You are the sunshine of my Life WIP 3

I have now almost finished the faces of Steve and Darlene. Just a couple of shadow colours to add as the clothes are added. They are such a wonderful couple to paint, so full of warmth and love for each other.

I haven't done as much as i would have liked to this week because I haven't been well but any progress is better than none and painting is a wonderful escape for me when I am able to. I am trying to convey their love for each other in the painting and the light that this love gives them both. Hope its working


Ona

You are the sunshine of my life WIP 2

I have now completed the background and am well on the way with Steve. I still have some work to do on his glasses and a little tidying up to do and then I can begin painting Darlene's face. The colour match is not brilliant in this photo. Some of the golden browny yellows on his skin  have been lost but it gives you an idea.

I wanted that romantic sunny warm feel  for the background. It is fairly simple but the suggestion of the sun compositionally helps to create more balance and the colours of a sunset help to create that warm loving feel.

I have made a decision this year to add the writing above to all my on line images. A couple of artists including me have had our images posted in various places with no attributation. At least now anyone looking knows who owns the copyright whether the person posting our image credits us or not.

Ona

Doubling up

 I have chosen the two paintings that I am going to be working on first this year. Until now I have always worked on one painting at a time but this involves a lot of waiting time both for the physical time it takes for the glazes to dry and also  for the more meditative time as I evaluate and plan my next steps. So I have decided to try something new this year and  'double up'  on a regular basis...

...and what better way to begin this than with a double portrait. I often get asked when receiving enquiries regarding commissions if all the subjects need to be in one photo because they just can't get everyone together or everyone looking their best in the one photo.  This is especially the case when the subjects are small children or pets but can happen with anyone. How often have you looked at photos and noticed that one person looks great in one photo but the other person looks better in another. I am happy to work from several photos as long as the  angle of perspective isnt completely different. eg. If a client wanted a painting of a boy with his dog and the photo of the boy was taken looking up at him but the photo of the dog was taken from above looking down this would be very hard to gel into one painting.

Steven has kindly agreed to me painting him and his wife so that I can talk you through the process and enable a future client to understand the process more clearly. I have two photographs that I will be working with.  Both are taken from similar angles  which means it is relatively easy for me to take the pose of one person from one photo and the other from the other.

  I liked the way Steven was leaning towards Darlene in the first photo. It just feels so loving and warm.  Unfortunately Darlene has her eyes almost closed but in the second photo, although she is not cuddling up to Steve as much we can see her eyes much more clearly.  You can see below how I have combined the two into one outline. (click on each image to see it larger)

 The background in my outline is blank at the moment but I have plans to use it to help create a warm loving atmosphere. When you are taking or selecting references for a commission  it is much better to choose photos that have the subject(s) nicely lit and in focus than worry about a distracting background because this can be changed.

so to summarize:

1. I can use multiple photos as long as they are taken from a similar perspective.
2. Try to choose  photos that are in focus as it is very hard for me to guess missing or blurry information
3. Try to find or take photos with interesting lighting rather than an inbuilt camera flash. Its better to go outside or next to a window and take a photo with light coming in from an angle and have a distracting background than choose a less clear photo of the subject but with a perfectly clear of clutter background.

 I will tell you about the other painting I will be working on soon but until then here's a clue.... it involves a sticky but topical subject.

Ona

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all my readers. I'm having a wonderful couple of days while the family is still at home for the holidays sketching ideas,  taking photos and planning future paintings.

I love the 'birth' of the idea. That moment when I first really see the painting in my head and know what I want to convey is such a thrill. Occasionally its an actual photograph or photographs that sparks the idea. Other times the idea just appears on its own and then I need to find the materials or people I need to take the references photo(s).  Although this second way takes a little longer to plan I really love turning an idea from just a glimmer in my head into the actual full blown paintings.

