New beginnings for 2010 - Claire 3

Painting Number 8 - Fence - Teri

I found this image on Wet Canvas and it intrigued me.  I'm not fixated on snow (lol) but I liked the contrasting colors and used white gouache for the snow.

Snow can certainly create beautiful images.

This was done on the textured Lama li paper.  It seemed the natural choice with the fence being the main subject.

Painting Number 7 - Arizona Skies - Teri

I have been practicing painting skies on 5x6 inch Strathmore cold press 140# paper.  I made a mess on one side of a big piece so I cut it into pieces to practice on.

I used wet-in-wet to get the sky effect and decided to add the cactus for a focal point (and wala, I have Cactus Monday done this week).   The early morning and sunset skies in Arizona are just spectacular and the Saguaro cactus towering high in the sky adds to the beauty.  They just make you want to paint them.

I have not done many skies before so I thought it was a good jumping off place to move into landscapes.

Roundhouse - Krista

Painting #8

This is the train roundhouse my son loves to visit at Greenfield Village.  I was drawn to the shadows on the side of the building.  It is still an active roundhouse, housing trains, repairing trains and turning trains around on the circle track at the "end of the line".

My Toast to the New Year - Claire 2

A little late .... but I'd like to offer all of my "100 Paintings Challenge" friends a toast to the New Year.  I hope this late toast just extends the festivities for you!! 

P.S. Its Chardonnay rather than Champagne!

Kelly - Painting #8

American Tree Sparrows Outside my Kitchen Window

To get the mottled background, I applied a very wet mix of Undersea Green and UMBlue then sprinkled on salt. After a couple of hours I scrapped off the salt, leaving the strange pattern behind. Laure has a video showing this technique for making snow, but I used it to achieve texture.

Max - Krista

Painting #9 of 100 Paintings in a Year
Graphite, 8x10”, Stonehenge paper

This is Max.  He is a beloved family member of my friend Kathy.  I was honored that Kathy wanted me to draw Max as a Christmas gift to her family.  Max is a jet-black floppy eared Great Dane.

When creating a likeness of Max, my friend Kathy left it open-ended on the process.  I decided graphite was the best method since Max was so dark.  I know this is technically not a painting, but I thought I’d include it here because part of my focus in the 100 Paintings Challenge is to hone my skill regarding values.

Peach Memories - Claire 1

I'm having a little trouble getting my art started in 2010... so I had some fun looking back in my sketchbook from last year and I found a few images that I hadn't posted yet.  

Need Some Help Please

Remember that terrible painting I did of Christina?

I am redoing it and have this sketched out on transfer paper but I don't remember how to do the transfer and can't find a resource.  And I have never done a transfer as I always sketch right onto the WC paper.

Could someone help me or direct me to a resource please?

Kelly - Paintings 6 & 7

Painting #6 - Female Northern Cardinal in Tree, 15 Degrees F

Painting #7 - Same Female Northern Cardinal, Same Tree...

...again, working loose and fast. It's a great way to study postures.

Painting Number 6 - Cactus Shadows

I found a photo reference in my tons of cacti photos and thought the shadows would be interesting to paint.  I was also fascinated with the cactus bloom growing out of the prickly pear pad, something I don't see very often.

This is painted on Lama li paper which has a LOT of texture and is frequently my choice when painting cacti.  I used yellow as the undercoat and sap green for the pads.  

Firestone Farm - Krista

I created this sketch from a photo I took in the late 1980's.  It has remained a favorite photo because I still visit this place even today.

Painting #7 of 100

Watercolor, 7 x 9", Aquabee sketchbook, 90 lb.

Back then, I took the photograph because I was captivated by the roof’s inlaid geometric design.   I remember turning around to look back at the house for some reason, seeing the roof, and exclaiming in wonder that I must take a photo of it.

It was only later, looking at the photograph anew with artist’s eyes, that I realized how the strong lines of the fence and shadows pulled me in and almost begged me to paint it.  One reason I love working from old photos is that you get to revisit those memories from your past all over again.

When sketching, I simplified the background by eliminating the outbuildings to focus on the fence shadows, leading the way up to the house.  I also eliminated some of the background trees because, truthfully, I could not see a lot of detail back there.  This was meant to be a sketch only, but perhaps I might make it into a formal painting at a later date.

If you’d like more information about the Firestone Farm and the Henry Ford Museum, please visit my personal blog.  You can get there from the link on the side bar.

