I'm Going to Give Her a Rest for a Bit ...

I touched up the post, glazed over her hair, and did a bit more shadowing on her face.

Here I've touched up the shirt, and worked mostly on her hair. I think I'll leave it for a bit.  My inclination is to glaze a bit more color on her face, but I'm not sure ... 

I also went over to a neighbor's to take some photos of their glorious sunflower. Then I played around a bit with some of the images. I'd like to get some more photos when the seeds are riper and darker.
I've been procrastinating, but I think today I'll start some studies of Trigger.

As always, your comments are most welcome.

It's Been a BUSY Day ...

I left off here ...

Eyes added, and more shadow on neck

Shadows on face

Shadows on shirt

W/w wash over all of shirt in original pink hue

Starting to touch up post
I think it's about 2/3 done.

The sparrows looked so cute having a splash on top of the pool cover.

Hogs fuel delivery today - essentially an evergreen mulch, used for footing.

ACK ... over $400 worth! But Bruno will have dry feet this winter. ;)

Huge truck, barely made it under the telephone and power wires. I really admire the driver's skill. 

The inspector

Also inspecting the group cutting the brambles in back.

Bruno with his mound of hogs fuel.

It really was busy here today, with animals, trucks, landscapers coming and going, and making sure the animals were safe. But it's done. All I need is to get someone with a bobcat or tractor over to spread this out, and we'll be fine.
And somehow I managed to find time to paint. I am excited [in a watercolory sort of way] about how the portrait is coming along, and I just had to work on it. Also, it's back to scaling teeth tomorrow, and I know I won't feel much like painting after work.

As always, your comments are most welcome.

Taking My Time, and Trying new Things ...

Start of a new portrait. The photo reference was generously "donated" by a photographer who works in southeast Asia. Her coloring and contemplative mood intrigued me.

A ways to go yet, but so far it seems all right.

 

Reference

As you may have surmised, I am not thrilled with my art right now. I know I can do much, much better, and I am pushing myself, and experimenting right now. Between that, and the fact that work around the barn is really busy, I probably won't be posting several times a week. There are fences and gates to mend, brambles to clear, old hay to clear out, barn to clean and organize ... it seems almost endless. And the party is over - back to office work on Thursday, too.

As always, your comments are most welcome.

Calling It Done

I think i got a bit carried away with the foliage, but the rest is OK.

As always, your comments are always welcome.

A Rare [for me] Landscape

I've always loved this photo of birch trees that I took last year in the park. The shadows on the ground and on the trunks are so beautiful.

Initially, I tried spattering with a toothbrush and spraying, but didn't like the effect, so I tried again with sponging. 

Then I went over the entire leafy are with the lightest color I'd used, a leaf green by da Vinci watercolors.

I started some foreground w/w washes of two mixtures,  using quin. gold and phthalo blue.

This is basically what the foreground grasses look like. I find I don't have the patience to play with Photoshop to correct hues.

Studio light.

Day light

The entire painting is actually warmer, more intense, and the green is not so shocking in the foreground grasses. Anyway, this foray into landscapes was fun. I'll do more in the future. I'm not sure about attempting plein air, though - I really like to have everything there where I expect it to be, and without bugs, glaring sun or wind.

As always, your comments are most welcome. 

More Sketching than I've Done for a While ...

Leaf studies

I've done several sketches of the two poses I found most attractive.  One of the two is more a line drawing, the other a bit more detailed as to shadows. I'll see if Kim can mosey over this evening to choose which pose she prefers.
And I worked on leaves yesterday. Carrie Waller left a note, reminding me to SEE - as in see what you are seeing, not what you think you are seeing. I get impatient, and stop "seeing", and then end up painting what I think is a good approximation. WRONGO!!!
And now, off to the barn for some time with the lad, and some barn and garden work.

As always, your comments are most welcome.

The "Take the Bull by the Horns" Technique of Painting Leaves

Where I left off ...

Some direct painting of leaf shadows

One version of Trigger. I almost always use a grid for portraits. Then I take my time to go over it, and make sure it is accurate and has life.

I'd like to do a profile, too.

I'm still struggling with trying to paint what I think would be credible leaves. I took a lot of leaf photos yesterday, and will practice ... practice ... practice.
Drove into Vancouver to visit my sister, Steph, and the family. All were home, and that doesn't happen often. I even met my nephew's girlfriend - delightful and bright - going to Birmingham, UK to study medicine in the fall. I also took along the dreaded Burrard Bridge painting, for a final approval. John liked it, and I will have it framed as soon as he sends me the dimensions of the area in which it will hang. And I took home a bonus. Steph had just made some of her yummy potato salad!!! I dropped some off at my aunt's on the way home - she lives a few blocks from Steph. And then it was back to the farm.

As always, your comments are most welcome!