little door

Here's another drawing from Riverdale Farm, with Sepia Prismacolor coloured pencil on newsprint. This time I remembered to take step by step pics along the way. ; )

side by side

 

$60 - original 5x7" gouache painting with 8x10"mat

I thought it would be nice to bring in the month of March with a couple of lovely orange blossoms. And, a third painting with one of my new colourful vases. I just love them! 

Here are a few detail pics.

Sketchbook Portraits

I've been drawing a lot this year, mostly with 6B pencil and some charcoal with chalk. Here are a few 8x10" pages of portraits from my sketchbooks. : ) 

cascade

$100 - 9x12"original watercolour painting

Well, good 'ole watercolour, always demanding a big decision for the background. At least that's the challenge for me. I left the top right corner free of the wallpaper pattern and I'm very happy with the negative space. As always, the hair was a treat to paint! ; )

Horse Anatomy

Thanks to my two favourite animal drawing books, I've got my horse anatomy figured out. It's been a few weeks of hard work, filling sketchbooks with horse drawings while studying bones and muscles and thinking about how they move. I'm now confident I've got a handle on it. So, moving onto horse paintings. : )

not sad really

$100 - 8x10" original watercolour painting

The title of this painting is in reference to a conversation fellow artists and I were having during our portrait session. The model always looks so sad, but they aren't really. They're just lost in thought as they sit there, for 20 minutes at a time, having to be perfectly still. 

Meanwhile, I'm practising painting smiles and teeth from photographs since it's the only way to get someone to 'hold a smile'! ; )

sketchbook

Here are a few pages from my March sketchbook. 

I use 6B pencil or .07mm mechanical pencil, depending on my mood that day. Except for the last page, I drew the portraits from life. 
I used to draw everything on newsprint, because the inexpensive paper kept my drawings loose. But now I've got random saved pieces of newsprint kicking about... 

As of March, I decided to keep a sketchbook. It seems to be forcing me to take more care with my drawings, which is great. I do believe that it's all about the drawing. And, being tight and specific in sketchbooks is helping me draw confidently and loosely when approaching watercolour paper. : )

Willowdale Group of Artists

11x14" - watercolour

At the Willowdale Group of Artists we gather in groups of three, all at one table, to paint each other. Setting up this way means we are sitting VERY close to one another. No where else do I draw so close to the subject. It's makes one a bit self-conscious, but it also forces one to really look! It's great. This painting is one of my new favourites.