Sara’s August Daze....

When I’m not sitting outside, dazzled by the blue skies, green trees and low humidity, I’ve been working on this painting. I’m thinking of doing another version, somewhat bigger, so I can get a little more detail in the faces. But I’m not sure about the composition. Does the bottom half overpower the top? Is it too much yellow and purple? I want the focus on the baby but there’s a lot going everywhere else? Thoughts?

Here’s the green trees and blue skies I’m talking about, altho this is from a photo I took lying on my couch! 

Two sketches from this morning. Joe left on his bike ride before I could finish sketching, so I was forced to draw everything else around him.

On  the sunflower I was trying to create shadows and detail instead of just outlining.

Happy dazing!

Gilt-headed bream 3

 

I think I will make the water tiles pop a little more and call this little fellow done.

Elaine O. — August 22, 2020

I'm slowly adding layers to this portrait, hoping to capture the likeness and personality before he's totally overworked and loses that "little-kid softness."

I have also been working on my sketchbook project, but I debated posting these. I planned to do 30 copies of paintings by a single artist; I chose Sargent because I love his brushwork and energy—and he's got a great selection of watercolors to choose from. As you can see, though, there's a reason Sargent is Sargent... and I'm not! 

Still, I plan to keep on. There's always something to learn from these projects... I've already found some great new color combinations to explore.

elaine t., August 22

 This will be a poster-type painting of what I think are the three best animal names in the world: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 13-lined Ground Squirrel and Blue-Tailed Skink! I chose my colors from my homemade swatch book with no regard to transparency or mix-abiity, so we'll see how it goes.

Ellen August 2020

I found this photo of an elephant resting his head against a tree. I know exactly how he feels! 2020 is exhausting. I mixed FUM, QBO and scarlet lake. Then I washed the elephant and salted the image to get the feel of texture. I was surprised that the blue bled so. I'll use the same three colors in the tree but focus on the QBO and SL mix. The tree is gnarled with thick bark. I'm not sure how to achieve that look. Any ideas?

 

I found  this image of a mother elephant and her cub in a meadow. The feeling was so much lighter to paint. I had fun splattering texture on the hides and flowers in the grass. 

Stay safe and Happy Painting.

Susan's work

 Suzanne emailed these to the group, and I asked her if I could put them up on the blog and she said yes, so here they are:

Dear Pat & fellow artists! Enclosed is 9"×9" "Beth's Gift" of an Orchid she ordered online from Philippines as pandemic gift for me. PLUS 2: 5.5" × 8.5" sketches of  China's: "Dragon Gate Cruise" & "Dragon Gate Bridge". The mini sketches were done in 2011 & I painted them in watercolor just this week. Sidebar: My artistic mind has been at rest for past 5 months for various reasons: I have lost a male friend in New York, due to covid, just a month after he & his wife spent our sorority reunion together plus various health concerns,  non covid,  in my family! Hope all of you are safe & healthy! Fondly Susan Silvano 

elaine t., Aug. 16

 "Elmo in the Graveyard"

I wrapped up the direct painting red monument by taking a cue from Sara and putting in Elmo! This is one of those paintings that had an interesting idea (using rainbow colors) that just didn't work out as I hoped. I think I chose an image that is too complicated: the actual monument has ferns, and broken branches, and leaves. Maybe someday I'll try this experiment with a very simple image. I think this *just* escapes being a fancy sacrifice sheet.

"Lori Lightfoot"

The second one is another direct painting. Elaine O's work is very inspiring, and I'm trying to bring some of the spontanaity into mine. I saw this photo of Lori Lightfoot and really liked the skin tones.

Gilt-headed bream 2

 

I noticed this morning that when I put in the tiles I made them to small and the mortar way too big, and now I am going back over making the tiles bigger and the mortar darker, and this fish still has a long way to go.

Say those images Susan sent.  Would it be ok if I put them up on the blog?  

August 15, 2020 — Elaine O.

I finished the dual portrait. I'm pretty happy with the faces and some of the background. Although, it feels a bit anachronistic.... like their smiling faces belong in a 50's or 60's illustration; their clothes and phone, not so much.

And from there, I began another portrait.

I know you can't tell much from the faint beginnings above, so here's the direct watercolor preliminary sketch.

And I had a few creative brainstorms (well, more like interesting ideas). Firstly, for my next 30-day project I'm considering copying a painter(s) I admire.  Secondly, borrowing from Sara's self-portrait idea, I ended my sketchbook with a direct watercolor self-portrait. I may make that a theme. I'll begin with a drawing of my current paints/favorite tools and end with a sketch of me.  It'll save overthinking things!