Away

I'm away for a few days on a clinical trial. I also have to catch up, as I have missed quite a few days of painting. I have been disappointed by many of them these last few weeks, and it has me discouraged. I think I will be returning to the tutorials, in order to get back to basics.

There are some courses coming up in our Parks and Rec program this winter. Two in particular appeal to me, Life Drawing and Intermediate Acrylics. I should do both. I think it would be motivating and educational.

See y'all in a couple of days!

Autumn Past

I took the reference photo on the same walk as the Day 31 painting. I felt like looking back to fall as we have snow on the ground now and it's freezing out.

Acrylic on 6x6 Masonite

Not bad, but it seems to be lacking something and the leaves seem to be floating, and they shouldn't be. I guess I could just sat that this is a painting of falling leaves.

The underpainting colour was a mid tone green. It seemed like a good idea because the photo was mainly yellows and browns. I never quite sure whether to use a similar colour or an opposite colour as a base coat. More research needed. Keep painting.

More Decorations

Quite simply, I did two more decorations as my daily painting. The second and third one are not exact copies of the Harris painting, I drew and painted them without looking at the original just to see how it worked.

Acrylic on Christmas Balls

I enjoyed painting these so much that I may make a few more!

Have Yourself A Group Of Seven Christmas

Many of the Streets Alive artists are painting Christmas ornaments to give away on Saturday. I thought I'd make it my daily painting and decorate it based on winter in the Northern Woods by Lawren Harris.

Ornament with Acrylic Paint

Painting something so small and on a sphere is not as easy as I thought. I'm going to do a couple more tomorrow.

This was fun and a nice change. I just bought cheap dollar store balls. They are plastic so they aren't fragile. I may do a few more to give as gifts.

Mantlepiece

I chose a photo of my Uncle Tom's mantle from a few years ago. He always has the most beautiful flower arrangements, and not just during the holidays.

8x8 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I tried to make the background a purplish gray instead of the beige in the photo. I struggled with the candle, background and roses. You can see I worked them way too much. After that I pretty much threw the rest together. I was hoping for something I could use for a Christmas card. I'll try again tomorrow.

You know, I think I will look for some tutorials on painting roses. I'd really like to do a much better job with them.

Rise And Shine

It's breakfast time! I honestly couldn't paint for a few days. I guess the pressure of 365 straight days of painting got to me. But now is the time to break the "fast".

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite

I don't know if it's winter depression or if I was just sick of painting every day. None of my reference photos appealed to me and I just felt dumpy. But last night I went to the Monday night painters group and it was nice to see everybody and paint without pressure.

I picked another magazine photo to take with me and painted quickly. Our meetings are 2 hours. Subtract talking time, I painted for 1 1/2 hours. The bowl and plate are crooked, but otherwise I am happy with it. I mean, at lease I got back on the horse. I still feel un-confident, but I will do my best.

Gee, this post sounds like a gripe session. I'll try not to do that too often!

Snow Day

At this point, I've learned that I do not do my best work when I'm tired, especially late at night. I just don't seem to care at that point. But at least I painted something today.

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite

I took this photo last year on a day so cold and beautiful that I had to go for a drive. I will revisit this photo someday, maybe on the same piece of masonite.

Thank you all for your patience!

Squishy Pumpkin Patch

I relaxed and didn't worry too much and just painted. I used a reference photo from the internet this time. I was in the mood to paint something orange, but wanted to avoid citrus fruits again. LOL. I will try lemons again someday.

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite

I like the darks and lights on this one, but I don't think I captured the pumpkin shape very well. Or is it the ridges in the pumpkins. I shall revisit pumpkins again in the future.

Float Like A Butterfly

I painted this tonight at our Monday night painting group. I didn't bring any objects to paint, so I tore a photo out of a gardening magazine and hoped for the best.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

This is the first painting in a week and a half that I have been happy with. I wonder if it's because I went back to my old 5x7 canvas. It is because the composition is better with a rectangular canvas? I know now that it is easier for me to paint on canvas than a smooth surface. Maybe I was just having a good night!

Check

I painted this yesterday, but I was so unhappy with it that I thought I'd paint another one today to post in it's place. Instead, I tried to fix it up.

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite

The black piece is particularly troublesome. It still doesn't look right because it's not symmetrical. Makes me feel like leaning sideways. Ah well, better luck next time.

