Sunday, February 23, 2014

Irises

I found these irises outside today in the front yard and decided to draw them.  I wanted to focus on line and shade but it did not turn out exactly as I planned as I had trouble establishing lines and contours.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Venetian Nights

This photo titled Venetian Nights on paintmyphoto.ning.com attracted me because of the range of values and colors.  I started with a drawing using conte crayons to get familiar with the values and color temperatures.  I then painted this watercolor which took me longer then I planned partly because I struggled with rendering the boat which to me appeared to have several colors both warm and cool.



Saturday, February 8, 2014

The Lift

This watercolor captures a beautiful moment in movement when the male dancer lifts his partner so that the audience witnesses strength, stature, grace, passion, and trust all at once.  I began with a small thumbnail sketch to work out the shapes and values.  I really wanted to focus most of the attention showing the female dancer suspended as light as a feather.  I think the shapes and values in the watercolor turned out ok but was disappointed in the colors.  The background colors are too muddy.  I would have preferred a warm, dark, and luscious green for the dark backgrounds and a bit more warmth in the shadows of the figures and clothing.



Saturday, February 1, 2014

Fifth Position

It was the gesture and the first position of the hands that first caught my attention of this ballet dancer.  The feet are in the fifth position.  Here is a charcoal sketch on toned paper.