Complimentary Colors . . . Abstract

Acrylic on 9x12 canvas paper

You made me so happy with all of your lovely comments on yesterday's post!! I am glad you like her! Big thanks to all of you!

Today I thought I would share an abstract I did last week. As I said when I posted my last abstract I tend to shy away from any bold colors. The color wheel scares me! lol And what is most difficult for me is choosing colors. So abstract painting which I want to learn how to improve with is really tough.

I chose complimentary colors to practice with for this painting. I used shades of orange and a light turquoise that I mixed with titanium white and phalto blue (gs). I had an easier time with blending on this one adding some titan buff to lighten areas in the orange and added some water to the bottom left corner blotting it off. (I am loving this effect!) At the end I added the blue to bubble wrap putting it on for texture. I have to say that my eyes do not like these colors together although they do make each other stand out! And again, the colors look bolder in person.

PS . . . I am hosting a giveaway on my life after cancer blog In My Life. I am giving away a signed copy of my memoir Breastless in the City to one lucky winner! You can check out the details HERE!

Practicing More Abstract . . .

acrylic on 9x12 canvas paper

I haven't used canvas paper in a while but I ran out of boards. I have a harder time painting on the paper. Its just something about the way the brush moves on paper than I don't like. But this time I used acrylic glazing liquid and fluid acrylics which gave me more time to work with the paint.

I started with a layer of titan buff and then added shades of magenta. I wanted to darken some areas with black and added too much but in the end I liked the result anyway. I tried spraying water in spots and blotting it off as well as using bubble wrap for some texture. I could have done a few more layers but we all know how impatient I am!

I think the colors look better in person. Still tough to get a good picture of some of my work.

Hoping to move on to some complimentary colors but for now am liking the monochrome. That color wheel scares me!

Falling Leaves . . . A Landscape

First a big thank you to everyone for all your comments on my sketch! I am really having fun through this process and love sharing my progress with all of you! And I am excited that so many of you have entered my giveaway! A big HELLO to my new followers!

So for today I wanted to share the landscape I painted over the weekend. It is acrylic on 9x12 canvas paper. This is the first landscape I painted without a photo. I just painted what I could see in my mind. That in itself is a challenge for me. I went a little crazy with the leaves but they were so much fun to paint!

Wishing you a creative day!

Getting Back To The Landscape

This painting was inspired by a photo. It is acrylic on 9x12 canvas paper. I love using shades of orange and purple together in a painting. I have fun painting trees. I don't know what it is about them but I especially enjoy painting the leaves. And of course as always I want to rush and see the finished piece! I try to add the leaves before I finish the rest of the painting!

I would like to get back to painting more landscapes. I haven't done one in a while. There are just too many things dancing in my head. But sometimes I feel like I should just stick to one thing and master it. And yet I don't want to limit myself. There is so much to learn and I want to experience as much of it as I can!

Ever feel that way?

A Little Landscape Today . . .

First let me say that I was overwhelmed with all of your lovely comments on yesterday's post! Thank you so much! Being able to interact with each of you makes this creative blogging journey so fun!

And now here is my art for the day!

Untitled

9x12 mixed media on canvas paper

I did this landscape yesterday on 140 lb canvas paper that I gessoed and then added molding paste for texture. I have never done a landscape with molding paste. I am becoming a big fan of it though! This was from a sketch I did and upon painting it took a life of its own. I was stumped on the colors but in the end I like how it turned out.

I have to ask for those of you who use canvas paper . . . how do you keep it from bubbling while you paint. I added gesso hoping that would prevent it from happening but it still did. I am wondering if I didn't use enough? Or does this just happen with canvas paper?

Some Happy Little Flowers . . .

I am having fun painting faces right now but still enjoy my landscapes. So I thought I would share something cheery and bright on this Monday morning. At first I wasn't pleased with how it came out but after stepping away for a bit I realized that it makes me happy when I look at it. This was done on 9x12 canvas paper (which I have been using for practice) with acrylic. I did use red cadmium light as a base which helps add some color with all the green.

I have a hard time painting a scene off of the top of my head at times but this was one of them and I like how it came out. I did some more sketching over the weekend and hope to get painting later so I can share them with all of you!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Landscape On a Red Canvas . . .

This is acrylic on 9x12 140lb canvas paper. I started with a red canvas....red cadmium light to be exact. I learned through a workshop I took recently that when you are painting landscape that has alot of green using a red canvas can give richness to the green as well as the other colors.

I really love how this came out. It is my first landscape on a red canvas. I think that all of the colors are more richer and look better with the red showing through them. And of course the key is to allow the red to show through. Sometimes when I paint I loose myself in what I am doing and forget about that! And with acrylic I need to be more aware because of the quick drying time so I don't loose the red!

Do you find that your background colors enhance the colors of your painting?