ANOTHER ALMOST MONOCHROME

 

ALMOST MONOCHROMES

 Our local Campbell County Extention Center has a wonderful garden kept current and blooming by volunteers and workers from the University of Kentucky group of gardeners.  There is usually something interesting to photograph and paint there.  But, lately, it’s been so hot and sticky, we haven’t gone out there much…and when we do, there is nothing much blooming to inspire.  So I chose to photograph some of the garden statues scattered around.  All are small and concrete but I wanted them to have a touch of color so using one single color on each statue…

PUSHING COLOR JUST FOR FUN

 

JUST PLAYING

 Had a scrap piece of paper - Fluid watercolor paper 140# cold press.  Just put some color on without drawing and then had to go back in with white gouache to bring out the lights.  Oh, well, you win some, you lose some.

IRIS

 This year, the iris at the Extention Center here in our area did not bloom much at all - pretty lax effort due to heat, drought, whatever.  So only a few worth taking photos of and painting.

This one gave me fits so this is actually the second version - first version was awful due to bad drawing to start it.

STRAWBERRY MOON

 This one is on the Stonehenge Aqua hot press paper and just getting the brushes wet again after a while off.

  

Strawberry Moon

LAST ONE IN CARNET DE VOYAGE SKETCHBOOK

 Finished this sketchbook with this painting…just trying to get back to painting after a while (seems like a long time but it’s not that long, really).

Was inspired by Randall David Tipton’s work but this looks nothing like his latest round yupo paintings.  Oh, well.  

Hope your July is not too sweltering or stormy, wherever you are.

PLAYING CATCH-UP

 Have been off the painting pony - too many medical things with my mother (she turned 86 on Monday) and trying to keep her on track with her health.  Then had a funeral to attend in the Chicago area (a 5.5 hour drive which we did Monday and returned Wednesday).  So…not much creative stuff going on around here lately and I will catch up with your posts soon to see what you all have been sharing.

SKETCHBOOK STUFF - ANOTHER IN THE ARCHES SKETCHBOOK

 Another in the Carnet de Voyage book by Arches - very nice paper.  Not sure they still make these as this is, as I said, one of the first sketchbooks I ever bought and I’m sure that was over 10 years ago.

SKETCHBOOK STUFF: CARNET DE VOYAGE BY ARCHES

 Just pulling out sketchbooks that have 2-3 pages left in them and using them…interesting to rediscover the paper types and textures.

I think this is one of the first watercolor sketchbooks I ever purchased - and I seem to have 2-3 others that are still wrapped in their original wrapping so…good to take on a trip or out sketching sometime.  

Just a little plant in a jar of water with a glass ball next to it.  I was intrigued by the roots but didn’t do them justice…you could spend hours on just that!

FADED FLOWER

 I joined a Facebook group called Free Reference Photos for Artists.  The photos shared there are all free to use, paint, draw, whatever…and even sell.  It is just nice to share the artwork you created and name the photographer, which I did…Ilona E. Stefan took the photo and I painted it on Stonehenge Aqua hotpress paper.  

Since I don’t ever intend to sell anything of mine, I won’t mind painting from another’s photo when something really catches my eye.  

MAGNOLIA REDO

 

Looking more carefully this time.

MY SISTER

 Tried to do a portrait of my sister and asked her what she’d want me to change if I did another one - she said the collar because she never wears tee-shirt collars, always open collars so…after putting whit gesso on the shirt area and then putting in color and then wiping it off and then deciding to go with black for a textured look over the gesso…I finished with black Posca pen (acrylic) around the neck and I think it’s done.  

STRANGE DAYS INDEED

 Sweetie has been ill for over a week now.  Started as a dry cough he couldn’t get rid of.  Then turned to cold symptoms but no fever or achy feeling.  Then total laryngitis - it was very quiet around here for a while.  Went to the doctor, got meds (antibiotics even though it’s probably a virus to keep him from getting bronchitis), taking them.  Then he got pink eye!  Doctor sent him eye drops to put in every 4 hours and, apparently, pink eye is very contagious so…separate hand towels, washing pillowcases, trying not to share kitchen things, etc.  And me sleeping in another bed.  

I think I am more tired than he is but I hope this ends soon.  He’s had to cancel everything the whole week and stay home and looks like he’ll need to cancel his Tuesday again…we’ll see about midweek and how things are going.  

