"A Quick Painting from a Life Sketch" - Life Sketch and Painting

 I did this quick little painting from the charcoal sketch of the model.  Initially I was going to do the whole thing which would include the chair the model was sitting in etc etc, but I ran out of interest and became involved in doing ink drawings of cowboys playing cards.  And possibly leading to trouble. 👀  

The painting is on 6 x 8" Canson mixed media paper.  Am anxious, though, to use my acrylics on Gessobord because I think I'll be more pleased with the brushstrokes.  This was interesting to do - next time I'll make color notes about skin, eye and hair color.  As always. so grateful to the models.   Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Tangled - original oil pastel portrait

This piece is one that I did on Strathmore acrylic paper using black acrylic paint and drawing/painting over it with oil pastel.  This is so rewarding for me - it looks like the model yet not exactly - she is my creation and the drawing is loose, just the way I like it!  Do y'all get this wonderful feeling of accomplishment when you do something you love?  Yes of course you do - that's why we spend hours alone with dirty hands maybe listening to music or audiobooks and in the end maybe aren't crazy about what we just finished, but sometimes . . . .😊. Thanks for stopping by!

 

Path to the Dune - original landscape oil painting

Something totally different which I do from time to time.  I painted this landscape on Gessobord, 6 x 8", with professional oil paints, using a limited palette.  Just about all my work is done with a limited palette, not always just my favorite four colors - titanium white, ivory black, Indian red and yellow ochre, but still many fewer than most artists.  And often I try out a guest color which is lots of fun for me.  Thanks for stopping by!
 

Barrel Racer #11 - figurative oil rodeo painting

Here's a small and very quick (5 x 5") rendition of a barrel racer from the Junction rodeo this past summer.  It's done very loosely as preparation for a larger one?  Maybe.  I don't know.  Am currently working on other drawings and paintings, but like my little dancers, rodeos always show up again.  I think it's really instructional to set a timer and get busy - one of my books suggests 45 minutes, which I like, and it makes you work really really hard to get finished, so while you leave out stuff, you still end up with something lively - and fun.  Whew!  Sorry for that long sentence.  Thanks so much for dropping by!

 

Lissy on Red - acrylic and oil pastel portrait

Something so much fun to paint - started with acrylic and finished with oil pastel.  These two media work so well together.  It's done on acrylic paper by Strathmore, which has a great surface and is very easy to work with.  I could have made it more realistic but it was so enjoyable to just roll with it - and Lis thinks it looks like her, so who am I to fret?  

Hope you're all having a great Labor Day - thanks for stopping by!
 

Mixed Media Figures - original mixed media figurative drawings

 Just having fun - moving forward without any plan at all.  These two drawings have absolutely no connection to each other except for being on the same page.  The squinting woman and the contour drawing of the lady with a fan are even from two different drawing groups - being economical with paper, I guess.  The unfinished painting has so many media that I'm not sure I can remember them all, but here goes -  watercolor, watercolor pencil, ink, charcoal and acrylic (whew) and the contour drawing is simply charcoal pencil. On 8 x 10" Canson Mixed Media plein aire board, which is so sturdy and a real delight to work on - I love it!  Thanks for stopping by!

Two Women - original acrylic figurative abstract painting

 I did this very quickly because I had such a tiny bit of time, so my brush was working at a feverish pace.  That's why there's not a lot of finish, but it was a fun exercise.  No time to change brushes, so it was done with one brush that was larger than I would normally use for the whole thing.  On 10 x 8" gessoed board - thanks for stopping by!

Sketch of the Model in a Black Robe - original oil pastel figurative

I love when the model is just relaxing - not worrying about maintaining a pose - and waiting until the break is over.  This 11 x 10" oil pastel is done with Sennelier oil pastels on Strathmore acrylic paper, which I like for its "canvasy" pattern and the 246 lb. weight.  Very sturdy!  I also like using this paper for acrylic brush drawings - give it a try.  Thanks for looking!

