Wednesday, September 22, 2010

C-17


"Barney"

16" x 20" acrylic

This is a painting I completed for my nine year old nephew. When my niece asked for a dog park painting, my nephew piped up requesting an Air Force plane painting. An F-16, F-15, F-22 maybe?

Nope. He wanted a painting of a giant transport plane flying midair. I was surprised. Cargo planes normally don't get a lot of attention from nine year old boys when there are things like F-22's flying around the US.

This plane is a C-17 Globemaster. It can carry tanks, helicopters, troops, just about anything in it's gaping cargo hold. It is the second biggest plane in the Air Force, behind the C-5 Galaxy, aka Fat Fred.

Get it? Fat Fred and Barney.

I had to do some research on how to paint realistic clouds. I found an artist on youtube whose style I love. His website is www.timgagnon.com if you want to check him out. I will be purchasing online classes from him sometime in the near future.

I'm satisfied how my clouds came out though there is definite room for improvement. They are viewed looking down on them like lucky duck pilots get to see them, unlike us Earthbound fools who can only look up or across at the clouds' beauty.

That's why I want to learn to fly. So I can watch my clouds from ABOVE instead of BELOW.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Ole!

I'm posting this painting I did ten years ago for you, my blogging painter friends. If you have a thumbnail of my blog on your blog, you may be terribly tired of looking at my horrible self-portrait that has been the lead post for WAY too long.

I know I'm tired of it! It really is quite bad.

But this watercolor is at least bright and cheery and not of some random weird looking woman's head staring at you while floating around inside an ethereal dark cloud.

That painting makes me want to cringe.

This painting makes me want a margarita.

THAT is something worth looking at!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Mystery Me

This is my second attempt at a self-portrait for the Calypso Moon Artist Movement. The first one bugged me to no end. So much so that I HAD to try and make it not quite so awful.

I raised my hair line, lengthened my hair length, added some maroon streaks like I'm prone to do, made my nose less defined, darkened the whites of my eyes, and most importantly gave my floating head a body.

Of course my typical V-neck t-shirt.

It's still not me but at least this mystery woman doesn't give me the heebie-jeebies.

Whatcha think?


"Anyone But Me"

9"x 12" acrylic on paper

This is supposed to be me. I was supposed to draw or paint me for this months Calypso Moon Artist Movement assignment. I was supposed to use ROY G. BIV to give myself the whole spectrum of color.

I used all seven colors but used them to paint someone who is SO not me.

I tried. I really, really, really tried. I have been drawing and tweaking and correcting and erasing and going brain dead trying to get this woman to look like me. Apparently she is determined to be her own person.

Her mouth is mine, all small and narrow. Her nose is more narrow and not crooked like mine, but as the artist I am allowed certain licenses with my art and correcting my slightly crooked nose is one I will fight for. Her eyes are too small and weird but she has my eyebrows. The hair is weird, too but her roots are showing like me always do. Sorry, lady.

I did my best. I at least added all seven colors. Red in the lips and cheeks, inner corners of the eyes; orange in the skin and hair; yellow in the hair and surrounding the pupils; green above the eyes as shadow; blue in the eyes; indigo in the eyes; violet in the dark circles under the eyes from trying to get this assignment perfected.

Painting people and making them look just like their model is seriously hard, at least for me, the untrained. I'm sure there is some technique, or seven, that would help me but I don't know of any so I can only do what I can do.

Oh, and this mystery woman should thank me for deleting all of my wrinkles and age spots. I should be so lucky in the flesh....

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Hypnotic


"Give Me the Cookie"

9" x 12" acrylic

This is my submission for the current assignment at Paint and Draw Together. We were to use layering of a single color, in this case black, to achieve depth. And we were to try to achieve realistic fur.

I'm happy with the depth of color and the layering of white, gray, and black. Using undercoats of black was interesting and fun to do. The fur is too straight though for a poodle.

Or whatever type of dog this is.

When I tried to make the fur more curly is just came out like a bunch of snakes writhing around on a poor sweet puppy. So I decided to save the dog some wormy embarrassment and leave his fur straight.

I think he's still pretty durn cute, even without all of the kink.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Wedgie


"Wedgie"

9" x 12" acrylic on paper

This is my submission to the current assignment over at the Rookie Painter.

I think it came out pretty well. I tried a new technique with acrylics and I like the realistic yet "artsy" feel to these lemons.

Ahh, acrylics. How I have missed you!

Until a week ago we, as in my husband, three kids, one dog, and myself, have been living in a tiny RV. The only paint I took with me in the non-existent space in the camper was a palette of dried watercolors. That's why all of my submissions lately have been watercolors.

I like painting with watercolors, I really do. They are fast, usually, and there are lots of options for technique and application.

But I love my acrylics. My $1 a tube "crafters" acrylics I buy at the craft store. I don't know how to use the good stuff and am intimidated to buy the expensive stuff and not know what to do with it.

Ceramcoat will have to do for now!!




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