Pitcher This

So I mixed a bunch of pastel shades and just painted freely. I had no plans other than to paint a picture of a little jug in front of me and have fun with it.

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite
 

Okay, so it's not exactly a masterpiece. I almost didn't publish it. I've been painting daily for just over 40 days now, and I'm feeling like I'm not going anywhere. I lack focus and my paintings are lacking something. Skill maybe.

Broken Window

A repeat of yesterday's effort. Maybe I'm having a few bad painting days because of this flu. I think I may do a few tutorials to get myself back on track.

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite

I tried painting in a loose carefree manner. I guess I'm not ready for that yet. Back to the drawing board. Literally.

Day 40

Now that I have uploaded this picture, I see how truly awful it is. That's okay, because I wasn't really feeling up to it and kind of rushed through it. Ah well, I said I'd post a painting a day, right? I didn't say they would be good.

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite

White shadows. Weird trees. That's all for today.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

I took this photo last November while canoeing on the Severn River. It had been a mild autumn, unlike this year. We have had snow and freezing temperatures for a over a week now, therefore no canoe trips until next year.

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite

I guess this painting is so-so. I overworked it in a few places. I need more practice with bright areas, especially sunlight.

I've been painting on these little 6x6 masonite panels because our local Peter Street Fine Arts has a Call To All Artists to submit small paintings for December. They gave me a couple of panels, but I made a bunch more just in case. Good thing I did. I'm not crazy about my 6x6 paintings. Hopefully I will come up with two nice pieces before the end of the month.

Follow The Yellow Brick Wall

I'll tell you a secret. I used yesterday's paint tray for today's painting. Oh yes, and I forgot the underpainting. I think this flu has affected my brain.

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite

Luckily, I found a reference photo with similar colours as yesterday's. The wall is actually red brick. The actual painting doesn't look as yellow as this, though I did add yellow to burnt sienna in an attempt to match the colour of the bricks under the bright sun.

The search for the best red brick colour continues. This is very important, as many of the charming older buildings in our city are made of red brick and they will definitely be future painting subjects.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• If you intend to save your sheet of mixed paint until the next day, make sure there is enough moisture in the container to prevent the paints from thickening or hardening.
• Don't forget your underpainting. Little bits of white will show through otherwise.

Cavana House

I am lucky to live a few doors down from the Cavana House, a spa and former inn. It's a beautiful red brick Victorian house with beautifully kept gardens. I have taken many photos and done a couple of watercolours over the years.



6x6 Acrylic on Masonite

I'm getting the hang of the masonite board. This time I sketched the main areas, and instead of a nid toned underpainting, I applied a dark and mid tone to the major areas. This way the white is left white. It worked; I didn't have to paint the lighter areas with multiple coats to cover the paint beneath.

I am feeling a little better, and I like this painting better than the last three. Maybe being sick and feverish really does affect your ability to paint.

Art Therapy

I can't believe it. I'm still as sick as ever. I'm never going to get better. Sorry for my bitching.

6x6 Oil on Masonite

Discouraged by three sucky days of disappointing paintings, I grabbed some oil paints that my son also had kicking around the house. I did a loose, kind of messy bunch of trees and shadows. I've only done a couple of oil paintings in a class many years ago. I just wanted to do something different. I may break out the oils from time to time and learn some more. Besides, I love how they smell. I think it brings me back to my childhood when my father would paint landscapes and ships and such.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Don't be afraid to try new things.
• Oil paint takes MUCH longer to dry than acrylic.
• Oil has a nice velvety texture, and is more opaque than acrylic.
• Don't dip your oil brush in your acrylic water.

Till The Cows Come Home

I'm still sick. I haven't had anything like this in years. A mix of the cold and flu. I painted today, though I can't believe how bad this piece is. Then again, my eyes and nose are running and I have head and body aches. Surprised I'm still alive.

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite

I haven't been happy with my last 3 paintings. What they have in common is that I painted them while I was very ill, and they were done on masonite. I know my focus is off. It took me twice as long to do this one and I'm not happy with it. But I painted!

Since masonite doesn't grab the paint as well, I have to use 4 coats of white over my underpainting (titanium, burnt sienna and ultramarine) and you can still see the colour underneath. In the future I will not paint my underpainting colour onto any areas that are to remain white or very light.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Painting acrylics onto a smooth surface is much different than onto canvas.
• Painting when you're sick is a difficult, useless venture.

