cappello rosso, 5×7 (or so) pastel painting, 4 February, 2019
cappello rosso
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Tag Archives: art lover
January Golden Hour Study
One study for a larger painting I want to work on.
Rose Hill study, 6×9, soft pastel on pastelmat paper
now face west
now face west, 6×6, soft pastel 23 January, 2019
fedora
fedora, 6×6, soft pastel, 22 January, 2019
Sun-worshipers, daily painting challenge
sun-worshipers, 6×6, pastel on prepared paper
Bearly There – waiting to become ‘Real
Bearly There – waiting to be ‘Real’ 6×6, pastel, 16 January, 2019
This beauty sits against the wall in my studio everyday just waiting.
did the grid
The Fisherman, 6×6, pastel, 15 January, 2019
Pulled this guy off of pexels.com and used a grid. Using someone I didn’t know made this less precious to paint, and the grid definitely helped keep his features where they were supposed to be. I am not sure that if you knew him you would recognize him here, but good practice and I have more ready to go.
After I painted him, I drew him without a grid. I was pleased with this rendering.
Day 29, daily painting challenge
Pitcher with Glass, pastel, 6×6, 14 January, 2019
This is what happens after spending a day at MoMA! Looking at the world a little differently.
Feels good to be back at the easel! Some weeks are just going to be like that I guess!
to Grid or not to Grid – Day 28 & 29, daily painting challenge
I’d like to start this post with a sincere apology to my husband. He is the most beautiful being in my eyes and someday I will be able to get that on paper – but that wasn’t yesterday or today!
Some paintings are SOOOOOOOO bad you have to contemplate banking as an alternative career choice (sorry bankers, it would be just as bad for you if I was handling your financial transactions, trust me!) That was yesterday’s daily painting. So I got up this morning and decided to try again. Not much better, but I think I am seeing the lesson in all of this.
To Grid or not to Grid – a grid helps place features where they should be on a face, keeps arms from getting too long, etc. Using one helps the eye see accurately, not what the brain thinks it sees. A grid takes some time to layout and get on the reference image and then the drawing phase takes longer. This is not how I normally work. I spend time planning a piece in my head, sometimes I do a small version to work out composition and color, but I do not spend much time drawing before I paint. This works great for landscapes, I get to dive right into painting – get pigment all over quickly. That is what I love! However, landscapes may be the only subject matter that I have the technical skill to be able to do that with at this time.
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After 26 days of still life’s I thought it might be time to mix it up a bit and although still life’s are still a top priority, it was time for some faces and figures as they are a priority for me too. I want to be able to go to the bar on Friday night and draw the people sitting on the stools, the people dancing and laughing. Currently, I don’t have that skill set, my faces are clownish caricatures and my figures are stiff an other-worldly. I try to draw faces and figures while watching TV in the evening, but it is stressful because I don’t have the skills – vicious circle! Yesterday and today have proven that I desperately need to spend some time in the circle chasing my tail!
Like I said my goal is to drink and draw – with no fear! The question is how to get there. Practice, certainly, and drawing with a grid is a good option.
I will try this painting again tomorrow with a grid.
To be continued…
second attempt, 5×7, pastel on pastelmat, 8 January, 2019
Epic Fail, 5×7, pastel on pastelmat, 7 January, 2019
Day 27, daily painting challenge
I’ve been pretty busy the last few weeks. I am grateful that Jim likes to cook, otherwise I may have starved!
Today I finished an abstract landscape, that we see a lot at camp. We are so far down in the ravine that, in places, when you look up you can’t see the sky. You see this glorious green glow from the leaves and deep, dark branches. I did a watercolor underpainting for this one. I am not convinced it was necessary, although it made the pastel painting portion very quick.
the canopy, 12×18, pastel, 5 January, 2019
I have been meaning to finish the last painting in a series for my daughter, and was able to get that done. I am really pleased with how it turned out.
Roses for Rosie, 5×7, paste, 4 January, 2019
While my nose was running yesterday and my ears were clogged about all I could handle was a less than stellar landscape. I feel better today and on second look decided I really like the color combination and will use that again.
first snow, 5×7, pastel, 4 January 2019
I also got squirreled by zentangles, they are amazing aren’t they! I spent many evenings over the holidays working on these two. I love them and want to do more!
zentangle1, December 2018
zentangle 2, January 2019
