I have been having fun lately, just working on figures.
I found a group on face book call One Hundred Figures, a group sharing various styles of figure painting. A wonderful artist Tina Naya'li Berendsohn share demos and everybody gives them a try.
When you find a site like this just have to "pick up that brush" and join in.
Acrylic inks are a great way to start a painting. There is a loose freedom in working with ink. Thought I would share s few of the steps in creating this painting.
First step a very quick sketch to work from using acrylic inks (magenta and yellow)
Next start an underpainting with acrylics:
When this layer is dry, start in on the details:
Letting each layer dry, it is just a bit more refining and the painting is done.
Hope you enjoyed see the steps
Thanks Mary
Friday, September 2, 2016
8 x 8 inch acrylic on canvas
A study in contrast for day 2 of the #30paintingsin30days challenge. Thought I would do some work mixing my own darks. For this painting I used magenta and dark green.
As you can see I really enjoy painting cows :) Thought I would share a collage of them up to now.
For the 30 in 30 you will probable see a few more, along with other subjects.
Sometimes it is refreshing to just work with shapes and color.
This is acrylic one 140 weight watercolor paper. Have not come up with a name for it yet. Working on it was like doing mathematics, (believe it or not my favorite subject in school).
It is said that when an abstract composition works it should look complete any direction it is turned. I was excited that flipping this one around it looked good any way I turned it.
But then I realized I really do not know which way to hang it, and have no idea which corner should get a signature.
So I guess it will just get signed on the back and let who ever ends up with it decide what way they want to hang it.
I love making interesting under paintings to work from. Sometimes those under paintings are pure experiments in color combination.
I started this one with experiments in mixing oranges and blues, then roughed in with white acrylic the mass of the sheep, I wanted to work up. From there I worked back and forth with acrylics, inks and charcoal.
Just thought it would be fun to share the process of how "Curly" was painted.
Thanks for looking
Mary
I painted this last year and simply forgot all about it. Sometimes I get so excited about new ideas that all I can think about is starting the next painting. This is a really nice painting and it is about time it got shared. Today I varnished, matted and sorted a number of forgotten works. Although I would rather have been painting it felt good to get a little organized for a change.
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.
For the last couple of days I have been finishing up some more cow paintings. Between cats and cows I have been having a good time working with color and critters. The 30 paintings in 30 days challenge had really kept me on a roll and it is hard to believe there is less than a week to go now. Hope you have enjoyed this month as much as I have. Added the latest 2 cows to my site on Artspan, schirosart.com
And my crazy cat is headed to a new home in New Mexico.
Finished this one today and love it! Acrylic on a full sheet of watercolor paper. Finished this while listening to the song "Three Cool Cats" by the Coasters, and yep the song is now part of the painting. So much fun letting music be part of the painting process!
If you want to hear the music here is a youtube link to the Coaster's song
Off and on I like pulling out inks to work with. This painting "Into the Wind" was done with shellac based ink.
There are 4 types of inks I work with, india ink, walnut ink, acrylic ink and shellac ink. Each ink has different characteristics. India ink is classic, moderate work time, dries permanent and depending on the company making it, moderate to course pigment texture. Walnut ink is a brown color, fine texture and works much like watercolors, in that it does not dry permanent, so it can be lifted after applying. Acrylic ink I like best when working in mixed media. Acrylic ink comes in many colors, fine grain, mixes well with regular acrylics, watercolor paints or pencils, and dries permanent. Shellac ink is grainy, permanent, and dries quickly.
Shellac based is something new for me, although it has been around a long time. I am really loving the texture and bit of a shine it has when it dries. Shellac ink dilutes well just like all the other inks for creating toned washes. But what I like best about this ink is the very fast drying time. I just love the challenge of getting the brush work down fast, keeps me from over thinking the process. I haven't tried it with mixed media yet so I have some thing to look forward to.
Having something new to try really keeps me going, and with art there is always something new to try. Mary
Decided it was time to have some fun after working in monotones for the last few days.
Got my inspiration for painting cows from the site Paintloose.com
Besides finishing this cow today I had to paint a cat too. Pretty productive day.
14 x 11 inches, "Sun and Stripes"
So nice to go wild with color and line again.
Hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I enjoyed painting them.
For the last few days I have spent my focus on tree studies in ink. I am planning a large ink painting for my living room, mainly of pine trees. But before starting the large painting I wanted to spend some time getting comfortable with my subject.
Amber Fringe, 11 x 14 inches
Although this is not pines it is my favorite of the studies I have done so far. This painting was completed with shellac based inks, like these they are a bit thicker and also dry faster than acrylic or standard india inks.
With ink as with most water media paints working in layer is a good plan. Thought I would share a few of the studies showing 2 layer of each one.
These 2 studies I started with walnut ink, a dark brown ink that dries like watercolors, not permanent so it can be lifted until the work is sealed. Added some acrylic ink washes for the final steps.
For the last one I used acrylic ink and tried to approach the subject in an abstract style.
"Flamingo Rose" Acrylic on watercolor paper, 16 x 12 inches
Cold and snowy outside today, and needed something to get me going. Decided hot pink was the answer. Used some airbrush acrylics to do this one. Do not like air brushing, tried it for a while and had paint left from those days. The airbrush is a fluid acrylic very fine grain pigments interesting to use with large watercolor brushes.
Both paintings were once landscapes that just did not get it for me. I flipped the paintings upside down and just started brand new ones over them. Reinventing old art work is so much fun, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Today is day 5 of the 30 paintings in 30 days, instead of one I did 3 paintings. What started as a warm up exercise, ended up with 3 little painting I really like. I like to sometimes set up a full sheet of watercolor paper, section it off and pick a subject to paint multiple times. Today I set up a blue vase with some silk tulips and started painting, alternating between inks and acrylic paint.
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.
The subject for these 2 paintings were a some Geraniums I pick outside a Holiday Inn I was staying at for a short trip I took this Fall.
I was restless and really wanted to paint something, so I took a short walk and noticed the flowers still in bloom outside the hotel entrance. So, I helped myself to a couple of blooms and went back to my room, grabbed on of those cheap plastic cups and set the flowers up on a window sill and started painting. The first painting was done in the room that evening. The second painting I used the original painting as a starting point reference.
The idea is if you love painting you can always find something of interest to work from.
Mary
Thought I would collage all the photos of the September paintings together. Guess I got into it pretty well, 35 paintings in 30 days, and some have already found new homes. Great little challenge, may even do it again when it comes around.
