Day 12 - Basil

"Basil"

6.5" x 10"

watercolor and pen

So, I have a new project in the works, a sketchbook project, actually part of THE Sketchbook Project with the Brooklyn Art Library.  I just got my book in the mail yesterday and I am dying to get started.  The way it works is that they send you a sketchbook, you fill it and send it back to them to become part of their sketchbook library (How cool is that?!?) Also, it will be digitized so that anyone can view it online as well.  So today I started the rebinding process, as I plan to use watercolors and wanted a heavier watercolor paper in the book. Once I have it bound I will get started painting.  I have choosen as my theme "Familiar Friends" (from their list of suggestions) and will call my project "Fur-miliar Friends", because, you guessed it, I will be painting dog portraits.  

That's where Basil comes in.  I posted a request on FB and IG to my friends and family asking them to send me photos of their furry friends.  I got a ton, which is awesome because now I could probably fill 5 sketchbooks!

Happy 2016!

Finley

watercolor
14" x 11"

Happy 2016!

I am looking forward to the new year and starting new projects.  December was chockfull of painting for commissions (Yay!) but I didn't get a chance to post here in the blog. Now that things have quited down, I am committing to another 30 in 30 challenge, focusing on my black and white watercolors of dogs.  I will work im my sketckbook everyday as ususal, but I hope to do some larger works as part of a series.  I find that focusing on a project like this works well for me, so here goes...

setting up to sell

I have decided to try out the "Daily Paintworks" auction function to sell my work.  I am not sure if I set it all up correctly, so this is somewhat of a test...

So today I'm listing this painting:

"Finley"

7" x 7"

watercolor

Click the link below to go to the auction

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/351335

Day 29

4" x 6"

watercolor

I'm realizing that if I want the colors to be bold in the final product, I need to start that way.  After I get everything where and how I want it, I don't like risking losing it in order to add color/depth/darks.  Oh, watercolor, I think I may need a break from you...

Day 28

"Finley, Sit."

4" x 6"

watercolor

Small and quick here, just playing aroung with different ways to start.  This one was initially a wash of pthalo blue for the darks, which became covered by the ivory black in the darkest darks and visible in the highlighted black.  Overall, I think it's still knid of flat.  I need to branch out into a broader use of color...

Day 9 - Finley, again

"Finley, again"

7" x 7"

watercolor

The good thing about this 30 in 30 challenge is that it is making me try things over, and over.  I've painted my friend Colleen's border collie mix Finley a few times before but I'm not sure if I've captured her, so I keep trying.  I also just love her ears, one up, one down. 

Day 6 - Finley

"Finley"

7" x 7"

watercolor

I wasn't sure if I was done with this one or not, I just knew it was time for bed!  I'm happy to be keeping up with a painting a day so far and I think knowing when to stop is helpful.  I can always go back into it tomorrow if I think it needs it.  I'm liking this limited palette, a modified Zorn, just ivory black, yellow ochre, and cadmium red light. 

Finley is a border collie mix and she has the cutest floppy left ear.

Signature Look, or Finley #1

Signature Look/Finley 1

6" x 6"

acrylic on panel

Finley is a Border Collie mix with the softest fur imaginable.  Her signature look is one ear up, one ear down.  There was a lot I liked about this little painting, but also a lot of drawing problem that I could not fix without losing what I liked, hence the #1... There will be more attempts at Miss Finley.