The Daily Painting Habit: Day 21 of 21 - Charcoal Portrait Sketch #2

Connor

This will be charcoal portrait sketch #2 for 2017 and officially the end of my 21-day challenge (mostly painting and some drawing) that took WAY longer.

I am astonished that artists consistently do these 30-day challenges every six months (usually led by Leslie Saeta) and keep up! It is just not in my DNA to pronounce anything finished until I am happy with it and that often takes some time. I am okay with that.

That doesn't mean I will stop doing these small paintings and sketches. I strongly believe that creating on a daily basis is great for artistic growth, so my plan is to be in the studio on a daily basis, whether that is to create a small sketch or painting or working on larger pieces.

This drawing was a challenge due to most of the face being in shadow.

You always have to subdue everything in the shadows no matter how bright it seems when you look at that area, so I darkened the white of his eye in shadow more than I initially thought it should be. Black in light is lighter than white in shadow. There is a definite distinction between light and shadow and values do are not shared on either side!

When I was doing this, I thought of Sargent's charcoal portrait drawings that I have had the pleasure of viewing. A lot of them have a dark mass behind the light side of the face. I think it lends some drama.

In retrospect, I think I should have done this on toned paper with white chalk highlights - hey, maybe I will still do that!

The Daily Painting Habit: Day 20 of 21 - Charcoal Portrait Sketch

Austin with Shouldice

So, I am back, finally. Despite my lack of posting, I have been producing some work, including a lot of preparatory stuff for some large pieces I am planning.

Over the past few months, life has gotten in the way of art a bit. I have been dealing with a few ongoing health challenges that have prevented me from doing as much as I would have liked. I might write more about that at another time, or maybe not - we are all dealing with one thing or another and I don't want to be a bore.

For now, here is my latest work of art, a charcoal sketch. Charcoal is a rather messy medium and not for those who want a lot of control but it is also fun and easy to manipulate for a painterly, massed in type of drawing.

Collage of Some January Oil Paintings - 30 in 30 is over!

Some of my January 2017 Paintings - Doggie still WIP!

Leslie Saeta always concludes her 30 in 30 Challenge with a collage of all of her paintings. It is pretty impresive to go look at all the artists who actually did complete 30 paintings in 30 days. I have included some of my favourites from this month in my own little collage pictured above.

I still have a few more paintings to finish in order complete my own personal 21-Day Painting Challenge. I am not going to feel guilty about doing it in a lot more than 21 days though!

The Daily Painting Habit - Day 19 of 21 - Sport: Work In Progress!

10 x 8 inches - Oil on Archival Panel - "SPORT"

So, nearing the end of this challenge, I am realizing that I am constitutionally not cut out for completing a painting, even a small one, in a day. I need time to ponder and figure out if I am 100% happy. That is how I feel about this one, which is finished, yet I am not sure I won't revisit some tiny details once it is dry.

This cute puppy, like all babies, was a bit of a challenge. It is very easy to age the young of any species. I am going to let this dry and hit it again soon, especially with regard to brightening up some highlights, warming up the background just a touch and some other small details, but the bones are there.

Daily Painting Habit - Day 18 of 21 - Sunflowers on Lake

6 x 6 inches - Oil on Canvas - Sunflowers on Lake

More work on this little painting of sunflowers. I have been feeling kind of pressured to get a painting done every day, but my intention was really just to do some art every day. When I rush, I tend to make mistakes that end up taking me 3 times as long to correct. So, it is better to just relax and enjoy the process.

Daily Painting Habit - Day 17 of 21 - Transparent Block-In of Sunflowers

Transparent Block-In of Shapes

It seems I am not cut out for this "painting a day" gig. Today, I spent most of my painting time fixing a whole bunch of minor things that bugged me on the painting I did yesterday (which basically still looks exactly the same to anyone but me).

 As a result, I just barely got started on this one of some sunflowers. This is the first stage with basic drawing and transparent block-in. And, because I am ADD, I also started a watercolour that I have been procrastinating on for about a year.

The completed Sunflower painting will be posted tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Daily Painting Habit - Day 16 of 21 - Pink Peonies

6 x 6 inches - Oil on Canvas - Pink Peonies

I prefer a brushy, painterly style, so I think this is finished. Peonies are so beautiful and lush.

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 14 of 21 - Landscape

6 x 6 inches - Oil on Canvas

I was really attracted to the bright colours in this landscape. I used a palette knife in the creation of this painting, which adds texture.

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 13 of 21 - Paint Tubes with Brush

5 x 7 inches - Oil on Panel - Paint Tubes with Brush

Here is a little studio oil which was fun to create. Artists may recognize the Classico oil tubes, Gamblin Cold-Pressed Linseed Oil and Robert Simmons Signet brush.

This painting would look nice in a wide moulding. It is a piece I started awhile back, to which I just added some finishing touches.

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 12 of 21 - Beets

6 x 6 inches - Oil on Canvas

It is January once again, the start of a new year and many of us are assessing our priorities and goals to figure out what we want to accomplish in 2017. I have quite a list of things I want to get done.

When it comes to my art,  I am once again joining Leslie Saeta's painting challenge and committing to finishing the 21-day daily painting project I set for myself (but didn't complete) in September 2016. Most of my work consists of large paintings that take a long time to create, so this is a fun break and a chance to try some new subjects and techniques.

