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| 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. |
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| 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! |
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| I have darkened the water, lifted out for her front end, and am still darkening her fur. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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! |
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| 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. |
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| For comparison, I posted the last painting I started of Sadie. |
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| And for a bit of humor ... As always, your comments are most welcome! |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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! |
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| 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. |
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| Just deepening the colors here. |
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| I have placed the cast shadow, and a grey ground behind them [quin. burnt orange and ultramarine blue]. |
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| A loose wash of aureolin and burnt orange to give the impression of tall grass ... |
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| 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. |
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| 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! |
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| GEESE #1 |
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| 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??? |
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| 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! |
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| Here I was, humming along, looking cute ... Disaster struck! For Pat's liking, the geese did not stand out well. I sent out a plea for ideas, and got three reasonable ideas - none of which I followed [to my chagrin]. Thank you very much Audrey Montoya [great watercolorist - check out her blog], Annie Bennett [lovely and eclectic blog] and of course Crystal Cook, who always answers a call for help and advice on painting and selling paintings. I really appreciate your ideas!!! |
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| But no, I did it my way ... |
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| I am making the most of a bad painting, and am using it to try out different strategies. I am doing the same initial graded washes, but keeping the painting warm - the geese and grasses will be variations of yellows, golds and browns. Here's hoping it works!!! As for Bruno and riding, same story - I was just not thinking yesterday. As always, your comments are most welcome!!! |
