Rainbow Bisque

It takes a lot of water to get smooth washes and even tones in watercolor. There's a strange balancing act that occurs between the water in the palette, water in the paper, and water in the brush - too much or too little in any of those areas will be met with chaotic results. Working on large scenes like this one (even at 8.5x11") will require larger brushes than the ones I have been using.

This painting marks the first time I managed to miss my own self-imposed deadline. This isn't a habit I want to get into. Painting has been such a great learning experience, it would be a shame to slow down. In my previous daily project, I would sometimes get behind when I couldn't think of anything to draw (which is a silly excuse I still cling onto occasionally). This time, I had a painting planned out, but I was kind of scared to paint the thing. I would like to go ahead and analyze that previous thought - I was afraid to paint. Resistance is a tricky, ever-changing beast; it has somehow convinced me that something I love doing is harmful. What is my biggest fear in all of this? I am afraid of doing work that outs me as a fraud. I am scared that the next painting will point out what resistance has told me so many times: that I'm not good enough, and I never will be. I don't actually believe any of that (not all the time, anyway). Good or bad, every time I sit d

I wanted to try some new things with color this time. To be honest, the only thing that I really like is in the left iris. The eyelashes and pretty much the entire right eye could use improvement. I'll bet there is a way that the lines that make up the eyelashes could each be one stroke - it would make them look less dry and labored. I could benefit from some time just practicing brush strokes.

I made an attempt at masking using laminate film. The first time I did this, it worked perfectly. This time around, it betrayed me. I like using this stuff because it is easy to remove from cold press paper without tearing. I dislike using laminate (this time anyway), because it is so easy to remove from cold press paper. I really like what happened with the color this time though. I would like to try this again sometime.

I brought you in from the rain and put you in a safe place. In my heart I knew it wouldn't be long - your color would fade and your petals would wilt. With pencil and brush I set out to preserve the memory of that beauty. I got lost in the details as every surface curled and twisted into another. Every time I thought I had figured you out, I looked at my old marks and discovered how wrong I had been. You are gorgeous without even realizing it - and my silly lines and colors could never truly describe you. Yet I walk away with a precious truth: it was good to have known you and learned about you, even if the experience was fleeting.

I cut up a Granny Smith apple for lunch today, the core seemed...um...ripe for painting. Sorry. I still have a long way to go when it comes to mixing colors. There is still a great bit to learn about glazing. Nevertheless, it was fun to mix up color, throw together a quick drawing, and paint to my heart's content.

This time I wanted to try saturating the paper with water and working with the chaos of diffusing color. The result is pretty strange. The paper I use doesn't really hold up to the stress of water all that well. My final experiment with this technique was to combine it with solid lines (black flair-tip marker). I always liked the contrast between diffused color and solid line; though I'm not too sure I really succeeded this time. Those eyes are huge.

On the heels of that last painting session, I was a little hesitant to pick up a brush again. After a little talk with myself, art resumed as usual. This is the result. I have spent some time reading about how habits are formed and broken. Subconsciously, I think it's my brain trying to break free of some of bad habits holding it back. Long story short: I have exchanged "hit snooze alarm three times" for "you have thirty minutes to draw something". I was able to make a pretty decent portrait drawing (which I think will be tomorrow's painting) and remind myself that I am not, in fact, the worst artist in the world. The painting above is a character from the Disgaea video game series by Nippon Ichi Software. I used a picture from a strategy guide to create a model out of Sculpey clay, which allowed me to draw the character from a different angle and position. I used a light table to replicate the figure and transfer the whole drawing to watercolor paper

I would have opted not to post this at all, but I think it is kind of important. This is how my work looks when I get careless. I wasn't painting in the right mindset, and the result is...not pleasant. Sometimes I sit down and forget everything I've learned. Sometimes the paint doesn't mix or dry correctly. Sometimes I just cannot think of one specific thing to paint. I will not be calling this an official post. There are different ways to approach the same subject with a little more finesse and subtlety. There is something to be learned from this whole experience; and I have the rest of the evening to figure out what that is.

It took a long time to finally get around to painting this one. I had the drawing sitting on my table - ready to go. As I try to pin down the feelings that keep me from my work, I notice myself freezing up. I honestly wish I were just easily distracted, that would be so much easier to fix. But sometimes I just sit, think, and get wrapped up in...everything. I really like how this one turned out in some places. There are a few places where I went a little too heavy on the "black" (a combination of vandyke brown and pthalo blue). I have been trying to be more patient with these paintings and build up tone more slowly. Crocodiles remind me of someone I hold very close to my heart. They conjure memories that make me happy and incredibly sad at the same time. I miss you, bug. I've never stopped.

A hummingbird from one of my favorite research materials: over-sized books of animals. I have collected a lot of books for the purpose of drawing and painting. Over the years, I have also collected a great number of sketchbooks, pads of paper, paintbrushes, and paint. Sitting down and making use of all these materials feels...right. I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the way I work and about the space in which I work. All this week, I have been getting up when my alarm goes off the first time without hitting the snooze button three or four times - that time has gone toward some simple sketches and reading. It is still tough to break my procrastination habit; but I am beginning to identify the things that make it so persistent in the first place.