Tag: artist

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Graphite on Bristol Smooth

I was commissioned to draw this home from one of the sweet REALTORS in the office. She wanted to give something very special to her very important client at the closing table. Her husband.

I won’t go into their story, but what I can tell you is that his Dad actually built this house for his Mom.

Man, this house is detailed! There are a lot of touches in this home that proved this was a true labor of love.and inside is just as lovely as the outside.

I actually had to break out an .02 mechanical pencil (the lead would snap off every other second) but it was worth it in the end.

I was truly honored that she asked me to do this and I hope it was a bright spot through a difficult time..

Thanks for the memories….

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Commission
Graphite on Bristol Smooth

    Hello! In my part of Virginia the weather is getting cooler and the holidays are approaching.  I have friends that have started decorating their homes for Christmas.  Usually, I am one of those type of people that thinks that you should enjoy one holiday at a time…but this year?  This year I get it.  These are crazy times in the U.S. and the world in general.  We need something that brings a little love and happiness, even if its only in our homes.
Kind of sad really but as unpleasant as it is, Unfortunately, that is where we are at this point and I’m going to do a lot of praying.

About the drawing
This was a commission that a Realtor asked me to draw this home as a closing gift for her Sellers.  Of course, I was happy to oblige:)  Both of them were very happy which is always a relief. This was pretty cool to draw and was a nice stretch to the skills.

Be Well and Happy!
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Saving the Day…

Dog
Acrylic on 8 x 10 canvas panel

Happy Sunday! This was my first attempt in painting a dog in acrylic. I had chosen this picture because of the superhero pose not really paying attention to the fact that painting a white and black dog would be hard to pull off. Black and white is an inclusion of reflective colors that bounce off the fur from their surroundings mostly and bits of black and white mixed in as low lights and highlights. This pup had a lot of creams and flesh tones in the white but only brown and gray in the black from what I could see. The reference picture was lovely and the photographer really knows her stuff. I was drawn to the photo so I just painted what I saw. I did remove the background, so the dog would really pop. And he/she does.

I painted the portrait on an 8 x 10 linen canvas. I found it extremely difficult to get the softness of the fur and the sharpness of the fine whiskers. Paint would gather or drag on the squared tooth of canvas. If I was working on a large scale it probably would not have been a big deal, but on a small scale? I had lots of issues and many attempts.

Next time, I will either paint on a wood board or prime the tooth out of the canvas for a smooth foundation.

What I liked is that I left everything out, so when I could grab a few minutes, I would paint for a bit. I know I had posted this before but I keep forgetting. I also have another painting to get started and a drawing on the board. I want to get one more painting ready to start, so I can have 3 things going…I will see how it goes. I promise series, but don’t follow through because after I get one thing finished I want to move on to something different, whether it be subject or medium. So we will will see.

Be Well and Happy!

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Lily Pond after Monet

Lily Pond After Monet
Acrylic on Watercolor paper

This is from my watercolor sketch book. I tried to paint a little project in watercolor. Of course the reference I chose was way too complicated for me so it didn’t take long for me to mess it up. But I was able to turn lemons into lemonade on this one and painted a mini session of Monet’s Lily Pond. I really like how it turned out. It was also pleasing to find out the the watercolor pad has some pretty durable paper. If I mess up, I can just paint acrylic over the screw up and PRESTO! No one is the wiser…Unless you spill the beans in a blog post, lol

Have you ever completed a painting from the old Masters? I highly recommend it…For me, it was a true pleasure!

Be Well and Happy!
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Welcoming 2018 with Alcohol Ink!

Underwater
Alcohol Ink on Card

Happy New Year Guys!

I’m in love with Alcohol Ink!  Welllll, when I am not in love with a new process….but still.  This is pretty cool.   I think my favorite part is that you really don’t know what is going to look like. I mean, I guess you can control it, but I don’t worry about it that too much because  I love surprises!

Usually, other artists mount this art to a wooden block with a resin pour, but I am not brave enough to try that, yet.  Eventually I want to, but for now I will settle for matting.

If you have never tried Alcohol ink, you should give it a try!

I hope you guys had a great time welcoming in the New Year.  Ours was pretty quiet and we stayed home.  It was nice to veg out in front of the TV in my PJs.

How did you spend your New Year’s Eve?

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What’s in my bag…

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I like to read blogs and watch videos about what art supplies that artists like to take with them on the go.  So, I thought I would throw in my two cents and show you what I bring with me on road trips.  Even if I am driving, I still like to bring these items with me because you will never know when the mood will strike to create something.   I will admit that this isn’t too exciting, but for now it is everything that I need or want to bring…minus the snacks of course 🙂

I still have a love/hate relationship with watercolor at the moment but I am hardheaded so of course I have a few supplies to curse at while I’m on a trip.

Strathmore Watercolor Pad

Water Brush

Winsor & Newton-12 half pan travel set

My first love….Drawing….can’t forget that!

Casemate Sketch Diary-

General’s Kneaded Eraser

Black Pearl Eraser

Faber Castell Pencils – HB, 2H, B, 2B, 4B

Faber Castell Typewriter Eraser

Blending Stumps

Click Eraser

Pen Mate Duo Expert Lead Pencil

Kol-I-Noor – 24 Color Woodless Pencils – (Artist quality pencils are too fragile for me to bring along. They would probably be okay but I don’t want to risk it.)

 Years ago I use to be into calligraphy.  Modern and Brush Calligraphy has really caught my eye….So, have been playing around with that as well.  I may want to Zentangle too.

U:create Smooth Paper

Speedball Calligraphy Set

Tom Bow Brush Pen – hard

Tom Bow Duo Brush Pen

Sukura Brush Pen

Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen

Pencil Case- Made for me by SIL Vicki Welsh (isn’t it pretty)

Not pictured that I will usually bring is:

*travel pencil sharpener

*a couple of paper towels

And I can’t forget my kindle and a bit of knitting.

It seems like a lot of projects to bring a long and I may not touch a bit of it but it is there if the inclination hits me.  Its better to have it and not want it than to want it and not have it, lol

So what do you bring along with you on trips?  What are your must haves?

Be Well and Happy!

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