All Dressed up and No Place to Go!

I decided to do a painting of the frog sketch.  This is the fifth one of the 'Meet Me in the Garden' series.  I enjoyed painting each one. I love all the color!

Snappy Turtle

Here is another 'Meet me in the Garden' series.

'Snappy turtle'

Done like the others with a sketch, and decorative papers

and matte medium, then Watercolor and gouache.

Bubbles-Meet me in the Garden Series

Here is the fourth of the 'Meet me in the Garden' Series.  After doing the first one, I was hooked and wanted to do the others. These were all done from my sketches. After sketching, I scan it, and enlarge it, and then use my light box. I did all the work on the sketch. Sure makes the painting part a lot easier!
I put the close up so you could see the specks of paper that I glued down using matte medium. It almost looks like bubbles so that is why I named it...'Bubbles'.

Meet me in the Garden! (The Sunface Steps)

I started out with a sketch, the top photo. Then I scanned it, enlarged it, and printed it out. Then I took a  circle and straightened up my outside.  I had already fixed the paper to match the fish, so using my lightbox, I traced the sketch.

 Here you can see it on the quarter sheet.




The next two photos show the close up. You can see the paper, and the drawing.

 I love the little paper squares in this paper.
I don't remember where I got it. Maybe at Varsity Book Store in Lubbock.
Some of the paper has gold metallic threads.
One piece has holes, and threads.

Here is the first of the color being added.
and below is more paint.
Then the finished Sunface. 

Garden Decorations

This hippy hoppy frog that I posted last time  is a sketch that I did just using ink, and he is in my sketchbook. The Fish is a painting.   I have several photos of these pottery garden decorations from a garden shop. So after doing the frog, I was going through my paper and ran across a quarter sheet of hot press wc paper that I had glued down some sheer art paper. I used 3-4 different kinds of paper on it, and it looked like the perfect texture I wanted.  So, I drew the fish onto the paper, just like I have been doing with my sketches.  I did use a pencil due to the large size. It is a lot of detail painting, almost as bad as painting fabric, but enjoyed it, so now I am doing a 3rd one, and plan on having 4. I will post the others when I am finished! I don't plan on painting a background.
I love that paper with the little squares of news paper in it. it has writing on it. Also one piece of the paper has gold threads running through it.
I used watercolor and gouache, on the Fish.
I have already prepared another piece of paper just to match  the paper used on the fish.

I can't tell you how much the 75 day sketch challenge has helped me with my drawing! I am still drawing something each day. I think I am on day 90.  It gives you so much more confidence when you start a new painting! I highly recommend it to everyone.

The Garden Shop

 I am still sketching at night after supper.
This is a concrete statue that I saw at a Garden/plant shop in Florida.  The frog below was there too. I am working on a fish like the frog.  I don't have a sketch of the frog. I just drew it right onto the paper that I had glued down some paper with textures. Hopefully it will turn out ok!
I can't believe how much the sketching each night with ink, has helped with drawing with more confidence.
If you paint and draw I highly recommend it! I wish I had done this sooner.

The Card Rack

This is a new sketch done this morning from a photo I took in Seattle,WA of a card rack.
I loved the dancers.They are rather comical looking but fun!  I am considering a painting from this sketch, but have to work out the details, so as of right now, I am not sure what direction I will go with. If anything happens I will post it again! By the way, I did the sketch with a sketch and wash pencil this time, not ink. Then I used white gouache for her dress, and watercolor for the colors.The paper in my sketchbook is gray.