Bobbing for Apples - Krista

Painting #3 of 100 Paintings
Watercolor, 3.5 x 5", 140 lb Arches Cold Press

 

Reference photo

I was really attracted to the brilliant colors in the apples, nice warm colors set up against a cool silvery blue backdrop.  Salt used in the wash for the tin achieved the look I wanted.  It was a little harder to do the water, or to make the apples look like they were in the water and not just floating in air.  Ellipses are always a challenge for me, as well as getting the colors their brilliancy, but I’m pleased at how it turned out.

Also blogged about on my personal blog, describing a more personal point of view.  Click on my blog link at left, then my 100 Paintings Gallery.

Paintings 1-4 - Kelly

My 100 Painting Challenge: Birds!

Hello everyone! I'm so excited to be jumping into this challenge with you. It's very exciting, and I know I'm going to learn a lot. I've never done anything like it. I love birds. They are are a huge part of my life, and I want to learn more about them. That's why I'm going to put all my efforts into painting them this year. I want to become fluent in their body language (and be able to paint them quickly). At the end of the year, I'd love to be able to create a bird on the fly without photo references...letting it flow from my imagination, down my arm, and out my paintbrush.

Painting #1: Mr. Red.

I painted this guy with the intention of turning him into the banner for my blog. I spent a lot of time on him, carefully layering in the paint. I had already started to forget the color mixes Laure had taught us, but they slowly came back. I couldn't figure out what type of background to give him, so I left it blank...

Painting #2: Golden-crowned Kinglet

Can you tell I rushed this guy? I did...I spent so much time on Red I felt I had to get this fellow done quickly. I didn't post him on my blog because I messed up and made the eye mask too dark (and he just looked frazzled). I quickly abandoned him and started the next painting after a break. I love the whole practice feel of this challenge. I'm learning to paint birds...not perfect each painting.

Painting #3: Another Golden-crowned Kinglet

Doesn't this fellow look much more sedate? Funny...I was more sedate when I painted him (I had given up the idea of posting on time and decided to take my time with the painting--so no pressure). He's softer and his colors are better blended. I also painted him quickly. I should have painted in a background, but I lost my nerve. I knew I still needed to paint a chickadee for the post, so I skipped the background. I am quickly finding out backgrounds are my nemesis. I need to learn more about painting them...both detailed backgrounds and backgrounds created by laying in color (like the background in the berry painting we did in Laure's Autumn class. Unfortunately I had totally forgotten how to do that).

Painting #4: A Carolina Chickadee

A sweet little bird. He's a little rigid...I don't know how I could have brought him to life...and obviously I was afraid to drop in a background!

A 2007 Portrait of Christina

I am not counting this as one of my 100 but I just wanted to show you I CAN do a portrait sometimes!   And I didn't even realize it was in watercolor!  lo

So I know I can do it.

There was a time when I was doing portraits for a few months and that helped me so much, which goes to prove that Laure is right about her 100 paintings helping us improve.

Laure, you can delete this if you want.

Painting Number 2 - Teri

I am following Laure's suggestion to not judge our work, however, I have a need to say this is terrible!  The only reason I am posting it is so I can do it again somewhere down the road and hope that it is better.

It doesn't look like my youngest grand here; eyes too far apart, looks too old for being 8.  I could go on and on.

So I am posting it and moving on.

I am using 140# Strathmore cold press.  I love this paper.  It is 5x5 inches in an accordion-fold journal that I am saving for portraits because I WILL improve!

Q & A

Some questions have come up and I thought I would share the info here so that everyone would know:

Q. Can I share the same image on my personal blog as I do here?
A. Yes, you can. Just be aware of your audience. This blog is meant as an area to focus on the making of art whereas your personal blog may be more about why you made the art, the subject matter, etc. Keep it interesting for your viewers by giving different information according to the location you're posting - your readers will love you for it!

Q. May I mention that I am doing the challenge on my personal blog?
A. PLEASE do!!

Q. Can I add a link to my personal blog within a post?
A. Because I don't want the 100 PC blog to fight for attention with your personal blog, I would rather that you did not. You CAN refer them to the participant's roll on the left and mention there is a link there. (See Krista's posts as an example.)

