Quick Sketching (err, well, coloring anyway)

I've a friend who is continually publishing quick sketches that she does.  She works a lot with the human form, but will paint other stuff.  Well, I was going through some old sketchbooks I had laying around and decided to colorize them.  I don't know when I drew these.  I would say it was 3 or 4 years ago.  Tonight I was cleaning up the old studio when I came across these.  I thought it might be a good exercise to try to quickly paint theses.  I gave it a shot, but they are not anywhere near the quality that my friend does.

I realize, now, looking at these paintings, that they lack a bit of color.  I do have a good reason for this,  or perhaps I have several excuses.

Firstly, I was using the color that was already on my palette from previous paintings.  I didn't think I would need a lot of color to do this and thought this would be a good way to use up what I had left over from last nights painting.    Well, last night I was painting a Maine Coon cat, and the color diversity on that cat is not the greatest.  Secondly, and perhaps finally, its me.  If I can see a color, I can recognize it, I can enhance it, I can manipulate it, but I don't always do well creating color.  I saw an area for skin and put down skin-ish color.  TA DA.  In hind sight, I probably should have added a lot of depth to these so that they are a bit (ok a lot) more lively.

So, here you are, +Kelly Murphy, a couple of quick sketch es in the fashion of so many of the paintings you do.

The Second Harvest

Ok, we are on to iteration number two.  I didn't look at the first one when I painted this one, so i think I suffered from some of the same problems, but to  a lesser extent.  This one, to me, makes it look more like the grapes are growing on individual plants, whereas the first one looks like a giant mass of vines.  I don't know that I am really blown away by the way it turned out, but I definitely like it.

A Continuing Assault on Campus Buildings

I thought i would try something a little different today.  Bothe pictures today were done in watercolor crayon. It is sometimes hard to find a bench to sit on and paint, let alone a bench and table in an area where you want to paint.  So I thought it would be easier to take my watercolor crayons out and draw the pictures, then return to my office, wet them and outline them.  I have to admit there are some things I like about this approach.  I lose the opportunity for any detail at all, but gain speed and the ability to do this just about anywhere.  This picture is of the entrance to Cradall Gym.  The gym itself isn't used anymore and the University is trying to find a good way to utilize the space.  It is a huge building built in the old mission style.  This is the first crayon drawing I've done.

This picture is the corder of building 38.  I believe it is one of the Mathematics buildings.  The black in the center is a bank of doors that are just set back and very dark, even in real life.  I am working with a limited selection of colors which is why the bark mulch might look a little orange, and the bricks in the road a little too pink.

Hope you enjoy them both.