Red Door

I'm so sick. Still. I didn't finish it till today so I'm SO late. Oh dear.

Early Snow

I took this photo a week ago, after an early snow. The cold temperature made the remaining leaves fall on top of the snow.

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite

I'm so sick tonight. The first cold I've had in two years.This painting took way too long, I played around with the paint too much and it looks like it needs more shadows or something. This was the first time I tried painting on masonite too. Hopefully I will be feeling a bit better tomorrow. Goodnight everybody!

Shoes On A Wire

Keeping it simple today. I'm feeling under the weather, and I thought this was a cool reference photo, so therefore today's painting. Unfortunately I fell asleep before I could post it.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

It's actually Thursday now, so I must gather my energy to do today's painting and get it posted before going back to bed. My throat is burning and I'm so tired. Must....paint.....

Fall Leaves

Day 31. I took a ton of pictures in the forest last fall.  Unfortunately it was a cloudy day, so most of the photos didn't show the fall colours at their best. Luckily, just before reaching the road, the sun came out for a few minutes and shone on a little area of maple saplings.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I tried a blue underpainting this time using leftover sky colour from the other night. I don't think this painting is too bad, but it seems to be lacking something. The colour scheme in the actual photo was similar to this painting, but I think perhaps I could have used some reds and greens. It seems too much brown and yellow, almost monochromatic. A little boring maybe.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Leaves look a lot more realistic with just a few of the veins painted on.
• The camera doesn't capture all the colour and variety of the actual scene.
• Don't be afraid to use a little more colour.

Baked Goods

A group of us have been getting together Monday nights at a local church hall to paint, draw or whatever in the hopes that it will motivate us to continue creating and improving. I was in a hurry to get there, didn't have a reference photo handy, so I grabbed a wrinkled bag of flour and a measuring cup on the way out. What can I say, we don't have a lot of knickknacks around the house to use as still life subjects.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

Things To Work On: The composition could have been better. I should have tried some different arrangements, but I pretty much set the objects down and started painting. I'm not happy about the middle area where the spout overlaps the bag. A better layout would have helped. As well, a bit of darker shadow under the flour bag would is make it look less like it is floating.

This painting took a little less than 2 hours, though we did talk a bit so maybe it was closer to 1½. I painted quickly and didn't worry much about details, and had a good night painting with friends.

Sam

I snapped this majestic fellow on our Manitoulin Island trip several years ago. We spent a week exploring the island, hiking and camping. Loved the Chichimaun ferry! I can't wait to go back there. Perhaps this summer?

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

Yesterday's painting took two days so I chose a subject that had a minimum of colours, and I used up the ones that I had mixed leftover. The sky is a solid blue because you're looking way up at the totem. The underpainting is burnt sienna and titanium, and the bird is burnt sienna, ultramarine and titanium. I added some straight burnt sienna to some of the darker areas because not all the wood had been bleached and aged light grey yet.

This one took about an hour to complete. My average painting takes closer to two hours. I think I will try keeping track of how long each painting takes, to satisfy my curiosity.

Lest We Forget

I took this photo of the Manitoulin District Cenotaph on Manitoulin Island many years ago while camping. The pink poppies were in bloom that day. This memorial is in a quiet area away from town. A beautiful place to stop and rest and remember.



8x8 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I really wanted to put this painting up for Nov. 11, but it took much longer than I expected, probably because of it's larger size. I'm glad I did it though. The photo has been waiting for many years. I always knew there was a painting in it.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Bigger paintings take much longer to finish. Start earlier.
• Don't put too many details on statues. As long as the drawing is accurate, a few shadows and highlights will do nicely.

The Cutest House In Town

Friday night was the first real snowfall of the season. We awoke to several inches of snow and a bright blue sky. So I took my camera and went for a walk around the neighbourhood. My apologies to the lady in the house. I would be startled if I saw me talking a photo of my house too.



7x9 Acrylic on Canvas Board

Lots of titanium, ultramarine, burnt sienna and cad yellow medium. I'm beginning to think that those are the only colours I'll ever need.

Valuable Lesson Learned Today:

• If you're going to take pictures of people's homes, don't wear a black hoodie and dark glasses.

Green Acres 3

The third and final painting from the lovely reference photo I found ages ago. I'm tired of doing this one. Maybe the same photo three times in a row is more than enough.