And one final comment from me:
As each of you get started, please do a bit of an intro of yourself, your chosen medium and a few words about what you're trying to accomplish by taking on the challenge. This can be done with or without an image. Thank you!!

'Airport Girl' and Introduction - Teri

I am always amazed when serendipity hits my life.   While spending Christmas in Wisconsin (I am a snowbird in Arizona) I happened to read Krista's Blog and noticed the "100 Paintings Challenge" so I came right over to look.

Then I saw the announcement on Laure's Blog and I knew I had to do this - pure serendipity!

We got back to AZ today and one of the first things I did was sign up!

I thought it would be fun to start with my 'Airport Girl' that I did while waiting for the plane.   It really tells where I am.  I love to do an illustrated daily journal but I am finding that all the painting I do is fast, too fast sometimes and fairly small.  When I painted 'Airport Girl', I thought of what I had read and decided to do a better sketch.  I think I got her 'waiting' posture okay and I did paint her on the spot but I want to

IMPROVE!

Laure suggested 'Improve' must be my word for the year.  And so it shall be.

 I intend to improve by taking more time when painting and painting larger.

One thing I am going to work on is landscapes.  I find them very difficult and tend to avoid them.  I also know that I will be inspired to try new things during this year.

Thank you Laure for being so innovative in helping us struggling artists!!

A Froggy Swimmer - Krista

Painting #2 of 100 Paintings
Watercolor, 4x6", 140 lb Arches Cold Press

I chose this painting for the bright sunlight and shadows, and the froggy was cute too.  Practicing those hard edges and values.  For some reason, I’m attracted to painting people.  I’m still drawing and painting a wide range of subjects to find out what I like doing best.  Funny how when I painted Troy, he ended up looking as he does NOW, not as a chubbier preschooler.  I eliminated all of the unnecessary background and made the inflatable frog a bit simpler.  I tried Laure’s technique for the water of putting down some squiggly lines and then brushing clear water over it to blend the lines.  Photo reference attached.

Also blogged about on my personal blog, describing a more personal point of view.  Click on my blog link at left, then my 100 Paintings Gallery.

Lily Pond - Krista

  #1 of 100 Paintings
Watercolor, 3.5" x 5", 140 lb Arches Cold Press

Ok, I guess I’ll go first.  I’ve already done about 18 paintings because I didn’t want to wait until the first of the year to start.  I was afraid I might lose momentum if I didn’t start right after the latest class ended.

First of all, thank you so much, Laure, for providing a forum like this, where we can share our paintings and keep each other motivated in this goal.  Thank you also for providing any feedback necessary.  You are very generous with your time in doing so.

For this painting, I deliberately chose something with hard lines and a dark background.  I knew it wasn’t going to be a pretty painting, more of an exercise.  I don’t even mind that it is opaque, because my goal was to get really heavy with the pigment without too much mud, but at the same time, I wanted it subdued.  Tried varying the greens a little and tried not to blend too much.  This was a painting demo out of a book titled, “The Big Book of Painting Nature in Watercolor, but I don’t have the photo reference handy.

Also blogged about on my personal blog, describing a more personal point of view.  Click on my blog link at left, then my 100 Paintings Gallery.

As Good A Time As Any

W • E • L • C • O • M • E

I am often asked when is the best time or right time to start the Challenge. The answer is always "Now." There is no "best or right time" as there will always be obligations, family, day jobs, and all manner of things that will interfere. However, it is a good idea to evaluate where you are in your "artistic life" as well as "time obligations" you will be juggling. Being realistic about this is the best way to set yourself up to complete the Challenge successfully. 

Consider your work/family/art life balance, your current skill level, and how motivated you are - these factors will make a huge difference in your commitment to starting and staying with the Challenge. If you find yourself hesitating or that you have reservations about starting - wait until you can fully commit. Work through the reservations before beginning the Challenge. 

There will be highs and lows, good days and bad. There will be times when you wonder why you ever started the Challenge in the first place. There will also be glory days when you will thank your lucky stars you started it as you begin to see progress, but make NO mistake - it's called a Challenge for a reason. One hundred paintings in one year works out to nearly two paintings a week. That's a tall order!

If you're committed, motivated and ready to go, send me an email by clicking on the link in the right hand column, and let's get started!