My plans for this year? .... well they do involve some more Ted themed paintings but these will be mixed in with a variety of other paintings too.  Now I just have to decide which of my ideas to begin painting first..... oh to be spoilt for choice :)

I also hope to get the DVD on how to create gallery wraps and how to paint fur put together in the coming month or so. I had a great new gift to help me with this.... meet 'The snowball'... quite an apt name for this time of year in Canada and yes, that really is its name. Its  actually a microphone that I can plug straight into my laptops USB port so creating the voice over  for the DVD will be much easier. I've written the script and now I'm ready to begin recording the sound. This will certainly keep me occupied as I'm waiting for paint to dry.

 While I'm on the subject of gifts, I promised that I would share a photo with you of my Rinse Well water container. Its so wonderful to have clean water at just the touch of a button. I thoroughly recommend it especially if you are like me and glaze with pure colours.

Have a wonderful first weekend of the New Year.

Ona

Knit-Ted and Knot-Ted

Hope you enjoy the antics of my two latest Teds, Knit-Ted and Knot-ted who met today on Grandma's parlour table.

Knit-ted was waiting patiently in the warm sunshine for Grandma to return and sew up his foot but while he was sat there his new found friend Knot-ted, while trying to get to the jammy biscuit, became tangled in the trail of wool that was still joined to Knit-Ted's foot!  Try as this small furry Ted might to untangle himself each movement he made just made matters worse for his friend the knitted bear.

 I hope Grandma will return soon and rescue both Teds!

Thank you Christelle and Ruth for the teddy bears that inspired this painting.

Ona

Secret Santa's Surprise

I had a lovely christmas with many special gifts from my family including a selection of tiny brushes and an ingenious refillable clean water container which disposes of the dirty water and refills with clean at the press of a button. Its such a clever idea for clean water fanatics like me.

In addition to these lovely family gifts  I was also given a beautiful original watercolour from a very good friend. Each year, a group of artists who belong to  'Art Colony' which was formed by Jane Freeman draw names and we send a piece of art to one other member as part of our Secret Santa exhange. This year, my Secret Santa painting was from Christiane Fortin a fellow Canadian. I just had to share this painting from her with you all. Isn't it beautiful.

You can see that our younger dog Ella approves too. Thank you Christiane. I will treasure it always.

Just as an update...In moments between Christmas celebrations I have had a couple of opportunities to  work on my Ted painting. Hopefully I have it finished soon for you to see.

Ona

WIP 2... Setting the scene

Its such fun setting the scene for a painting, creating the atmosphere for the main characters. My husband says the curtains in this painting remind him of his Grandma. The knitting and knitted tea cozy certainly remind me of my Nan. I had to include a jammy biscuit too as both my grandparents loved them.

I wanted to create that feeling of light and warmth with a very homey touch for my new bears. Next I get the fun of bringing them to life but not until I have helped out Santa's elves and done some much needed wrapping. I probably won't get chance to post again until after christmas so to all that celebrate it. Have a wonderful time.

Ona

WIP 1 and all because...

The idea for this painting began when I was given two teddies. One very fluffy and slightly concerned looking teddy was sent to me from Christelle in Australia and a hand knitted teddy came from Ruth in England. Thank you both for your lovely gifts.

I have been working on the background over the last week. Colour choice is so important to me in helping to create a mood or feel in a painting.  I wanted a warm, sunny, loving, homely feel so chose a palette of pinks, yellows and browns with just a hint of green for this painting.

I know the remainder of the painting at the moment is just an assortment of big white spaces but any guesses what the other objects will be in the painting and what the two Ted's will be called?

Ona

'Time Warp' used for gallery publicity

Its such an honour when one of your paintings is chosen for the gallery's publicity for a major exhibition.

 

Thank you to the Firehouse Art Center who are hosting the CWA 43rd National Exhibition. 

Ona

4th Signature American Watercolor Exhibition Acceptance

I am very pleased to let you all know that my painting 'Finishing Touches' has been juried into the 4th Signature American Watercolor Exhibition by Cheng-Khee Chee, AWS, D.F., NWS. The exhibition will take place early next year in Fallbrook California.

Ona

Celebrate World Watercolour Day Today and Paint!

It's World Watercolour Day today and what better way to celebrate this great day than by painting and sharing my love of watercolour with you all in two ways...

