Getting Ready for Painter/Photographer Exhibit

I worked out drawings a few weeks ago.  This week I finally started to work on the paintings.  The drawings were transferred to the watercolor paper and a wash of color was poured over both pieces that I’m thinking of entering.  These are the two drawings….

I did the transfer drawing so light that after the first pour I couldn’t see it anymore so I spent the morning untangling those buoy lines.  I was finally able to put the first mask on this afternoon.  Now to dry and do another pouting of paint.

Same problem with the second one, tomorrow I will have to find all of those buildings again. 

There is a fine line between having the drawing too dark causing the graphite to mix with the paint making a mess and have the drawing so light that it gets lost when paint is applied.  Time to get back in the groove of doing this type of painting because I do love watching the colors mingle.

Another painting started

It’s been a long dry spell; however, I did get some images in Florida that inspired me.  This is the stern end of an old rowboat that was obviously a working boat.  Those usually get my attention and I have visions of at least 4 paintings based on this boat . For now, just the stern end with the lines laying on the seat.  The initial drawing is done; now to transfer it to watercolor paper and then the slow process of masking and pouring. 

I think I’m going to do this one twice.  First a small piece to add to three other boats that I am thinking of reframing in a different way.  No decisions on that yet as there are several possiblities floating around in my head.

For the moment I’m just happy to have a painting underway.

“In For The Night” and another in the works

I’m back and feeling much better.  Back into the studio feeling refreshed and ready to get back to work.  When we left I left this one hanging.  I didn’t like it when I took the mask off but I know that sometimes when we put them away and get them out a couple weeks later they look better than we thought.  When I first removed the mask and hung in on the wall this is what it looked like to me. 

I adjusted the photo in Photoshop to more accurately show what I first thought I saw.  I was expecting more vivid and didn’t think I got it.  I didn’t do anything more to it, just left it and left town for 10 days so I didn’t even glance at it.  When we returned and I walked into my studio this is what I saw.

So much closer to my vision.  I’m leaving it hang for awhile because while we were away I realized I really need some brightness in my life and my work and may want to add more to this. 

Meanwhile, I’ve started work on another one that I’m thinking will be called “Still Working.”  Here is the start of the initial drawing.  I always do my value study as a careful drawing rather than a rough sketch because I like drawing and I can eventually use the image to transfer to my watercolor paper.  I’ve got a couple more photos of this old boat so there will probably be more than one painting of it eventually.

And just because I haven’t done a WDE (Weekend Drawing Event) in a very long time, last night while watching the Oscar pre-show I did a couple quick watercolor sketches from the images Bonnie posted.

Here’s a link to the WetCanvas All Media Art Events site where the Weekend Drawing Events happen every weekend.  

Finally Getting Back To Pouring Paint

I'm not there yet but getting ready.  It's been a long dry spell.  Does that happen to other artists?  I know I've continued to do creative things but painting, actually producing some major works, just hasn't been happening.  I realized it when I began thinking about what I had to enter in some upcoming exhibits... nada... nothing... not a new piece to be found.  Yes, time has been taken up with a new grandchild; however, that's just a month (he was a month old yesterday.)  I can also tell by the time it's taking me to get the drawings done.  I'm working on two right now.  One is rather complex so I'm doing a very careful drawing trying to get the values right and trying to group things together so it isn't quite so complex and I get some interesting shapes.  That's this one and it's going very slow. 

Thanks to wetcanvas buddy Mike Beckett for this reference.  Here's a link to Mike's blog

The other piece is already on the half sheet that the pouring will be done on.  It's another one based on an image from a wetcanvas buddy, Jeanette Jobson from Newfoundland.  She does beautiful work, here's a link to her blog.  And here's the drawing ready for the first mask. I know it's difficult to see but it has to be that way or I'd get graphite mixed with the paint.

Two In Process

These two have been waiting patiently for me to remove the mask and I finally got to it.  Now I have to look at them for awhile to decide where to go next.  They'll hang in my studio for awhile; I'll look at them as I pass by but won't concentrate on them yet.  Usually something jumps out at me within a couple days but not always.  I'll just have to wait and see.

