CHALLENGE for 14th March - 21st March SELF PORTRAIT!

Have fun peoples.


Please post on the same day, Sunday the 22nd of March.


I can't wait to see all the paintings all together..


:-))

Sketches 15.03.09

I did a couple of sketches while I was sitting in my stal at he market. One is of one of the gum trees across the road, the other of the garbage bin at another stall across from me..

Bob the Snow Blower

Tweaked painting. The Final.

This si what i was working on this week for my neighbour Bob, who cleaned my driveway all winter becasue I was unable to. I posted this on WC but I wasn't sure if all of you are on the site.

Edited by JJ

Here is the adjusted painting I did..

Photograph of the fiddle that belonged to the fiddle case ....

Tomato Juice (just for Bruce)

I have to tell you Bruce, that wasn't an easy one to paint. Took me all day. I just painted the shapes, and stepped back, and saw I had a glass..;-))

Still Life 2.0

THIS IS NOT A CHALLENGE, STEP A WAY FROM THE LEDGE

I had said I was going to take some more pics and said I'd share some, so here's a nice soft one.

A Simple One,

And my fav...

Sleepy Falls

I did this as a challenge for Wc, off my own photo. Unfortunatly, I have had some rough days due to my heart, so I thrashed this off with a knife in an hour, so not my best. I really need to know how to paint this kind of water.

Fiddle Case

I did this one at the Art Grout meeting today.
Any suggestions for a better title instead of "fiddle case"?

Oil bottle still life finished

The background is a lot darker than this, is is a luscious rich deep blue. I am not having much luck getting a decent photo. Sorry, must be the pthathlo blue.

Todays painting WIP

This is from a reference picture in the wc image library. Ree had it on her computer and sent it to me. Acrylic 12" x 16" I wanted to paint glass for Bruce. Bottle is finished I am starting the grapes now, well maybe tomorrow as it is midnight now..

PS

The camera has hardened the lines some what, and the liquid line is a lot more subtle that that in the painting.

PPS

All my paintings are drawn freehand. Just thought I should mention that, as I know some folks trace, but I haven't traced in years. I love drawing. Like everything the more one practices, the better one gets.. :-))

Fire away..

Todays paintings (2)

Well I got stuck into it today and painted to paintings, both 12" x 16" both acrylics.

Fire away... I will tell you later what I think...

Macks Cucumber combo again

I had a couple come into my stall last Sunday, and ask for food paintings. They have just bought a restaurant and want paintings for the walls.
I painted Bruce's reference picture (again) from the Paint Meeeeeeeeeeeee challenge on Wet Canvas (open critique forum)

See anything? 12"x16" Acrylics on stretched canvas.

After reading the comments I went back and tweaked it. What do you think now?

My contribution to Mackb's fruit and veges. I go overseas in less than two weeks and have a great deal to do before then so I will not be meeting any more challenges until I return in April. Bye for now. Sorry JJ no sketches forthcoming either.

Tomato Challenge

Coloured Pencil, 9x12"

This one is late and should be never. As you can see, I'm lousy with coloured pencils and I just discovered they are worse than watercolours.

Anyway, I am unable to do much the last few days bec of my heart. I'm having a low heart day, but I wanted to do something. Just don't snicker. It is horrible, oh, the inhumanity of it all, ick, hack choke!

Blog issues

I had an email from Sandy. She isn't going to be participating int he blog for now, she can't post. She says..

I can get into the site o.k....but when I get "settled" and start to do something (like respond..or post) it closes down and I have to keep starting all over again.

She is totally frustrated, has had her computer to the repair shop, and has tried all manner of things, and is very saddened not to be able to participate right now. I miss her, so I hope that somehow we can get this sorted out. Any suggestions, and don't mention cookies, been there done that she says, many times.. She only has problems with this blog, nothing else?

I just had that same thing happen to me when I was posting in Bruce's post. I typed out the message, hit enter to start a new line and it was all gone. Never had that happen before. I am going to try and remember to copy while I type from now on, as it is damned frustrating, and I can't remember all wrote. It was a really nice message too..

