Tag: art

Sketches

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I’ve been sketching every day, following the #sketchendeavour group on Instagram. Sketching can be fast and energetic or slow and deliberate. I’ve found a nice middle ground after a week; when I spend about 20-30 thoughtful minutes drawing by studying line and shape, I’m pleased with the end result no matter how realistic it is. A final once over for detail is needed at that point, and I put the photo away, shading, erasing, and adding lines where my eye finds gaps and I need more definition.

I’ve been practicing angles:

I’m also focusing on motion:

And finding lots of little cuties from the petting zoo:

Categories: Art Pencil

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Two Pete Paintings

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Both using Golden High Flow Acrylics on Strathmore 400 acrylic paper.

I experimented with painting one on a golden background and the other with a gray underpainting. Both methods created unusual effects. The golden background definitely made the painting bright and crisp. The gray underpainting looked nearly done on its own. I added several layers of paint, but I’ve learned to test colors first for transparency as some of the shadows were blotted out and needed repainting.

Categories: Acrylics Art

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Curious Squirrel

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This cutie was studying my neighbors when I snapped its picture. I used a second reference photo of a field of weeds for the background.

Golden High Flow Acrylics can be used much like watercolor, so there’s a comfortable familiarity for me. They’re great for glazing. I love the glow that appears when a layer of Nickel Azo Gold is brushed over pretty much any other color. I’m struggling with detail, though. I either overdo it with a bold color or wash everything out with too much white. For this one, I ended up using some colored pencil for the finer lines.

I used a watercolor canvas board for this tiny 5″x7″ painting. Next, I’ll try these acrylics on paper.

Categories: Acrylics Art Uncategorized

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Inktense Sparrows

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This one started as a winter scene but I honestly got confused with adding snow, so I swapped back to warm weather. I used two reference photos from Paint My Photo, and the branches and leaves were from observing the crab apple in our yard–with plenty of artistic license.

I used a piece of Strathmore 500 Illustration Board for this, and I absolutely loved it. It’s sturdy, takes water, and has a very minimal texture. Expensive? Yes, but it’s perfect for this medium.

Categories: Art Pencil

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