I've done both of these images before but smaller.  The top one is 22 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches.  The other is 28 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches.  Those grey rectangles at the top are the clips that are holding them up, not part of the painting....

 

In addition to unmasking, I downloaded photos from a weekend in Bloomington, Indiana visiting friends.  I'd never been there before but would very much like to go again.  I loved the countryside, the limestone outcroppings gave it a texture that we don't see in my corner of the world and I love that type of texture.

Another Flea Market Piece

I finished another in the Flea Market Series and have two more in process.  All of them are 8" x 8" watercolor on cold press.  In between working on these, I'm trying to finish the reorganization of my studio.   That seems to constantly get pushed to the back burner.  I know I need to do it; however, I don't seem to get to it.  I'd rather paint.

Finally putting paint to paper

Finally, the transfer of the drawing is complete, I've decided on the colors, painted the door blue and added just a touch of the blue on the window before masking them and then did the first pour to take the white out.  The first pour was Raw Sienna.  I want an old look so I decided to use Minnesota Pipesto (Daniel Smith,) Indigo and Raw Sienna.  I've never used these three for a pour so from here on it's experimental as well.

I also did a couple more layers (pours) on the boat and did a little 2" x 2" of an English Cottage.  In addition I started a piece with dancers but more time was spent working out how I would do that than on getting it started.  Next post I'll have something to show I hope. 

Pouring, another step in my process

This is the tedious part.  It's not so much when I'm doing something with only a few shapes but when I get several as there are in this church it's tedious.  I've transfered the traced image to the watercolor paper; however, when you trace something using the 6 to 8B pencil there is a lot of graphite and it is sitting on top of the paper... one wash and you have graphite mixed with the paint and you've lost the image.   So I go over the lines carefull with a harder pencil then, using a kneaded eraser, I push down with the eraser lifting the loose graphite.  Once all this is done I'll be ready to do my first pour since I've decided I don't want any white.  Since this is laborious and I'm ADD, I have another one going at the same time...  not so many shapes in this one...

The next step

Moving along to the next step in the process. You see it reversed. I decided it could be reversed because the place is not important, it was the blue door with the wonderful hinges that I was in love with so that saved me a step. I put the traced image down on my paper and gone right over the lines. Now I will be able to do it again sometime... but with the door on the other side. All I have to do is turn it over and go over the traced lines again All of this part is done with a 5 or 6B pencil so the lines will transfer.

The next thing to think about... do I want to save any whites or do I put a wash over the entire sheet before moving on. I'm leaning toward a wash but not certain yet.

I've been celebrating all week ... it's my birthday month and this past week was the actual birthday week. I did a lot of sketching and looking but no major work completed. However, I did get one started and I thought some of you who pop in to see what I'm doing might be interested in seeing my process.... so I've posted the start. This will eventually become a poured watercolor piece but there are many decisions yet to be made before I start the actual painting. The drawing is approximately 7 x 7 in my sketchbook. I'm working out the values. Once that is complete I'll determine the colors I'm going to use and the size the actual piece might be. One thing I know already, the door will stay blue though it may not be that blue. It was the blue door that got my attention first so I plan to keep it. The painting may be the same size as the sketch but not necessarily. I've also posted the photo I'm working from so you'll have an idea where I'm going...

final pour and a print

Here is the final pour... you can see that it's almost all mask and looking a mess but this week I'll be removing that mask and I'll see if I got what I wanted. If I don't like it there are things I can do to save it but that's getting ahead of myself. I'll show you the result even if I'm not happy with it... and if that turns out to be the case, I'll show you what I'll do to save it.

Meanwhile... printmaking... something else I'm playing with and the pears are the first print I pulled... the very light color on the pears is not from the print... I added that because I had a mat and frame that fit but it's a cream color and didn't look right... since I'm not going to be selling this piece it doesn't have to be authentic so I used a light touch of colored pencil to make the pears match the mat....