July 21, 2024 — Elaine O.

I've gone through sketches and studies and finally started the actual painting. Still unresolved, though, is the background. My original intent was to make it light, but I also like her emerging from a dark warm background. Each of the color thumbnails work equally well, so I may just have to paint two big versions. Settle in for the ride!

14" x 11"

Also, I've been digging through my neglected art supplies and idea clippings and saw this "gouache resist" technique. It uses gouache, India ink and watercolor paper—stuff I had on hand! When I first read the instructions, they didn't make sense, so I clipped the article and finally tried it. You paint heavily with gouache, leaving white paper where you want black. Let dry, then paint over the whole paper with India Ink. Let dry, then wash/gently scrub off the ink. The result feels vaguely like an old wood-cut. I really had to try it for this to make sense, but I like it better than I expected to. I have some ideas for improvement and may return to this technique...just a warning!

9" x 12" approx.

dark and stormy 3

 The fourth in the dark and stormy night series.  I think the best thing I have done so far is leaving a lot of off-white, but then I am not finished yet.  Which of you can guess where the cat is going?

Girls and a dog….

 

Well, this went a different direction. I got a little carried away with the watercolor pencils and decided that maybe they were playing with mom’s makeup and blowing bubbles at the same time.

This is finished I think. I guess knowing I had this one gave me the freedom to go wild on the previous one.

And this is Sasha, my friend’s dog, who is one her last legs. I like this pose, with the tongue and the tooth. Her legs look a little spindly,  but literally she can’t make it down the stairs by herself to get that rabbit she’s eyeing….

July 13, 2024 — Elaine O.

The face is in, final adjustments have been made, and I'm calling this finished!  I'm happy with this painting, both as a portrait and as a memory of Paris. All that remains is to give it a title.

14" x 10"

Moving on, I chose a photo with a story and decided to go full Sara on it. I began sketching parts I wanted to get more familiar with....

... then I did a blind contour (sadly, the ink I used was too light to photograph well), and a direct watercolor sketch.

More to come in the weeks ahead!

Alan Summer 6

 One of the nice things about painting on gessoed stretched canvas is that after you spray it with fixative you can hang it without the matting and framing hassle. That’s why I paint the sides as well. 

I’m not sure that the Sheridan el stop behind Byron’s is done, but here it is. I might need to add more power lines, but maybe not. 

Here are the previous iterations.  One from my sketchbook and another one that’s larger on 140# coldpress  

I like the sketch best.  What do you think?

Whilst drinking a beer at a 4th of July party, I noticed this chimney and thought it would make a nice closing to my urban Chicago sketch book. The fun part will be the bricks. 

This is a trading card sized painting of moonrise over the Bahamas. I thought it would be simple but it was harder than I thought. 

Alan Summer 5

 Am in Michigan with just my sketchbook, small pallet, and my water pen. So……..no big painting but I’m working on sketches from Chicago to complete my urban sketchbook.  

This is a sketch from Tuco and Blondies. I was intrigued by the umbrellas in the beer garden. 

I’m not fond of this alley sketch, but they cannot all be winners. That’s the problem with sketchbooks…the bad ones are side by side with other work. This is an alley behind my physical therapist’s. 

Here’s a quick and dirty on Yupo of moonrise in the Bahamas. No good but I may work on it.  Missing my scratching stick.

Just girls….

 

Since I had the real girls here this weekend, I can’t remember if I finished this in class or at home, but here it is.

I started this one today on better paper. Going slow, using very light layers…it’s tedious. I need to start something else where I can just slap the paint on…

Just experimenting

 

Sketching on the next in the series.  I love the combo of green gold and perylene green and I thought they should be the stars of the next one.  When I saw that section in the upper right I thought:  Ah, I shall make that the subject of the big paper, but working on it in that left part, it just didn't have the heft to carry a whole painting.   

I think that part in the bottom middle is what I will use.  And will try to get in some of those water drops which many of my devoted fans think should have their turn in the limelight.

July 6, 2024 — Elaine O.

Getting there! The jacket and scarf are done and now it's on to the face, hair, and final touches.

14" x 10"

I've been filling a not-so-great sketchbook with blind contour drawings, just as a warm-up. Generally, I think the value of the blind contour is more in the process than the product. I find, though, that I actually like a few of my drawings and thought I'd try a larger one on watercolor paper with color (below). This one's neither accurate nor distorted enough to be interesting, but there is something I like. I just may have to do more.

12" x 9"

Ending Place

 Last page in the accordion Ocean Springs sketchbook. I thought a good image to end with as in a resting place.   For some reason I’m finding myself heavy handed with the color and the brush and it really shows in this one.