Behind the studio
Posted in Art Work
Here is my newest drawing:
I used one of my reference photos of a bouquet of flowers. These three mums were nestled together basking in a ray of sunlight. Mums are such a blast to draw. The petals are so varied with dark shadows and bright highlights. I used 2B and 4B graphite pencils for this drawing. It is matted in black and can be found in my Etsy shop.
Posted in Other Artist Work
This is one of the most beautiful videos I've seen. My mom and dad sent it to me and I wanted to share it with you. It is a 2.5 minute time lapse film of flowers blooming in all their spectacular glory. Enjoy!!
Life of flowers (Жизнь цветов) from VOROBYOFF PRODUCTION on Vimeo.
Posted in Art Work, and Peeking Behind the Easel
It's finally finished! In a perfect world I'd paint from start to finish in a few days. That rarely happens when juggling family commitments and I think it works in a weird way. It's easy to be too critical when you are working up close on a painting. A number of small break between painting helps me see it with fresh eyes. Things I thought were awful turn out to be just fine and having time to mull over the step helps move things along when I pick up my paint brush.
I surprised a lot of you, my dear readers, with my choice of red for the irises. I have pushed the red to more of a maroon and I think you will love how it turned out. I dug out an old hard copy photo of a maroon iris that at one time grew in my yard. I used this photo as a guide for the highlight and shadow colors. If you look closely, you can see the shadows are a deep purple and the highlights in the sun show fuschia, oranges, and a little yellow. Here's the scanned photo:
And finally – here's the finished painting!
I am pleased with the finished painting. You'll will be able to find this on my Etsy shop over the weekend. Hope you enjoyed following along with this painting and the peek behind my easel!
If you missed the beginning of the painting -links to follow along with the painting:
Posted in Art Work, and Peeking Behind the Easel
I've started a new painting and thought you might like to follow along from start to finish. The first thing I do after deciding what I want to paint is think about the composition and mull over colors. Sometimes, I'll sketch out an idea to help refine what I want to do.
Once I have a mental picture of the painting, the next step is gather up the photos, sketches, and other reference material. These help me see the shapes of what I am painting. Some artist project their references and trace the shapes. I haven't tried that – I like the process of drawing out the picture. For this painting I am using photos I've taken of irises and relying on years of observing irises up close in my yard.
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The next step is choosing the size canvas and base coating the background color. I like to paint the whole background to get rid of the white and to help balance colors and tones from the start. I chose a dark green that will help create depth later in the painting. After the base coat is dried, I begin sketching right on to the canvas. I use a pastel pencil or chalk because I can wipe away it away with a wet towel. This way I can redraw as much as I need to until the composition and the shapes are to my satisfaction. Here's the start of the painting:
Now comes the best parts – painting! Stayed tuned for the next step and a further peek behind my easel. : )
Posted in Musing About Art, and Reference Photos
I paint a lot of daisies. I love seeing them waving in the summer breezes in July & August. Their whites and yellows are so airy and fresh in the summer heat.
I have several patches of them around the yard to paint en plein or photograph for later. [En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors.]
Daisies are a simple flower to paint and I like that they can be painted in so many different styles and moods. Give them a grey undertone, and they have a softer, understated feel. Paint them with greens tints and they have a more woodsy feel. Punch up the yellow centers and they have a happier feel. They can be painted loosely or finely detailed. It's a great flower to paint!