Playing With Quirky Faces . . .

I have been so enjoying my digital art that sometimes I forget where the paint is!  The past couple of days I have brought out the canvas boards, a surface I loved to paint on, the paints, and some watercolor crayons.  

Its been awhile since I have created faces and backgrounds this way.  I even got out the stamps!  On this piece I collaged pieces of one of my photographs on the left and top right.  Not sure if you can see it but the word scratched into her shirt says "Trust".  Something I continue to try and do daily . . . 

xo

Progression Of An Angel . . .

 

Is it really Friday already??  lol  I have been painting more girls this time an angel.  I didnt know she was an angel when I started out.  This girl was inspired by a sketch I did a long time ago.  I think I am going to keep looking through sketches that never made it to a canvas and paint them.  

When I began I quickly painted a grey background and then loosely sketched her out with graphite.  I am trying to not get caught up in the details.  

At this point I knew I wanted her to have copper hair.  I was a bit scared to just go with it but I tried to go bold!

When it came to the wings it was Lou who suggested the patina color.  I did NOT like it at first.  But something about the patina with the copper just worked.  I used a small bottle of golden fluid in bronze to drizzle detail onto the wings.  I also lightly wrote out the words that came to me "Angels Carry Hope On Their Wings" along the left side of the canvas.  

As you can see from the first image I added lots of scribble detail and used stamps for the words.  My favorite part is when it all seems to come together.  Even when you don't think it ever will.  

Sharing with Paint Party Friday!

I have a new girl in progress that I am excited to share soon!  So be sure to check back!  

xo

More Love And NYC . . . New Collaged Canvas

Haven't collaged a canvas in awhile so I thought that since I had some photocopies laying around of my NYC photos I would use them for collage.  I reused a canvas panel I had with an unfinished WIP.  It is a 16x20.  I am enjoying creating larger.  

I used matte medium and quickly glued the papers down not really paying attention to where I was putting them or which images they were.  I used payne's gray and raw umber to add color.  I tried to keep a few images exposed like the cab and some of the buildings.  I stenciled letters with some black paint.  Finishing touches were added with white out pen and black sharpie.  

Thought you might like to see the collage before I went crazy all over it! 

I liked this image so much I printed it out as a photo.  You can read all about that in this post HERE.

Sharing this piece today over at Paint Party Friday.  

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

xo

WIP . . . Urban Landscape

I have been itching to do another landscape since I finished the one for my friend. So I started this canvas last weekend. This is just the under painting where I am trying to sketch out some perspective. I wasn't even going to share it at this early stage but figured what the heck! I haven't done anymore to it I think out of fear! lol I am not sure where to go next. I think I need to just not think and slap some paint on!

This is the photo that I am using for inspiration. I took this photo in NYC a couple of years ago. When I looked at it again I saw it with different eyes. I right away noticed the composition and perspective. I wondered if I could paint it.

I will using a monochrome palette in shades of payne's gray. I don't know who I think I am even considering this image but lets see if I can pull it off!

Progression of a Landscape Painting

I am excited to share the landscape I spoke of in Tuesday's post that I had been working on a for a good friend of mine. It was a special photo of his that I was so struck by when I saw it that I wanted to paint it for him. I hadn't done a landscape in quite awhile but this has renewed my love for the process of landscape painting! It is where I began before discovering mixed media.

The above photo shows the first layer of color that I put down pretty quickly. I did an initial sketch so I would know where to add the lights and darks. I used a combo of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna for a neutral grayish tone along with some acrylic glaze medium to keep the paint moving. I tried to mimic some of the texture of the landscape as I laid down the color. And then I used a rag to wipe out the tiny bit of sky at the top, the path and the sidewall area on the left. You can probably still see some of my sketch with the tree limbs and a person on the path.

Then I began adding another layer of color this time with lots of green, yellows, and orange. I am now also going from dark to light to establish perspective. I must admit I had difficulty with the curved wall on the right side! I tried to work with shades of light and dark to bump it up.

Here is the finished painting! I really like what the yellow does for the gray of the path. It is a nice contrast and the yellow just pops! The person I didn't like initially and almost took it out at the end! But it is a crucial piece to the initial photo that I needed to leave it in.

I saw him Tuesday nite for dinner and surprised him with the painting. He loved it! And it made my heart so happy that I was able to recreate this scene for him in a painting that will hang on a wall in his home!

