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Mesmerized Stream Bed Mongolian Horse Race As sometimes happens I am ending up working on multiple projects at once.  For whatever reason I can't seem to get focused on just one.  So I am just giving up and rotating them as I feel the need to work on something each day.  Guess that will mean that I will have a couple of finished paintings probably about the same time.   Mesmerized is a wonderful photo that Sandie Bell captured of her grandson and a butterfly.  I decided since I haven't worked in graphite for a while it was a perfect opportunity to do this piece and kind of get back in the swing of things.   I also am adding a bit of color pencil just to add the faintest hint of yellow ochre.  I also am using several different techniques on this which include powdered graphite and a brush, toilet paper, and just pencils of different hardness.  This piece is happening slowly as it is built up in thin layers. For Stream Bed I decided to try to do a little wa

Midnight Majesty Sneaking up on bolder color, while still a bit realistic, is what this picture turned out to be.  I did the first picture, below, and felt it was kind of blah, even though I tried to add color to it.  So I let it sit on the easel a bit and then reworked it adding in more color.  I was using some craft paint, and even though it looked quite bright when I put it on, it sank into the mat board I guess, even though I had a layer of black first, but for whatever reason the color just melted away once it was dry. Even though the primary reason to rework was to add some color, I am happier with the horns and face of the bull.  Oh yes, I learn all this trivia, an elk mature male is a bull, while a deer is a buck, and a moose is also a bull.  Know you will sleep better tonight knowing that distinction. Anyway, thanks, as always for stopping by and taking a look.

Sun Flowers Mixed Media Collage Started out in one direction and ended up completely in another.   But that is the way it goes.  I tried several techniques that really didn't work out quite the way I expected, much harder than it looked with not a good result.  so ended up trying to go another direction using tissue paper that becomes quite transparent.  Just playing, experimenting and going with the flow. Thanks much for stopping by and taking a look.

Coral Reef, 5"x7" Getting really frustrated with blogger/google these days.  Not sure what they re doing but ...  Anyway after putting in my password for anything google a million times I decided to relax and play a bit.   Seems like everything technology in our house was asking for various passwords yesterday.  Almost getting, and yes I get it as there are so many dishonest people, you almost have to have a password for "the" password.   For a person who has never much been interested in texture, I must say that now I am interested in trying it out on various things.  Today's play was trying to see how much texture you could get using the Yupo paper and watercolor.  One interesting thing about the Yupo is that with watercolor you can pull off color and it leaves a nice rim of pigment, which gives the outline effect. Got a couple more things on the easel that I am working on, but it is slower going. Again, after turning this around when I thought I

Abstract - Pansies The Bull Well, when I get in these moods I am never sure what will be the end result.  Here is a Sherpa-inspired picture of an elk.  Probably be the only animal head that would hang over my fireplace. Who says, you don't learn in art?  Because I don't know these things, I googled the correct designation, that while an adult male deer is a buck, an adult male elk is a bull.  We often frequent Smoky National Park, they reintroduced elk there in 2001 and 2002.  They have really have had a successful comeback and several groups have spread out of the park.  While they are tolerant of humans, usually by the time we get to the park it is too late in the day to see them.  Huge, they are much larger than deer, not really know for sure how they compare to moose. I seldom work in watercolor.  I do like it, just don't always understand it.  So decided to do an experiment - I know, like I never do - of watercolor on Yupo paper.  Because it is pla

TRAX - Collage/painting Still trying to figure out how to incorporate collage into my paintings.  Also thinking it would help me to get looser, impressionistic looks. But, sigh, looks like I still have a long way to go on that.  You can see by the small picture below, where I was at with the main collage pieces and the drawn train.  The main collage pieces used were:  the underpants was torn newsprint out of a paperback book, train front window was graduated gray tones (I added painted color and shadows), top part of the building/tresses, tracks, the man in the red jacket as the collage pieces.   The remainder of the people and the rest piece are painted.  I tired to make the sky/trees more impressionistic.                                       As usual, I like part of it and not so much other parts, but it is interesting, kind of like learning a new language.    Thanks much for stopping by and taking a look.

                                                                        The Wizzard                                                                            12"x15.5"                                                                                Pastel Since I have been doing so much experimentation I felt the need to do something more substantial.  I had done this head in a smaller ATC version using color pencil.  But knew I wanted to try to do it in pastel and wanted to use my new skin tone techniques, see if I could transfer it into pastel. I used a piece of pastel mat for this piece.  I haven't been such a big fan of it, as I grew up using mostly paper supports,  and find that I have had to learn how to apply pastels in a different manner when using it.  I did use pan pastels for the background, and ended up applying it with paper towels and I do like the rougher texture that it gave, something that you usually don't associate with pastel.  I really mulle

Been quite a while since I have worked in a sketchbook on a regular basis.  And thought this might be the perfect way to start sketching again and utilize all the things I have been working on from collage, markers, painting, etc.  There is so darn much on YouTube and Pinterest to help you that I figured I could go back a lot of years to my childhood. How so, you might ask.  Well, if you remember paper dolls and Barbie's you might not be surprised to know I spend a lot of time making them clothes.  I like fashion, and design but never really pushed it as an adult.  But, you are  never too old to start something new and trying things, so this is the start and I'll see how long it take before I get bored. The dress on the left is a combination of ideas and I can say it's an original.   The dress on the left is a shortie 10 day course where the idea was to draw with your left, yes left, hand, and then kind of entangle in a design.  Only working in black, white or gray

Here are a couple of ATCs that I have just completed.  Both are done on card stock.  The top is for an ATC monthly challenges with the theme of secrets.  This is from a photo reference by Alex Lee Johnson, a fabulous quirky photographer who shares at PMP.  I have wanted to d her for a while as I really loved the story in the eyes. And the lower one is a combination collage/painting.   For her I used the top half of a model from a Landsend catalog.  I found a Victorian hat I liked (thought it might have been worthy to go to the royal wedding) and then just painted out the mid-body of the models clothes and painted an off-the-shoulder dress.  Tried matching the existing skin tones for her neck and shoulders.  I did actually sketch an good oval, but it really didn't come out that well here - looks pretty odd shaped, but ....    It has kind of shot me off into looking into fashion design as that would be really great practice too for drawing the full figure.  Am I the only one w

Well, more truthful confessions in this post.   I have to admit that I have been somewhat of an artistic snob.   While I have  done a lot of crafts over the years I have to admit that I wasn't respectful enough for all the journaling things that are going on today.  These folks truly understand multi-media and how to use all of it together to create their vision.  What I have discovered?   Basically, they live in a "mark making" world too, just like us, using many of the same tools that I already have in my possession.  They just are more fearless about using them in ways I never would have thought about. Why do collage - here are some of the benefits I think I am already seeing: 1)  Learning about textures and how to create them 2)  Learning a bit more about the various mediums you can use with acrylics, pastels, color pencils, etc and what might happen to it 3)  It makes me think.  Easy part is cutting out images that catch my attention.  Then it definitely gets