Recreational Art
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Thursday, October 31, 2024
Spooky Mannequin Makeover
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Painting Sunsets
I’m in the beginning stage of painting a lighthouse with a beautiful sunset backdrop. The inspiration for this piece came from a photo I found online and wanted to recreate this subject using acrylic paint.
Where do I start? Was my question as I studied the photo. At times, I have to study other artist’s paintings or follow along with a YouTube tutorial. However, I decided to get started and see what happens. I began with painting the entire canvas a light yellow hue diluted with water. Then I preceded with painting the top portion of canvas with a pink (magenta) tone mixed with white. The bottom portion I used a darker pink tone mixed with crimson red, orange, magenta and white. I did not gradient the paint in with the yellow because I waited too long since it had dried.
Next, I used a mixture of crimson red, orange, magenta ultramarine blue and white until I was satisfied with the color for sky. When I begin a painting project on my own without help from a tutorial I often make many mistakes and try and learn from them. That is what I call a working experience or just plain luck if my subject turns out.
For the center color I use raw umber, ultramarine blue, crimson red, orange and white. Basically, the same colors I used for the sky but added more raw umber to create the land stretched across the center of the canvas.
The fun and most challenging part of a painting is when it’s time to blend or get rid of hard edges. This helps create a more realistic sky. This takes practice and after 20 years I still have issues. Recently, I purchased a mop brush to help with this technique and find it does help. Learning how to paint is the “why” I love most. It also is satisfying when a painting takes on a life of its own.
Lastly, I use a cut out shape of the lighthouse to see where I will eventually paint my main character. It helps me see visually instead of instinctively knowing where to place this shape. That way I don’t begin painting and say, “whoops”; it doesn’t look right and then paint over my error.
After a few minor adjustments—like removing the sun from the left side of the painting in the second photo below—I realized it wasn't where I wanted the light source, as the light appears to come from the right. I also brightened the sky around the lighthouse and enhanced the light beams, as shown in the first photo. Now, this painting feels complete.
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Sunset Cruisen
Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Tortoiseshell Cat
When starting an animal portrait, my process begins with selecting reference photos that clearly capture the pet's unique expression, particularly focusing on the light and emotion reflected in their eyes. While fur texture is important, I believe the essence of the pet is conveyed primarily through their eyes and facial expression, which helps owners immediately recognize their beloved companion in the artwork. I decided to incorporate a green background to accentuate the pet’s eye color, creating a balanced and harmonious composition that draws the viewer’s focus to the most expressive features.
Santa Silhouette
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Haunting Hollow Eve
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
A Reflective Journey
Spooky Mannequin Makeover
Decorating pumpkins for Halloween is a classic tradition for many, but I’ve taken a different approach. Instead of pumpkins, I decorate mann...
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In my artistic journey, I've evolved from doodling on paper to using digital tools like Procreate on my tablet for sketching, painting, ...
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Plein air painting, the art of capturing outdoor scenes on canvas, became an unforgettable experience during a visit to Wildcat Den State Pa...
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W orking with oils are definitely different from acrylic. However, there are some pluses and minus to each as I'm sure I'll discover...