30 Day Challenge #30 LAST DAY - Watching
Watching 9"x12" ...
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30 Day Challenge #25 - Tree
Tree Ink Here is an ink sketch of the bones of a tree. Drawing trees is...
30 Day Challenge #22 - Flemingo Dancer
Flamingo Dancer Pastel Absolutely love the dramatic angle of the body and hands. Also like the challenge of the flowing dress and of course the polka dots. ...
30 Day Challenge #16. Chippie
Chippie 7"x5" Pastel/Sanded Paper Well we are officially half way through the challenge and I am still alive. YESSS!!!!! We have a couple of chipmunks (today's inspiration) which provide us with lots of entertainment when we sit on the porch. ...
30 Day Challenge #15 - Pretty Boy Harry
Pretty Boy Harry 7"x5" Pastel/Velour Paper I don't know why but I haven't done many regular cats, only cats have been of the big African variety. So I am remedying that situation with Pretty Boy Harry. This is from PMP and the photographer is Neil Cartwright. Harry just looked so peaceful and I loved the soft long silky hairs and the subtle color blends in his dark fur. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy today.
30 Day Challenge #14- Blueridge Sunrise
Blueridge Sunrise 7"x5" Oil Well one of the best things about doing the challenge is that you don't have to have super high expectations and can experiment without fear of failure. So this is taking my trying to get loose into an abstract, simplified look at the sunrise over the mountain ranges of the Blueridge. You look out when you are at elevation and all you see are countless ridges flowing to the horizon. They are eternal just like the waves rolling in off of the oceans. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, they have been here forever regardless of the day or the weather. It is so refreshing and peaceful to survey God's creation. Thanks for stopping by and hope you are having a great week.
30 Day Challenge #13 - Really!?
Really!!? 9"x12" Oil I just love the expression on this Boston Terrier's face. Oh yeah, if a dog could talk!! This is Izabella's best bud and came as part of her reference photos. Previously I did this dog on scratchboard and thought I'd try him in my new found medium of oil. Also to surprise my hubby I thought I would do most of the body as I usually do the heads and he always asks why not the complete dog. If I continue in this I am going to have to either replace my water mixables...
30 Day Challenge #12 - Cruising
Cruising 7"x5" Color Pencil/Pastel Well this little guy is out for a swim. What drew me to this was trying to see if I could get the water look and of course the fluffy little bundle who is just paddling away. Thanks for stopping by and hoping you are having a good Monday.
30 Day Challenge #11 - Licorce
Licorce ACEO Pastel/Sanded paper One of the best things about drawing is getting to eat the props. Not only do these look good and colorful, they taste good too! Today I took a little breather as the picture I am working on isn't finished and I didn't want to do a WIP shot. 1/3 of the way through this challenge but feel I am receiving benefits from the pressure to do something presentable daily. So hanging onto that will try to plow into the last 2/3s of the days. Thanks for stopping by and hope you are having a wonderful weekend.
30 Day Challenge #10 - Bella in Oil
Bella 5"27" Oil This is Bella, a friend's Beagle puppy, think she is 8 months. Anyway she asked if I wanted to use her for the challenge and sent me a picture. I decided to try the oils again but did it on canvas paper instead of matboard, which has a slippery surface. I am not real sure of the colors but I think they are close, I am working with a very limited palette and couldn't get exactly what I was looking for, but in sunlight pictures she is pretty rusty. The light beige is where I ran into mixing trouble, got either too white, yellow or burnt sienna - ah well. She sure looks like a cutie. Have sent to Diane and hoping to hear back from her with her reaction. Hoping she will like it and that is actually looks like Bella. Haha In just 24 hours since I hung the oils with caps down the consistency of the paint has improved a bit, but I have to continually wet them on the palette as they are drying...
30 Day Challenge #9 - Lioness Oil
Lioness 8"x10" Oil Had a lot of fun today, but sooooo far outside my comfort zone. If you have followed me for a while you know I don't paint loose ( not that this really qualifies as real loose but for me it is), I don't do abstract (I am calling the background abstract) and I don't do oil. So today - what the heck, it's time for some fun and not take myself too seriously in this challenge. That is what the challenge is for to experiment and not think you are going to make quality pictures every day. So this piece is done in oil on a piece of matboard. I have had the oils for many years, never used much and so had to reconstitue them. I now have them hanging cap down with binder clips on the crimped end attached to paperclips attached to a drawer with a lip. I am hoping that the oil will move back down so that it isn't hard as a rock and gets to be smooth and buttery again. May have to end up and replace, but...
30 in 30 Challenge #8 - Windswept
Windswept 8"x10" Pastel/Black Matboard Just took a hot apple pie out of the oven and I should have my house on the market to sell, because anyone coming in would definitely feel homey and get hungry. :) An artist I really admire told me to practice tonality, and I try to do so occasionally, work from a black and white photo and just choose a limited palette. Since I was mentally tired today I decided to try to do a tonal piece and something that didn't have a lot of detail in it. Am a bit worried because I am actually tired and only a quarter of the way into this. Hobby Lobby sells packs of matboards centers and you get all kind of boards and colors, mostly non-acid, for about 50 cents each. Got a smooth black matboard and went at it. Almost the biggest challenge was to break up the solid black hair mass, especially on the right-hand side. thanks for stopping by and hope you are doing well if you are in the challenge and sta...
