Getting Political with Mixed Media

Then and Now

I just started a class today on Mixed Media art, and I am completely inspired!  So today's offerings are of the mixed media variety.

You can't see it very well on the small pink one (darned glare!), but the thing in the bottom corner is a golden birdcage.

No, I'm not very subtle at all.

The Hagiography of Footwear

One Fish, Two Fish

One Fish

I think I like the painting of the two fish better than the painting of just one fish.

Two Fish

Blast from the Past

Roll of Toilet Paper

Just because I had to do it at some point.  It is interesting to compare it to the ones I did in 2010 and see how far I've come.

Cup of Tea

Cup of Tea

The shading didn't turn out perfectly on this one, but it is not bad, overall.

Birdies

Orange Bird

This is the last of my 2x2inch canvases.  I wasn't sure what to paint on them, so I painted birds.  In the top one, I also practiced my cloud painting skills.  The compositions aren't all that innovative, but I was practicing color blending rather than composition.

I'm still getting glare from the flash on my camera, no matter what I do.  Maybe it is time to re-investigate my scanner.

Purple Bird

Fallen behind

I have fallen behind on my pace to get thirty paintings done this month, so I am going to have to do something to catch up if I am going to make it.  I was thinking of maybe doing some rolls of toilet paper, or studies of balls, cylinders and cones, but I think I'll do some more birds, just because I like doing them. 

More Wee Trees

Green Tree

I think I got the color fade in the sky a bit better in this one.  I would have improved the texture of the foliage in the tree with the brown trunk, too, but it is ok as it is. I rather like the other tree, too. The cool greens remind me of springtime.

The top painting reminds me of a cloudy day, sky-wise, while the bottom tree reminds me of a bright, sunny day.

Silver Tree

Abstract Beach

Abstract Beach

I like the color fade on this one, but the surf isn't very good.

Wee Trees

Yellow Tree

So today I painted two trees on tiny canvases.  They are about 2 inches square.  I'm pretty happy with these, actually, though I'd have liked to include more color variation in the sky for a sense of atmospheric perspective.  Nevertheless, I'm fond of them.

Painting on small canvases requires small brushes and a lot more control than I have yet.  I don't know if I am going to paint on canvases this small again, though it would be interesting to do a couple of spring trees to complement the fall trees here.  I may do that for tomorrow's paintings.

Copper Tree

Due to various things, I fell behind this past week, so I am going to be updating more frequently as I catch up.

Purple Cup

Purple Cup

So here is my re-do of a mug.  The mug in the last painting wasn't successful, so I decided to try it again.  I think it worked out better this time, though I am still having problems getting the light to fall correctly around dark objects like this dark purple cup.  Still, it is an improvement.  Except for the fact that I forgot the shadow.  *sigh*

I took a few pictures before I settled on this one, and as you can see, I'm still having glare problems.  This is annoying, and I am still trying to figure out how to solve that problem.

Cup and Plate

Cup and Plate

So this one kind of went all over the place.  I didn't get the shading right, and the plate went terribly wrong.  I think I'm going to try this one again today, and this time not be in such a hurry.

Puddle Reflection

Puddle Reflection

Today's painting wasn't as successful as yesterday's.  I was painting the reflection of the moon and a twig in a puddle.  I don't know exactly what I could do to improve it, but if I figure it out, I may try this one again later on in the month.

Bird at Sunset

A Bird at Sunset

So here is my first painting.  I had a little incident with dripping paint on it in an awkward spot, so I had to re-color the bottom part of the painting.  Still, I don't think it is that obvious.

I had initially thought of starting off with painting a  roll of toilet paper, but I want to do something different than I did last time.

In doing this painting, it struck me how far I have come since that first blog.  I'm still a novice, but now I can do things like use different brushes for their proper purposes, whereas before, I was completely at sea with that kind of thing.

I'm having issues with my scanner, which claims that I have no computer attached to it (?!), so I decided to just take photos instead.  Much easier, but I do get some glare on the painting.

This blog: the whys and wherefores

My friends all do National Novel Writing Month.  I'd like to do something like that, but I'm not a writer -- I'm a painter.  One year, in this spirit, I tried for 50 paintings in one month, on the grounds that a picture is worth a thousand words (and the National Novel Writing Month goal is 50,000 words).  Well, words don't need drying time, and paints do.  It was trying to fit in more than one painting in a day that really killed me on that score.  So this time, I'm doing only 30 paintings.  It'll require some dedication, but should be do-able.  I'm creating this blog to show others what I am doing, and partially to keep myself honest about my progress.  If I can get my printer/scanner/copier to work as a scanner, I'll take scans of my paintings, since they are going to be pretty small.  If not, I'll just take photos of them instead.

I'm getting off early from work today to start on my painting.  I'm excited and a little scared, but I think that is a good frame of mind to start this project in..