5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

Underpainting is burnt sienna and titanium. Mainly burnt sienna, ultramarine, cad yellow light and of course titanium. I think I could have done something different with the distant trees. I was aiming for a cool blue. Maybe they need to be blended better or something.

I had a big dinner tonight then painted. Maybe my full stomach as well as the fact that tonight is the first snowfall of the year made me less than enthusiastic about painting. I just wanted to curl up in a blanket and watch TV.

My front porch at this very moment

Green Acres 2

This is the second painting from the reference photo below. I want to see how many paintings I can get from this beautiful panoramic scene.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

Reference Photo

Yesterday I primed the canvas with Titanium and Cad Yellow Light. This made a very bright yellow undercoat, but the painting ended up rather reddish or pinkish. Today I primed with Titanium and Burnt Umber, which gave me an orangey pinkish undercoat, but the painting ended up brighter green. Is it me doing this? Is it a subconcious thing, overcompensating for the tone of the underpainting? This would be a good thing to know because I can make it work for me.

By the way, those are cows in the field. I hope they don't look too much like sheep.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• When you paint little shadows under cows, they look more like cows than blobs.
• When you run out of burnt sienna, check the label on the tube carefully at the art store. People get it mixed up with burnt umber and put it back in the wrong spot.

Green Acres 1

The reference photo was very large, enough to break up into several paintings. So that's what I will do over the next couple of days.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

Sometimes the simplest paintings give me the most trouble. I tend to make things like the building on the left more complicated or overworked or something. Well, this is a learning experience after all. I think I'm tired and discouraged tonight.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Sometimes it just doesn't go your way.
• It's important to get enough sleep.

Tea For One

Some friends have started a painting night at a local church hall. Tonight was the first night. We just work on whatever we want, and enjoy the company. Having no photos handy, I found this cup and saucer and painted a real object for the first time.

8x8 Acrylic on Canvas Board

The light was coming from above which made unusual shadows. I think I may fix the shadow under the saucer, it doesn't seem quite right. Perhaps doing more still life from real objects instead of photos is a good idea.

Our group had the meeting room for 2 hours, so I was hurrying to get this done before we had to leave. I don't know if that made the painting better or worse.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Using an actual object instead of a photo for your subject is a bit more challenging.
• You can always fix something on your acrylic painting at another time.
• Get some sleep.

Winter Is Coming

An early snowfall with footprints, a sight we will be seeing all too soon. I don't remember taking the photo, so I must have found it online some time ago. Pretty soon there will be plenty of winter scenes like this for the taking.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

This was a quick study, done mostly with leftover mixed paint colours from yesterday. I mucked around with the shadows a little too much, but the end result is nice enough. More practice with trees is needed.

Lock and Load

I found the photo of this old brass lock on one of those sites that offer free reference photos. I save them to a folder so I'll have something to turn to when I don't want to use one of my own pictures.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I had difficulty mixing a brass colour. I used different combinations of Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine, Cad Red Medium, Cad Yellow Medium and Titanium. Looks more like wood than brass. I think I will see what advice there is on the net for mixing metallic colours in acrylic.

Things I did differently tonight:

• I painted with my glasses off. I can see clearly up to a foot and a half away, anything farther than that is blurry. The highlights and shadows are more defined this way. Plus I can't see all the fine details.
• I used one small flat brush. No reason in particular. 
• I tried not to think too much, and just paint and not worry.

Norman, Meet Bob

Day 20 brings us another lighthouse, this time from a photo I took on Manitoulin Island several years ago.

8x8 Acrylic on Canvas Board

Self critique: I think I was a little too careful and contrived this time. The painting is pretty enough, but I think it looks a bit like a Norman Rockwell if he had been taught by Bob Ross. Then again, I guess it's hard to be edgy when your subject is a lighthouse in the sunshine.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• When painting water, make sure your horizon line is perfectly horizontal.
• Red straight out of the tube is quite bright and transparent. Adding a bit of green helps.

Green Acres

I took this photo in late summer when the wheat had just turned golden and the afternoon sun shone brightly on the fields.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

This one was painted quickly and simply, using the mixed colours from yesterday's painting. I have no idea how the clouds got into that formation though. I must pay more attention when sketching out the basic shapes. It's probably time to start learning a little more about composition, since I usually just paint the scenery as it appears in the reference photo. 

