HAPPY HOLIDAY from the Farm

For now, the background is done. I may have to touch it up when I get the flowers painted.

I've started the flowers. My plan is to go from cooler pinks on the upper left to warmer and more detailed petals on the lower right. 

The gradated washes are done for the cows, and I will start the girls this evening, unless I decide to turn into a vegetable and watch some science fiction movie.  :)

Here are the boys, begging for raisins. Baby is on the left, Fat Bastard on the right.

This is how Fat likes to sleep when it is warmer. 

Here's the Bug. I think we have finally "bonded". I had my doubts - cats are so different from most animals. 

Me with my BIG sweetheart.

I've posted photos of all of the weird and wonderful animals at the farm [myself included], so we could all wish you a very happy holiday, a Merry Christmas [if you celebrate it] and a wonderful, happy, healthy and prosperous   New Year!!!
I would also like to thank you all for being here with us on my blog. It has been a pleasure getting to know you!

Not Exactly Moving at Warp Speed ...

Not a lot of progress, but what I've done, I like. I am finding that this technique gives a more "organic" - for lack of a better word - appearance. I'd like to do more with the leaves and background before I start the flowers. THAT will be a challenge! 

By popular request, the cows are making a comeback. So far I have done three graded washes of aureolin, quin. siena and phthalo blue.

I finally got a photo of this portrait in decent outdoor light. It makes such a difference. I have yet again darkened the entire background with a w/w wash, and am making very careful and thoughtful adjustments to the shadows of his face. Being a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, I think it would be a good idea to start entering some of my work in their shows. There is a "Works on Paper" show in January, and this is one of the paintings I am considering as an entry.

As always, your comments are most welcome!  

Out of the Comfort Zone ... ACK!

Beautiful, but difficult, photo of a neighbor's hydrangea as reference.

My first timid glazes of some of the flowers' shadows.

The start of a background was in order. I decided to keep it warm, to accent some of the cooler flower colors in the lower right focal area.

Here, I've started a road map of the leaves, with some of the sunlight filtering through,  giving, I hope, some interest there. 

More glazes on the leaves and simultaneously the background.  That's the difficult part.  I would like to integrate the leave and their shadows into the background to give the painting more of a natural look. This one is going to take a while! And I find myself almost having to force myself to paint - not that I don't like it, just that it is a different style for me.

As always, your comments are most welcome!

Cows - No ... Corn - Maybe

The cows did not work out. If I would have noticed BEFORE I put in the grasses, the cows on the right are all at  different levels. Another learning experience. After the fact, they would look much better with just a dark line at the object/reflection interface. Thank you to all of you who mentioned that a minimalist look would be better. I regret that I ignored the advice.

I painted all the husks this evening. I think the looseness is a reaction to the weather. It's snowing, and I hate snow. Horses neither ski nor skate.

Taken this morning. There is more coming down now. BOO! HISS!!

As always, your comments are most welcome!

Cows Are MOOOOO-ving Along Slowly

They have their spots ...

and they have their reflections. Now I have to do a little bit of almost-not-there grass at the water's edge.

As always, your comments are so welcome.

They're Baaaaack ... The GEESE

I'm trying to render a rough-looking wooden shack, partially covered with moss.  We 'll see how it turns out.

I had a lot of fun, in a watercolor-y sort of way, painting their bums, which are the focus of the painting. Right now, I am slowly building up their form shadows on top, trying to get a loose impression of feathers.

The cows are still waiting for some reflections in the water. I went to the local art supply store yesterday to get some transfer paper [a non-greasy type of carbon paper for watercolor paper] and they only had HUGE rolls of it. Their supplies over-all were generally low or non-existent, and the variety was limited.  Other than mail order, there seems to be a dearth of art supply stores here in western Canada. So I really must get organized, get my cross-border pass, and head down to the States for  some good selection and prices. As for the cows, I will have to trace their image, and transfer it using a home-made transfer paper.

As always, your comments are most welcome!

Do Blue Cows Make Green Cheese?

I left the ladies here a few weeks ago.

I picked it up again yesterday.  I have toned it down a bit with two thin washes, one of phthalo blue, and the second of cobalt blue. Then I painted a graded wash of quin. burnt orange form lower left towards upper right. I finally worked out a spot pattern for Les Girls, and have done two thin glazes with a black mixture. Looks like I'll need to do more of the black, and figure out what to do with the background.  

Miss Clementine has had some minor touch-ups, and I have made her available on Daily Paintworks.

It is raining like mad, so no riding today. I might take the lad out for a walk on hand later. And I think I'll have to take a boat into Vancouver to visit my sister. Stay dry. It's only two weeks till the days start getting longer again! YAY!!!  

As always, your comments are most welcome.