#5: A Riff on a Tahoe Tiger Lily

The actual size of this wildflower we found in Tahoe is about an inch and a half in diameter.  When I took the picture, I didn't realize there was a bug inside it, so of course I had to include it.  As always, there are parts of this I like and parts I don't.

Here's what I like:

composition is pretty good
colors are great
like the highlighting
I feel like I did a better job with shadows on the petals


And what I don't:
the interior of the flower is a bit messed up
There are water marks outside the leaves that I must not have wrung out my brush enough to avoid

Here's what I learned:

How to lift off paint to get the highlights

Not to stick with just aureolin yellow and alizarin crimson, but to introduce quinac gold to get more variation in the oranges

I'm doing a better job of figuring out how to slightly alter the values to get more realistic shadows on the petals

I tried to make the leaves fade more into the background by roughing up the their lines after I removed the masking fluid
----
Hmm..  Not sure if I should've added more background leaves, but I felt because the flower was so busy, the background should be simple

#4: Hydrangea

Just finished this the other day.  There are obvious issues with the composition, but I love the color.  Here it is:

Like:

color
drawing (not the composition)


Dislike:

composition
every petal on each flower is different

Onward & upward!  Still learning...

Painting #3: Stargazer Lily Study

I went a little crazy with the dots, but I like the repetition.  Here it is:

Things I like about this:

I like the background
I like the color
I like the composition

Things I don't like:

Probably too many dots ;)
Some of the background leaves are bad

Things I learned:

I'm getting better at softening edges
I felt a little more in control (!)
Though it sat around for awhile, it went faster
Next time, I won't wet the paper and then do dots--or lines, as they fade into nothingness!!

What I'll do next time:

Plan the background, not do it willy-nilly (like I did here)
Get a photographic reference

Overall, I am beginning to see improvement.  And that's a good thing.:)

Painting #2: Watercolor Iris

So here is painting #2, "watercolor iris."  My irises bloomed for the first time this year, and I took lots of pictures.  I also spent time sketching the irises themselves.  I transferred the sketch I liked best to watercolor paper, and then started to experiment.

Things I like about this:
- Some of the wet-into-wet passages in the background are cool
- There are parts of the petals that do look like they curve
- I really like the waterdrops (they were easy, too:))
- The drawing itself is good
- The composition is good, too
- Some of the veining
- Some of the shadows

Things I don't like:
- I screwed up the wet-into-wet in the background
- I had a beautiful wet-into-wet passage on the back upright petal that I then wrecked by accident
- I didn't get the folds right
- The background shifts abruptly which makes no sense--but was fun to do!!
- The whole thing is way overpainted
- Screwed up the shadows
- The orange detail needs to be better

Things I learned during this:
- I started to really get a feel for wet-into-wet
- I got the hang of veining using a rigger
- I learned how to do waterdrops thanks to Birgit O'Connor's great book
- I need to look at the picture upside down more
- I need to have the photograph close to the painting (so I finally moved the laptop)
- I learned how to lift out paint
- I learned how to rewet a passage and do wet-into-wet again
- I need to better reserve my whites
- I need to spend more time sketching the details before I paint
- I need to have a definite light source (this was taken on a slightly overcast day)
- I told myself to relax and have fun, so there was no pressure

So, overall, not too bad for a newbie.  I'm starting to see a bit of progress.

Painting #1: Groovy Tulips

Wow.  What a roller coaster it has been to come to a close on this.  I didn't like it, then I loved it, and THEN I ended up hating it.  I have battled tears, negative thoughts in my head, and been frustrated beyond all measure because I couldn't see the picture well enough to paint from.  What's that, you say?  Isn't this supposed to be a still life?  Well.. yes.  It started out that way.  But when the flowers are dying and one is nowhere near done, then pictures must be taken and then the complications begin.  Here is what I liked and didn't like about this:
Like:
- the colors
- the funkiness of it
- the composition
- that one son said he liked it
- and the other said, after looking at it,
- "Mom, the 70s called...they want their painting back!"
LOL!

Dislike:
Oh, where do I begin?
- that it took me too long.  I need to limit myself timewise
- most of the tulips are terrible
- not enough variation in the greens (too much sap green, I think)
- bad reflections
- no shadows...even though there weren't any
- bad rendering of the glass vase
- that it's really not done (!) - the greenery, that is, and the tulips aren't fixed

So?  What am I going to do differently on Picture #2?
- limit myself timewise (that's easy)
- simplify my composition
- paint from life, not from a computer screen
- do a thumbnail and value sketches 1st
- switch to oils?  Hmmm... maybe now is the time.:)
'Til next time!

Painting #1: Pink Tulips in a Blue Vase

Today, February 16, marks the first day of my 100 Paintings project.  I have been inspired by several people who have traveled this path before me, and so it is now my turn to pick up the brush and begin my journey.

I am looking forward to seeing improvement.  I feel like my mind is chock-full of knowledge, but what I need now is to put some miles under my brush.  Miles and miles of canvas.  

I am going share my techniques, what I am thinking about while I paint, and after each one, I am going to ruthlessly evaluate it, figure out what needs improvement, and integrate that into the next painting.

So!

  My first piece is a still life of tulips in a blue vase.  The tulips were a Valentine's Day gift from my hubby, and so is a fitting subject to mark this auspicious event.  Here are the details:

14"x 18" canvas
Acrylic paint

I debated whether or not to give myself a time limit, and decided against it.  One of my issues is working too fast, and getting sloppy.  This is one of the areas I hope to correct.  I'm so used to playing "beat the clock" when it comes to various tasks that I think it's become ingrained.  So I'm making myself slow down.  And I'm happier with my progress.  I painted for about 3 hours today.  It's not done yet, but I hope to finish it soon.

Till then!