Dancing Skeleton

  Dancing Skeleton WIP

   48 x 36

  acrylic on wood

Finished.  For my my "day job".  We have a Halloween Event every year with candy and prizes and fun.  This is for the trick or treat area for the little kids. Previous step.  I have named him Skelly.  Working on this has been a nice break from my school work.  Reminds me why I love painting. 

 

Today I added the stars, finished the pumpkins, shaded the bones, added the spider web, and the glow in the dark time.  I also redid the outline around the skeleton.  Unfortunatly I was not able to get a photo in the dark as I have no rooms in my house that are dark enough and I had to drop it off today.  

The weird light circle area is going to be cut out so someone can stick their hand through it to pass out candy. 

Dancing Skeleton (Skelly) WIP

  Dancing Skeleton WIP

   48 x 36

  acrylic on wood

For my my "day job".  We have a Halloween Event every year with candy and prizes and fun.  This is for the trick or treat area for the little kids. Previous step.  I have named him Skelly.  Working on this has been a nice break from my school work.  Reminds me why I love painting.  I mostly spent time today putting in the background.  I need to finish the pumpkins, add some stars, a spider web, shading on the bones, and glow in the dark paint.  A few hours tomorrow and this baby will be done!

Dancing Skeleton WIP

  Dancing Skeleton WIP

   48 x 36

  acrylic on wood

For my my "day job".  We have a Halloween Event every year with candy and prizes and fun.  This is for the trick or treat area for the little kids.  I think he looks fun.  I still want to add a spider web, haunted house, bats, and a full moon.  I bought some glow in the dark paint that I am excited to use on the skeleton, the windows on the house, the spider web and the moon.  

WIP- Jessica and Baby Evelyn, Rancho Sierra Vista Casa

Jessica and Baby Evelyn WIP

watercolor on paper

  16 x 20

As a Mother's Day present I was commissioned to do a portrait of our friends wife and baby daughter.  Previous step.  

Ahh!! So I was done with this right? And then I went and mucked it up.  I worked out the hands, darkened the hair, got the values all right then I laid it down on the table paint side down and covered the back with water and put it under some books to flatten it out.  I turn it over and there is something right on the shoulder.  I try and clean it with water and it doesnt come off.  I try and blend it and it looks ok.  Then I get the bright idea to try and sand it off with some sandpaper and it all when down hill from there.  I was working it and working it and then I just had to stop and walk away. 
 

Besides my little boo-boo I think this painting looks awesome.  I hope I am able to fix it.  I have a couple of things I want to try in the morning and if those dont work I am going to buy Daniel Smith Watercolor Ground and fix it that way.  From what I have read it is pretty much liquid watercolor paper.

Rancho Sierra Vista Casa WIP

watercolor on paper

  20 x 24

For Landscape Painting.  My midterm project based off of this study. I began with a wash of cadmium yellow and then a warm green and a cool green.  Just building the layers.  Looking good so far.

WIP- Jessica and Baby Evelyn

Jessica and Baby Evelyn WIP

watercolor on paper

  16 x 20

As a Mother's Day present I was commissioned to do a portrait of our friends wife and baby daughter.  Previous step.  

Today I just begin refining.  I finished baby Evelyn, worked on the background, and added some touches to Jessica.  I love the way the baby looks.  There are two spots that are bothering me, her right eye and the hands.  Hopefully I will be able to get them worked out.  

WIP- Jessica and Baby Evelyn

Jessica and Baby Evelyn WIP

watercolor on paper

  16 x 20

As a Mother's Day present I was commissioned to do a portrait of our friends wife and baby daughter.  Previous step.  I have darkened the hair a bit more, worked on the skin tones and the facial features, and began the skin tone and hair on the baby.  A few more days and hopefully it will be done!

WIP- Jessica and Baby Evelyn

Jessica and Baby Evelyn WIP

watercolor on paper

  16 x 20

As a Mother's Day present I was commissioned to do a portrait of our friends wife and baby daughter.  Previous step.   Today I began darkening the hair and worked on the face a bit more.  Its coming along well.  Right now I am thinking the eyes are going to be the most difficult part. 

WIP- Jessica and Baby Evelyn, Gold Rose and Red Wine

Jessica and Baby Evelyn WIP

watercolor on paper

  16 x 20

As a Mother's Day present I was commissioned to do a portrait of our friends wife and baby daughter.  Previous step.  I began working on the skin, darkened the color of the dress, and removed some hard lines around the hair.  I am really liking the progress so far :) 

Gold Rose and Red Wine

oil on canvas

  20 x 16

Way back in 2008 when I took my first painting class (Still Life Painting 1) and first started learning to use oils, I created this piece.  Recently we had a yard sale which gave me the oppertunity to sell some of my not so favorite pieces for cheap.  They were doing me no good just stitting in my house.  I would rather someone actually enjoy them.  Friends of ours actually bought this piece and two others. 

