Lily of the valley

Pencil drawing

First layer of acrylics

After that spate of architectural commissions in March and April, I decided an acrylic painting or two might be in oprder.  My lily of the valley had started blooming in the front flower beds and I proceeded to work from a few photos I had taken of them.  Easier said than done.  The foliage and the shadows got quite complicated in a big hurry.  My eyes and brain needed a break so here is where I stopped.

Portrait number three finished

Pastels finished

Do I even know what a peachy mauve color is?  When I got the photos of this house, it was obvious that they had been taken at different seasons and in different light conditions.  In one set the house had a reddish/mauve tint, but in the other it was more pumpkin orange.  A rather large difference.  I asked for clarification and, along with some new photos, I got the word that the house could be described as a peachy mauve, with blue trim and peach spindles.  And could I make the foliage indicate the summer.

So, what did I do?  I went for the mauve first and then put peach colored pencil over the top after I sprayed on the fixative.  Evidently, I came close because everyone was happy when I delivered it.  It is a cute little house, isn’t it.  Like so many other times, I wish I could see inside.

Number three inked

Inked

Happy Mother’s Day to all today. Incuding me!!  It’s pretty chilly today as the low was only in the forties overnight and the high should be in the fifties with rain.  The lake is actually just slightly steaming.  Last year it was in the upper eighties.  Quite the difference.  Mom will be spending the day here with us, while both of my kids are in Idaho.  Hooray for FaceTime.

The inking went very quickly once I made the final decision on the placement of the house and finished the pencil up with the altered size.  It’s a good thing the house shape itself was simple because I moved it quite a few times.  There is not much in the background in terms of trees, but the landscaping in front is nice and colorful.

Number three

Pencil drawing

It was almost like the Christmas gift drawing season for a bit.  Once again, one went out and the next one came in.  I kind of like working this way.  LOL  It took a bit of testing to figure out the best placement and size before I finished the pencil up, but was pretty straight forward after that.  My standard size at this price point is 14×9, but I couldn’t make it work.  The house was pinched in at the sides and had either too much sky or too much lawn.  Fortunately, the client said do what you need to and 10×13 worked out well.

As you can see, this is a cute retirement bungalow that I am drawing because the residents have moved away.  I got to choose the color medium with this one and I decided to use the pastels.  I am still a little more comfortable using them versus watercolors at this size.