Juggling

Nantucket Basket - wip 1
(approx. 13" x 19")

Nantucket Basket - wip 2

In between washes of this new painting, (which I'm thoroughly enjoying) I took out my gentleman farmer to work on: trying to adjust values using a black and white image of my painting. I find myself constantly struggling with values anyway - but throw in yellows and bright oranges and I'm completely lost! I think they're so difficult because they register gray. Ugh. 

I also continued working on some details. I feel like I'm going at a snail's pace with this guy . . . in fact he's already hayed his fields twice since I started this painting! Almost done though.  

Have a great day!

  

 

Baskets Are Hard

Here are a couple shots of a painting I'm working on.  The second one has a mask on some of the reed, that's why it looks so weird.  I painted some underlying washes first, as you can see in the first painting, but then went back masked out one of the legs and parts of the basket to add some darker tones.  I have no idea what the heck paper I'm working on -- I thought it was a Fabriano hard-press -- but I'm not so sure.  It's not really allowing me to lift like it usually does - although I did manage to get some of that pigment off the wall before I neutralized it.  Perhaps though because it is a heavier stock than what I usually use -- I think it's 300lb.  That probably makes a difference.  Anyway -- I don't like it.  And also, like the title of this post reads:  baskets are hard!  Actually they're freakin' hard -- pardon my language.  I don't much like them either right now.  I am a little in a bad mood, in case you can't tell . . . but I will keep pluggin' along, so watch for my next post.  And I promise I will be back to my delightful self again!  HA!

Sunlit Lemons - WIP

"Sunlit Lemons" - WIP
8" x 8"

I worked on this yesterday.  I'm hoping I don't beat it to death as I like the luminosity I've got going so far.  This is on Aquabord -- which I'm LOVING!  Did I mention that before?  :)  The reference photo for this painting is from one of the "Paint and Draw Together" past challenges.  I wanted to try some lemons again.

Anyway . . . Happy Fourth of July, America!  It's a little drizzly here this morning, but I'm hopeful the sun will come out shortly.  At least that's what the weather reports are saying.  Have a great day, wherever you are.  :)