Cows Coming Home

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Cows Coming Home 10x20. This watercolor was started in my weekly drawing class. It started with a photo of a man leading cows across a meadow. He had chains attached to the cows' necks. My teacher suggested I change him for a boy carrying a stick and perhaps having the cows coming up and over a hill. Of course, I listened. It took quite a while to draw everything. Luckily I was using a good quality watercolor paper as I erased a lot. When finished, I took my drawing to my watercolor class (same teacher). She made suggestions, but I did all the painting, except for some finishing touches in the background and boy. I'm pleased.

Waiting

Waiting 11x15 2010. This watercolor was done in my weekly watercolor class. The assignment: Find a reference photo that has plenty of value stressing darks and lights. Make sure it has a good composition. Then, without any drawing, start to paint with juicy washes. This turned out much better than I had anticipated. And, it was lots of fun.

White Horse

White Horse 12x16 2010

I usually have a good idea of where I want to go with a watercolor and what I want to say. In this particular painting, it was the white horse that spoke to me. I knew I wanted to dramatize him running and I wanted a painting, not a copy of the reference photo. I often start out with the bones of a good painting only to get lost in the middle and end, especially the background and foreground. To this end, I decided to paint this in my weekly watercolor class where my instructor could suggest ways to improve. I'll list a few of her suggestions. (1) To make the white horse stand out, you must make the background darker. The horse and background behind the white one must be dark. (2) Don't make the other horses too important by adding too much detail - in them or their surroundings. (3) In reverse, make the white horse very important. (4) Before you call it done, wait a day or two, then really scrutinize the painting. If something bothers you, it needs fixing. Don't be afraid to "scrub" out, redraw, fix. I'm pleased with the results.

Little Girl

Little Girl 9x9 2010

This portrait was done during the weekly portrait class. I'm including the steps I took in completing this painting.

Reference photo

Little Boy

Little Boy 9x9 2010.

This portrait was done in my portrait class. Except for the background, it is all my drawing and painting. One of these days I will know what to do for a background as each one is different. In the reference, the boy was looking into a fish tank with his reflection showing in the water. He looked as if he was deep in thought wondering how the fish lived and breathed. It was a fun painting to do.

Meal Bonding

"Meal Bonding" 14x20 2010 Arches 140 lb cold press.


This was a fun painting to do -kind of painted itself! I got the reference from WetCanvas image library and modified it some. The hardest part was to keep the stripes separate.

Proud

Proud 12x16 2010.

I found the reference for this watercolor in our local city's website this past Memorial Day. In the photo the girl was missing most of her teeth. I thought about painting her that way, but figured it would draw too much attention to her mouth. The hands were troublesome as the fingers twist around each other while holding the flag. This was a good practice painting. Not only in the subject, but also in the background.