Fall 2016 Painting Class

The first class was yesterday. The group includes two of my best buddies.  The first exercise was to paint a color wheel.  This is probably the truest red that I have ever made, since my starting color is more magenta than red.

It's good to know how to mix a truer red. I had been thinking about buying a different red to play with and now I don't need it. My guess is if I expand with even one additional color, I will want to go crazy and buy lots and lots of additional ones. There is so much to learn and I think it is better to focus and learn with the five colors I have.

The next exercise was to paint a piece of fruit.  I picked a tomato.

I have been painting from pictures so much, it was weird using a viewfinder. It is a wonderful tool, but it drives me a little crazy trying to hold it at the same angle in the same place, in order to draw accurately.

Leaf

Fall colors are so pretty.  I once based a cardigan on the colors of a fall tree with a blue sky.  

When the maple trees one block over start to turn, I would like to paint some leaves. Tonight, I drew some leaves that I had pressed the leaves flat.  This one that turned out the best.  It was drawn without looking 95% of the time.  The left side is better.  I wonder if that's typical for right-handed people?

Painting classes start tomorrow morning!!!

The Biggest Change Since 01/01/16

I have been doing at least one contour drawing each day since 09/16/16.  It's been good practice.  For the next 30 days, I'm thinking about trying to do a simple sketch each day.  The goal would be to capture the barest bit of form or essence of an object.  This might be a quick sketch or just a couple of quick simple lines. I tend towards the fussy details of things, so this would be a good way to stretch myself.  

What I like about all of this and the biggest change since the beginning of the year is that I am not afraid to pick up a pen, pencil, or paint brush and trying. That feels really, really good.

Fall painting classes with Kat Corrigan start on Saturday and I am really excited! When I first took her class this spring, all of the information was so new. I learned a lot, but just could not take it all in!

What A Difference The Light Makes

I painted and took a photo of yesterday's painting at night.  I tried to get decent light for the photo. Here is yesterday's picture.

 
I thought that the painting looked better in person.  On a whim, I took another picture this morning with indirect, natural light.  What a difference it makes!!

Water Lily - Revisited

I have painted from the same water lily picture several times.  For this time and the last time, I drew it out, rather than traced it.  I'm willing to do that for some of the simpler water lilies.

This painting is an 8" x 8".

It's a really great feeling to step back from a painting that you've done and think "I like that".

Bad Painting. Bad, Bad Painting.

In honor of the bad, bad painting from Saturday, here is a contour drawing.

Still Painting With A Cold

This is Friday's post.  I was away for the weekend and could not get photos to load. Meet Carlos.

I will go back to bigger paint strokes at some point. For now, I am having fun with dashes and dots.