Black Lab
Graphite on Bristol Smooth
This is the latest drawing from my drawing board. I like this little lab very much and it was alot of fun seeing how far I could push those darks.
Well, I guess this post is going to be short and sweet.
Be Well and Happy!
Labrador Retriever (photo from Wet Canvas)
Pastel on Velour paper
This is my first pastel painting as well as my first time using a velour paper. It was pretty scary, because I was using the “good stuff” on a practice run using student grade soft pastels with artist grade thrown in the mix. I didn’t see much difference between the student grade and the artist grade (shhh, don’t tell anybody) really I didn’t…it may have something to do with not having any experience in the medium but both kinds had rich colors and went down the same. A problem I did have was that I put my lights in first then the darks and midtones. It was hard to blend in and I think (at least in this instance) that I should have went from dark to light then add the detail. I couldn’t get as much fine detail as I would’ve liked, but I know what to do next time.
Now the paper? My goodness it was beautiful! I used Hehnemule Velour paper and it felt like I was drawing on fabric..it’s that soft, pliable and thick. I see why a lot of artists use it. I picked a color that was almost the same color as the brown in the Lab’s ear. The color was just too close and washed out the whole portrait, so I chose a purple pastel as the compliment color. I have to say that I don’t care much for the background and I wish I were a little wiser about choosing a paper color…BUT Live and learn:) Also, you can’t use a fixative on this paper..so I had to wrap the drawing in tissue..
Overall, I really liked using pastels, and I hope to become more acquainted with this medium in the future.
Be Well and Happy!
Tabby
Acrylic on Drafting Film
I love this painting and did I say that I love this painting….cause I really want you to know that I love this painting, hee hee…. This took me about two weeks and many hours. Suffice it to say unless my speed picks up, I don’t believe anyone could afford an acrylic pet portrait from me. Although it was time-consuming, it really was’nt difficult, but I think if the coat was fluffy it would’ve been much harder. I’m a slow painter and the only downfall I have with acrylic painting is that the paint dries too fast in the palette. I found a stay wet palette for decorative painting for a big total of $6.00 and that’s much cheaper than an “artists” stay wet palette. It has 16 wells, a water cup (with a lid) in the center. I used that in combination with Liquitex palette wetting spray and my paint lasted the whole 2 weeks! The downside to my palette is that the wells are not very deep, but that’s it. Oh, and the drafting film was fun to paint on too:)
Be Well and Happy!
Zentangle
Ink/colored pencil/graphite on Bristol smooth
I made my daughter a happy camper Monday morning when I finished this for her. She picked out the colors, the patterns and kept watch to see how it was coming along. She was a little disappointed when she went to bed Sunday night and her Zentangle wasn’t done. So, I stayed up and finally completed it a little after midnight then I popped in a frame and put it on the counter. When she went to the kitchen that morning, she had her little surprise waiting for and I hope that it was a good start to her Monday.
I wish the image was a lot better, but I’m nothing if I’m not consistent, LOL…
Be Well and Happy!
Never Forget……
9/11/2001
God Bless America!
Zentangle
(click on photo to enlarge)
Ink/Graphite on Bristol Smooth
Oops…I had some perfectly good art work to post and I had forgotten all about it. This piece measures about 10.75 inches in diameter and it has about 32-34 patterns in it. I have wanted to draw a round one for a long time and when Vicki (my sister-in-law) asked for a Zentangle for her birthday, it gave my the perfect opportunity. I like the look of the bigger zentangles better than the smaller ones. I think she liked it, I hope she did.
While I was drawing the zentangle, Alana sat with me every chance she got. She would watch me draw and would ask me every little bit, “Can I have this?” I had to keep telling her that this was for Vicki, but I did promise that the next one would be just for her. So, today we went to Michael’s Arts and Crafts and picked out a frame and she even went through my pattern notebook and wrote down each little pattern that she wanted. Umm, I wonder if she’ll make me sign off for each pattern to make sure it meets her specifications. Nah, I like to see her get excited and it makes me feel good that she wants one:)
Well, I guess that’s about it for now, Happy Labor Day Everybody!!!!
