Cross in watercolor pencil

So I haven't played with watercolor in a while and I missed it.

Today I taught an acrylic painting class and was talking about watercolor pencils and how much fun they are to play with and so after class I dug mine out.

They were as much fun as I remembered! Like coloring with colored pencils and loose like watercolor.

I painted a cross, a silly page of hearts and a rose bud. Loved it!

The last two Wednesdays I've been helping Sarah out with her paintings. I told her and the other ladies in my class that if they wanted to learn watercolor pencil, they could come on Wednesday afternoon and we would play with some colors.

What's Your Hurry? An update

For some reason the pic looks darker than the actual painting. I really should take a photagraphy class. I removed the fish right behind the turtle. I like it better now. I also darkened the bottom part of the painting. I was told it gets darker the more you go down in water. I personally liked the bottom part better when it was lighter but it is done now and I have put the painting away.

I have so many paintings going now I need to find the time and insperation to finish some so I can make room in my studio. It is getting crowded!

The elderly gentleman I take care of had a fall last week. I thought he was going to die. I've been up to see him everyday until today. He is now doing better but they (the doctors) are telling me at his age (90) he wont survive long. I'm sad because I love him and will miss him. I'm also scared because #1 I've become dependant on the income and #2 If I don't have that to do I will have the time to actually paint, I'll reach that 100 mark and I'll be able to ask myself "Am I any good?" Really is kind of scarey to not have that cushion. To face things one way or another.

What's Your Hurry? decisions

I have already posted "What's Your Hurry?" I liked it. Loved it even, but wondered about wheather it was really finished or just I was ready to be done with it. Actually the biggest thing I worried about was weather it should have some warmer colors in it since it is mostly cool colors. So I posted it in the animals forum of WetCanvas (have I mentioned I love this site?).

I only had a few comments. They were generally good with a few exceptions. 2 people suggested working on the shell more, to give it more detail. The only problem with that is the reference photo doesn't have a bunch more detail. Another person suggested I add air bubbles since turtles are air breathers...this sounds like a good idea, but once again the ref doesnt show this, and I really only paint what I see. I can take things away from the photo (and even this is a new triumph for me), but adding is a challenge still. And speaking of taking away...one person suggested removing the fish behind the turtle that intersects with the turtle. Now this fish was bothering me too. I had already removed several fish that were bothering me so removing this one is a good idea in my book.

I started working on it last night, I'm not sure how it will work out. While working on it I had one of those "I suck at painting" moments. I always have this fear that I've already done the best work I'll ever do...that I will mess up the painting I'm doing...so many fears...

A

My second time teaching part 2

So the class was fun. It was challenging but fun. I believe 15 people ended up attending. So much bigger than the last time. 3 of them were under 15 and two of those ended up being the largest part of the challenge. As their parents did just dropped them off and with it being such a big class I could not give them the attention they needed. So they ended up goofing off a lot and not really getting as much out of if as they could have.

Every one else seamed to have a pretty good time. Two of the students gave me really big complements. Later, on facebook, they posted they were heading out to buy their own paints because they couldnt wait for the next class! I thought that was so cool!

Second time teaching

This past spring I started an arts and crafts club at my church. We usually meet on Thursday evenings and everyone brings what ever they are working on and we talk as we work. It has been wonderful! We decided at the first meeting that once per month someone would do a demonstration of a craft.

I went first and taught a painting. It was an ok size group with 6 in attendance. Everyone seamed to have a good time and they said they were happy with their paintings.

We have learned lots of other crafts along the way too. I've learned to knit. We made recipe card holders, wove baskets, decorated cakes...

With my wedding this July there was no way for me to lead it during the regular times/days so July got skipped.

This Saturday I am to teach another class. The group has grown. There are currently students signed up. I'm thinking the last group really did like the last class!

65 - What's Your Hurry

I love painting. Specifically, I love painting with oils. Don't get me wrong. I like painting with watercolor, and acrylic has some great attributes. But I love painting with oils. I love the way they feel as I move my brush. Love the way each layer very subtlety changes the next layer. I even love the way they smell.
Some people find it a problem with how long oils take to dry. Spouting off about it slowing them down and make it difficult to complete paintings.... I enjoy the whole process. Though I don't have much actual working time on this painting, it sounds like an enormous amount of time when I tell people how long it took to complete from start to finish.

You see this painting, as well thought out as it looks is, well, not exactly. When I was beginning painting I tried the Bob Ross method. The only problem was I didn't like the paintings when they were done. I believed I was doing something wrong. It took me forever to figure out the paintings look much better from afar. That when I really looked at a Bob Ross painting I didn't like them so it wasn't I had failed. I was doing the style correctly, it was the style of painting I disliked. The background for this painting was to be yet another try at the bob Ross style of painting. It was another "fail". It would not be a masterpiece, but what I did have, when I really looked at it, was a great under the sea background. A background I loved and with much luck one I wouldn't have to do much to for the painting to work.

I looked and looked and was unable to find a subject for the painting. I moved on to other paintings and sort of forgot about it. Some time passed. One day while looking for something else (isn't that how it usually works?), I saw this turtle photo and new it would be good for the under the sea painting. I did a quick and very rough sketch of the turtle and then started painting. I love to paint and am always in such a hurry to get started that I don't do a very accurate sketch. I would probably get done with finished painting sooner if I didn't have to make so many corrections, but I don't care.

I paint in many very thin layers. Each layer reacts softly with the next. Each layer takes about a week to dry. So although I only spend about an hour or less painting each layer the total time of completing sounds longer. People now a days are so often trying to rush through life that they frequently miss the small joys along the way. The process for them seams to be something they feel they must put up with to get the end result. I know a lot of people who feel that working with oils is too slow and just love acrylics because it dries so quickly they can go on to the end result (finished painting) quicker. I personally am sad when my paintings are done. So I paint lots and lots of layers. Building up to get just the look I am looking for. With the required drying time, this means it takes a while to complete a painting.