Nellie's Red Hat - original oil pastel figurative drawing

Totally love those flappers!  And the delight of not having enough time to make it an actual "finished painting" so it remains loose and more of a drawing.  Of course when is it a drawing and when is it a painting?  Some of my most successful drawings have been done with oils and you probably can say the same.  I was reading the other day about alternating between paintings, which I do, but always setting a timer for each one so there's a freshness for each piece.
I sometimes set a timer, but then get hung up on some little something and turn it off.  And then the overworking sets in.  Memo to me - obey the timer!  This drawing is on smooth Colourfix paper.  I bought two packages - one fresh grey and one black - great for lots of media - 12 x 9".  Thanks for looking!

Meant to be an Oil Pastel, but Stayed a Watercolor portrait sketch

I decided to do a loose underpainting with watercolor for an oil pastel - something I almost never do - but just decided to leave it as a watercolor after all.  It actually wasn't laziness - I really like the looseness of this little 7½ x 9" piece on Arches oil paper.  Thanks for stopping by!

Friday Jive - figurative painting of jive dancers

This piece is a lot looser than usual and was really really fun to paint - sort of threw caution to the wind with this one!  It's on 8 x 8" panel - thanks for stopping by!

Jivin' Up a Storm - original figurative oil painting of jive dancers

The little jivers are back and still at it - they keep coming back to show me what they can do and I love it!  This one is painted on 8 x 8" cradled panel.  I was a little looser this time, especially with the background and had a lot of fun with it.  We're gearing up for the rodeo here - the yearly event where I get lots of sketches and photos that I use in my artwork.  And this time, it's not supposed to be so terribly hot and may actually rain (well, I'll believe it when I see it) which doesn't happen too much around here.  Thanks for looking!

PS.  Click here to check out my oil pastel blog,

The Model in a Green Flowered Dress - original watercolor portrait painting

Every now and then I come across my Yupo and decide to fool around with watercolor.  I didn't do this one from life, but from a photo I took at a drawing group.  I really think I'm going to get brave enough to take my w/c stuff to the next group and see what I come up with - haven't done that in ages.  Actually, the background is a little bit whiter than the photo shows - done on 9 x 12" Yupo.  Thanks for stopping by!

Jivin Once Again - oil pastel figurative

I never tire of my jivers.  These happy dancers are painted in oil pastel on 6 x 12" Pastelbord.  Thanks for looking!

Portrait of Sheila - watercolor portrait

It's always fun and unpredictable to paint on Yupo and this little portrait (about 10 x 8") was no exception!  Not really my thing, but watercolor is exciting to do every now and then.  My brush was actually a 'round' for oil or acrylic - kind of a no-no, I guess, but I had a good time.  I worked from an old drawing - one of my collection of thousands (okay, maybe just hundreds) - I spent a lot of time in my life attending drawing groups - hence my collection of drawings, which often have another life as a painting many years later.  I finally had to get rid of most of these drawings and just keep the photos of them on my computer.  How modern is that?!  Thanks for stopping by!

Seated in a Red Chair - original oil figurative painting

I love it when the model is on a break and takes a "pose" that's natural for her.  Then we can ask her to hold it while we paint - works out great for all of us!  This painting is on 8 x 8" canvas.  Thanks for looking!
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On My Easel - Steps to a Nude - original oil pastel nude in progress

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Here are steps I'm taking in developing a nude painting.  It began as a charcoal drawing (bottom photo) which I used as a "pattern" to do my 7 x 5" oil pastel on sand Pastelbord.  In step 2,  I covered my Pastelbord drawing with a light blue Sennelier oil pastel, then, in step 3, covered most of the blue with ochres and added bits of red.  I like the more raw version of step 3 and have to try hard not to overwork it - just add a little here and there and then call it 'finished'.  Just about done, I think. The feet were a real challenge because of the way they're tucked under her - so I may have to work on those a little.   Also, the original charcoal drawing of the face was too fussy, and looked as if I didn't even look at the woman who was posing, so in doing the oil pastel, I left the face pretty much alone.  Thanks for stopping by!

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Mad Jive - original oil figurative painting

She looks a little wild, hence the title.  The struggle to make things loose continues.  This one is 7 x 5" on Gessobord.  Thanks so much for stopping by!