IS VOODOO DOOMED???? ... Another Case of My Impatience Showing ...

I left the lad at this stage ...

... this morning I was in an impatient mad rush to get a background , and THIS is what happened.

I tried lifting  in the lower right area, but it's leaving hard-edged lines. I may try to play with it some more, but I don't have much hope for this rendition of Voodoo.

This is the effect for which I was aiming ...
This photograph was taken by Prasad Natarajan [On My Easel], an acquaintance on facebook. He takes superb Nature photos.

I believe I can do it ... IF I TAKE MY TIME!!!

Thank you for dropping in!

SO FAR ... Works-in-Progress ...

Voodoo is getting some background - permanent rose and quin. burnt orange.

Right now, I am in the process of darkening it. I'm sure I'll have to intensify the shadows on his head as well.

I used this as a reference photo for the class yesterday.

Again, I masked what I wanted white, in this case the few balsam standing at the edge of the pond. I wet  the paper thoroughly, and applied aureolin, alizarin crimson and cobalt blue, then sprayed and let the colors blend on their own. I did a second similar wash, using quin. gold instead of aureolin. Then I covered the sky and water with scrap watercolor paper, and spattered gold, quin. burnt orange, alizarin crimson and cobalt blue, and then sprayed to let them flow together.

Here, I have removed the masking, and am working on the trees, and getting some strategic dark shadows around the focal area.

That's it for now. The sun is shining warmly and invitingly, and Bruno awaits! He is in serious shedding mode - hair flying everywhere.

Thank you so much for dropping by!

Well ... It Seemed Like a Good Idea in Theory ...

looking cute ...

glazed with permanent rose ... still all right ...

glazed with indanthrone ... not bad ...

WHAT possessed me to try this, I don't know! I wanted to get more violet in the background, and also imply the look of confetti - a party atmosphere. I got very heavy-handed with the violet. And now I have to start this again. Chalk this one up to "live and learn"!!!

Started scrumbling with some dark browns and blacks for the background on Drake.

Finished scrumbling ...

... and then glazed with black. I am not thrilled with the effect the glazing created, and may have to do some lifting and scrumbling to get that rough look again.  Another start???
Well, I buggered one painting, and it is close with the second one, too. The problem with these two was that I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted in the background, especially with Miss P. Drake isn't too bad, and may be salvageable, but I have to start the Westie again, with a much clearer mental image of what I want for a background.

Thank you so much for dropping by!

Frazzled, but Still Painting ...

This is part of my frazzle. Bruno has come out in hives again. They first popped up over 2 weeks ago. I called my vert, and picked up some dexamethasone, and dosed him for about a week. As soon as I stopped [last night], they came out again. I took this photo this morning to send to my trainer for advice. There is no reason I can think of that would cause the hives - same hay, same diet, a bit more exercise. He may have found some new and noxious weeds out in the field. That's the only thing I can think that might cause these bumps.  

I thought to take my mind off worries a bit by starting new paintings - something soothing, yet requiring concentration. A friend had some fabulous photos of koi, and he gave me permission to use them as reference.

You can hardly tell they are fish yet. I've been working exclusively on the background.

And my aunt is back in the hospital, this time with pneumonia and a fluid-filled lung. I feel upset, frustrated and angry with the slowness of our medical system.

Anyway, I am glad you have dropped by for a visit - thank you!

Am I Out-Horsed with This Painting???

I started off with some glazes of a cool orange and aureolin on the petals.

Then I decided I needed to mask to get an even background. BOY!!! Did I ever need the masking!
This is after two washes - aureolin and burnt orange, then thin burnt orange and  quin. violet.

Ultimately, I had to do about five washes of black. As the brush was leaving faint streaks, regardless of how gentle I was, the last wash I applied on sprayed- wet paper, and did it much like a pouring. That technique gave me a smooth black background. Now I am going over some of the petals with a thin violet glaze for shadows. It's about ready for some intense yellows and oranges now.
The size is 13 x 19 inches.

Reference photo
I was coming home from the library one summer evening, and these glorious dahlias caught my eye. I had to stop, ask the home-owner's permission,  and take some photos.

Thank you so much for dropping by! Your comments are most welcome.

I Think This Will Work ...

This was a study only, to give me a chance to work out colors and background. I've decided to put in the part of his body showing beyond the head and neck; originally it looked rather awkward, but seems OK here. The shadows of the horse will be variations of lavenders and greys, using quin. red, quin. burnt orange and cobalt blue. For the more intensely colored areas, I will use indanthrone blue in the mix instead of cobalt blue. I like the background I did for Pat Elliott's Missy, and I am going to do something similar here, using quin. red, quin. burnt orange and cobalt blue again, pinker on the upper left and bluer on the lower right. I may take a bit of that into the body and lower neck, to give them a bit of a receding look. And yes, I did get a bit heavy-handed with the orange along his neck. :)
I have been sick thinking about this all day, and I hate to have to write it, but Desi is not doing well. Barring a miracle, and I'm all for those, she will have to be put to sleep when she becomes too uncomfortable. My sister is trying Floressence; it can't hurt, and might help. What else can I say???

As always, your comments are most welcome.

More Runny Paint ... More Lifting ...

First wash and lift while wet

Second, with the same colors

Third wash, with three different brown shades, and lifting while wet
I think i'll do some dry lifting, and then add some color, depth and shadows.

WHY did I chose such a difficult flower???

I think I'll make it a bit easier [ I hope ] by changing the reds to whites.


As always, your comments are most welcome.

Some Experimenting and Some Plodding Along ...

I like the background. I wanted to stay away from dark, so I did a few w/w washes, then the final one, which I did w/w, dropping lines of pink and blue and encouraging them to flow vertically.

However, I am not thrilled with the leaves, which look seriously over-worked. I'm not sure if I'll finish this.

Buddy is coming along well, but oh-so-slowly!


It must be Spring fever. I feel the need to experiment more, with techniques and subjects.  It is beautiful out - mild and sunny. And I think I hear the call of the horse!!! I've painted for over an hour this morning, and I need to get outside!