Ahhh... one of my favorites. I love little turtles. In fact, I used to have one. His name was Tucker, and he was the funniest little guy. We don't really think of turtles as having a personality, but I kid you not, Tucker had one. Tucker was by far the most social turtle I have ever been around. Instead of diving in the tank to get away from you, he would try to swim towards you. And when I took him out of the tank, he would follow me around my apartment wherever I went. When I sat down, he would stop right by my feet, and when I walked away, he got up and followed me, albeit at a slightly slower pace.
Well, here I've painted a red eared slider. I think it turned out really nice, and this guy looks totally at home sitting there among the grasses sunning himself.
Anyone wishing to try this out will find it fun and rewarding (and it was easier than I thought it would be). Check out the video below to see how I did it. Thanks.
Ahhh the lovely camellia. Such a nice flower. I wanted to paint one and and thought this would be a good time to do some graded washes. Well, I accomplished both of those things with this painting, but I don't think I did either really well.
The painting is OK. There really isn't anything wrong with it, though its a bit banal. I could really have punched this up by doing a couple of things.
See, in watercolor to make a dramatic painting you need to have lights next to darks, and darks next to lights. Well, I've got lights next to darks with the petals. you can see how the center is lighter and the tips darker. This makes for a nice petal (here its a bit bland, but nice). But Ive also got a background that is the same intensity as the petals. There is no room for light and dark to touch, both edges are dark. Hmmmm what to do...
Well, I could just as easily put on another row of petals (this would have made the flower look fuller too. Right now its a bit small). The outside row of petals would have been all light. That lightness would have served two purposes. First, it would have ensured that they looked as though they were behind the petals in front, then it would have allowed me to make my background as dark as I wanted.
Well, there is always next time. I think its a good project for tonight, paint this one again.
If you have interest in seeing how I did this one, watch the video below. Thank you.
If you've read through my blog thoroughly, then you know that I like rusty things. If you haven't then I'll let you in on a not so secret, secret. I like rusty things. Well, as I happened, I found a picture of a rusty lock on line and wanted to take a crack at painting it. So.... Here is how it went.
I really like the hasp. I think it turned out pretty good. It looks old and a bit warn, but still could be used today. And I really like the nails in the wood, and how the rust has kind of run and stained the wood.
As for anything else, well.. lets just say i struggled a bit. I'm not saying this is a bad painting, but I can do better.
As a critical assessment, I should have had more color variation in the wood, and probably made . a few more cracks. As far as the lock goes. I could have been more precicse with the bronze. Though I do think the right hand side of the bronze locking mechanism looks great, the left leaves a bit to be desired. Then we come to what I thought was gonna be the best part, the rust, and well, it fell a bit flat. First off, its too dark. And being that dark, doesn't allow me to put much roundness into it.
If I were to do this again, I'd be able to do a much better job. I am sure of it. In fact, maybe I should do this one again to prove it to myself.
Think I'm right? Think I'm being too hard on myself? Leave a comment and let me know.
If you want to see me painting this lock in a video, check it out below.
Here is one of the cards I am sending out for the holidays this year. A Snowman!!! I really think he looks great.
Last year I did Christmas tree bulbs and I thought they turned out pretty good. This years card I think is so much better. I make a conscious effort not to try to make him look "perfect". What I wanted was that layering that you can only get with watercolors.
I started with one layer of cobalt tea to se the background color of the snowman. A second layer darkened him up just a bit. The third layer is Pthalo Blue, and then the 4th is Pthalo also. added this many layer, painting just a bit less with each successive layer, in order to add texture and shadow to the snowman.
Finally, a bit of turquoise for the background and a mix of ultramarine and cerulean for the base. All in all, I think it looks fantastic.
The real test, I suppose will be in the comments I get from the people who receive one of these cards. Thats really all I have for this update. Thanks for the quick read.
As always, or usual, if you would like to see how I painted this, check out the video below. Thank you.
Who doesn't like watermelon? I don't think there is anyone who doesn't. Probably no other food encapsulates summer as much as a watermelon.
Hers is my take on the simple watermelon. Delicious slices. I've painted these two pieces of watermelon with just a little bit of a shadow underneath. I wanted to give some dimension to these slices, not just make them pink slabs with a green end and some black dots.
What I did was to make the hard edge of the slice the lightest part of the painting. normally, I like the foreground to be the darkest part of my paintings, but here I had to make an exception. The white on the corners is supposed to, along with the drawing, make this really look three dimensional. I think I've accomplished that somewhat. Tell me what you think.
Hope you enjoy this little painting I did. If you would like to see a video of it, check it out below. Thanks for the quick read. Stop back again for the next update.
Gus's Grocery is one of the best Sandwich shops in San Luis Obispo. To call it a Grocery really is a misjustice. Yes, you can go in and shop for a few things: chips, soda, and beer, but in reality it just a sandwich shop. Well, not just a sandwich shop, probably the best sandwich shop in around.
Step up the the order window and give them your order. Your sandwich will be fresh made right in front of you. Most of the time they will slice the cheese and meat at the time they make the sandwich. I'm partial to the Italiano. Oh and by the way, make it a Bomber.
Well, thats it, enjoy the painting. I had a great time painting it, and really do hope you like it.
A few pictures of Zion National Park. I've been there many times and am always in awe of the beauty of the Park. There are so many trails you can take, and even on a hot day you can find a canyon that is nice and cool.
I've been on the edge of cliffs with sheer dropoffs of probably a thousand feet. I've hiked up creeks and river, under waterfalls and through small ponds. I've also trod across trails that are so hot and dusty it seemed like I would burn up.
Here are a few sketches of Zion. The Narrows. The Watchman. Angels Landing.
I can't wait until I can go back again. it is such and amazing place.
