Took a Break

Well, i seemed to have taken a break over Christmas, without really meaning to. Didn't even do any sketching. I will make a New Year's resolution to not go so long without sketching again.

I did this pastel sketch today on 9x12 colorfix paper. Its a study for an oil painting that i want to do. I'll leave it now for a few days then come back to it to see if i like the composition.

This 6x8 oil i did before my long break, just never took a photo because the weather was mostly overcast. Same subject that i did a pastel sketch of earlier. I think that the background could be a little more uniform.

Eggs

The drawing challenge this week on wetcanvas is a photo of eggs on lace. I attempted it using charcoal on 14 x 17 paper. Never can get my eggs as smooth as i want -- i need to find a better way of blending than a blending stump or gauze. Now that its done, the shadows don't seem to agree with each other. Well, if i get inspired maybe i can correct the shadows and add more detail in the lace.

A Pastel Sketch

Couldn't come up with a subject for last weeks pastel sketch for the longest time. Finally birds were suggested, and i decided on a reference photo of a woodpecker. i think the body is too big for the head, but here's the sketch.

Something Different

I was totally bamboozled today in painting class by a landscape i've started on, so i came home and decided to do something different. The pastel sketch was done on sanded paper made with brush-on-yourself pastel ground, so the texture of the brushstrokes showed through the pastel. Although somewhat crude at least its recognizable.

Skewed Lighthouse and Another Fruit

This weeks drawing challenge on wetcanvas was a lighthouse. I gave it a try, but as you can see it wasn't too successful. The lighthouse is skewed and the fence looks dilapidated, and then there isn't much contrast or much in the way of darks. This is where i gave up. I think that i would have to start over to do any better. Charcoal on 14 x 17 paper.

I also have a small oil painting to show you, 6 x 8. Just one pear, on perhaps a too bright background. I guess i overcompensated for the apple on a boring background.

Second Try

It took me two tries, but i finally have a pastel sketch to post. The first one was on paper that i coated with golden pastel ground. the resulting textured background didn't do well with the floral subject. i also didn't crop it as closely, resulting in the lily pad and the water overpowering the image. and i plain didn't do the flower as well.

So here's my second try. Pastel on 9 x 12 art spectrum paper. still not a great example of what pastels can do, but better than my first try.

Remember my unsatisfactory palm tree? Well, i got some comments from wetcanvas that enabled me to offer this improved version.

Fruit

This weeks reference for the wetcanvas drawing and sketching thread was a bowl of cherries. Its a nice subject, i would love to attempt to paint it in pastels or oils later. Instead i drew, in graphite instead of my usual charcoal.

I also did a small still life- one apple- in oils. Painted from life using a plastic apple. I could have been more imaginative on my background though.

Unsatisfactory

Unsatisfactory. That's the only word for this pastel sketch. And its the tree that throws it off. The tree look like a little kid drew it. I went back in a couple of times trying to improve it but nothing worked.

The image is of the Castillo de San Marcos in St Augustine, Florida. The reference photo was taken in the late afternoon.

Already Wednesday

Its already Wednesday and i've only one drawing to show for the week. Here it is, a 14 x 17 charcoal for the WC drawing and sketching challenge.

Finally another EDM drawing

Took me a while to look at the list again, drew this on Saturday. No extra credit since no journaling involved. The most interesting thing i could say is that i can't leave it on the sofa since the dog can and has stepped on it and changed channels.

Simplified

The original photo for this wetcanvas drawing challenge had basil and garlic along with the tomatoes and quite a complicated reflection in the colander. I cropped out the garlic and simplified the reflection, but the basil looked like an unidentifiable blob, so i erased it. This is the result, in my usual charcoal.

Autumn Leaves

The weekly pastel sketch challenge didn't have a theme as of this morning, so i made my own. I took two leaves fallen in my front yard and drew from life. In keeping with the challenge, i kept the time under 60 minutes, so more can be done at a later time to finish the painting.

While I'm Away

The weekly sketch thread on wet canvas used a reference photo of a dog, a bassett hound. I was away from home most of the week, so this sketch is in pencil on my sketchpad (approx 5 x 7) instead of in charcoal. You can clearly see that it is a dog, but that it is a bassett hound isn't as clear, and the mournful expression isn't there. Not the best looking sketch, but the best i've done so far in drawing a dog. Didn't get around to posting it on wetcanvas.

Bottle, glass, and apple

I did this sketch (charcoal, 14 x 17) for the weekly sketch challenge on wetcanvas. While i was working, i thought that the glass was a little misshapen but that the bottle was fine. It was only after spraying the drawing and going away for a few hours that i was able to notice how misshapen the glass was and that the bottle was way too wide.

I did step away from the drawing while i was working to view it from across the room, but i didn't notice those problems then. I should have tried looking in a mirror while i was still working. I need to learn to pay closer attention to proportions while i'm working, and to not spray the result with fixative until i've left it for a few hours.

Busy Week

Its been a busy week, so not much time to create things to show you. I did work on a painting i had started last week as part of the wetcanvas landscape challenge. My first landscape challenge, and after i photographed it i see more that i could work on. Anyway, here it is. Oil on canvas panel, 8 x 10.







And i did finally do another version of the wetcanvas pastel challenge with the limited palette of only five sticks. I used the same ones as last time, a yellow, a red, a blue, a dark grey, and a very light blue. I spent a little more time, i worked on layering, and i simplified the towel background, and i came up with this. Pastel on sanded paper, made with Golden pastel ground on 11 x 14 bristol vellum.

EDM #192

Draw something that floats.

Not much contrast. I made the mistake of trying to draw ice in a glass of water, so everything was clear or white. And it looks a little crooked. Guess i need to practice with a pencil more.

Keeping it Simple

I chose a fairly easy subject this time. One orange, cut in two, sitting on a blue towel. I used my husband's halogen spotlight to provide the lighting. Feeling clumsy, as usual, painting this subject with my sticks of pastel. I see more than what i painted, but i don't know how to portray the texture of the skin of the orange or that of the towel. I guess that shows me how far i have to go.

Stretching

I decided to try a couple of challenges on wetcanvas. The first was to draw from a selected photo reference, a picture of the leaning tower of Pisa. I did it in charcoal since i have an easier time rendering value in charcoal than in pencil. Not much detail but the idea is there.

The next challenge was also from wetcanvas, this time from the pastel group. It was to do a pastel painting using only the primaries plus two. Well, i gave it a go, but it wasn't all that successful. The lemons are sort of recognizable, but the towel gave me fits and is not recognizable. The good thing about doing this challenge is that i didn't see any red in the reference photo. But after much staring, and starting to work on the pastel, i did start to see nuances of red. It makes for somewhat of a victory, to see a little better. A little victory though.

Starting a Blog

Me starting a blog. Who would believe that.

Anyway, the purpose of this blog is to post my attempts at sketching, drawing, and painting, and to document what will hopefully be my improvement. This is a pastel sketch of daffodils i did last week. Every time i work in pastels, i wish that i had more colors, and this time was no exception. i could have used more yellows, especially light yellow. and there's not much detail. sometimes you want a looser presentation, but i still feel clumsy with pastel sticks and wish i knew how to imply the greater detail that i'm looking for.

That's it for now.