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• If I had stepped back to look at what I had drawn, I wouldn't have painted the clouds on an upward slope.
• Sometimes you just have to take a break and paint something easy.

All Saints Day

Last spring I took a series of photos around my Mom's church in Uptergrove, while everyone was inside. The low, bright sun and the long shadows were irresistible. Luckily I had a camera in my purse. I got some beautiful shots.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

After that I spent more Sundays in the cemetery than inside. The headstones are very old and there is a farm just beyond the fence. Sometimes curious white cows would come up to the fence. Doing little sketches made me feel peaceful and close to something spiritual. My own version of religion. My dear Mom now rests in this cemetery. I planted some crocuses there today. Mom would have liked that.

My painting looks a little more sinister than I intended. Perhaps the shadows and clouds are too dark, making it look like a big storm is on the way. But I painted this one quickly, and left it as is. It is a bit over dramatic, but I like it. And I still have the photo for another try on another day.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Keep a camera handy and take lots of photos wherever you go. 
• Make sure you have fully charged batteries.
• Don't leave the SD card in the computer. There's nothing more infuriating that stopping by a beautiful autumn scene breathtakingly lit by the afternoon sun, taking out your camera, turning it on and seeing the message "No Memory Card". This may or may not have happened to me last week.

The Head Of The Class

I'm not dressing up this year, but that's no reason why we can't get in the spirit of Halloween.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I used Payne's Grey and Titanium White, so the painting looks more "blue and white" rather than "black and white". I mixed about 5 different greys ahead of time, then blocked in the darkest and lightest areas, and went from there. I didn't worry much about blending.

It was a nice change of pace to paint a picture and only have to focus on the values without worrying about getting the colours right too.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Real skulls are yellow, not white.
• Doing a painting using only one colour is a great exercise in getting the values right (darks and lights).
• Black and white paintings look cool. I'll have to do one from time to time.

Which Way To The Beach?

Every so often I have to take off and take some time for myself. Last summer I spent a few days in Southampton sketching lighthouses, taking photos and hanging out at the beach because it was hot and sunny every day. A few of the photos were exceptional, including this one of a sandy path to the beach.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I worked fairly quickly on this one, and used only Titanium, Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna and Hooker's Green. Underpainting was a light mix of Burnt and Titanium. I love how the path turned out, with the bold shadows. Simple little painting, and I am happy.

Valuable Lesson Learned Today:

• If you keep trying, you will eventually paint something you really like.

I Never Promised You A Rose Garden

When I was very young, my dad told me that roses were hard to paint. It's just one of those random things that kids remember out of all the other things they hear from their parents. So just as I did when I was young, I went ahead with this trio of roses and hoped for the best.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

My underpainting was Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine and a bit of Cad Yellow Medium added to Titanium. My pencil outline of the roses was satisfactory. At least I can draw with reasonable accuracy. But it seems that I got lost painting the flowers. I was all over the place with regard to tones and brush strokes. In the end, at least they can be recognized as roses. I would like to find a good tutorial on painting roses. They are so beautiful and classic.

I haven't mentioned this before, but any feedback or advice is most welcome!!!

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Roses are more difficult to paint than lemons.
• Acquiring good drawing skills helps so much. Getting the overall shape accurately drawn provides a good basis for a painting.

You Say Tomato...

...I say it's time to try a still life of a fruit that's not a tutorial. It was time to break out on my own again and apply what I learned over the last couple of weeks. The reference photo was simple and colourful. But it wasn't as easy as I had hoped.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I am pleased that I got the shadows and highlights. I struggled with everything in between. Maybe I made too many shades of red and confused myself.

I'm pretty tired tonight so I'll leave it at that.

Valuable Lesson Learned Today:

• Never give up. Keep painting even if you feel like crap.

Better Latte Than Never

Lucky Day 13. One last tutorial, I promise. The photo of the coffee cup painting caught my eye, so I followed Will Kemp's How to Paint a Simple Still Life using Oil Paints and hoped it would work with acrylic. Not bad, I think.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I primed the canvas with  a light grey made from ultramarine, burnt sienna and titanium which was left from yesterday's painting. The dark areas were burnt umber and titanium, and the blue cup was cobalt, cad yellow medium and titanium. I did this one fairly quickly, a little over an hour, but ended up fussing over the fine highlights and shadows near the end. If I can figure our how not to mess things up as I do final touch ups, I'll be showing progress.