30 in 30 Challenge #7 - Lady in Red
Lady in Red 7"x5" Color Pencil/Hot Press Watercolor Paper Week 1 of the challenge is history!!!!! And yes, I did sing the song the whole time I worked on this. I thought Leslie put it very well yesterday "But this is the time where the novelty starts to wear off and it's really easy to come up with a reason not to complete the challenge. Painting 30 paintings in 30 days is not easy." Saw another artist on PMP do an interpretation of this photo and just loved it so had to try myself. Also wanted to see if I could make her look like she was lookingY up. Did do this on hot press watercolor paper I inadvertently ordered and sinc...
30 in 30 Challenge #6 - Norma's Eye
Norma's Eye 9"x12" Pastel/Sanded Paper (terracotta) Ok, it is kind of a strange subject, but I just love to do eyes, so.... Thanks to AinslieG at Paint My Photo for her reference photo of her first horse. While not a horse person I think their eyes really are the windows to what they are thinking, plotting or scheming to do to us. Oh wow, just got an email from the owner/photographer and she humbles me: "I am all teary! You have captured her eye perfectly. That is her soul coming through. Wow. I am really very touched and feel emotional (in a good way!). I love it. :)" For an artist, it just can't get any better than that. Congratulations to Alexander as you guessed a horse, and thanks to Danielle for taking a guess. This was on my "how good is your imagination" earlier post. This is on the...
30 in 30 Challenge #5 - Yes, Pigs Can Fly
Yes, Pigs Can Fly 7"x5" Color Pencil/Pastel/Ink Whoopee - we are at day 5, so means almost a week into the challenge. Got to work on the mental as I am tired and found I had to beat myself this morning to get into the studio. But finally got there!!! Yep, this definitely is a face that only a mother could love. But I love the ears and he had really long coarse white hairs sticking out everywhere. Oh yeah, his expression is priceless. This came from a reference picture from PaintMyPhoto.ning by photographer Patricia Ann Jones, her title was Mirror, Mirror .... which was cute too. This is mostly color pencil, Sakura white pen and pastel for the background on gray paper. Thanks much for stopping by and hope you are having a great weekend. Lots of football!!!! Enjoy
30 in 30 Challenge - #4 - Kingfisher
Kingfisher 5"x7" Pastel/Velour Paper This little guy is so cheerful and it is so dreary here that I just had to paint him. This is another Gary Jones reference. Please check Gary's wildlife photos out at PaintMyPhoto.ning. He has such a wonderful eye and is just one of the photographers there that graciously allows us to use the pictures copyright free. I never have seen a Kingfisher in the wild, not sure they are in our Southeast range. I think now that I am doing enough of these on velour paper am getting some idea of how to manipulate the paper. It takes a lot of pressure and many layers although it still eats my color. For storage I am putting them in small plastic bags, curling them as I put them in or taking them out - since this is mostly practice I haven't mounted them on acid free board. The bags however are big enough to hold a mounted picture and it is a perfect set up for m...
30 in 30 Challenge #3 - Who's Dat
Who's Dat 7"x5" Pastel/Velour Paper When I was younger I actually collected owls - and then after Harry Potter, well I'm sold. Actually we have an owl that occasionally flies through our yard during the day, think he lives down by the lake. This is a horned owl. Not too late to join in with the 30 paintings in 30 days, sponsored by Leslie Saeta, just check her website for details, http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com/ , she also does a weekly radio show on marketing art, interviews with artists, organization, etc. According to her post yesterday there are 1,227 artists participating in this challenge - whew that is a lot of crazy people in one place!! I did more planning this time and having done it once before knew what to expect, so thus far, know it's only 3 days, I am feeling pretty good, not nearly as stressed as last time. Thanks for stopping by and have a great painting week. Good week for me so...
30 in 30 Challenge #2 - Shades of Pink
Shades of Pink 5"x7" Graphite/Color Pencil on Bristol Board Well this puts me back to summer and heat - not winter, cold and drizzle or downright rain. I love taking pictures of kids (these days always ask first) and this little girl caught my eye. She was all dolled up cruising in her stroller at the Birmingham farmers market. I just loved her coordinated glasses and bow and those little cupid lips - she just gottcha. Thanks for stopping by and hope you have recovered from New Year's and getting a good start on the new year.
30 Day Challenge #1 - Looking Glass Rock
Looking Glass Mountain - Side View 5"x7" Pastel Well I had so much fun and learned so much last January I figured I would do the 30 paintings in 30 day Challenge with Leslie Saeta and 810 of her closest friends. While it was a pressure filled time just pushing yourself for the 30 days made you work faster, make efficient decisions and gave some confidence. I did however try to come up with somewhat of a theme or two, have prepared some of the reference photos I wanted to use and am vacillating on the media to use. Hope you take the journey with me as I try to enjoy it this go round. Thanks for stopping by and hope you are having/had a wonderful New Year!!