The Long, Tall Zebras Are Done

I left these this morning as the black stripes were making my eyes wonky. I went into town to visit my aunt, and when I got home, the urge came on me to finish them. There may be the odd touch-up [you know me :)] but essentially the wild shoe painting is done!

As always, your comments are most welcome! 

It Might Just Turn Out ...

I've worked the shadows using a "dab and blend" technique because of the roughness of the paper.

Next, I've done a thin glaze of the pattern I want. In the original, it was leopard-like spots, but I didn't think that was a good idea considering the state of the surface.

I think there is hope for this!!! The zebra stripes are striking, and are going on well.  I have to leave it for now, as I am going cross-eyed painting the stripes. :)  As always, your comments are most welcome!

UNDER-IMPRESSED with masking fluid ... AGAIN!!!!!

I started to work on the shadows first this morning, and was quite displeased to find that, although the paper "looked" all right, it did not accept water well at all. I really like to paint w/w, but with this painting, I am forced to dab and soften. I'd like to finish it as best as I am able, as I really do like the background.  I probably would have thrown it out, but I was watching/listening to the movie "Troy", and was happily distracted.
WOW, what a great movie!!! I've always enjoyed Greek and Roman mythology and history, and I found this movie to be quite well done. It didn't go into the meddling by the gods of Olympus - just focused on the war, and the siege of Troy. I am not a war-monger or lover of brutality by any stretch of the imagination, but the glory [I suppose] and the honor of one-on-one battle was very stirring.
Back to painting - and time to change masking fluid brands again.

As always, your comments are most welcome!

The Shoes that Hit the Shower ... and came out better

A friend of mine at work told me about her wild shoes. Having had a bit of a shoe fetish in the past, I asked her if she could bring them to work, so I could photograph them as reference for a painting. They really were WILD - six inch spike heels, and a faux-fur finish. The heel was so high, Laara couldn't wear them.
I  masked the shoes [I found out what I was doing wrong with the masking fluid - using a hair dryer on it.] and did two graded washes - aureolin and alizarin crimson.  

Another two washes of yellow and red, and some of the shadowing.

I got too heavy-handed with the black, and lost most of the yellow on the upper right, and the shoe shadows. So I took the painting into the bathroom, turned the shower on cold, and stuck the painting under the water. It lifted enough of the color gently, so I could re-work the darks. 

I alternated between doing a large, all-over graded wash, and painting the shadow details. I did this twice, and I liked the effect of the shoe shadows merging into the deep shadows on the left, so the masking came off. This is where I am now. Next ... the shoes!

As always, your comments are most welcome!
 

Varnishing Watercolor Paintings

For the sake of being able to offer finished paintings, immediately ready to hang, and to try to avoid the cost of framing, I decided to try varnishing a few watercolor paintings.  These are some of the paintings I decided to varnish. I have propped them up so you can get an idea of the frame.   It is a one and a half inch cradled frame, which I have sanded and stained with Minwax Polyshades, using a light oak or a black stain, depending on the painting. I think the staining and spray- varnishing procedures were the messiest.

Here I have my varnishing supplies all set out.

First I went to the art supply store, and got some help selecting products.  I bought some inexpensive cradled frames, some acrylic gesso, a jar of gel medium, and a can of glossy archival varnish.
I sanded the frames, and dusted off the sawdust. Then I applied a relatively thin coat of the gesso to the surface on which the painting was to be glued, to protect the watercolor paper from the wood. That dried fairly quickly. The next step was to glue the paintings onto the frames. For that I used the gel medium, slathered on rather thickly, careful to get it on everywhere smoothly. Then the painting went on, and was smoothed onto the gel "glue" with a roller.  [I used a rolling pin, with a sheet of wax paper on top of the painting for protection.] I flipped it over. painting on protective paper, and put some heavy books on top for weight. The paintings then stayed that way overnight.
The next day, I trimmed the excess paper around the frame, sanded lightly, and started to spray-varnish. I did about three thinner coats, then one thick coat at the end. I let it dry a day, then stained the wood. I did two coats, sanding lightly with fine steel wool in between. I got a bit slap-happy doing this, and got a bit of wood stain on the painting. I sanded the spot, and varnished again.
It's quite a procedure the first time, but I'm sure the next time will be much easier ... and neater!

As always, your comments are most welcome!

No Guts ... No Glory ... or Something like That ...

Something struck me as just wrong with this painting. In the back of my mind, a voice was niggling - "the background". 

This is where the "guts" came in - playing with a fairly detailed, almost finished painting. I mixed up a puddle of phthalo green [blue shade] and a touch of alizarin crimson, and painted wet on dry, in manageable segments. 

Here it is finished. I think the cool dark makes it look much better. It unifies the background, and really brings the flower to the fore.
For those of you who have been following for a while, my aunt's surgery went very well, and she is now in recovery. :)

As always, your comments are most welcome!

Closing on the Finish Line ... and Some Farm Stuff, Too

I had to resort to masking fluid. Then I could start work on the central blossom.

I am at this point now - very close!
If you have any questions about colors or techniques [John] please feel free to ask.

This is the start of my vegetable garden. The layer of soil is quite thin and clayey, so it needs some help. I have put down all my old hay, covered it with peat moss, and am now laying on the compost.

My stash of compost ...

My compost producer ... "partner in crime" ...

If you look closely on the lower right, you can see one of the killdeer, who is most upset by my presence in the field. There must be a nest close by.
I am trying to keep myself really busy, so I don't have time to brood.  My aunt's surgery is slated for Monday.

As always, your comments are most welcome!