As per usual, I am getting a late start, but I have just enough time left in the challenge to complete the "ten paintings in ten days" I need to do to finish my personal goal, a 21-day Daily Painting Challenge.

Painting every day, especially completing a small work all at once, is a great way to experiment with new subject matter, colour palettes and techniques. A lot of accelerated growth and learning is to be expected.

Here is my first small, daily painting of 2017 which is on the theme of my other obsession, which is food and nutritional healing, some BEETS!

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 11 of 21

7 x 5 inches - Oil on Panel - Doggie

I love animals and capturing them for posterity in a portrait is such a treat. What a great gift for someone who is obsessed with their pet!

Because this painting was not commissioned, it is available at a special low price.

My small (8x10 inches or less) commissioned pet portraits are currently on sale (for a limited time) so click here for more information about how to commission a unique and meaningful gift for a loved one who treasures their dog or cat!

If you want something bigger, contact me to discuss your project!

Collage of Daily Painting Challenge for September!

This was kind of fun! I used picmonkey (a free, online image editing software), to make a collage of some of the paintings I completed in September.

The 30 in 30 challenge by Leslie Saeta, which I kind of failed at, once again, due to starting way late and then getting sick, is over, but my challenge is not! Click on the link for her site to see other collages of people who actually did paint 30 pieces, which is very impressive.

I have set a goal to complete 21 paintings and I haven't met that quota yet so the work continues....

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 10 of 21 - Paris Floral #2

16 x 12 inches - Oil on Canvas - Paris Floral #2
NFS

Life is continuing to get in the way of creating new work, but I still want to remain focused on art as much as I can. I am progressing in getting my studio organized, work completed, signed and varnished so I can tackle my latest large portrait painting next month.

Here is yet another painting (from June 2006) that needed a signature. This is a favourite of mine, since the resource photo I used was from a memorable trip to Paris with my two small children. Somehow, flower shops in Paris there seem to have "a certain something" in the way they group and display their wares.

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 9 of 21 - Spring Fountain

9 x 6 inches - Oil on Panel - Spring Fountain
NFS

Here is another previous painting (from June 2007), now finally signed and ready for framing! I love the bleeding heart and forget-me-not floating in the fountain.  It was such a beautiful day, I remember well the serenity of the moment.

Since tomorrow is the last day of Leslie Saeta's "30 in 30" painting challenge, in November I will be continuing my daily painting habit on my own. My goal is to be focused on either finishing some paintings that have been in storage, waiting for completion or to do a new, small painting.

I have found it very challenging to get started and keep up with this modified version of the challenge, but no regrets - I have done more painting and finished more loose ends than I would otherwise have done this month despite all the roadblocks that have unexpectedly arisen.

As Leslie Saeta would say, it doesn't matter how many you complete but just to get in the studio and paint more!

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 8 of 21 - Echinacea

14 x 10 inches - Oil on Canvas - Echinacea

Here is another piece from my pile of previous starts that is now almost done. I still need to varnish, which will unify and bring out the colours, adding depth and a slight sheen to the surface. It is much easier to photograph an unvarnished piece, especially one like this that is mostly low key.

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 7 of 21 - Palette Knife Beach Scene

8 x 10 inches - Oil on Canvas Panel - Palette Knife Beach

After being knocked out by a nasty virus, I have resumed my daily painting habit but have changed focus a bit, completing paintings that have piled up waiting for a few finishing touches. It feels good to finally tie up a lot of loose ends.

This painting was done with a palette knife. Every time I work with a palette knife I ask myself why I do not do it more often. The colours stay clean, mix in beautiful, unexpected ways and the bonus is no brush washing at the end of the day!

I learned to use a knife when studying colourist theory at the Cape Cod School of Art (now known as The Cape School of Art). I traveled to Provincetown to paint on the beach with Cedric and Joanette Egeli (with whom I later studied for a whole month at their Maryland studio). Outdoor study of colour is a tradition in Provincetown that continues since the beginning of the 20th century, beginning with Charles Hawthorne and Henry Hensche!

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 6 of 21 - Pink & White Peonies

14 x 18 inches - Oil on Canvas - Peonies #2

This is a larger painting of my favourite flowers that I started some time ago. I made some new decisions, darkening the background and adding contrast for drama.

I also took the opportunity to sign it in a subtle manner with my favourite new tool - a rubber tipped scraper. This method is so much easier than trying to sign with a tiny brush later on.

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 5 of 21 - Goldfish

5 x 7 inches - Oil on Panel - Goldfish

Don't you find watching fish swimming around kind of soothing? I love the vibrant oranges, greens and purple in this painting.

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 4 of 21 - Martini TIme

12 x 9 inches - Oil on Panel - Martini Time

Sorry this painting has been SOLD

Personally, I am more of a green juice kind of gal, but on occasion an extra dry vodka martini with lots of olives can be fun. The martini glass is waiting for the drink to be poured. I threw in the lemon for colour!

This is a slightly larger painting that I started a long time ago and just finished up.

Daily Painting Habit Challenge - Day 3 of 21 - Leeks

6 x 6 inches - Oil on Canvas - Leeks

With autumn upon us, the bounty found at Farmer's Markets is inspirational.

I loved this big pile of leeks, with just a hint of the red packing case showing at the back. I think a collage of vegetable paintings in the kitchen would be fun and perhaps also give subliminal encouragement to eat more veggies!

Since my two passions are art and food, I think it is time to head into the kitchen to make some soup!