Watercolor Wednesdays - Flowers

5x7 Watercolor on Canson 140lb cold press paper

Welcome to Watercolor Wednesdays!  This week I haven't had much time to paint as I started a new job (as a cake decorator at Walmart).  I was originally only scheduled a few hours a day for this week but they changed it so I was only to do a small painting for now.  I wanted to just play with the watercolors and not think about correct technique or any kind of detail and this simple flower came to mind.  I did some wet on wet and some wet on dry washes and think it turned out not so bad.  I would extend the muted background out past the foliage if I were to do it again, but other than that, I'm happy with this little painting.

If you would like to share your watercolors for the week, sign up with Mr. Linky below.  Please be sure to enter the url for your post as opposed to your blog homepage to make it easier for any latecomers to find your post.

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Paint Party Friday - Tranquility

After the crazy storms and major flooding we had yesterday I wanted to paint something tranquil. A place I would very much like to be right now. And this is what I came up with, a nice little beach with an inviting view of the sea and a beckoning lighthouse. A girl can dream right?
Linking up to PPF
I will be working all day today and tomorrow (I got the job at Walmart as the new cake decorator!) and my internet is down due to the storms so it may take me a while to comment on all the wonderful artwork. I would also like to thank everyone for the tremendous response and wonderful comments you left last Friday for Drawing Drew. I can not express how much it means to me.

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Inspiration Avenue - Blossom

I've been on a flower kick lately, possibly due to all of the rain we've been getting lately. Hoping it brings lots of pretty flowers next month.  I did this painting this evening and saw that the theme for Inspiration Avenue this week was blossom so I thought it was fitting to link up with them. Take a moment to stop by and check out all of the pretty blossoms by other wonderful artists.

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Watercolor Wednesdays - Sunflower

Watercolor on 140lb Canson Cold Press Paper

Welcome to Watercolor Wednesdays! Hope your week is off to a good start.  This has been a very good week for me so far, I got the job as a cake decorator at Walmart.  Not the perfect job but something that I love to do and in this economy, I'm just happy to be employed again.  I did a watercolor sketch of a sunflower in my field sketch book the other day and I didn't hate the outcome but wasn't happy with the background.  I tried doing another on Monday and it was a complete disaster.  So I figured I'd give it a go one more time.  There really is something to be said about the whole practice makes perfect.  Not that this is perfect by any means, but it's the first painting I've ever liked enough to sign (yay me!).  And the best part is....I've sold it! The very first piece of art that I've ever sold!  To a family member, but it still counts!

The colors are slightly more subtle in real life but I love it. I think I need to play with the white balance on my camera as most of the pics I've taken recently seem a little too dark and I've been taking them in indirect light outside so they should be slightly brighter.  I really need to get the book out and learn alot of other things about the camera too but you know how that goes.

If you would like to link up to Watercolor Wednesdays sign up with Mr. Linky below and be sure to post the link directly to your post as opposed to your home page.  Don't forget to grab the button on the right and share with your blogging friends.

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IF - Wild

This week's Illustration Friday prompt was Wild.  Although I actually drew this a few weeks ago I thought it fit perfectly with the theme.  I typically stay at my boyfriend's house a few days a week and let me tell you it's like the wild kingdom in their backyard!  We feed the squirrels everyday and they must have told some friends.  Just this morning there were six squirrels, a male and a female duck, birds and a bunny.  I love just sitting and watching them and was inspired to do this little guy.  They each have their own personalities and are just so stinking cute!

I've been trying to get a good picture of the ducks, the male is absolutely beautiful but they are a little more timid than the squirrels and don't venture too far from the edge of the pool.  (They have a huge in ground pool that goes 11 feet deep at one end so the ducks have plenty of space to play right now.)  If I get a good photo of one I'm going to attempt sketching one or both of them as well.

I just love nature and watching the animals and what inspiration just outside my (err, my honey's) back door!

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Sunday Sketches - Watercolor Faces

Watercolor Sketch

Playing with watercolors and decided to try some faces.  I've never done portraits in watercolor and I had fun playing with these two sketches.  I know there are plenty of things wrong with them, I wasn't going for accuracy as much as just playing with some colors and shading.

Watercolor Sketch

There are things I love about both and things that are really off, like the mouth in this second sketch.  It's almost a Picasso! lol.  Linking up with Sunday Sketches.  Hope you are having a good weekend!

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Paint Party Friday - Drawing Drew

Pencil Drawing

Does a pencil sketch count for PPF? Hmm. I was hoping to get some painting done this week but I have not been home for days so I used what I had with me and decided to try a portrait.  Rather than do a family member I wanted to do a celebrity as they are typically more recognizable.  I would love to do some pencil drawings of my bf's nieces and nephews for his mom for Christmas but definitely need some practice to further my skills.  Why Drew Barrymore?  No particular reason other than I think she is adorable and it was a great reference photo to work from.  Thoughts? Tips?  Not sure what happened with the bottom right portion of the pic, I had to use my camera phone again and something went awry with the editing of the photo but for the most part you can see the contrast and all that good stuff.

Side by Side comparison with the reference photo.

