daily painting day twenty

Fish #1

6x6 

Oil on board

I am not happy with how this turned out and will likely attempt the same vase again this week. Oh well I guess you aren't supposed to like everything you paint.

daily painting update

Oh what a week I have had.

I was attacked by a dog. Thankfully my giant down coat prevented it from breaking the skin (and thankfully my coat didn't rip) so all I was left with was a lovely welt and a nice stabbing pain.

The nurse doing the blood draw for my physical wouldn't listen that she needed to use a "baby" needle so I have a giant bruise and a lot of pain.

Needless to say my right arm was not happy with me this week. On the bright side, I have made a ton of progress this week on two of my pieces for my exam. I finally feel like I in the home stretch with just bits and pieces of each requirement left to polish instead of feeling like I'm never going to get anything accomplished.

My repertoire:
A: Allemande and Gigue from French Suite No. 5 by J.S Bach
B: Rondo in D major by W.A. Mozart
C: Vanished Days by Edvard Grieg
D: Rialto Ripples by George Gershwin
E: Rondo No. 1 from Three Rondos on Folk Songs by Bela Bartok

daily painting day nineteen

Trio of Pears

16x20

Oil on canvas

I am really happy with how this painting turned out. I love the vibrant colours. The photograph doesn't capture the colour very accurately, the shadows are just barely visible. I have pretty much given up on getting great photos of my artwork. I think it will be easier in the spring when there is more light coming into my studio.
The left hand pear doesn't "kiss" the side of the painting in person but I couldn't get a photograph where I could crop it easily, resulting in having to take more off that side.

daily painting day eighteen

Allium

6x6

Oil on board

I think my strength is single blooms as opposed to bouquets!

daily painting day seventeen

Purple Flowers in Vase

6x6

Oil on board

I need to work on painting bunches of flowers in a vase.

daily painting day sixteen

Life has gotten busy so I am 2 days behind my goal of painting everyday this month. I now teach almost all day on Saturday which is great because it means I am busy working but it also means I'm exhausted by the end of the day and am in no mood to paint. I'll try to get back into my routine this week. I've also got to bump up the amount I am practicing piano since my exam is coming up much too quickly in April but that's a story for another day.

Red Lily

6x6

Oil on board

watercolour notecards

I got a large pad of watercolour paper for Christmas. I wanted to venture out of my comfort zone and work large with watercolours, something that is usually relegated to small doodles in my sketchbook.

I spent two nights working away as I was watching TV. I certainly liked parts of it but not as a whole. I think I should have stuck to a few colours rather than using every one in my pan of paints (it was new and I was excited).

Rather than continue working on something I wasn't 100% crazy about. I decided I would cut it up into smaller pieces in order to make note cards. I was completely terrified to cut it up even though I wasn't happy with how it looked. I used my rotary blade and ruler since the paper was too big to fit in my paper cutter.

I got nine cards out of the sheet of paper.

I used a black sharpie, micron pens and a white sharpie paint marker to create the borders and lettering. I also added some splatter painting for a bit more embellishment.

"don't lose hope"

"have a great day"

I am much happier with how the cards turned out. I think this was a much better solution than staying frustrated with something that wasn't working. Each of the elements I had created in the larger work ended up getting cut in interesting ways that created new focal points in the note cards.

daily painting day fifteen

 Abstract #4

6x6 

Oil on board

The first fifteen days of paintings.

daily painting day fourteen

Pink Blooms

7x7

Oil on board

daily painting day thirteen

Lilacs in Vase

7x7

Oil on board

daily painting day twelve

Two Teapots

6x6

Oil on board

daily painting day eleven

Abstract #3

6x6

Oil on board

I made this abstract with the intention of getting rid of some of the leftover paint I had sitting around on palates that was about to dry out. I used all of the greens, blues and whites.

daily painting day ten

Garlic and Thyme

6x6

Oil on board

daily painting day nine

Seamus

6x6 

Oil on board

I know the idea of daily painting is to try to work quickly and in one-ish sitting but I think I will have to go back into this one to add a few details. I think the eyes need a little more definition as do his cheeks, since they don't look quite pudgy enough. I tried to get everything done but the paint was starting to get muddy. That being said, I also don't think the painting photographed all that well.

daily painting update

I was so happy with the portrait of Aiden I did yesterday that I have decided to paint a portrait of each of my cousins' kids. There are six boys that I see a lot so I already have photos of them to paint from. There are also another two boys and a girl who live in Alberta. I don't have many photos of them so I will have to enlist the help of their mom to get a few I can paint from. That's a grand total of nine portraits (although I am already done one!).

I decided I would spend today getting a few of the underpaintings finished. I will not be posting a photograph of a finished painting today, though I am still painting!

daily painting day seven

 I decided to challenge myself today and do a portrait. I chose one of my favourite photos of my cousin's son. I had taken a bunch of photos while he was sleeping on my lap but this is the only one where he is smiling. I can't believe he is already two and a half. This seems like it was yesterday!

My sketch.

Starting to fill in colour with my reference photo.

 Aiden

6x6

Oil on board

daily painting day six

Abstract #2

6x6

Acrylic on board

I had started an abstract similar to the one I did yesterday. I really didn't like it and couldn't figure out a way to "fix" it so I got out my palate knife and some big globs of yellow, phathlo green and silver to spread over the painting. I left the painting underneath showing through, most noticeably the bit of red. I then added a bit of texture by pressing a piece of circle punched metal ribbon into the paint. I'm happy with the result now though admittedly this is not my normal style of painting.

time with t

I have been looking after T since she was about 9 months old. We started doing crafts together as a way to ease her separation anxiety when she was about 18 months old. As she has gotten older, she has started coming to work in my studio where we can make a bigger mess. We don't even bother going to her house until it's time for bed! We normally start with art and switch a game of UNO Countdown (a variation that make the game last longer) after dinner. She is a little card shark and often beats me even though she is only 5!

I picked T up from school today and we quickly got to work. The table in the studio often ends up looking like this in no time at all. She is learning/starting to help me clean up the mess which makes my life a lot easier! Tonight she wanted to colour and "glue" so we got out her bin of supplies and she went to town creating small masterpieces using a huge variety of mediums including glitter glue, markers, and oil pastels. I also taught her how to use water colour crayons which are a recent addition to her box of goodies after I found an inexpensive Reeves set.

As she was drawing she told me not to be mad because her under the sea picture didn't look right. I took the opportunity to discuss artistic license and how because it is her painting, she can create it anyway she wants even if it isn't "right". It is right if she thinks it is. I love the little crab she drew.

daily painting day five

Abstract #1

6x6

Acrylic, ink and puffy paint on board

The coating on the outside of my brush started peeling off as I was painting. Uh-oh!

daily painting day four

Blue vase #2

6x6

Oil on board

 Blue vase #3
6x6
Oil on board

I really struggled getting the perspective right in the last painting of the blue vase. I still don't think it's quite right but I was getting frustrated and just wanted to get it finished.

On the bright side, I think I am finally starting to get my lighting situation figured out. The lighting in my studio isn't adjustable and the windows are glass block so I don't have a whole lot to work with but it's starting to get better. I hope!

daily painting day three

Blue vase #1

6x6

Oil on board

daily painting day two

Purple Flower

6x6

Oil on board

daily painting day one

Hummingbird

7x7

Oil on board

I went out of my comfort zone for this painting. This is the first time I've ever painted a bird. I'm not completely in love with the tail but i think it turned out pretty well for a first go. 

I'm still experimenting with lighting. Ughhhh.