2nd try

Better cropped? Not better cropped? Add an M&M in the foreground to the left?

Still Life with M&M's

This started out to be a simple still life to demonstrate painting round objects and glass bottles. I decided to use the "great white shape" idea, even though it was just a simple little picture. I need the practice.

Comments from my very picky husband include the idea that no one will know what that odd white shape in the background is. If you paint you'll figure it out--it's the back side of my pallette. His other comment was that I didn't put all the detail from the labels, and the bottle cap wasn't perfect.

You do have to be careful painting bottles--if they aren't perfectly symmetrical, it shows.

The M & M's were an afterthought to cover up a spot on the paper, but they were fun to paint.

Can't think of what to name it--maybe "Life's Little Pleasures."

Gambles Window, Aurora

Some of my students asked how to paint brick, so here is an example. This is a window in the old Gamble's building in downtown Aurora.

I don't usually paint in all the bricks. I prefer to "suggest" them. But I wanted the brick to be "boring" so that the interest is on the window.

First I painted in a base wash of burnt sienna/some reds/some quin gold. Before it dried I sprayed a fine mist over it to get some texture.

I used a ruler and different colors of watercolor pencil to get the bricks done. I darkened the shadows. Later I painted over many of those lines with paint, but I needed to see my lines.

For the top window I dulled it with blues and oranges so it would put the attention on the lower window.

The hardest part for me was the arch of bricks, getting them right so they won't look weird.

Daytona Beach, July 2008

This top picture is the painting I began in Carol Carter's workshop. It is of Jody's two kids and me on Daytona Beach.

The second picture I played with on Elements, to see, if I did it over again, what I might change. I like having more white space for drama. It's an idea for my next attempt.

Carol Carter workshop

I've been enjoying Carol Carter's workshop so much! This first pic of an exercise in painting with two colors. She taught us to put in a wash background first, using just prussian blue and burnt sienna, working light to dark, warm to cool.

This beach pic was from the second day. We again put in the background first. Then using just three primaries, worked on the shapes. One shape is using yellow in the center, blue on the left, red on the right. The next shape uses blue in the center, red on the left, yellow on the right. The last shape uses red in the center, blue on the left, yellow on the right. I had so much fun with this. It is obviously not my normal way of doing things.

Most everyone painted cantaloupe, but I was in a beach mood.

The tulips was from the first day, using a wash in the background and again a limited palette of two colors. Carol purposely forms "blossoms" but I was not very successful with creating them. Probably would be easy if I weren't trying.

Project #7

I've been having trouble posting to this blog today. Hope this one keeps.

This is a continuation of the project of using one photo reference, changine the composition type and the design element. This is using a bridge design, texture is the element. It is on yupo.