A Tough 'Paint'

I enjoyed participating in Leslie Saeta's Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days in February and March and was looking forward to carrying that momentum forward. Well...if anyone had told me that I would spend the last few weeks painting and then overpainting and overpainting yet again on the same wood panel I wouldn't have believed it. The underpainting was started in a workshop I attended last August. The large black shape was added from direction given by the workshop instructor. So then what to do? Well I let it sit for several months and finally pulled it out again in December 2017. Added a few daps of paint and collage and left it for another month. Still 'dapping' and getting no where - I finally glazed over it with some transparent red iron oxide, added some stencilling - pulled out some of the dog paintings from the challenge for inspiration and found my rhythm! This all didn't happen without a few sleepless nights and a lot of negative thoughts running through my head. Oh the life of an artist.....

2017 Underpainting (24"X24")

Thank goodness for some transparent red iron oxide!

24"x24"
Work in progress!

Taking a break to let the collage dry, then a bit more paint, perhaps some stencilling, collaging and line work....I think she has pretty good bones!

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - All Together

....and here they are all together! So glad I stuck with the dogs! Some days it wasn't easy, but I have learned a lot and am looking forward to painting more 4 legged friends. Many thanks to Leslie Saeta for organizing and to all of you who have visited - your support is priceless! Happy painting!!

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days
February 2018 

And just for fun before and after pictures of my painting area - if you look under the table you can see a couple of my lovely models. They like to nap under the desk while I paint - good company!

Creative Chaos

Clean - but not for long
Sully and Kali relaxing - it can get a little crowded under
there if Cleo climbs in. There is another bed though so
everyone has somewhere comfortable to nap!

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 30

Day 30! Last dog....for this challenge, but not for me! This has been a great 30 days, has flown by and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to look and comment - it means a lot that you do that!!

Today's pup belongs to my daughter. He is a rescue that came to her out of the blue. It has been a match made in heaven. Because she travels occasionally with business he comes and stays with us and enjoys time in the country. He maybe weighs 20lbs soaking wet, but he is big on attitude!

'Sully'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on 140lb watercolour paper

......and one more for good luck!.....a bit of paint left on the palette and a small canvas 

'Pal'
6"X6"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas 

                                            !!Happy Painting to you all!!

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 29

'Tess'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on 140lb watercolour paper 

Second last pup for the 30 in 30. Can't believe how fast this challenge has gone!

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 28

I feel like I am hitting my stride - only took 28 days (hahaha), into the habit of painting daily, the ideas are flowing (okay - most of the time), I am 'drawing' more, not detailed but I am getting the imagery and info I need (and want) and enjoying my models!! Well, actually I enjoy my 'models' all the time.

Today's offering is pure fun - a bit wonky, but I don't think I would have attempted this at the beginning of the month. The 'blue ball' rules in our house. Luckily for us Cleo is the ball girl and Kali loves a stick - everyone is happy!

'The Blue Ball'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on 140lb
coldpress watercolour paper 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 27

Tried something a bit different today. Put a transparent glaze (transparent brown oxide) on for the last 'layer' to see what would happen. (Unfortunately in my enthusiasm I did not take a before picture. I do like how the paint reacted to the glaze - have much richer darks and lights. From a distance you can see the image is a dog (not a lot of detail is noticeable) but the light area around the one side of his muzzle draws you in for a closer look and then the viewer can really see the brush marks, watercolour crayon and some light stencilling. I did use some collage but I would not use that weight paper again (around 90lb) - it is just too heavy for my liking (I usually use a paper no heavier than 50lb) The collage pieces show up more in the scanned image than the original.

'Murphy'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on
140lb watercolour paper 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 26

This was my start from last night. It has a bit of history - a drawing, with some paint underneath, which wasn't working for me - so I scraped white gesso over it. I then did a quick drawing, mixed up a neutral and painted around the image and stopped. I just wasn't sure where I wanted to go. So left it overnight and took a second look this morning. (I did a new drawing for Day 25)

7"X10" 

I tried to keep some of the underpainting, not as much as I planned but it's all about the practice - right!

....who doesn't like a dog with a bandana!
7"X10"
Acrylic mixed media on Arches 140lb
coldpress watercolour paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 25

'Max'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on Fabriano 140lb
Coldpress watercolour paper
 

Meet Max - a Cardigan Welsh Corgi. Well a corgi for sure and Cardigan's have quite large ears compared to their cousins the Pembroke - all rather confusing but I do think Max takes pride in his ears!

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 24

Worked on two dogs today - Day 23 and Day 24. I was behind a day posting and while not a big deal I really wanted to get back on track. They are both totally different - still trying to find my way !

Have some process images to share - I find them helpful to look back on!

Free hand drawing, painted background
and then a 'black' mix for the dog 

Added some tissue paper that was stenciled 

Transparent red iron oxide rubbed/brushed over the image. 
Did this a couple of more times

7"X9"
Acrylic mixed media on Arches
140lb coldpress paper 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 23

Todays dog from 'start to finish'.....Happy Saturday!!

...looking a little anxious about where this is going..... 