It has been stored for awhile and went through an international move so it needed a little bit of fixing up.  I hit it with a varnish of liquin and burnt unber and I patched up a little line in it that was there from when another painting was laying on it.  I like how the repairs look.  Here is what it looked like before-

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge

oil on canvas 

 36 x 48

Finished.  I love it.  This is the first large scale piece that I have actually finished.  I hope they like it :)
Previous step.

This is a commission for one of my husbands co-workers.  His wife is from Brooklyn.  He wants to give this to her for Valentine's day.  Reference. 

Brooklyn Bridge WIP- Day 5

Brooklyn Bridge WIP

oil on canvas 

 36 x 48

I am out of my funk.  I havent worked on this the past few days because I wasnt really sure what I wanted to do next.  I woke up early this morning (6:30) determined to work through it and get this painting as close to finished as possible.  I love the way it is looking and it feels so good.  Much better then the ugly stage.  

I think I am pretty much done with the foreground.  I need to work out the background and make sure not to get too caught up in the details. It is the background and to keep the feeling of perspective I need to keep the city pushed back.  No sharp contrasts. No bright colors.  I need to show the atmosphere between the fore and backgrounds. 

Previous step. 

This is a commission for one of my husbands co-workers.  His wife is from Brooklyn.  He wants to give this to her for Valentine's day.   Reference. 

Brooklyn Bridge WIP- Day 4

Brooklyn Bridge WIP

oil on canvas 

 36 x 48

Welcome to the ugly phase.  In my experience every painting goes through an ugly phase and as an artist it is my job to bring it out.  I began adding in the lights.  As I did this I realized I may have made the darks a bit too dark so I will need to fix them. I added the water and am happy with the way it looks.  I still need to work on the city in the background more.  Lets see if I get this done tomorrow... 

Previous step.

This is a commission for one of my husbands co-workers.  His wife is from Brooklyn.  He wants to give this to her for Valentine's day.  I am giving my self until Monday to finish it so that it can be dry in time.  Reference. 

Brooklyn Bridge WIP- Day 3

Brooklyn Bridge WIP

oil on canvas 

 36 x 48

Did the sky.  Pretty happy with the results.  I may go back in and add a bit more white to the clouds.  

I am not as far along with it as I would have hoped but it will work.  I think I went a bit too dark on areas of the bridge but I can fix that.  I hope to finish it on Sunday. 

It took me awhile to get into working on this piece but once I did I was totally in the zone and loving it... and then I had to get ready for work. No fun.  Hopefully I can just get right bavk into that zone quickly on Sunday and bang this piece out.   

Previous step.

This is a commission for one of my husbands co-workers.  His wife is from Brooklyn.  He wants to give this to her for Valentine's day.  I am giving my self until Monday to finish it so that it can be dry in time.  Reference. 

Brooklyn Bridge WIP- Day 2

Brooklyn Bridge WIP

oil on canvas 

 36 x 48

 Working on the sky.  I need to add clouds.  I also have an idea for how I am going to do the bricks on the bridge.  I want to get the sky done first though.  I am funny when I paint.  I like to think and plot out my next move.  Last night I did the under-painting and then thought about how I was going to do the sky.  Now I have done the sky and so need to plot how I am going to do the clouds.  I hope to have this 80-90% done tomorrow. 

Previous step.

This is a commission for one of my husbands co-workers.  His wife is from Brooklyn.  He wants to give this to her for Valentine's day.  I am giving my self until Monday to finish it so that it can be dry in time.  Reference. 

Brooklyn Bridge WIP

Brooklyn Bridge

oil on canvas 

 36 x 48

 A commission for one of my husbands co-workers.  His wife is from Brooklyn.  He wants to give this to her for Valentine's day.  I am giving my self until Monday to finish it so that it can be dry in time.  Reference. 

Day 107- Shawna's Aunt Commission WIP

Title: Shawna's Aunt Commission Work in Progress 

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Size: 9x12

Inspiration: Over a year ago my friend Shawna asked me to do a portrait of her Aunt who has breast cancer.  I have been really afraid to work on/ finish this painting.  I am really intimidated.  I think the more I work on it and the more it comes along the more I will like it.  I like the way the uncle is looking , Auntie needs a bit more work but she is coming along. 

Day 106- Shawna's Aunt Commission

Title: Shawna's Aunt Commission Work in Progress 

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Size: 9x12

Inspiration: Over a year ago my friend Shawna asked me to do a portrait of her Aunt who has breast cancer.  I have been really afraid to work on/ finish this painting.  I am really intimidated.  I think the more I work on it and the more it comes along the more I will like it.  Originally I was going to do this in acrylic but when I started it I didnt like the way the colors were working so I decided that I would finish it in oils. Below is the step before this one where you can see more of the acrylic underpainting.