I must admit to myself, and all of you, that I'm getting a little tired of having to do a painting each day. The initial enthusiasm has cooled. Kind of like after the first two weeks of school, when the newness wears off, but you're still nowhere near the burnout stage of late in the semester. A little bit dreary, that's all. Posting to this blog is doing the trick so far. It gives me a reason to paint consistently.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Priming a few canvases at a time with a neutral ground saves a bit of time. Plus next time you can start painting right away without having to wait for the ground to dry.
• If you think your painting isn't very good, stand really far back and look at it. The farther back, the better. You will feel a little better anyway.

Nice Jug

Today's painting was another Will Kemp tutorial, just to keep things simple. Only 3 colours were used; burnt umber, ultramarine and titanium white. If I was stuck on a desert island with only three tubes of paint, I would choose those. Not that I would have much time to paint.

7x9 Acrylic on Canvas Board

This was a very straightforward subject. I primed the canvas with a very light grey made from the three colours. Then I blocked the darkest areas with a dark grey made with untramarine and a little less of the burnt umber. I'm not crazy about the background, but I was satisfied with the jug.

These two colours make such a great pair because you can make such a range of cool and warm colours. When I did watercolour painting, I used them very often when doing landscapes. I'll have to dig them up and show you...

I spend three times as long mixing colours as I do applying them to the canvas, but I'm getting a bit better at achieving the colours I want. I used more medium this time, and the paint flowed much better.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Using more medium in acrylic paint makes it a bit easier to blend.
• You use a lot of white when painting with acrylic so make sure you have a backup tube. 
• Cheap tip: You can use one of those plastic bakery birthday cake things to keep your acrylics from drying out. I put a wet paper towel down, then my paint palette sheet on top of it. The paint stayed fine for three days with the lids on tightly. 

Acrylic Paint Keeper

You Can't Compare Apples to Lemons

I'm pleased with today's painting. I followed another of Will Kemp's tutorials today entitled Light and Shade. I achieved the most realistic piece of fruit that I have ever painted. She's apples, as they say in New Zealand.

7x9 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I followed the tutorial faithfully. I highly recommend it for those beginning to paint with acrylic. Will Kemp is an excellent teacher who gives clear directions. It is nice to follow someone's directions rather than struggle with wondering what colours to use and how to achieve a painterly effect.I didn't struggle at all, though it took 2 hours because I would watch a segment of video, pause it, then mix and apply paint.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• If your paint colour says "Hue" after it (Cadmium Yellow Light Hue), it's not as good a quality. You might need more of the paint, and it might not cover as well. If you can afford it, don't buy Hues.
• Wear painting clothes. Acrylic, unlike watercolour, does not wash out. It kind of looks cool if you start with a white t-shirt and get lots of colours on it though.

Cherry Jubilee

Feeling discouraged because my last few paintings were disappointments, I decided to get back to basics with some simple tutorials with straightforward subjects. This is Will Kemp's Beginners Acrylic Still Life Painting Techniques Youtube tutorial of a single cherry. Just what I needed to get back on track. It worked! I feel better already. Sometimes a little success goes a long way.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I followed the tutorial pretty much exactly, so if you're curious about what paints and techniques I used, or want to try this little gem for yourself, check out the tutorial link above. I think I was getting ahead of myself and tackling subject matter that I wasn't ready for. So for the next while I will paint simple subjects, preferably single objects.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• If you get discouraged with your work, try something simple that you are sure to succeed at. 
• Red plus orange with a touch of white makes somewhat lighter red.

Have Your Cake

I took some beautiful photos of the baked goods at the Mariposa Market this afternoon, then headed home in the rain to paint. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to the actual painting until late at night. I kind of wish I had bought the cake, because I'd really like some of it's strawberry chocolateyness right now. It would make me feel better.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

My end result is not horrible, but I had high hopes for this painting. I thought a change of colour scheme and subject matter would be nice. But I made mud pie of the background which originally had reflections behind the cakes. I ended up painting the grey over them. Reflections aren't as easy as I thought. I still haven't figured out how to blend acrylic paint nicely. I will look for some blending tutorials online.

The pink was Alizarin Crimson, Titanium, and a touch of Cad Yellow Medium to tone down the bubblegum pink. The background is Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna and a touch of Titanium.