Is anyone else having problems?

Ahhh, No Traffic, Just Peace

Acrylic on Canvas, 8X10"

Boy I'm fast, zooom zoom.....just kidding.

I had done this one back in Nov. but I didn't realize it when I posted the pic and I don;t feel like doiing it agian. I am getting to the tomatoes of last challenge and the fruit juice one I just posted yesterday.

The stumps are from another pic from the same trip, just downstream a bit.

Bruces Still life with Cucumber....

Ok, I spent 2 hours on this tonight, but I can't finish it, I need to get to bed. It is midnight, I have to get up at 5.00am to go to the Creative markets to set up my stall.
5"x7" acrylic on canvas board

Waterfall

Ok, obviously I have offended everyone already, only 2 weeks and I'm in trouble...Sorry JJ.

So I will post this instead, since the still life is too hard and unwelcome. I am so sorry for causing you guys grief.

I Can't Help Myself

Veggie-Fruit Juice 2.0

One week ladies (Fri Mar 13), one week Bruce, sighhh. I thot I'd had enough of this but this one compelled me so much because it is difficult. I have been treatened with death, disowning and violence if I posted anymore fruit or tomats. So, I apologize right now.

There, that said, this is a great challenge as this is almost backlit and the background is interesting, This will not be a slap-dash kind of painting, but one you will have to apply yourself to.

Do you still want me in your group now???????

HARD - SOFT and LOST EDGES

A quick explanation.

You know a hard edge is when the edge of an object is painted in a well defined way, you have no trouble distinguishing the edge, effectively loosing the edge.

You know a soft edge is an edge which is diffused and blending into the surrounding area, fading into the background.

What you want to know is why we use these edges.

Because, edges are used to lead the viewer's eye around your painting and ultimately to the focal point, or focal area.

Hard edges bring the object into focal point. We use a hard edge when we want to make a certain feature appear to advance. It is a good idea to avoid excessive use of hard edges, because they work against the creation of realism, and the painting tends to become mechanical. We need to be careful though, because a painting totally devoid of hard edges tends to look uninteresting. So the solution, is to put in a few hard edges in, but not too many.

Soft edges, and lost edges have the opposite effect. In real life, most edges look soft because our eyes are constantly moving, which has the effect of blurring edges. An edge will only assume its sharpness if we specifically focus on it because when we focus, the eye comes to rest. So in your painting, it is best to keep most of the edges soft, except for those areas you want to stand out and grab attention. The viewers eye has a natural tendency to fill in the lost edge, and this helps keep a painting interesting as well. To paint soft edges, you do exactly that, soften the edge. To paint a lost edge, you paint the edge in the same value as the edge next to it, so that both edges blend in, and get lost.

Cucumber etc.,

This is what I was working on today at Art Group. I would never have thought of doing still life at all if Mackb had not put his 2 photographs on the Paint Out thread on Wetcanvas. Thank you Mackb .....I really have enjoyed painting those two still life photographs and I surprised myself with the way they turned out. OK ...... I know they are not perfect but they are good by my standards .....
16" X 12" acrylic on board

Sorry ....

Sorry I didn't get painting the tomatoes yet!! .....I have been having fun with a cucumber for Mackb's thread on WC. I will be taking it to my art group this morning and maybe get it finished today along with my tractor painting that I still have to show here ..... Maybe I will try the tomatoes in the afternoon ....who knows .....

Drawing Shapes and Form

Bruce asked me how to draw an eclipse. I did a google for him and didn't find much to be honest. I have a book here The Complete Guide of Drawing Techniques. I have scanned two pages and posted them here for you to read. They are .jpg so you copy them into your own photo editing program and print them out for yourselves.




These last two pages come from Watercolor Basics Perspective Secrets Phil Metzger.

Tomatoes

 

watercolour on Arches rough 300gsm

Afternoon Tea

I forgot about the tomats completely and got to working in front of a still life. My head hurts after doing this one. Acrylic on canvas, 11X14.