As I was searching for images and looking for some videos on portrait drawing techniques, I happened to come across a post about it not being legal to sell portrait drawings of celebrities. Not that I have any intentions of doing this, it just peaked my curiosity because I see many artists selling pencil drawings of celebrities on Etsy, Ebay, etc.  Anyone out there ever come across this issue before?

In other news, I had two interviews with Walmart for their bakery department yesterday.  As a cake decorator.  I worked in a grocery store bakery a few years ago and loved it.  I have a third interview with the store manager today.  Keeping my fingers crossed that things are finally starting to look up!

Hope you all enjoy your weekend.  We've been having nothing but rain and cooler weather the past few days.  I think I have forgotten what the sun looks like.  BTW, this sketch took me about 10 hours to complete.  I'm definitely not the fastest sketch artist that ever lived. :)

Linking up with Paint Party Friday.  Stop by to see the many wonderfully creative artists, you won't be disappointed!

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Watercolor Wednesdays - More Poppy Play

Watercolor on Canson 140lb cold press paper

I decided to do some more poppies for my kitchen. While I love the layout of this one, I'm not loving the  poppies themselves. I tried a different technique with this one to do the flowers and after I was finished I realized they look more like upside down pumpkins.  I think the flowers in my first one turned out much better, but we paint and we learn.

I finally got the new batteries for my good camera!!  Woo hoo! But, I'm not at home and forgot to bring the adapter for the CF card and had to use my phone again. I'm also using my old laptop and I don't have any image editing software on here so I didn't edit the photo at all.

Have a wonderful week and until next time, keep creating and sharing!

If you would like to share your watercolor works for the week, add your info to Mr. Linky below and please remember to put in the URL for your post, not your blog home page. Thanks!

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Sunday Sketches - Poppies

'Poppies' Watercolor on Canson 140lb cold press paper

First off, sorry for the bad photo, I finished this in the evening and could not get good light to save my life.  The background is actually white but it keeps showing up pinkish or yellowish in the pics even with playing with it in Photoshop.  I love red and have red accents in my kitchen so I thought poppies would make a perfect painting to add some color pop to the walls.  I did a bunch of practice poppies in my field sketch book and three poppy paintings before I got to this one.  I love how the poppies turned out but I'm not real happy with the placement of the two top buds.  Sooo...I'm sure there will be more poppy painting madness in my near future.

I also did some hummingbird watercolor studies which my mom has hinted she would love for mother's day.

I just turned my spare bedroom into a studio of sorts and am loving the fact that all of my supplies are in one spot...and I have space to store everything!  It's amazing how just having easy access to your supplies can really get the creative juices flowing. I did a free form daisy painting in oils also, all in the last two days! The house is spotless, laundry is done and I had the whole day today to myself so I've been busy painting away in between watching reruns of The Walking Dead, (even though I have an irrational fear of zombies, I love that show!)

Hope you had a great creative weekend!  I'm linking up to Sunday Sketches so please stop by to visit the other lovely creations.

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Paint Party Friday - Seascape

Seascape Oil on 16x20 Canvas

So I'm a tad bit obsessed with Bob Ross. I can spend half a day just watching him paint happy little trees and clouds.  I know there is a bit of controversy over his painting style, many artists feel that he isn't what is considered a fine arts artist.  That; however, is untrue.  Bob started as a traditional fine arts oil painter and learned the wet on wet technique from William Alexander who also hosted his own show on PBS.  It was a way to teach people that anyone can paint with a little practice.  That being said, I've tried a few of his paintings, some with success, some not so much but I love the learning process.  His show is still being aired on both PBS and the Create channel in my area so I have tons of reference paintings to choose from.  Lots of happy little trees will be flowing off my brushes in the near future!

I also finished my daughter's Ganesha painting.  She is absolutely thrilled with it which makes me very happy.  She had sent me a reference photo of the one both she and her fiance liked best.  I was a little worried about sketching him out on such a large canvas, not to mention that the dimensions of the canvas size she picked was taller and narrower than the original photo but I did it!  It's the first time I've sketched an image right onto the canvas and I had to make some adjustments to make him appear longer without distorting his proportions too much.

'Ganesha' Acrylic on 24x36 canvas

I'm linking up to Paint Party Friday where you can find some really amazing artists so please check out their wonderful works of art.  Happy Friday!

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Inspiration Avenue - April Showers

'April Showers' Watercolor on Canson 140lb Cold Press Paper

It's that time of year again, Spring is here and the rain is due to start early next week.  I've never attempted rain in watercolors and I think for my first try it turned out pretty good.  I'm not a huge fan of the rain, well, I guess it's more the storms than actual rain.  I may be 45 years old but I still hide under the covers during a nasty bout of thunder and lightning!

I'm linking up to Inspiration Avenue for the first time in months so I hope you hop on over and check out the other wonderful artists that are also participating in this week's challenge, April.

