Sleeping Nude

I like to try new ways to paint all the time.  Recently, I was watching some watercolor videos I had collected a long time ago.  The video suggested covering the entire paper with paint as a base color, then going back and doing the same thing with the next layer, etc.  I'd gotten away from doing this because I never seemed to be able to paint quite right like that.

Well, with this picture, since I had just watches those videos,  I tried it.  Well, I hated it.  I painted this whole picture that way, and kinda got fed up with it and walked away.  Maybe I can't see that large a picture or something.  I went back over this picture with what I call "my way" and it got better, but sill not loving this one.

Maybe its because I have the attention span of a gnat (already had to take 3 breaks in typing this) or only the ability to think of half a thing at once, but "my way" is to paint a small portion, then go to another small portion, then another, and another, etc.   I don't mind going back over and back over to blend the portions previously painted together.  I think I can work with that method (my method) to paint just about anything.  It just seems that when I start painting a full layer of paint on paper, I lose the ability to manipulate the painting to what I want.  It just kinda goes its own way, and I'm constantly trying to reel it in.

Well, this one is what it is.  Hope you enjoy.

My Favorite Coffee Mug

I was painting with my daughter this weekend.  I always struggle when we paint together because she want me to paint something totally fantastical, and I want to paint something real.  Well, this weekend, I decided to paint what was in front of me.  My coffee cup.  Ok, it didn't turn out exactly like the real cup, but I think it came out nice anyway.

BTW, she painted a dog that walked over a tree that had fruit in it.  The fruit got all over the dogs feet and made tracks all over the paintings.

Yes, if you were wondering I did dip my brush in my coffee by accident.  But only once!

Enjoy

Continuing the Theme

Here are two more sketches.  Both done in under 30 minutes.  I spent less than 10 drawing each, and finished the painting at abut the 20 minute mark.

No these aren't museum quality, but it is forcing me to draw more, and also to think more about where i put my paint.  Since I am trying to paint in such a compressed time, I have to conserve my paint strokes.

I don't know if I mentioned that I have switched to painting with a travel palette.  Having a palette with only 12 colors on it actually makes it easier than having one with 24.  I guess I have to think less, or maybe I have to think more.  Not sure.  do know that having all 24 colors I just used to grab the exact (or nearly) color I wanted to use.  With only 12, I now have to mix my colors a bit to get colors, and I think the mixing of colors makes the paintings a bit more alive.

Well, they are what they are, enjoy.

Nude sketch

I was challenged by a friend to do a nude sketch.  I didn't have a model to sit for me, but thanks to the good folks at pixelovely I was able to find something to paint.

It is of course a woman sitting with her head turned away from us.  I wasn't initially happy with the sketch, so I added a little background.  The colors are nothing like the original picture, but I think they help.

Since I wanted light on the models back, I put yellow there and tried to make it progressively darker as we move to the left.  I think it helped with the representation of light.

I've been reading a bit about painting quickly, and I am excited to learn that these quick sketches really are a valuable to learn form, shading and water control for watercolors.  I really like doing them, since they are so quick and last about as long as my attention span.  This sketch, for example, from blank page to finish was about 30 minutes.

Hope you enjoy it.

Some Stuff in My Garage

So I was kicking around the other day and thinking about all that kind of gathers in and around our houses.   I went out to my studio (garage) and grabbed a few things off the shelf and thought I would give them a little paint.  Just some cans and bottles.  Normal stuff you would probably see in most garages around america.

I'm hoping that by painting these quick sketches to learn a bit more about shading and how paint color can affect form.  The top painting, the cans look mostly flat, but in the bottom one, the "Clean it" bottle actually looks to have shape, and maybe even the wax.

Well, you be the judge.  And you should probably expect to see some more quick sketches like these in the days and weeks to come.

Red Head

Still not quite done with this but I suppose it is near enough.  All I have to do is throw on some king of mottled background and voila.

Faces seem to be really hard, and I don't know why.  Scratch that, I do know why.  We all know what faces should look like.  We all know where eyes go, and noses and mouths, ears, etc.  And we also know exactly how they should be positioned on the head.  We see faces every day, and so, if one object that makes up a face isn't quite right, it makes the whole face entirely wrong.  

Well, I got this afce probably as close as any other face I've painted.  I think I got a bit stripey with the dark in the hair, but I needed to do something to it.  With just strands of red, there wasn't enough depth to it.  the stripes really help bring it out.  Well, it is practice.

More Gulls

I started this picture at the same time I started the previous Gull painting.  This one took just a bit longer.

I was really concerned about painting this because the picture I started with was really dark, and I don't typically  like to paint that dark.  I tried to keep it dark on the bottom, but lighten as you look up.

After drawing this picture, I started by painting the grey wings and then the driftwood.  Lots of coats of paint on the wood. Then the rocks and water behind.   Finally, beak and legs/feet.

I like the way it turned out.  It reminds me of my home.  Lots of overcast days keeping the bright colors down and greying everything, and plenty of sea gulls everywhere.

What Does The Fox Say

First attempt at painting a fox.

I had absolutely no idea how I was gonna do this.  I was worried about color, shape, fur.... I really didn't know what to do.  So what I did was this:

I dropped on some basic color.  Red/Orange for the face, leaving a little white on the chin and chest, and then some green in the background.

I came back and just started putting in fur in one place then another, then another.  Just little bits here and there.  Patches no more than a quarter to a full in width and only the length of a few hairs.  I perhaps did more under the chin than any other place.  Then when it was totally dry, when back over it with another coat of base color.  It kind of smoothed it out enough that it doesn't look too staccato, but not so much that it doesn't look like fur.  For a first attempt that I made up on the fly, I think it turned out pretty good.

The eyes just turned out to be black spots.  Thats not what I was going for,  I may have to go back and lift out  a little black to give a little more color and drop in a highlight.  

Hope you enjoy it.

Seagull

Today, I give you the humble Sea Gull.  A shore bird you see nearly everywhere.  This picture came to me by way of my watercolor group on G+ and +Kelly Murphy.

I've thought about painting gulls before, god knows I have enough around my house for inspiration, but it took a little nudge to get me to do it.  People usually tell me my birds have a lot of personality in them.  I hope this guy does too, but I fear he is just a little too aloof for that.  I mean he is floating way up there in the sky, how can I be expected to get his attitude, right?  Well, I enjoyed painting anyway.

After the drawing, I went right into the sky background.  A mixture of cerulean and turquoise blues.  Then the bird is gamboge (yellow), Van Dyke brown ( I don't think it's named after Dick), terra cotta, rose lake (err, some kind of red anyway) and maybe a bit of raw sienna.  After blocking in some basic color on the bird allI needed to do was add the feathers.  actually 3 rows of feathers on the right wing.  These were actually terrifying to do since I knew I had one chance.  Given that, I think I pulled it off pretty well.

Well, I hope you like it, I loved painting it.  Thank you.