'....still a bit pensive but can live with the result'
(and deserving of a better name!!)
7"X10"
Acrylic mixed media on
Arches 140lb cold press watercolour paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 22

'Waiting for Dinner'
7"X10"
Acrylic on 140lb cold press watercolour paper 

Paint is pretty thin in spots, you can see some paper with no paint and quite a bit of transparent red iron oxide that I used for a 'first' layer. Could I have done more - probably....maybe...but this is where I choose to stop. And our dogs were waiting for dinner! She is quite different from yesterday's pup.

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 21

Today is 'another' day. Hooray!!! This is what I was thinking after I posted Day 20 - 'shouldn't have posted or not tried to paint - probably both'. Well, I have to say that the last 2 days has been a great learning experience.

So, what did I learn.....

1. I have been told that when I am painting if I am asking the question 'should I do this?' - the answer is always yes. I haven't really put this to the test in a big way, just in small ways that won't have any great overall effect on the painting.

2. If you are going to make a change - then make a change. If you are finding yourself stuck - then 'throw' something on the support that is going to make you react! I am interpreting this as 'go big or go home!'


I was going to try and 'fix' yesterday's painting.  I just couldn't. Decided what the heck let's make a change - not something small and fiddly, but a big one! And once that's done - I wonder if I should paint the background red - not just any red, but a dark cad red? Well - where is my cad red deep!!

'a little miffed and disappointed by choices
made and would you please fix my ears!'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas

'Not as miffed and red is a good colour for me'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on paper 

I am going to shorten her name to 'Ruby' and hang her in a prominent spot in my studio - a lovely reminder of what you can happen when you take some risks in the studio!

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 20

So little time for painting today.....all the 'stuff' I haven't been doing because I've been painting....well today was the day a choice was made to put painting to the bottom of the list. I am going to call her a work in progress - time to put the paint brush down and step away from the paint!! Tomorrow is another day and yes - those ears need more paint and a bit of a tweak!

'a little miffed and disappointed by choices
made and would you please fix my ears!'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 19

No sketch, no idea at all! .....Just a blank canvas and some paint and my favourite painting tools.....

'...and there she was'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 18

Another day, another dog. Quick sketch, blank canvas, some paint, water soluble crayon graphite and collage. A little 'wonky' but that's what you get with a little rascal. Hope you enjoy today's pup.

Quick sketch 

'Rascal'
12"X12"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 17

Doing some reflecting on what I have learned so far.....

1. Don't plan ahead......have an idea, but paint in the 'moment'
2. I like the Winsor Newton watercolour pens for creating a quick sketch before starting to paint
3. Sticking with the dogs (...not going to the dogs...groan....) has taught me a lot. Where I started, where I am.... and where I hope to keep going.

My dog for today has a lot of elements in it that I am really happy with - some of the original paint and marks, as well as some of the collage are still visible - huge progress for me.

The start with initial sketch 

..... in between this and the finished portrait are lots of layers of paint, some areas where I spritzed the paint with water to get some runny parts and some stencilling at the end of painting.

'Luna'
12"X12"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas

                       

                                   ....I love her to the 'moon' and back....

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 16

Scanned closeup of 'Tao' 

'Tao'
11"X14"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas
(Photo of whole image)

Neither one of these pictures is spot on for a reproduction close to the actual colour of the painting. Seemed to have ended up at either end of the value scale. I would like to have a decent one in my photos - so will give it another try tomorrow.

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 14

What can I say.....another dog. Meet 'Millie'  - just a little pooch looking a little miffed as it was too darned cold to go for a walk this morning!!

I did a very quick sketch just to get something down and then got out the paint. As you'll see from the final painting I didn't follow it exactly. It just gives me some ideas and a few guidelines to follow when I start painting.

A quick sketch to start with. 

'Millie'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media (graphite & water soluble crayon, stencil)
on 140lb cold press watercolour paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 13

This is my favourite 'dog' subject - the beautiful Cleo! She is such a beautiful girl - both inside and out. I don't think I will ever be able to do her justice, but just think how many paintings can be done trying!

...Cleo had a very serious demeanour during this 'sitting'!  :))

'Cleo'
12"X12"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel

Detail image
(Scanned) 

Apologies for the very poor photo of the 'whole' image. Terrible light here today and it doesn't help being the world's worst photographer! The scanned image is much truer to colour.

!Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 12

Busy day and rushed to paint. I mentioned yesterday the I felt 'Gus' was a 'bit' overworked. He was.....I had lost some of the lights and I knew as I was painting that I was getting a bit heavy handed. So today just went 'searching' in the random marks. And it was a bit of a search, but I think worthwhile in the end. I discovered that 'turquoise' is not the same between brands and heavy body, fluid and inks. I subconsciously knew that but 'Daisy' will be a lovely reminder.

Start.....or the 'Ive got nothing' stage!!
Collage, drawing
 

Random paint and now I think I see something 

'Daisy'
6"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on
Strathmore mixed media paper
('140lb heavy weight')

Maybe a bit overpainted, but for me this is all about discovering something new!

Thank you to everyone who has visited and left comments. Greatly appreciated!!