Sketching and Productivity

Hi everyone,

Although I haven't posted anything on my blog for a few days, I haven't been slacking. Why is it that all the fruit trees ripen at the same time? I have been madly drying apricots and bottling (canning) them. The plums are ready too, so on my next day off I will be making plum jam and plum sauce. The peaches are just about ready so on the weekend and early next week I will be doing more canning. The nectarines are ripening in batches thank goodness!

I did a few sketches a week ago that I haven't got around to posting. So here they are now.



I have started my Misty Mawn on line Drawing and Painting Portraits workshop. My first lesson is about pencil drawing and our first assignment was to draw a ball or egg. Here it is:



The second assignment in the lesson is to fill a page with faces, trying to make them have different expressions - well I filled the page, don't know about the expressions. I found it very difficult to draw that small - my eyesight isn't that good. We also have to draw some faces but I don't have all the items I need yet - am awaiting a stick eraser and some blending stumps - I really can't do much without them - my finger (my usual blending tool) is too big. Can you believe we don't have stick erasers in Australia - or if we do, I haven't been able to track one down. With a stick eraser you can get into very small areas to erase, such as the eyelids and pupils - something you simply can't achieve with a regular eraser. Can't wait for these to arrive so I can get on with my sketching.

Comments have been made about painting the sketches - yes I intend to get back into that too - just warming up at the moment ;)

Great Mail Day and portrait progress

Yesterday and today have been great mail days. I received two art quilts that I bid on in the recent Collage Mania auction to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. Both these art quilts were made by the wonderful Fannie Narte in memory of my mother who passed away from cancer a couple of years ago. Fannie lovingly created these and the detail is amazing. I wish you could see them in real life. I am keeping the "Create" art quilt and will be giving the "Journey" art quilt to my sister. Thank you so much Fannie. You must go and check out her website - her art is amazing and so diverse. Oh, and Fannie included a something special for me in the parcel - a personally autographed copy of "Taking Flight" by Kelly Rae Roberts. Can you make out what the writing says? If you can, please let me know - I'm not that good at reading script. I love this book - it is one to reread over and over.

Today I received this charming mixed media piece that I purchased from Martha Lever. Isn't it divine?


I managed to finish the shading on the two girls, so now just finishing up the backgrounds and they will wing their way to two of the ladies who are participating in my "Pay it Forward" - so watch out for your mail deliverer, ladies.

Shading complete

I have finished the shading on two of my angels. I need to have these in the post by Friday latest so they reach their destination in time for Christmas. Next step is the wings and clothing, finishing touches to the background and voila - they'll be complete. I'm still trying to decide what to use for the wings - there are a few options I am considering: fantasy film (which I have never used before), some glittery opaque fabric, or painting them and using some Perfect Pearls. What a dilemma - any insights welcome - or additional suggestions (not too many though - I get confused when offered too many choices - keep it simple, LOL). For your information, these are both 8"x10" canvases.

Continuing Progress

I've had a productive day in the studio again. I still had a lot of difficulty with the shading. Reflecting back to my first portrait, the only difference is the stay wet palette, so as suggested by Sherry, I will try using it a bit differently to how the manufacturers suggest. Today I completed the touch up shading, the highlighting, painting the eyes and base coat for the mouth. I don't know that I would paint four of the same pictures again, not at the same time anyway - it becomes a little monotonous, but it was better when I did the eyes as each girl has different coloured eyes. So, that's it for today, I have to work tomorrow so not a lot will happen, and the day after my youngest turns 10, so she has a full day planned for us all.

New painting

I've had a great day today, spending the majority of time in my studio. I really don't want to go to work tomorrow, not while I'm on a roll! I painted four backgrounds on canvas in preparation for painting some angels. Today I transferred the drawing of the angel for the Christmas swap I am involved in. I decided that I would do the same painting on all four canvases. Why you might ask? Firstly, I have a Secret Santa present I need to have done by Friday next week, plus other gifts to make for Christmas. My quilting supplies (I usually make applique wall hangings) are trapped in the back of my studio storage area thanks to someone I won't mention who cleaned out his shed and transferred lots of stuff into my storage area. OK, I admit, it is all my stuff, but at least a pathway could have been left so I can actually get to the stuff I use ALL the time! Anyway, I digress. Secondly, I got myself a new stay wet palette which is fantastic, and I can now make up a big batch of say, skin colour, and it won't form a skin and dry out, so I figured I may as well paint lots of portraits while I'm at it. Well, that's my reasoning anyway. I'm going to use different colourings on them all though, so they won't look like complete clones. I have been sketching every day, but haven't shared those, thought you might be getting a bit tired of my daily portrait sketching by now. Oh, this background is collaged and then gessoed over, then I inked it with chalk inks and rubbed at them. She is actually going to have a few wrinkles in her neck from the tissue paper I used in that area - but it all adds to the charm I think - and what's a few wrinkles between friends. After I transferred my drawing, she received a few coats of titanium white fluid acrylic where her skin is. What I haven't taken a photo of yet is her skin - I have finished her skin colour but haven't done any shading yet - my next step!