Palm Sketch

Charcoal on paper

It's Wednesday, so that means it's Sketchbook Wednesday!

I'll spare you the whimpering excuses, but haven't been able to paint. Been sketching though. Painting to resume soon.

Hot as Blazes

Acrylic on Cardstock

OK, this is pretty sloppy and random, but it might make a nice illustration for a children's book. A bad children's book about Hades, that is.

Fire River

Acrylic on Cardstock - 6 x 4.25 inches

Based on a true story. Sort of.

Daffodils

Acrylic on Canvas Panel - 8 x 8 inches

Here's a sketch I did while visiting another artists studio in Sonoma. We set up a simple still life with fresh flowers and started the clock. I think I must be finally adjusting to larger canvases because this one felt too small while I was working on it.

Oil on Canvas Panel - 10 x 10 inches

This is the resident artists' work in progress. I couldn't tell if he was done or if it was the important phone call that ended this one.

Le Roi II

Acrylic on Cardstock - 4.25 x 6 inches

Using the pre-mixed puddles of paint from the Fake Lake, I thought I'd go even more abstract.

Fake Lake

Acrylic on Cardstock - 4.25 x 6 inches

Having done plenty of reflective bodies of water "en plein air" and from source photos, I thought I just make one up from scratch. Not as hard as one might think.

French pronunciation: ɑ̃ plɛ ˈnɛr (I just thought looked interesting)

Snow Lane - Challenge

Acrylic on Canvas Panel - 8 x 10 inches

With Different Strokes from Different Folks on hiatus, I was thinking of starting a monthly challenge myself. Fortunately, a lot of "folks" already have. They vary wildly in style, but I thought I'd just start submitting some responses to the challenges.

Studio Atelier, run by Barb Benik, seems to be a familiar fit – everyone painting their interpretation of the same photo, so I've started there. Not many entries yet, but you've still got two weeks.

Stow Lake Palace

Acrylic on Cardstock - 6 x 4 inches - SOLD

Another sketch from my trek 'round Stow Lake. Palace is a bit grand title for an object that's gazebo size, but it looked so regal, and not so much like a merry-go-round, as I've rendered it here.

Stow Lake

Acrylic on Cardstock - 4 x 6 inches  SOLD
Phew. Much more fun doing a quick sketch again, (and getting out of doors for a change).
Yes, Stok Lake is a lake, but it has a huge island in the middle, so it's more like an artificial circular river, with a waterfall to boot.

Corner Shop Revisited Finished

Acrylic on Canvas Panel Ω
Well this is where it wound up. Not sure it's my favorite of the steps, though it certainly the most detailed.
I worked on the trees a bit until I thought they were just right, and then noticed that the roof shape wasn't shortened properly as it went back into the distance, so I changed that and had to redo the trees there again. Pretty much the same story in every area I ventured into.
I discovered what a lot of you probably already know – if you look at a piece you can always find something wrong with it you'd like to change, but generally don't feel like getting all set up to do so. However, if you set out your palette and give yourself some time to "fix" a piece, the hours can fly by.
I'd bet I could work on this for two hours every day, but I'm not sure it would get any better. Just different.
The other big stumbling block here, for me, was color. Specifically the decision whether to match the color in the photograph as accurately as possible, or to go for a more "artistic" approach. I'm still not sure, but I do think some of the earlier stages were more interesting, color-wise.