Sunflower in Oils - Working 4

Sunflower in Oils - Working 3

I worked some more on the petals and the sky.

Sunflower in Oils - Working 2

Here's the underpainting of the sunflower which I did on clayboard.

Sunflower in Oils - Working 1

This is the initial sketch for an oil (water miscible) painting of a sunflower. I'm working from another of the many photos I took during my visit to Callaway Gardens.

Crazy Tomatoes

Crazy Tomatoes

Oil Pastels

8x10

I had fun going crazy with this! I was definitely NOT in the mood to color between the lines!

Kreativ Blogger Award

Thank You!!!

I was given this award by simoart,  

http://simoartcorner.blogspot.com

Seven things I love

1. My family (this, of course, includes the furry babies) and friends

2. Animals

3. Art

4. Spring days

5. My Mac

6. Popcorn

7. Ice Cream

Seven great blogs!

1. http://worksbytracy.blogspot.com/

2. http://www.kemstudios.blogspot.com/

3. http://artoutwest.blogspot.com/

4. http://jameswhitehurstfineart.blogspot.com/

5. http://edwardburtonpaintings.blogspot.com/

6. http://carolhorzempa.blogspot.com/

7. http://artforshelteranimals.blogspot.com/

Just for Fun!

I'm a HUGE fan of the show It's Me or the Dog and trainer, Victoria Stilwell so I decided to do a quick caricature of her.

Horse in Oil Pastels - Finished

Horse

Oil Pastel

11x14

I did some final touches on this and added in the background. I think this is a wrap.

Horse in Oil Pastels - Work In Progress 2

I worked on some of the details. I used tortillons to blend the pastels. I'm pretty happy with the base wash I did as I'm not seeing any little specs of paper popping through like I did in my initial, pre-baby oil discovery, attempt.

Horse in Oil Pastels - Work In Progress

I love working in dry pastels but recently have been reading a lot about how toxic they are, especially when working in an area which isn't properly ventilated (guilty). So, I thought maybe I'd give oil pastels a shot. I haven't used oil pastels since high school, and I wasn't much of a fan of them then. My first attempt went horribly array and ended up a big mound of mud. Here's my second attempt which I'm much happier with. One of the reasons I'm much happier with it is that I did a google search and found that baby oil can be used as a solvent. So, armed with my baby oil, I started this painting. I started by blocking in areas of color, then I loaded a paint brush with baby oil and worked at making it into a wash. I left it to dry and when I came back I realized the hazard of baby oil...the grease stain! When I walked away this horse didn't have a halo, when I came back however...Oh well, guess I'll be putting a background in this one for sure! LOL!

Pencil Portrait - Finished

Pencil Portrait

8x10

Pencil Portrait - Work In Progress 3

Pencil Portrait - Work In Progress 2

Pencil Portrait - Work In Progress 1

Here's the initial sketch for a pencil portrait I've been working on. I'll be posting the rest of the stages over the next few days.