Friday, September 30, 2016

cheerful model

11x14"watercolour painting on paper

Tuesday's Portrait Session went very well thanks to our very patient and cheerful model Jerry.  Once I brought the piece home and looked at it, I decided to add a bit of orange to the background to balance his shirt. Plus, I added some splatters, of course!

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

stage lighting

$60 - 8x6"watercolour painting on paper
Another painting from the fun #sktchy app. The great thing about the app is lots of pics have inventive and original lighting. Lots to learn still!!
: )

Monday, September 26, 2016

in the shade of the summer sun

$60 - 5x7"watercolour painting with 8x10"mat.

I did this original watercolour painting from a pic provided by the sktchy app. It's an awesome fun app where people provide pics and you paint them. The app has some fun extras, so check it out if you're looking for inspiration!

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Portrait of Frank

Well, this portrait is a bit more of a 'traditional' way of using watercolour since I built up washes. It's not the way that I normally work but I'm very happy with it.
6x9" watercolour painting

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

that far right eye...

Well, I know how hard it is to draw the far right eye on a model when you can just barely see it. Next time I'll be sure to adjust my seat to the right for a profile or the left, so I can really see the eye. However, I got so caught up in the lovely shape of the model's hair that I just started drawing. I'm actually happy with it and although the hair may look unfinished, I chose to leave it, and the shirt, this way and I consider this portrait study finished. : )
11x14" watercolour painting
Well, you'd think I'd learn my lesson and shift a bit... but this time I was caught up in the red shirt. I'm happy with this one too and I believe I got the far right eye in proportion. Still, a very frustrating angle...
This time I got rid of the white on the face, starting with a pink and grey wash, let it dry, then focused on the features. : )
9x12" watercolour painting

Friday, September 16, 2016

Toronto Watercolour Society

Super proud that my bear painting was one of two chosen for this year's Toronto Watercolour Society Art Show Invite! Happening next month. More info to follow.
Also, I just finished a three day workshop with the lovely watercolour artist Rex Beanland, hosted by Toronto Watercolour Society. Learned a lot about mixing watercolour to the consistency of tea, coffee, milk, cream and butter!

Monday, September 12, 2016

Viridian Opera

Well, this one doesn't look anything like the model... but I sure had fun messing around with a green and pink palette. I used Viridian and Opera which make a lovely purple. I added dashes of Cadmium Red just to warm it up a bit.
$90 - 9x12"watercolour on 90lb paper.

Friday, September 09, 2016

Don Valley Art Club Portrait... still at it!

I've now painted our Don Valley Art Club organizer three times. Every portrait of him looks different. I've posted all three if you scroll back and look, (Aug 23rd and 14th... although you might not be able to tell!) He's got a great expressive face and, although I'm happy with all of the paintings, each captures a different aspect of him.
11x14" watercolour painting.

Wednesday, September 07, 2016

Don Valley Art Club Portrait

At the Don Valley Art Club, a bunch of artists get together and pose for each other for 25 minutes. The session is 3 hours so I normally do 5-6 portraits a session (depending on whether or not it's my turn to pose that day). By the time I get to painting number 4, I've loosened up and get more carefree. That's what happened with this painting. I like it because I was so relaxed while painting it. It's a bit 'sloppier' which, I think, worked out well for this one. : )
11x14"watercolour painting

Monday, September 05, 2016

Don Valley Art Club Portrait

Another 25 minute portrait from Sunday's painting session. It's so difficult to paint the shadow of a woman's face without making it too grey, or dull...
...or in this case, too blue... I took the blue down once I was at home however, with watercolour, I can't get rid of it completely. So I added a bit of blue to her cheek to balance it out. Also, I added a bit of white gouache for the highlights on her glasses. Very happy with how I handled her blue striped shirt though. : )
11x14"watercolour painting

Friday, September 02, 2016

in the studio

$160 - 8x16"painting
I'm loving this long horizontal format lately. : )
While waiting for the model to show up for a life painting session last week, it occurred to me that the studio, with all the interesting various chairs, would make a fantastic subject as well as suit the long thin format. So, during the model's breaks, I painted this one. Click image to enlarge. : )