Daily Art

Frumpy Cat

I am what you call a Daily Painter, (my main website is on Dailypaintworks.com ).  An often people assume I do a finished painting every day...nope.  What daily painting means to me is, working towards a painting everyday.  Often I do cartoons, a great way of getting a feel for the character of a subject.  Sometimes I do black and white sketches, with ink or charcoal, to understand light and shadows, mass, and line.

longhorn study

   It is all part of the process, that I love about art.

Mary

Drawing is Important

"What Cats Do"  Acrylic on watercolor paper 24 x 18 inches

     Draw, draw, draw important advice to any painter.  This loose painting of cats, (what my cats actually do most of the day) started with a number of drawings.  Quick charcoal sketches help for getting to know your subject and for planning a composition.

my easel with reference drawings

   After doing about a half dozen charcoal drawings of various cat poses, I picked my favorites and used them for reference while painting.  My models do not sit still for very long, so quick drawings, (lots of them) really help me to capture posture, and the attitude of each stance.

abstract layout

   I also use black and white chalk, to create an abstract of what I plan to paint, this is extremely helpful for planning the basic composition.   With this step I am not trying for any realism just light and dark contrast, and line movement.

   So when ever you have time grab a pencil, or charcoal stick and sketch.  You never know what those sketches will lead to.

Mary

Embracing my wild side

14 x 11 inches "Just a Cold One" Mixed media on paper

                                            

     30 painting in 30 days is happening again in Jan.  I have done this challenge from the first one started and plan to give it a go again.  This time I am putting my oil paints away for 30 days and going with mixed-media.  Going to explore working loose, pushing myself out of my comfort zone and seeing what happens.  

     I have started following an Artist by the name of Robert Joyner at his web site Paintloose.com  and he has really inspired me to work with mixed-media.  

   Thought I would share a few paintings with this loose approach today...

And just so you know I actually did 4 beer can paintings with just one beer...just I am not too wild after all :)

Ok how about some coffee now...

16 x 12 inches mixed media on paper, "Blue Steam"

                                                 

14 x 11 inches, "One More  Cup"

                                            

Hope you all enjoy the up coming month it should be fun.

Also hope everyone had a great Holiday and wish everybody a wonderful New Year too.

Mary

 

Second Hand Find

20 x 16 oil on canvas "Last Pear"

Found a wonderful statue at a local shop I just had to get.  It is an amorphous female form that I thought would be interesting to paint.  What I have found interesting, is for how simple a form it is, it is difficult to paint.  I find myself trying to add more information to it than what is really there.  Thought I would share some of the work I have done.

the Satue

quick acrylic painting

quick charcaol

  

Acrylic thought I would add hair, why not?

another acrylic 10 x 8 inches

 












Mary
Schiros_Art

stuff on my shelves

I have interesting and not interesting thing laying around, but have taken time to practice drawing and painting with these things. Add a flower or two and a even a plain pitcher can look ok on paper...( having an old coyote skull on the shelf does help add interest to a painting)...the angle, the lighting can all help make what is just hanging around the house, turn in objects for still life paintings
here are a few to share.