Be Well and Happy!
Beach II
Acrylic on Canvas panel
You may look at this painting and think that there isn’t much going on and it seems a little boring. But I look at this painting and I see peace and relaxation. I can imagine myself just beyond the borders of this canvas taking a nap in a hammock under a couple of palm trees. Ahhh…doesn’t that sound nice?
There have been a lot of moments this summer where I would have loved being on a tropical island somewhere. As you know, the first part of the summer was spent getting the house ready to sell so we could move back home. But as time passed, it was just one obstacle after another preventing us from making that leap. So we called off the move and we are going to stay put in Newport News. I was a little sad at first, but I learned a long time ago not to ignore God’s signals and these were impossible to ignore. Life is slowly getting back to normal, David is home and we as happy as three peas in a pod. ok, enough already with the personal stuff….
I’ve been trying my hand at pastels. I’m a little scared of working in pastel, because they are pretty toxic. I wear a mask and open a windows and all that good stuff, so I guess it’s a respectable fear..kinda like fire. Annnnnnnnnnyway, I’m not very good with this medium and my color falls of the paper. I’m just playing so it’s no big whoop, but I don’t see how artists get that fine detail unless they are working on a large-scale. If any of you have any suggestions, I accept all help.. I’ve been using Derwent, Gioconda from Koh-i-noor, and chalk pastels if this is useful.
Gosh, I forgot to mention that the painting above is from a photo and not a tutorial…Yepper…I painted this one all by myself:)
Be Well and Happy!
Tutorial
Acrylic on Canvas Panel
We live pretty close to the beach and I thought it was a real shame that I couldn’t paint (or draw) a beach scene. So, I found this tutorial on acrylic painting by Simply Painting and I thought I would give it a try. TRY being the key word here as this looks nothing like the beautiful instructional that was on my monitor for the past few days. I can’t begin to tell you just how awful my rocks and clouds look. I mean P-EWWWW comes to mind…Now, with that being said, there are some elements that I liked. The waves look frothy and I really like how the sand and water kinda of run into each other. I would call this a success. I mean, I don’t think it’s anything that anyone would really want, but it was fun, I learned alot, and most importantly…I didn’t give up, it didn’t get thrown in the trash and I’m not going to gesso over the painting.
Simply Painting is by the artist Peter Clarke from Ireland. He also has instructions on watercolor and oil if anyone’s interested:)
Be Well and Happy!
Zentangle – 8/10/10
I’ve been painting a little but nothing that’s any big deal or even blog worthy. I do have this Zentangle to share. Zentangles are so carefree and I don’t think there will be a time where I will grow bored with drawing these. I still think I mix too many patterns together, but I just can’t help myself:) It’s just toooo much fun!
Well, that’s about it for now. There’s just not much going on around here except trying to stay cool. Pretty boring, huh? I guess sometimes we get what we need…so I must need it. It has been nice spending time with Alana just talking, hanging out even though I desperately need some sleep. I just keep telling myself that the day is coming (and very soon) that she won’t want to be any where near me, so I’m trying to enjoy my little girl while she still enjoys being with me.
Be Well and Happy!
Jake
photo by klricca at Wetcanvas
Graphite on Bristol Smooth
I have to say the tongue was the most fun to draw on this one. I guess it’s because I haven’t drawn many animals with the tongue out like that and it was something new. I need to work on eyes more BUT I am doing much better on noses and fur. See, if you find one thing negative in your work make sure you find two positive things so you don’t feel so bad, heh. I have a bunch of reference photos for dogs to work on, but I can’t seem to find more exotic animals to play around with or even the domesticated oddities that people choose for pets. At least I have my doggies….
Things have been pretty quiet here so far this week. Alana is back home spending the week with my family and David is still working in Danville. So it’s just been me and the dog. After having a house full, being alone 24/7 is pretty hard to get accustomed to again and Sam (the dog) hates when things and people aren’t where they should be. I think the Samoyed breed are herding dogs and some of Sam’s sheep are missing, lol….. I guess that’s about it for now.
Be Well and Happy!
Carol Ottaway 