One other thing I must work on is getting the paint to flow better. It seems to always be too dry and rubbery. Not enough medium and/or water perhaps.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Overblending colours on the canvas can make mud. You can't unblend colours.
• Don't spend too much time obsessing over one aspect of a painting, such as the background or the frosting on a cake. It can be very discouraging.
• Step back and make sure your tones (darks and lights) are right. This can make or break a painting.
• Bring home a cake so you have comfort food after you are done.

Daffy

I realized tonight that one of the most difficult things about posting a picture every day is that sometimes one paints something that one is not proud to show everybody. But the show must go on, and this is a learning experience, right?

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

The reference photo had sunlit daffodils and a bright blue sky with tree branches in the distance. By the time I mixed something close to the yellow in the flowers and applied it over the previous layers of muddy wrong yellow, I saw that the sky was nothing like what I intended it to be. After all, the photo was taken on a bright sunny day. This sky is too dark and gloomy. I understand the theory behind colour mixing, in practice it is much more difficult. I have a lot of colour practice ahead of me, plus my tones were way off. I think part of the problem was that I didn't step back to look at the picture as a whole, I was too focused on the details.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Back away from your work every so often and look at it from a few feet away. 
• Backlit objects are harder to paint than those lit from the front or side.
• It's only a cheap piece of canvas and an ounce of paint. You'll be better next time and congratulations, you learned something.

Little Lagoon House

I am so tired tonight. Lots of fall yard work. It was all I could do to stay awake long enough to paint this house that I photographed a couple of years ago in Lagoon City on Lake Simcoe. It was one of those perfect summer sunset evenings and luckily I took my camera with me on my evening stroll. In this case, I like the photo much better than tonight's painting, but at least I painted something.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

Let's see if I remember the colours... Burnt Umber, Yellow Ochre, Ultramarine, Titanium, Cad Yellow Light?, and Hooker's Green (cause it's cheap and easy). By the time I got to the shadows on the road I was done for the evening. I will definitely revisit this photo for a redo someday. (PS I just realized I forgot to paint the bushes to the right of the house. Off to bed for me.)

Valuable Lesson's Learned Today:

• Painting while tired leads to shortcuts and rushed work, which leads to disappointment. 
• A pair of pliers is very handy for opening acrylic paint tubes. They stick tight even if you don't overtighten them.

Oooh Garlic

My Mom hated garlic, so I didn't even know what it tasted like until my teens. It was like a flavour revolution when I finally did. Now I add it to just about every dish I cook.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I primed the canvas with a grey made from Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna and Titanium White. The background is Burnt Umber, and everything else (but the little bits of green on the garlic cloves) is done in different combinations of the priming colours. I added a fair amount of Gloss Medium to the paint this time, just to see what happens and because it was there. The paint blended a little better, it didn't dry on the palette as fast and the paint went further. It did make the picture somewhat shiny, as you can see in the upper left. I think I will get some less shiny medium and see what happens.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• Using medium extends the paint and keeps it from drying so fast. That and a little bit of water.
• Don't overwork. The garlic heads have about 4 layers of colours. I finally told myself to stop it right this instant.
• Don't ever run out of garlic. I did yesterday.

PS I stumbled on a site with the most wonderful daily paintings called Postcards from Provence by British artist Julian Merrow-Smith from his home in France. His still life paintings with lemons are divine.

Jar of Dreams

Day 5. A quaint still life. I thought the jar would be the big challenge, but it seems that the lemon has won again. Maybe I was tired of painting by the time I got to it but I'm in need of more lemon tutorials.

5x7 Acrylic on Canvas Board

I made the greenish blue of the glass from Cobalt Blue and a bit of Cadmium Yellow Light. It took several tries with different combinations of Aquamarine, Cerulean and Cad Yellow Medium. I could not for the world of me tell of the jar in the photo was a warm or cool colour. I have trouble differentiating some blues and greens. So I experimented until I got something that looked to me like the reference photo.

The lemon. My nemesis. I want to make more than lemonade. I will keep trying. Any advice is appreciated.

Valuable Lessons Learned Today:

• When painting glass objects, paint the background, then draw the object. Don't draw the object, paint the background over it, then redraw the object. 
• Include enough of the background colour in your glass objects to show that they are transparent. I had to add more at the end and it really helped.
• Lemons are hard. At least for me. Oh right, I said that three days ago.