Firstly,Just in case you are at a loss as to what to paint,  I am adding below a step by step guide on how to paint this beautiful box with a pebbled glass lid.

 To begin, sketch out the outline below

 

The box section

1. Wet the area of the box you are going to work on, and then leave till there is only a slight sheen, then wet again and wait until shiny but not really wet.

2. Position the paper so that the paint can run in the direction you want, then using quin red or similar colour put some paint on the top section and leave it to gravity to do the rest. Stand by with a tissue just in case, but with practice, knowing how long to wait before applying the paint, you will not often need it. Leave it to dry really well (about 30-45 mins).



3. Re wet the area carefully with a flat glaze brush and repeat step 2 using Perylene maroon.



4. You can do this with each section individually or work on another section of the box while waiting for the first to dry. Do not work on touching sections consecutively though, and do wait until all the shine has gone and it's light touch dry before angling the paper in a different way. You want the water to work with you and not against you.



5. Now you need to work on each part of the box in the opposite direction to the way you began. Wet the area again very carefully and put the paint on the opposite side (the side that probably still has white parts) and let gravity do its thing again.



6. Repeat with each area, first working one way and then, once dry, turn 180 degrees and repeat. You are just building the texture; don’t worry about the shadows yet. You can leave some areas white though if they are in the light.







7. Now using a mix of perylene maroon and a touch of neutral tint start to work in suggestions of shadows wet on dry. Then using a damp brush, soften the edges.



8. With a fine brush, add in the fine line shadow under the lip of the edges of the box.

The pebbled glass

Wet on ever so slightly damp paper, paint in the color of the under rim of the box and the side that shows through the glass. Remember these will not be straight lines because the rough surface of the glass will distort the shapes behind. Using wet on damp, gradually build up the color. You cannot use gravity for this because the lines will be distorted, so will wiggle around with your brush. I use a fine brush for this because I like them, but it doesn’t need to be ultra fine. Keep the whole area ever so slightly lighter in tone than the actual box.



Paint in the colored pieces of glass. You are just painting in the color at this stage, the texture will come later.



Paint in the shadows on the floor behind the glass. I used a mixture of the maroon and neutral tint. Again these shadows will not be straight lines. At the same time, you can paint in the shadows on the floor.




When dry, use a fine brush to dot in the darker areas on the glass. I just used a darker red/grey mix for the white areas and a darker maroon or quin red mix for those areas. It looks a bit weird at the moment but don’t worry.



When the paint is dry, wet a flat wash brush with plain water and gently brush over the glass area. The water will then work to gently soften and blend the dots together and create the pebbled glass look.



The rim of the box

Use a mixture of quin gold, neutral tint or a grey complimetary mix, and a red brown (I used Indian red) and fill in the paint on the rim. For the shiny areas I just added some iridescent watercolor mix to some quin gold deep and touched in these areas once the paint was dry.

I Hope you will enjoy following the steps above and creating your own gift box. Why not add something inside your box and give the exercise as a Christmas or holiday gift to someone special.
Please note this image is not subject to the usual copyright rules so please enjoy painting it yourself.

Secondly, as it is World Watercolour day today, I thought that this would also be a great time to share with you a review of  my  watercolours painted and/or exhibited in 2012.  Thank you all for your support this year.Click on the play button below to see my slideshow or go directly to you tube to see it full screen

Ona

Re Unite-Ted

My Nan used to tell me as a child that when my Teddy was threadbear and his  stuffing was coming out it was because I had filled him so full with my love there wasn't enough room for some of the stuffing too. This is what I was thinking about as I painted the old Ted. You can see from the old man's eyes and whole demeanor how much he loves his bear and I wanted this love to be visible on the bear too.

If there is any one thing that symbolises childhood it's a Teddy bear. Every parent watches with wonder as their baby goes from chewing on their favourite bear to making him dance around and tell stories. As your child bestows a particular personality on a Teddy you start to play along, and soon you're as attached as the child.

But children grow up and they give up their toys. Often parents though cannot give up the symbol of their children's childhood so easily and so put that bear away safely.

