After the mess of the spritzing above, I just hoped to salvage the previous work I had done. And I think I did! All of that excessive flow from the over spritzing (I had forgotten exactly how it was done LOL) was quite mess. I had nothing to lose at that point and decided to just put on the watercolor overlay. I thought if it didn’t do the job, I could try some acrylics, too, but I am actually pretty happy with this. It has a bit of a jewel quality to it and now that it has set a few days, it looks batik-y to me. How about you? The black mat helps set it off.
I haven’t used the Speedball Elegant Writer pen technique in a while and I thought I might try it again, just for a change of pace and some fun. I thought the lily pond sketches would be sufficiently different from the paintings and provide a whole new look.
It’s been inked up now. We’ll see what happens when I spritz it with water and the ink spreads and then becomes waterproof and I can add watercolors
For a very quick set of work sessions, sometimes twice in a single day, I like the way this turned out. This is more landscape than architectural portrait. I had some difficulty with so much sky. When I was trying to add more blue above the mountains, there was an unexpected bleed up. It looks like more mountains in the distance than sky and I think it adds a positive note. I am not quite sure if this is the final photo as it doesn’t have enough contrast, but I had a mailing deadline and I just can’t remember.
The client was very happy with it, which is always the goal, anyway.
My first commission of the year came two weekends ago. I had to work more quickly than usual because she wanted it by a certain date for framing and I was going out of town for a few days. Still, I got my visual days of rest between phases, even though I had two work sessions in a single day and it all worked out well.
It is not your typical portrait, being mostly landscape, but it is fun none the less. Lots of green foliage and not much building, but there will be red accents here and there to help the eye move around. I don’t normally have such a vista either, so it is somewhat of an experiment, too. All in all, it came out pretty well. I’m just glad it was only 10X8.
I tried something different with my lily pad photos last week. What do you think of these? I like them, especially the watercolored one. I do like to mix things up a bit once in a while so my brain doesn’t turn to much and I hadn’t done a new linocut in a while. They are now available in my etsy shop.
I accidentally ordered some mini 4″x4″ canvas panels instead of mini canvases last month. I painted these just for fun a few at a time and they turned out pretty well. Kind of fun art vs fine art. They will be in my etsy store as soon as I get them varnished next week.
First of all, let me wish all of you a Happy Valentine’s Day. We are expecting some accumulating snow this week. Not really my thing, but what can you do. More time in the studio for me.
I made this quick pen and watercolor just for something different. It’s okay, but I feel kind of blah about it. Not bad but not overly engaging. I have painted this in acrylics twice before, but wanted to try it in ink and watercolors.
I finished these three 4×4 mini pond paintings and will probably list them this week after I varnish them. I’m not sure how much I will list them for yet, but there are more hours in them than you might think.
I kind of like the way they turned out and think they would look very nice on a little easel on an end table or framed as a set on a wall.
I haven’t put any of my larger pond paintings up for sale yet because of my merchandising efforts, so I decided to do some mini 4″X4″ ones for sale in my etsy shop or on instagram. I am working on all three at once in a little row on by drafting table because they are so small and to keep the colors somewhat unified. They are all developing a slightly different palette as I go along, which is nice.
All finished with this traditional Southern red brick home. These bricks commonly feature an even coloration with not a lot of variation to it. The bay bump out and the half round window tops add lots of visual interest. That must be a rather spectacular two story foyer for an entranceway, too. Don’t forget to notice the angled soldier brick courses with a limestone keystone above the windows and garage doors. Lots of details added to make this a lovely home for a family to grow in.
Not a great deal of landscaping in the front, but it is still welcoming. The pink/white flowers are azaleas, another common southern home feature. I have tried to grow them up here in Indiana, but the are super sensitive to frost and often get burned. A large, blooming spring azalea is something to see after a dark and gloomy winter.
