If Boots Could Talk ...

I have added some varied shadow colors - playing with a pink-purple, a blue, a violet and a brown - all mixed from the three colors I am using throughout. The colors are quin. burnt orange, alizarin crimson and indanthrone blue.

... just adding more depth of hue and shadowing ...

I have put in some ground shadow. I will also later paint a slight ground-line behind the boots.

Getting into more of the detail work here.  I might even finish it tomorrow.

I'll just have a quick grump here about how poorly watercolor transposes to  camera and computer - GRUMP.
I think I can attribute some of the success with this painting to climbing up from a learning plateau. But some of it is due to my riding. Over the winter, I had allowed myself to let Bruno become spoiled - unwilling to work. This past week of boot-camp lessons has worked like a charm with my riding and my confidence. And the confidence has appeared in other aspects of my life - like painting. Interesting!

As always, your comments are most welcome!   

Boots Are Looking GOOD

I have started working on some of the dark detailing, to give me an idea of values for mid- and light-tones for the rest of the painting. 

To get the old scruffy boot look, I have used a combination of w/w and scrumbling.  I think it's coming out quite well. I may like doing still-lie as much as animals and florals!


As always, I love your comments!

Progress on Sadie Does the Swamp, and a New Painting ...

I have darkened the water, lifted out for her front end, and am still darkening her fur.

I have placed the beginnings of more background. I showed it to Scott [my farrier] today, when he came to do Bruno's shoeing. He liked it. Me ... I am still not thrilled with her face. 

Started a new one of my faithful paddock boots. I finished a ride a few days ago, came inside, kicked off my boots ... and then took a long look at them. I got my camera, and took a few photos.

I have laid in most of the basic color. Painting around those laces was a lesson in patience! But now that is done, it is easier to see where I'm going.
That's it for the art part of my world. My aunt is still in the hospital - still no decision on a course of action after three and a half weeks. And Bruno and I are doing Boot Camp - it's all good. :)

As always, I love to hear from you!

Miss Sadie's Progress ...

Here I am right now. She certainly has a more animated expression. The painting still needs some work - some reeds, done lightly,  in the background, and some dry brush in her coat.

For comparison, I posted the last painting I started of Sadie.

And for a bit of humor ...

As always, your comments are most welcome!

Still Playing with Geese ...

This is one of the two smaller geese I have started this week.  I was hoping to be able to get a smoother background without using the dreaded masking fluid, but it was not to be. So I scrumbled  instead, and I think I like the effect better. The colors I am using are quin. burnt orange, quin. siena, quin. violet and indanthone blue - all Daniel Smith.

I think I'll try to get a very dark background with this goose.  I learned, from the last painting without masking, that I have to use thinner washes. 

I was in Vancouver again today. I've been going in several times this week, as my aunt has been in the hospital for over a week. It's been somewhat of an emotionally draining time. But my aunt is looking and sounding much better, and her spirits are higher, though the doctors still do not know what is wrong with her.
While in town, I picked up the chicken I left for framing. I think Liz did a great job - just a good, simple mat and frame to show off the hen.

Sadie is being re-done. I like the water, and the background in general, but the look is definitely not Sadie's.  She is much more lively and mischievous. 

So I have drawn her again, using an older photo I have of her from when she was a pup.

As always, your comments are most welcome!

The Goose Saga ... Continued ...

For the goslings, I am using aureolin, with a brown mix of quin. burnt orange, quin. red and indanthrone blue. The geese are painted with mixes of ultramarine blue and quin. burnt orange. The feet are quin. siena.

Just deepening the colors here.

I have placed the cast shadow, and a grey ground behind them  [quin. burnt orange and ultramarine blue].

A loose wash of aureolin and burnt orange to give the impression of tall grass  ...

I have darkened the adult geese. It looks like the grass needs  some darkening and detailing here an there, and the goslings will get more dark in the brown areas.
As I do not want to use masking, I have done the painting as a vignette. I was given some advice about masking alternatives [thank you, Peter] and will be trying Daniel Smith watercolor ground in the future.

I was given this photo recently by my farrier. It's his  border collie, Sadie. It is not a good photo for painting reference, but I think if I approach the project without my usual perfectionistic bent, and just play with it, it might make a cute painting. Scott is a genuine "good guy", and always there to replace and repair  my horse's shoeing.

As always, your comments are most welcome!

GOOSE-AHOLICS ANONYMOUS

GEESE #1

GEESE #2
This one wasn't working because the masking had left the white areas of the paper roughened. I'm not sure if masking fluid has an expiry time limit or not. Does anyone know???

GEESE # 3
Been working on this one, on and off,  for the past two days. I've reached the point where some background should be placed. One idea would be to do a very thin wash around the geese, with an irregular [hopefully interesting] top-line. The color would be a light greyed brown; then I would add some lines and shapes, indicating grass at the side of the path. But it's getting late, and I have to be in the office tomorrow, so best to leave this till Saturday ...

Your comments are always welcome!