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Watercolor Wednesdays - Morning Glory

'Morning Glory' Watercolor on Canson 140lb cold press paper

Hello and happy Wednesday!  I hope you all had a wonderful Easter.  My very patient Honey endured shoe shopping, three different stores and about 20 dress changes, including purchasing one dress, then changing my mind and wanting a different dress so I would have the perfect look for Easter brunch.  Let's just say by the end of the day he wasn't quite so patient with me.  But...I found the absolute perfect dress and he agreed that it looked better than the original one I picked and it's a great summery dress so I can wear it again without feeling overly dressed. And...it reminds me of a watercolor painting! I'm not much of a girly girl so dress shopping with me is pretty much a nightmare.

Some Easter photos:

Me and my Honey at brunch

Me and my bestie Heather and her daughter Brooke

Anyway, this is my Watercolor Wednesday submission.  I found the pattern in the April 2013 Paint Works magazine and immediately fell in love with the look and I got to try a new technique, pouring, which I found pretty exciting as the paint just kind of does what it wants.  Then you background paint the leaves and stems.  It's not perfect but it's not bad for my first try.

If you would like to link up to Watercolor Wednesdays, just add your info to Mr Linky below.  Please be sure to link to your blog post and not your blog home page.

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'Hoppy' Easter - PPF

'Hoppy Easter' Oil on 3x5 Canvas Board

Spring is finally making an appearance here in the windy city.  We had temps in the mid 40's today which prompted me to paint something with flowers.  I found this pattern in the April 2011 Paint Works magazine.  The original was done in acrylics on a small wood cabinet but I wanted to try something other than landscapes with my oil paints.  My boyfriend's mom loves to decorate for all of the holidays so I'm giving this to her as an Easter gift when we go to brunch on Sunday.

I'm linking up to the Paint Party Friday blog so 'hop' on over and check out all of the other great artists.  Happy Friday!

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Watercolor Wednesdays

Watercolor 5x8 Canson 140lb Cold Press 

Good morning!  Hope your week is off to a good start.  I did this little sketch in my semi homemade art journal and used my Koi Water Colors Pocket Field Sketch Box watercolors to paint it.  I have to say I absolutely love these watercolors.  I've tried a couple different types and brands of watercolors including the tubes and I have found that so far, these are my favorite.  They have beautiful depth to the colors and it's so small I can take it anywhere.

As for my semi homemade art journal, I found a small photo book on clearance at hobby lobby a few months ago and decided to turn it into an art journal of sorts.  I just slipped the ring off both the covers and the pages, cut some watercolor paper to the correct size, used the original paper as a guide to punch the holes, then alternated watercolor paper with the pages that came with the book so I can sketch and watercolor.  The best part is, I can add more pages as I fill it up, or completely remove the old pages and start with a whole new set!

I also FINALLY ordered the new batteries for my Canon EOS Rebel so I can start taking gorgeous pics again instead of using my phone's camera. Yahoo!

If you would like to share your watercolor artwork just click on Mr Linky below.

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Sunday Sketches - Water Lily

Good morning and happy Sunday!  I'm linking up to Sunday Sketches over at Blue Chair Diary so hop on over and take a peek at all of the wonderful sketches this week.  Sorry for the bad pic, I was drawing late last night and wanted a quick pic as I'm going to be using watercolors to color it in later on today.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

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PPF - Tuscan Window

11x13 Watercolor on Canson 140lb Coldpress Paper

So much has been going on the past few months.  I feel like I've been gone forever.  Christmas was absolutely wonderful despite having bronchitis.  My wonderful boyfriend gave me a plasma tv, a kitchenaid mixer and a $100 giftcard to Michaels! Yes I am spoiled! I used my giftcard to purchase my Bob Ross oil paints and have been painting away.  I hope to share those over the next few weeks.

The new year brought the flu, I feel as though I have been sick more often than not this year, ugh! Two rounds of bronchitis, the flu, the stomach flu and just recently a cold.  I'm thinking it's because I'm not typically around little ones until meeting my boyfriends very large family.  Every time one of the kids has the sniffles, I get sick.

 February brought the death of one of my boyfriend's brothers. My boyfriend is the youngest of nine children and they are all very close.  It was hard to watch him go through that kind of pain.  It also brought my birthday and more spoiling from my boyfriend in the form of Kohls and Hobby Lobby giftcards. I got some great clearance deals at Kohls and a wonderful Wilton cake decorating kit along with some painting supplies from Hobby Lobby.

So far March has proved to be following along with the previous months bad luck, my bf's family dog got very sick.  I spent a week there caring for him.  Poor thing could not eat, barely walk and was having a tough time breathing.  After several vet visits and a misdiagnosis it was determined that he had metastatic cancer and we had to put him down.  One of the hardest things I've had to do.  The good news so far this month...my daughter got engaged!  They just moved into a new townhouse and needed some artwork for their walls so she came over and 'stole' some of my oil paintings for her bedroom and has asked me to do an acrylic painting of Ganesha. He's a little Indian elephant god, yikes!  My experience with acrylics has not been the best so far, but it's a pretty simple painting so hopefully it goes well!

Also hoping that April will finally bring some good news as well as some spring weather.  Can't wait to open windows and feel the warmth of the sun.  Hope you all have a great weekend, please stop by Paint Party Friday to see all of the wonderful artists and their creative works!

step one

step two

Step three

The finished piece

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