Clifton Gorge - Krista

This was previously blogged about on my personal blog, but thought I'd include it here, as it is Painting #6.  It was a great day, because Kelly and I were on a painting date!

Trabuco Canyon - Krista

NEXT.

Painting #5

Watercolor, 3.5 x 5", 140 lb Arches Cold Press

 

#001-Peaches & Cream-Kathy

Like several of you, the flame of passion for painting was fanned for me with Laure's fantastic Paris trip--now just about everything that passes through my vision is imagined as a painting! Even random thoughts passing through my brain sometimes cross over to the other side and become sketches. I loved being part of the group and felt a bit of withdrawal when we finished. I am so excited to be a part of this challenge and look forward to growing, simply by determined effort and practice--and watching my fellow artists grow, too.

In this group, I am looking to really find my "voice" in painting. I love the watercolor medium, but I am also doing some things in acrylic. The two hold different challenges for me and I'd like to explore both here. This first painting is just a small piece on a page I tore from my Arches Carnet de Voyage watercolor notebook. I thoroughly enjoyed painting this and can't wait to get on my next one! Thank you, Laure, for administrating this blog, and also for the warm encouragement you have given me from our very first contact.

Painting Number 5 - Evergreens in Winter

I have joined a gouache challenge at Wet Canvas and the first thing we had to do was paint all different kinds of trees in as many tones as possible.

So I did trees, evergreens and palms and learned a lot doing this.

I want to become more proficient in gouache for sketching on certain paper that watercolor soaks through.

I took the knowledge I gained in those exercises and tried it in watercolor with these evergreens in winter.  I made the whole composition simple with only three colors; sap green for the trees, ultramarine blue for the sky and ochre for the grass.

Food for Thought

I've just read a very intriguing article on the Making a Mark blog by Katherine Tyrell. It talks about the need to do the work, with no shortcuts to arrive at the level of being seriously good at anything we endeavor to do, well, seriously.

Take the time to read it, and follow some of the links. One may become discouraged by the idea of so many hours - stop! think! - if it's something we truly enjoy………wouldn't/shouldn't that be a wonderful way to spend time?

Painting 5 - Kelly

...a little female cardinal in a very quick study--working on speed and looseness with this one.

Sunkissed Tangerine Painting Number 5

The funny part of this painting was the fact that it started out as a sketch and then I ended up really giving it some thought and making changes as I went along.

I was going to eat this tangerine and when I pulled it out of the refrigerator it has those interesting leaves still on it and I thought it would make a nice easy sketch.  I did the quick original painting and then noticed the sun coming in the window and creating such nice shadows so I darkened the other side, lightened the sun side and darkened the tangerine shadow.  I probably overdid the sun coming in the window but I like it.

Gee, I am loving this challenge!

Paintings Number 3 and 4 Cactus Blooms

I started out with this painting and then moved right on because I didn’t like it. (geez, that judge in me is so overwhelming).  I like the colors but the cactus blooms just didn’t look right.  I painted this from a photo I took last spring when this plant was blooming and the flowers are so delicate and faintly colored that I decided to try just one flower so it was the only focus.

I like the delicacy of this one but it is lost on the white paper.  I did crank up the pink a bit and put a light blue wash in the background.  My question is; what kind of background would  look best?   

I get so focused on my subject that backgrounds elude me.   I guess I see the trees and not the forest.

This is on Strathmore 140# cold press watercolor paper.  A good paper is such a dream to paint on.  I think I've been using Moleskine way too long.

Pierogi - Krista

 Painting #4 of 100 Paintings
Watercolor, 9x9", Aquabee Sketchbook

 

Reference photo

This was previously blogged about, but thought it worth posting since it was done as part of the 100 Paintings Challenge.

When I first started this sketch after working on 140 lb cold-pressed paper for a few months, it was a joy to sketch in pencil in my sketchbook.  The pencil glided across the paper, caressed it almost.  But... I forgot how watercolor works (or doesn’t work!) With this type of surface.  True, I did want to have more of a sketchlike feel than an actual painting, but I was quickly getting frustrated that I could not make the paint do what it did on heavier paper.  My darks weren’t getting dark enough - and that’s exactly what I had wanted to concentrate on.  In the end, though, this came out to a reasonable interpretation of what I was hoping to achieve.

Also blogged about on my personal blog, describing a more personal point of view (and the recipe!).  Click on my blog link at left, then my 100 Paintings Gallery.