Before we know days turn to months and months into years,
Time is mapped with laughter and cheers,
the long road sometimes landmarked with sadness and tears.

Elders pass and children grow,
has it been that long we ask, where does time go? 
                                                                   Ryan Guerrero

and then one day, the child that was finds his beloved bear again

and with it his childhood memories and feeling of love and attachment for his bear come flooding back as if the time between then and now never happened. In his heart he is that child once more.

Ona

Demo at Don Valley Art Club

It's wonderful when you have the opportunity to meet other artists who share your joy for painting. Yesterday evening I was asked to give a demonstration at the Don Valley Art club in Toronto.

As I am a slow painter I didn't attempt to do a complete painting in the short time I had. Instead I focused on demonstrating certain techniques that I use when painting portraits of babies or young children.

 members of the Don Valley Art Club Watching my demo

My first focus was the eyes for as I have said many times before, they really are the key to a successful portrait.

For my Don Valley friends and my readers of this blog, here are a few important things to remember about eyes

  1. You can tell the age of the person even if you don’t see the rest of the face because our brain is extremely good at interpreting facial features. When we paint or draw eyes though we have to be consiously aware of some things that normally our brains just process automatically or we will end up aging the children and not understanding why.

2. A newborn’s eyes are 2/3 the size of adults and reach adult size by 6-12 years even though the face isn’t adult size. Therefore, they are larger in comparison to the face and to the eye socket than an adult. The inner corner of a baby’s eye is completely covered by a fold of skin that slowly retracts as the bridge of the nose develops.


Creating a realistic looking eye using my method of glazing taking many many layers so I demonstrated how to begin, by establishing the real darks around and in the corners of the eye and the first few layers of detail and washes on one of the eyes

 

and then moved onto the second eye to show how, with more layering you can begin to get a sense of depth in the iris and then demonstrated how to push the eye ball back into the socket with the help of shadowing. You can see in the photo below how the iris section and left part of the white of the eye is pushed back but the right side which I hadn't worked on at this point is still level with the skin.

We also talked about looking for the colours under the skin colour which help to shape and form the facial features. Its amazing the colours you can see if you train your eye to look for them.

In the photo below I still have a long way to go but you can begin to see how the glazes of perm rose, ultramarine blue, quin gold and burnt sienna  are creating that sense of depth and form. The eye itself at this stage still needs a little more value strengthening and the last layers of skin tones need to be added.

In the photo below you can see the effect that the increase in value creates, really pulling our attention to them. I used the same ref photo that I used in my demo to paint this. I merely tilted the eyes a little to give them a slightly more quizzical  look and added the puzzle pieces around them for some fun

Thank you to everyone there for making me feel so welcome.

Ona

Re Unite-Ted WIP 4

The old man is now finished and I am beginning to work on the equally old teddy. I will be a while on this as its fiddly work suggesting the worn parts. I haven't got a reference photo for this so I'm just working from imagination and some general photos of old teddy's to give me an idea of how to best suggest that sense of love and friendship that the threadbear texture suggests.

Thank you for all your teddy tales by e mail, here on the blog or on facebook. I have loved reading them. Teddy bears obviously have a special place in many of our hearts.

Ona

Re Unite-Ted WIP 3

I have really enjoyed bringing this old man's face to life on the paper. He has such an infectious smile. I have a little bit of hair left to paint behind his ear but as this section falls over the top of his shirt I will paint that in first. I'm so keen to paint the long lost and well loved teddy but I'm going to be good and finish the clothing first.

So how many of you have kept your childhood teddy bears or had them safely kept for you? My grandmother looked after mine after I left home and gave them to me before I moved to Canada. There is a lovely story attached to them. My Nana as I used to call her gave me one when I was about one year old but secretly she had bought two. The idea was that when one got dirty she could swap it for the other so I wouldnt be upset when it needed to be washed. One day, when I was about 2 my grandmother opened her cupboard and I saw the other Teddy peaking out. I was so delighted that she had a teddy just like mine and explained that they really ought to be friends. From then on I had two bears and they went everywhere with me :)

Ona