Sketches for Scavenger Hunt #9

I sketched these yesterday for the Scavenger Hunt # 9. Number 5 is my favorite shoes. I had them on so had to sketch them in place! Number 6 is a pair of needle nose pliers. They were much more difficult to draw than I thought. It is the challenge for three views. I should have picked an easier item, but that is the challenge, so.......there you are then.

I will be away from high speed internet for a few days, so probably no new postings.

We had rain last night and tonight, but did get in golf yesterday and today. The stream through the golf course was running again, but it did not wash out any of the holes. The golf course here is very nice and the creek wanders along and you have water ponds on many of the holes, the creek is usually dry.

I did not work on any of the apple paintings.

Little Red Apples, Clouds and Tiny Lizard

I really liked the Little Green Apples, so decided to do another one of the redder little apples. I thought you might enjoy a work in progress.

I'm using Art Spectrum pastel card that comes in 9 x 12 sheets so the surface is a little different .. this paper can't take quite as much abuse as the Wallis, but is very good and has a consistent surface. I started with the white and decided it was just too white so scrubbed on a little pastel and smeared it with a brush and alcohol again. Nothing special, it won't show except where the top layer of pastel is thin and will add a little interest in the background, maybe.




I then sketched in the placement of the apples with a yellow pastel pencil, you may be able to see a little, then sort of formed the apples with some green pastel to vibrate through the red. I use a mixture of soft pastels.




Next I will add the base colors and start the shadows. I like to work all over the painting. Artists that do fine detail, realistic paintings tend to start in the upper corner and work down to keep from touching what they have done or keep the pastel dust from falling on a part already finished. I also like to work standing up. I can step back easier and don't get too bogged down in one spot and overwork the area.

Gene made me a little tray that hangs on the easel to catch the pastel dust. I still keep a piece of vinyl down to cover the floor and stand on some foam pads to save the old legs! At home I have a rubber mat for use in a machine shop or under heavy loads on a truck.

These clouds were at the golf course today. What a beautiful day.





The tiny lizard was in the patio at the restaurant in Mimbres this evening. That is chipped gravel so he couldn't be much longer than two inches.




The painting will go through a little more of the "ugly" stages, Keep tuned to see how it comes out. :)

Little Green Apples

Here is my newest painting, Little Green Apples. It is pastel, soft - a mixture of several brands, Kitty Wallis toned paper, 8 x 10 inches. This painting will go to Peppers for the Cowboy Christmas sale.




I did a blotchy under painting .. it was the paper I used for the rose sketch from a few days ago. :) I just smeared it with a paint brush and alcohol.

The apples are from the golf course tree so not sure of the kind. The bowl actually curves in at the bottom, but I have some at home that are straight and the straight sides make a better composition so that not everything is round. The centers of the left three apples make a triangle, a classic composition.

The principles at work here are compliments vibrate. Compliments are opposites on the color wheel (red, blue and yellow being the primary colors). In this case, red is opposite green and purple is opposite yellow. I also tried to incorporate lost edges in the back to push the rear apples back and harder edges on the forward items. I enjoyed doing the painting. I think it is done, but will leave it a few days before framing.



Taking a photo is not easy. It all goes dark and the camera really picks out the darkest strokes. After putting it in AdobeDeluxe the colors are truer, but the strokes of dark show more than in real life. Taking a photo and reversing the image and changing it in black and white help to check perspective and contrast. I may decide to add more contrast, but the high color seems to take care of that.

This painting and most of my artwork is for sale, you can check on my web page and send me an e-mail.

**Thanks, Joanna, for helping me to place the photos in my text instead of jumbled at the top. It just took me a few weeks to start doing it!