"The Drive" - Finished!

Not a great photo of this but I'm really pleased with the outcome of the painting. I have a possible buyer - fingers crossed!  I think it will sell, if not to this buyer, then to someone soon.  I have a show coming up for the month of May.  Hopefully I will have 6 to seven pieces for that show.  The show is of the artwork of those of us in Soon Warren's watercolor classes on Thursdays.  The location is the atrium of the North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.  The paintings will be up all month and the reception is on May 5.  Join us if you can and pass the word along to all your friends in the metroplex who might enjoy attending.

Brazos

Ok, so I have some issues with this.  First I don't like what is happening with the scarf and clothing and I'm not sure what to do with that just now.  I like the face.  I liked what was happening with the hat in the last post.  Then Soon decided that it should be darker.  After darkening it, I feel like it doesn't have much character now.  I'm really in a flux between Soon's methods and style and those of Ted Nuttall.  I love his loose looking style and the very painterly look.  Soon's work is much more detailed and tight looking, which I really love for some subjects and I am anxious to incorporate that into my own style.  I know that if I ever get a commission for a portrait, that her style would probably be the one most folks would choose.  I know I have alot to learn from Soon and she is already getting me to use more pigment and not do such pale and weak colors.  That is a good thing!!!

So I'm thinking that I need to do some portraits on hot press paper in Ted's style and keep on improving on learning to do that better.  At the same time, I want to really work on learning as much as possible from Soon so that I can paint in her style too.  Good thing I don't have a full time job!!!!  LOL!!  I'd never get to accomplish all that I want.

Work with Soon

Well, I wrote all of this just a bit ago and somehow lost the whole thing!  Yikes!  So here we go again,

I have been attending watercolor classes with Soon Warren the past two Thursdays.  I want to bring you up to date of the things I am working on in those classes.  Below is the reference photo of a sunflower in a crystal bowl, which is the group project, and my WIP on this project.

I started with Arches 300# cold press, which works best for Soon's techniques.  After transferring the drawing, I did a TON of masking to save the whites in the crystal.  Next I wet the entire sheet and did pale washes of a mix of aureolin and cad yellow on the upper parts of the paper and permanent rose on the lower part where the cloth is and lower areas of the bowl.  When all of that was dry, I did the next wash on the flower which is a stronger mix of cad yellow and aureolin.  That is the extent of the progress at this point.

Next is a painting of a young girl in Africa, the reference of which is a photo by Babasteve.  Steve generously gave his permission for me to use this image.  This work is on Arches 140# stretched cold pressed paper.  After transferring the drawing, I used making fluid to saves whites in her eyes, on her hair, a few places on her face and the zipper on her jacket.  Then I began the washes.  First a thin wash of cerulean blue on the wood on your left against which she is leaning.  Then washes of a mixture of aureolin and cad yellow over the rest of the painting.  Once that was dry, I began to add stronger mixtures of those colors along with quin gold, burnt sienna and permanent rose, developing shadow areas and hair patterns.  This is a totally different technique and look than what I learned with Ted.  I'm thrilled to have two techniques that I love and can use depending on the subject and feeling I want to convey.

This morning I started on this painting of a railroad worker.  It is on Arches 300# cold pressed paper.  After transferring the  drawing, I masked the whites of his eyes, a couple places on his ears and the fringes of white hair on his arm.  Once that was dry I proceeded with washes of aureolin and cad yellow on his skin, adding darker mixtures that included quin gold, burnt sienna and permanent rose in shadow areas.  I also did a mixture of cobalt, mineral violet and burnt sienna for the shadow areas of his cap.  I'm pleased with this so far.

Cooler weather!!!!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate this weather after the summer we've had!  This morning I took my daily walk in 52 degree temps.  What a relief!

I have been painting but have not gotten things posted here.  I also started my watercolor classes with Soon Warren last Thursday.  She teaches weekly at the Hobby Lobby in Fort Worth and rarely does she ever have an opening.  However, I'm thrilled that she was able to find a spot for me in the afternoon class so now I will be trying to learn every little tidbit I can from her.  If you are familiar with her work, you know how exciting this is for me.

I'll try to get some new things posted this week so that you'll know I really have been painting!  LOL!!!

Enjoy the beginning of fall no matter where you are.  Thanks for reading!

Freddie in high school - WIP

This is from a photo that was made during Freddie's senior year in high school.  Everything I have done of him has always been when he was a child, so this is a departure.  There is still alot of work to do but I'm pleased with the progress so far.

I am looking at new cameras and have settled on getting a Nikon D3100 for Christmas from my wonderful husband.  Everyone should have someone so supportive of their endeavors!  Not only do I need to be able to take better shots for posting on this blog and on Wet Canvas, I want to be able to take my own shots for reference material.  I have a really nice Olympus pocket camera that is wonderful to carry in my handbag everywhere.  However, it is really slow to use for capturing those fleeting expressions of people.  Takes forever for it to be ready to shoot again and by then the moment has passed.  Great for flowers etc., just not for candid people shots.  I plan to really study up on how to use the functions properly.  I've never had an SLR camera, so this will be a fun project. 

Thanks for reading!

Some great instructors!

I have had the great good fortune to study with some great artists.  The two I want to bring to your attention today are Soon Warren and Linda Lucas Hardy.  I studied watercolor with Soon back in 2002 and 2003.  Her watercolor work is really breathtaking.  The scull painting is a piece that I did in her class as a gift for my son.  (I must appologize for the photo quality.  This painting is professionally framed and I had to take the photo through the glass.  That is why there is a shadow of me snapping the pic.)  It was the first of several pieces I have done for him.  Later, I studied colored pencil with Linda.  If you ever see any of her colored pencil work, you will not believe it could be colored pencil.  Amazing!!!  The boots are in colored pencil and completed as a gift for my son again.  The boots are his first childhood boots.  I'm surprised that they still have soles!  He almost never took them off his little feet!