We're going on vacation!

These are from my class yesterday but my mind wasn't really into it...

The hubby, dog and I are going to Florida Sunday for a week's vacation in Gulf County where dogs are permitted on the beach all the time... I can't wait to eat the fresh seafood (Tennessee, as you may be aware, is landlocked), and walk along the beaches, explore the water, take photos of sunsets, and etc. I also look forward to testing my hand at some plein air watercolor paintings and will try my first acrylics, too, in that low-pressure environment, I think.

I have a few books from the library to bring down on acrylic painting, and have learned quite a lot on how to set them up from others in the class who often paint in acrylics instead of watercolors.

Don't get me wrong, watercolors are nice but I think I'm too rigid to feel too comfortable with them and may have more success with acrylics. From what I understand they are more forgiving. Besides, I have that starter set from my kit. Might as well use it, right?

Well, off I go... wish me luck!

Margot's Opus

A lovely woman I paint with on Thursdays, Margot Baeder, has been painting this European Abbey for several weeks now. She has attended to every single detail possible in this painting and we all celebrated when, yesterday, she declared it was completed. It is breathtakingly beautiful and just sitting near her as she worked on it, I learned a lot. I hope someday that I can paint like that!

She painted this in acrylics.

I tried the salt thing for watercolor texture again

and am really thrilled with the results!

Don't pay heed to the skewy angle of the top of the lighthouse, OK?

I did the outline the rocks (and structure of the light house) with marker again since it looked kinda blah without it.

Watercolor Sunflower dealy

Note: When at class, I have found doing at least two paintings at a time is better since you want to let the areas you are painting dry well before working more on it.

Lynne showed me the mechanics of painting a watercolor sunflower today. Her style is loose and flowing, confident and exploratory and with her guidance, I was able to paint the pretty one here. It wasn't easy to allow the freedom and accept that colors outside the pre-drawn lines were OK, and we could work with them, but I got to see that that is part of the beauty of such works. I also learned more about complementary colors (across the wheel from one another, using these opposites often produces a really eyecatching effect.) And she had me drop a few sprinkles of salt on the paper to give the paint an opportunity to dry splotchy, hinting at textures that wouldn't have been there otherwise. We also sprayed a little alcohol on for that same reason. My sunflower is by no means a great work of art, but it was a start in learning this new, far more relaxed style of watercolor painting which I'm sure I will enjoy!

In the second painting, you'd never know it but I find it very hard to loosen up. This one is from a photo I took years ago at Black Rock Village, Thomaston, CT. where we used to live. I painted this, as the photo looked, mostly in dark greens, blues and such. But then, Hazel came by and with the touch of her magic paintbrush on my paper, she softened it, gave it the sparkle and brilliant color, and voila!

Despite practically reworking my whole paper, she did say she liked my grasses and weeds that had been painted at water's edge and the overall composition of the picture at least. This watercolor painting stuff is hard!

When I got home, I applied a little trick Lynne had taught me to the second one which I think made it look even better. I accentuated some edges with a microfine marker to suggest tree branches better, different tones and textures, and layers of the painting. Hazel cautioned, though, that using markers like this can damage the longevity of a painting. But as these are learning works, I figured I can start here and move to a really fine brush when I get better at it.

In the company of geniuses!

These three pics are from unfinished works girls in my class were working on when I left. Lynne, the nice "mentor/friend" I mentioned, is working on the cow with bee on it's nose one.

Still off with the perspective!

Hubby and I went to Seaside, Florida a couple of years ago and shot some gorgeous photos, including one that I attempted to paint here. It took hours with a T-square to draw out, and I think the perspective is still off. I know the shadow is way too heavy too. I think I got the seafoam through the spokes of the bannister OK, but it's hardly noticable. This took forever to paint, and despite it, it's not right. Eesh! I have so much to learn! Despite the flaws, David loves it.

I am heading back to painting class this tomorrow and can't wait.

Yay! Painting again!

I’ve been able to unpack, regroup, and yes, even paint in the past few days!

I got into the habit of taking photos with my iphone when I see something I can use for reference… a great excuse to get out there and walk the neighborhood!

I tried this out on one of my Iphone pics, of one of our Orchids in a nice asian style pot. I have a long way to go in terms of perspective, the pot is way out of sync, but I think I did OK on the orchid itself. I have a long way to go, though and from what I understand, the best way to get anywhere, is to just keep painting!