and knowledgable. I'd like to thank Alisha Lee for being so patient and going out of her way to assist me with my concerns.

Trillium Trio with WIP

Trillium Trio~5" x 7"

I'm still playing with the trilliums. I also plan to continue experimenting with different palettes. In this painting I added DS Moonglow (just love this color..it mixes with practically everything) to the Phthalo turquoise and perm. yellow left on a previous palette. Moonglow's purple-y/grey served to neutralize the other colors and brought what I consider a slightly old fashioned look to the finished painting. I also used a working drawing and a small amount of misket to save some edges. I'm not particularily happy with the flower on the top left. The angle is too sharp and horizontal and leads the eye off the painting.

This painting was done on #140 HP and I'm still using Kemp's paper prep technique. I like the ability to lift paint on this surface, especially when dealing with white flowers.

Doodling Online

My Doodle Cat

I found these links (see below) on Vivien Blackburn's blog and it's a ton of fun! She called it a time waster and she's probably right. Vivien also called it addictive and I have to agree.

Doodle Online

Mr. doob's Blog

Mr. doob is aka Ricardo Cabello, the man responsible for this graphic program

Trilliums~Fast and Loose

Last year I took several photos of trilliums for reference but never did a thing with them. Instead I went off on another tangent and the images were forgotten. In 2009 Spring came about 6 weeks late and stayed all summer so trilliums were scarce. This year Spring has arrived very early in N. Michigan. The trilliums aren't blooming yet, though. The poor things probably don't know what's going on!

This is more of a study than a finished painting. I wanted to try Kemp's paper prep technique with HP Fabriano w/c paper. Hotpress paper contains a lot more sizing than coldpress so I was able to achieve more detail and definition but it tended to dry out much faster which presented it's own problems. Lesson learned? HP paper needs to be soaked to maintain the same moisture levels as CP. Just brushing water on both sides of HP won't work. The good news...it all depends on the end result you want which paper will work best using Linda Kemp's prep method.