So I am trying to keep my mind busy with little art projects…

And wanted to try a portrait of my sister…but there is inner pressure to not mess it up so tighter painting than I’d like…will keep trying.

MOVING ON

 Something small - done two ways because I wasn’t that pleased with the first effort so changed it around…

A little stone bird garden ornament from the Extension Center gardens.  Painted on the Stonehenge Aqua hotpress block of paper I have… 10 x 14 sheet divided so 7 x 10 each  

WELL…

 I must be a glutton for punishment.  Or maybe I just think I can get better if I keep trying.  The 30days/30portraits in watercolor ended and I didn’t do some, ruined some, and did well on some.  Then I jumped right into a short class with the artist, Milena Guberinic, on portraits because I really liked the teaser she showed.  

So that’s done now.  The final one I watched her lesson, then just painted it my own way on hotpress paper using a black and white photo for reference.  Not unhappy with it.  

I hear other things calling but want to keep dipping into portraits once in a while…at some point I might be able to do family and friends…or not!!

FINALE!!

 The final two - finished.  Did not do all 30 portraits.  Some just didn’t speak to me and seemed like a lot of work for not much outcome (for me, personally).  But did most of them.  

If you get a chance and want to take some online courses, you cannot go wrong with Sktchy courses - the instructors are great and knowledgeable, fun and creative, and you will learn a lot, whether it’s portraits or landscapes or even Procreate courses.  

  

COMING TO THE FINSH LINE OF THE SKTCHY CHALLENGE

 

The teacher, Dritan Duro, always chooses such pretty models, whether they are male or female - the colors are warm and inviting and the model is attractive.  I enjoyed doing this one although it looks nothing like Dritan’s (I don’t know how he gets such bold, deep color without getting messes but he does - I think I need to watch him paint many more times to see just how much water he’s putting on his brush compared to how much pigment).  

And Liz Chaderton led us through this crazy colorful portrait - fun!

MY FAVORITE SO FAR

 Of all the paintings I’ve done in the Sktchy challenge of painting 30 portraits in 30 days, this is my favorite so far..

SOMETIMES THE PAINT JUST FLOWS

 After giving myself an extra month to complete the Sktchy challenge of 30 days/30 portraits (or whatever it’s called), I guess the pressure was off.  When the pressure is off and you aren’t trying to complete something every day, the paint just flows…

I am happy with both of these and have another drying that I am very happy about.  Yay!

And only a few more to do, because I am not painting the portraits I don’t feel inspiring to me, personally.  

Love her Afro!

Done with a base of Daniel Smith Lunar Earth with other colors added and darks added for volume.

And this one just makes me happy - it worked and I like that I stayed light and airy on the painting, making her blue eyes pop.  

  

STILL ON THE CHALLENGE BUT EXTENDED TO 60 DAYS

 

A COUPLE MORE - BEHIND BUT PAINTING AGAIN

 Again, did it my way first and then watched the video with instructor Liz Chaderton sharing her techniques and style, and did another.

Liz used only 2 colors for this portrait - Sap Green and Perylene Maroon.  I had both colors so used that in the second portrait.  Nice browns and you could move closer to maroon or closer to green, depending on what you wanted to do.

In both portraits, I added white gel pen to the hair to bring back the whites.  

The next one was a bit too hard-edged all around for me - almost a posterized style, taught by Charlotte Hamilton.  Not a style I would ever adopt, but I did mine like she taught.  

The interesting thing about taking these challenge courses is that you get to see several artists and how they work and paint, taking what you like and leaving behind what you don’t like or want to add to your own way of painting.  

 

THE SLUMP HAD TO END

 Finally back to the Sktchy challenge I signed up for - 30 days + 30 portraits turned into 60 days but that’s okay.  Some I am doing twice, especially when I do one before watching the instructional video!

Teacher for the first one was Kyle Legaspi and the second version was done as she did her’s (the first one was done in my own way prior to watching the video/lesson).  The next painting was done and Ana Vivian was the instructor.  Not crazy about it and won’t do it again.  It seem the teachers are trying to come up with new and interesting aspects of painting the portrait with lots of shadows/shapes, etc.  

STRANGE DAYS, INDEED

 Well, I usually get into ruts when I’m not in a challenge, workshop or anything but this RUT has got me.  I began with the Sktchy.com challenge of 30 faces/30 days and was doing well the first few, then really struggled with a portrait that beat me…and then somehow I had a change in my mindset and I was thinking “I can’t do this.”  So…gave it some time.  Decided I could give myself 2 months to do the challenge instead of just 30 days.  And did a few more and then…another roadblock where I could not paint the portrait like the instructor again no mater how many do-overs I had.