Angel In The Shadows . . . Do You See What I See?

"angel in the shadows"

acrylic glaze on 5x5" birch wood

prints available in my etsy shop

Saturday I asked my hubby for a piece of birch wood. He always has some laying around in the garage. I wanted to try painting on a wood surface for the first time. So he brought me a 5x5 inch piece of scrap he had.

I added a coat of gesso first and when it was dry just tried adding some paint. I made glazes of my two favorite colors of the moment payne's and burnt sienna. I was just practicing adding paint to this new surface to see what it would do. I immediately felt the difference in how the paint moved on the wood and when I tried blending the paint I ended up just smooshing it around. I noticed that it gathered in some areas and wiped away on others. I liked how it looked with the wood grain showing through the glaze. It was all random. I was in no way hoping for a piece of art to come out of this. At one point I became very frustrated that I couldn't move the paint the same way as on a canvas wondering if I even liked painting on a wood surface.

I walked away and left it be till later on that night. When I went to go check on it my hubby got to it first and told me he loved it. I thought he was crazy until I looked at what came through. We both saw the image of a woman to the right who looks as if she is leaning up against a wall. Below her looks like rocks and water. I was shocked at the image and the depth that this piece has all without me trying to do anything but smear some paint around. It almost looks ghostly to me. It looked completely different to me when it was dry. This has become one of my favorite pieces!

So tell me . . . what do you see?

Playing With Paint This Morning . . .

I had a 5x5 wrapped canvas calling to me. I thought of this heart last night. I wanted to try to do one in monochrome so that I could practice layering and blending the paint. I chose phalto blue (gs) again with only white and black.

I also sketched last night. New girl coming soon!

Dipping Into Oil . . .

In the spring I had the great opportunity to take an oil painting class with an artist in her studio. There were only 3 of us and it was just 5 sessions. I met her through a friend and was curious about what it would be like to paint with oil. I had only been painting since February in acrylic so I really had no idea what I was doing and some days still don't!

This painting is a work in progress that I did in that class. It is at her studio still and hopefully I will get to finish it sometime in the future. As you can see it is a still life. Not my favorite thing to paint as you all know.

I have to say that using the oil paint was harder than I thought. I had a hard time blending it because it is so very wet and blendable! I don't know if I would have the patience for the long drying time. The complete opposite of acrylic. I kept muddying it all up. But the colors are so much richer than acrylic and the look of oil on canvas is so very different. I did not like having to use the turp. I paint in my house and I think that would just be too hard having to use something toxic like that.

There definitely pros and cons to both but if I ever did want to try it again I would explore using water based oil. As for right now I am having fun with acrylic and mixed media for sure!

And of course there is sketching! Stay tuned . . . I will be posting my sketch for this weeks challenge with Kelly tomorrow! She inspired this post today. Check out her vlog where she chats all about what she is doing to progress herself as an artist and a few of the resources she is using along her journey! Click here!

View From The Hill . . . A Landscape

One of our favorite places to visit is Newport, Rhode Island. I have always been drawn to the ocean. Actually to any water really. It is very healing for me to hear the sounds of the waves crashing and breathe in the salty air. There is a B&B there right along the ocean where we love to stay when we head up there. I took this picture last fall. We were heading down the hill from the main house where we had just eaten a wonderful breakfast. I love how the trees line the path.

This year when I started painting I thought of this photo and how it would make a good landscape painting. I gave it a try with the help of my instructor in a workshop I took back in March.

Here it is on a 16x20 stretched canvas in acrylic . . .

Each time I look at this painting I think of that hill at one of our favorite places . . .

First Landscape . . . inspired by Bob Ross

Around the time I started really wanting to pick up a paintbrush back in February I started watching reruns of The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross. I found it entertaining, relaxing, and inspiring to watch him paint. He made it look so easy. I thought . . . "hey, maybe I can do that." Although I knew it certainly wouldn't be easy I knew I wanted to give it a try. I kept the episode on DVR and my husband surprised me the next day with some brushes and acrylic paint.

I watched the episode again (I am such a visual learner) and headed over to my kitchen table with some black and white paint, brushes, and an 8x10 canvas board. I was scared to make the first stroke with the brush but once I did I was hooked. I know this is a very rough beginner piece but I am proud of it nonetheless. I like my happy little trees! And I hope you do too.