EDM 2017 Finale

I made it! I finished the Every Day in May drawing/painting challenge. I did have to double up a couple of times because there were a few days when things were just too busy for me to find time to do even these small sketches. But, I finished and even surprised myself with some of the sketches as they were so out of my comfort zone.

I don't imagine I will do this challenge again next year as May is such a busy month but I am glad I did it this time. It was interesting to come up with some of the subjects and I am very thankful for the internet for supplying reference photos for a number of things.

So thirty-one little sketches are done and put away in the memory file; now it is time for more gardening and more Watercolour Painting Parties.

More EDM Sketches

I have amazed myself by keeping up with the Every Day in May drawing/painting challenge. Some of the things I have to draw are so far out of my interest zone  that I have been tempted to just throw in the towel. But I have stuck it out this far and hope to finish, although tomorrow's subject is a bicycle - yeek!

I think an explanation is needed for the bottom drawings on this page. May 15 is my 'favourite' tool - a mat cutter because it saves me a lot of money  - lol. The teal 'snake' is actually one of my Hot Weather Scarves for 'something I made'.

Yesterday's subject was the hardest so far! I mean really - feet? with or without socks - who comes up with this list?

A quick update - We have had a few days of decent weather and I have started putting my plants in the pots. It will be so nice when things really start to bloom. I can't wait!

Commission and Sketches

Earlier this year a friend commissioned me to do a painting of poppies as a gift for her niece. The only instructions I received were about the size  - 7 x 10, and the colour - she wanted a salmon pink for the flowers. So I have been playing around with ideas for composition and searching the internet for good references for the flowers. I have done two pieces and am not sure that I like either of them.

#1014 - Peachy Poppy -  - 7 x 10 watercolour

#1020 - Poppies by the Fence - 7 x 10 watercolour

I have one more drawing ready to paint but I don't feel that I have found the right reference photo yet. Fortunately, I have a lot of time to play with this as the commission isn't due until the end of summer.

Meanwhile, I have continued my promise to myself to do more sketching.

a few sketches from TV and my reference file

Some of the items on top of one of my cupboards

a vase decorated with some metal leaves

It is obvious that I need to work on cylindrical objects but I am reasonably pleased with my progress - getting better every day!

I hope you will let me know what you think of the poppy paintings as any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Value Workshop part 2

We started the second class on Light with critiques of the still-life paintings that everyone did since the first class. I am happy to say that my painting "More than a Picnic" (see my blog 'Value Workshop') did not receive any negative comments and no suggestions for improvement were offered. I guess I got an A+ - lol.

I actually submitted two pieces for the critiques.

#1018 - Still-life with Oranges - 5 x 7 watercolour

my drawing of Still-life with Oranges

I did this piece mostly as a test for myself. My friends at Art Club were teasing me about my first painting for the workshop because I printed the photo and just transferred the image onto my watercolour paper before painting. I figured it was a class on value not drawing, so why not? But, Wednesday evening I decided I would do a drawing of the still-life from one of the photos on my computer. I was happy with the way it turned out so I painted it and submitted it for critique too. Everyone liked this piece as well and offered no suggestions for changes.

The remainder of the class was about Light and Mood and the instructor shared lots of photos as examples. It was very interesting and the notes will prove useful for future paintings. The instructor tried to show different moods on the still-life set-up by using coloured film over a spot light but the daylight in the room was too bright and the effects were limited.

We finished the class by starting work on another still-life with the new display. I took lots of photos but I also did a sketch.

drawing of still-life #2

 I do my sketches on newsprint in pencil then go over them with a pen. I really don't do enough drawing so working in pencil first is an indication of my lack of confidence. I plan to do a drawing every evening while watching TV to hone my skills and build that confidence. Being able to pause the TV is such a benefit. Here is a sketch I did from a commercial.

Deer sketch - about 6 x 8

This probably only took about 5 minutes to sketch, then another five to add the pen and some extra shading.

I think that the impetus to start sketching is one very special bonus of the  workshop I attended. I may not do many more still-life paintings but I will definitely do more sketching.