Thanks Nick!

I thought I'd post an interesting comment from Nick about the waterlily .

"Lots of misconceptions and misinformation out there about fluid acrylic paint. Used transparently, it looks and behaves just like watercolor, except that it's permanent - which, depending on your technique and what you're painting, can help you or make things more difficult (it has to go down right the first time). Good luck on your picture, it's looking great!"

Thanks for the comments, Nick. I was ready to toss the paints (or sell them on ebay!). The part about "it has to go down right the first time" is the one that really has me thinking that I'll try it again. (But first, a regular watercolour of it that I've got drawn out, just read to pour.) It's the having to go down right the first time that caused the problems in the last one. I guess I'm so used to being able to correct, re-glaze, lift off, etc, that the 'go down right the first time' part just didn't happen. Next time, if it doesn't go down right the first time, I'll scrap it right away because, in retrospect, it was the constant adding to "the first time" that got me into the problems I was having.

There was one spot that I had sprayed off, as shown in Nick's dvd , Innovative Water Media with Nicholas Simmons, and I loved it - it looked just like the splash a frog would make after he jumped in the water. I mistakenly thought I'd tone it down a bit, glazed over it and lost it. That was another learning mistake.

The permanent part made it difficult for me but I swear, next time, the permanent part is going to make it easier. If it kills me, I'm going to get this technique down.

Okay, enough about the waterlily. Hopefully, I'll post some shots of it this weekend when I have more time to paint. The past two nights have been busy. Tuesday night was class night, which is fun and interesting and busy. Last night, Wednesday, was an executive meeting for the local art group, of which I'm now secretary. You know you're getting old when two late-ish nights in a row almost do you in.

Updates and Drawing Class

It's been a while since I've posted but .... here I am.

The Calendar Show is over and the two-week extension show we stayed on for is over, too. It was fun, it was great exposure but I'm glad it's over. Working a full time job, then putting in hours at the show on my day off on the weekend, and usually a night during the week gets to be a lot. But it was all a great success! We were at the mall for a total of three weeks.

My sunflower (which is the one I use as my avatar now) will be on the calendar! Over 2,200 people voted for the calendar paintings. Twelve were chosen - the twelve with the highest number of votes. Calendars will be available in the fall. All twelve of us were given a certificate and had to show our painting at the last meeting. That was traumatic, standing in front of the group. For me, anyways.

I've also started a Drawing Class. Sandra Taylor is the instructor and by the end of the session, if we all do our homework, we're going to be good drawers! She's making us work! And that's a great thing - to get a teacher like Sandra that pushes you.

In lieu of any painting progress shots, I'll attach some of the drawing exercises we did. Last class, we drew for the entire three hours with our non-dominant hand, which was in my case, my left hand. This is to get the creative part of the brain to kick in. So, all the eyes you see below are done with the left hand. The books / pencil were also done left handed, as well as the plain bottle. The fireplace mantle and the Bacardi cooler were done right handed.

Our homework was to draw every day for at least 1/2 hour, using the left hand for a lot of it. Also, find magazine pics of eyes, cut them out, paste them into our sketchbook / drawing journal and draw each with the left hand.

I'm finding that drawing with the right hand sure is easier after you've been labouring away with the left hand for a long while! Your right hand just seems to fly over the paper. I love to draw but when it's using the left hand, it's hard work.

I'm in the process of drawing out the waterlily on a sheet of hotpressed paper and plan on doing it the same way as the sunflower. Poured to begin with.

Anyways, here's the shots. (Bottom two are right handed, the rest are left handed.) Tomorrow night (Tuesday) is the second class.