Hmmm…perhaps the problem is that I just have to paint like me, not like the instructors.  Maybe I’ve gone far enough along in my journey that I do have a style and it is fighting with the instructors’ styles.  I especially struggle when the instructor leaves a lot of whites or open space with light colors.  

So…taking a break.  Giving myself some breathing room.  My sister (my only baby sister who means everything to me) is having health issues and I am worried a lot.  My sweetie is having age-related health issues, too, and that is worrying me, too.  So maybe worry and creativity don’t mix?

Anyway…back in time for Cinco de Mayo - but until then, I’ll have a few margaritas just to get ready!

Hope your spring is showing you some beautiful sights.  The other night at 1:30 am there was a mockingbird in our bushes in front of the house singing and going through quite a repertoire of songs and sounds - pretty cool but why at 1:30 am??  Don’t they sleep?

SO FAR BEHIND BUT STILL WORKING ON IT

 Two more from the Sktchy challenge of 30 faces in 30 days…I have decided that I really need to give myself 60 days to do this and will just do these as I feel like I can do them, without the struggle so much in the past few days.  Afterall, this is supposed to be a learning experience but also not a stressful one!

MORE TRYING WITH SKTCHY TEACHERS

So I tried this one again and still could not paint it like the teacher! Ha ha. Oh, well, really worked it and changed it and lifted and added and put on some gouache and…calling it Sadness.  She looks very sad and pensive and pondering something deeply.  

Decided it was time to move on.  And ruined the next painting completely.  This is “okay” and it is the second version after tearing up the first effort.  I think I hit a bump there for a few days for some reason.  I know a lot of artists say just continue to paint all the time and don’t let bad days get you but I know me and if I don’t feel like painting, I may as well save the paint and paper and time.

GOT STUCK

 I was rolling right along with the 30 Faces/30 Days Lessons from Sktchy and then…I got stuck.  I did not follow the teacher’s instructor well and just went and did my own thing and thought, okay, that’s okay…but I wanted to try it her way so did it again and…well some days are diamonds and some days are stones.

So I started with the first version…not bad but nothing like the one the instructor did (which I will show at the end to show you just how different it is).

Then kept working on it and working on it and walking away and coming back and thinking, just a bit more and…well…the last one is finished and I’m calling her Mother Nature Ponders the Future because, well, why not?

And this last one is the way the teacher (Lorraine Simonds) did it, which I was supposed to be following, but could not, for the life of me, do it that way.

  

And Lorraine Simonds is one of my favorite Sktchy artists.  I like her style and her brushwork and she leaves enough to the imagination and I don’t.

So…I started another and knew, from the get-go, that it was also not going to be like Lorraine’s.  Why can’t I do this even remotely like this?  

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN - 2024

 Did you see the eclipse?  Did you travel to see it or was it in your area of the US?  If you missed it in the US, another will be around in 2044.

We did not have total coverage here but about 90%.  Good enough.  I’m not that crazy about travelling and spending money and time on 3 minutes of eclipse so stayed home.

30 FACES/30 DAYS WITH SKTCHY INSTRUCTORS

 A few more of the portraits.  Each instructor picks his/her own muse and then does it in an individual way.  Some want to do monochromatic paintings, some stress the design of light and dark, some just go in with colors.  

One of my favorite teachers is Dritan Duro.  He explains things so well and you can follow along fairly easily with him without getting lost.  

He usually picks a straight-forward portrait but an interesting face to paint.  His version is much more bold and colorful than mine but I’m not unhappy with my version.

Kyle Legaspi picks some interesting portraits to do - this time focusing on the almost monochrome and shadowed portrait.  I didn’t get it right but that’s okay.

And Ana Vivian just went totally monochromatic for this old-timey one.  She used Arches paper and I was using my Hahnemuehle paper (which kept the water in there a loooong time so I was getting impatient with it).  

These courses always teach me something and I can carry that learning on to the next thing after April (can’t believe it’s only just begun with the 30 faces/30 days!

I do not try to free hand draw these photos because it’s about the painting style and technique, not the drawing…that would just add too much stress trying to get a likeness (some of the teachers even say they trace of project the photo on their paper and don’t spend time drawing; others draw the portrait out and spend time drawing the face).