From start to finish, from first brush stroke to the signing of the name, this painting took about a year to complete. So when I tell anyone how long the painting took they understandably think wow that is so much work. When in reality, there was no work, just love.

By the way, this painting also has the significant distinction of being the first painting signed with my new name. It is the first HANLEY.

Have't posted in a while

It has been months since I posted anything. Mostly because I've been so busy I haven't painted much. I did finish one painting ( I'll post that in my next posting), but I've really been busy.

Case in point, I recently got married . Yes, that is not a typo, I got married again. I've been seeing the new hubs for several years and long ago we talked of getting married, but really I couldn't see a reason to get married. Then the gentleman was diagnosed with recurring renal cancer. He was diagnosed at stage 4. That is not a good starting place. There have been some really pretty scary times were I've no been sure he would make it through the day. And I was during one of these scary times that I realized I wanted to marry him. Kind of gave me a startle when I realized it. But it was there and when he was having a better go of I I mentioned it to him.

Some time went by and I thought really very little about it. He was doing better, we were on a break from the treatments, and I decided to go visit some family for a week. It was a wonderful time and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. When I returned from my trip, he said "we need to talk ". This is not usually a good sign. I sat down and he began to talk. He started with every objection i had previously voiced about getting married and he raised equally good reasons to overcome them. Next he spoke of every objection he had to getting married and then stated his reasoning why these were not so important after all. Then he got on his knees, held my hand, and told me he loved me, he didnt care if it was a week or 50 years.... He wanted to spend the rest of his life married to me. So I said yes!

Our engagement announcement was not typical. Instead of the traditional newspaper announcement, the man posted it on Facebook. Needless to say my children were startled by finding out this way. But mostly they thought it was amusing.

The wedding could not have gone off so well or so quickly if it where not for two incredibly wonderful paddies from my church. They planned and set it up and made it so beautiful I cant express my gratitude enough.

The honeymoon was fun. We did something most find strange, but so appealed to us... Everytime we approached an intersection we then made the decision which direction to go. We posted our decision on Facebook so family and friends could join the adventure. We traveled for a week and had many adventures including getting stuck! I am now an old married woman .. Been married for three whole weeks and things are starting to get back to normal

64 - No title yet

The reference picture for this one was captured a couple of years ago and I aways loved it. One of my sons brought his new little puppy to our house for Christmas. This was the meeting of his dog and mine. My dog, Bonnie was very currious about the visitor. I've been working on the painting off and on for about 4 months. Getting the older dogs expression just right was difficult. A smidge one way or the other changed the curious look to angry and that was not what the painting was about. So several times I painted and rubbed it out. Painted and sanded it off. Painted and re-painted. I think I am happy with it now. Now if I can just come up with a title....

16" x 20" Oil on canvas

Bird Of Paradise

This is an update of an update. I've worked on this one for almost a year. I started it shortly after loosing my mother last May, and when I missed her badly I would work on it until I did all I felt I could do. I've even said it was done a couple of times, but I was never quite happy with it. This time, it has been sitting there for a few days, and I don't see anything to tweek. Maybe it is finally done.

Bird Of Paradise 16" x 20" Oil on canvas

63- Sunflowers in Blue Vase

Someday I really need to learn to take better photos. I am sure part of it is being patient enough for a good day to go outside and photograph my paintings, but that may never happen. As soon as the painting is done I want to see how it looks on the monitor. Often this will point a problem that I missed in real life. I'm not exactly sure how that works but it does. Then, if I don't see anything I need to fix, it is declared done. So I post it on here (yes even if there is an awful glare.)I probably should be a bit more careful with the photos... maybe someday..

Back to this particular painting... Sunflowers. I love flowers. Love painting them and just enjoy being around them. The bright petals against the dark background was a challenge that I truely enjoyed. I feel I am getting better at yellows. Greens...still working on though they are improving some.

62 - Out For A Walk

This is my fist painting in acrylics. They had some good points and some frusting points. The good - dries quickly so could readily fix something or add another color on top of it. The frusterating part? Well the colors don't come out of the tube the same colors as oils paints. Like the burnt umber is much lighter in the tube. It took a while for me to see that they dry a bit darker. All of them seam to. I was able to use glazes much the same as in oils so that was nice. Finished an entire painting in one day so that was nice as well.

61 - Oranges

So one night I was sitting in my livingroom eating an orange. There really isnt much orange in an orange. Starting thinking about it so went to the store and bought a big bag and dumped them out...and started painting. Really, very little orange in an orange, there is yellow and green and white even some blue but not much orange.

This was onother quick study. About 3 hours start to finish

Orange in Oranges. 18" x 24" oil on canvas. There really isn't much orange in oranges.

60 - Bucket of Apples

60 - Bucket of Apples

This was a quick painting. I decided I had spent so much time fussing about details in some my paintings that I was loosing my joy at painting so played with this one, very quickly. It is a large painting, but did the whole painting in about 4 hours...very very quick for me.

Apples - 18" x 24" oil on canvas. Not my usual style. Pretty impressionistic. But I like it so calling it done

59 - CAMILIA

#59 - CAMILIA

Another oil on canvas. 18"x 24" It is yet another were I varied a bit from the reference photo. Mostly in the background. I changed that entirely, and like it much more now. Finally signed it today, so it gets added to the pile of finished paintings.

I enjoy the adding of paintings to this blog. Not so much the finishing of the paintings. That always makes me a little sad.