Adventures in Art, Decorating, Cooking, and Gardening
I hope everyone enjoyed the long holiday weekend. It went by way too fast and I didn’t accomplish everything that I had planned to do. But I managed to squeeze in a brief painting session this afternoon. Fall is the perfect time to plant tulips, and these Angelique tulips would look fabulous in my spring garden. Now all I need to do is find the time and energy to plant some before winter sets in.
This tulip painting looks deceptively simple but it was time consuming and challenging to paint. I found the giant tulip on the left to be particularly challenging since I had such a large area to cover. The orange areas on the tulips required several washes to create an intense color. I painted the yellow areas first and then washed the orange on top; however, the next time I will reverse the process and paint the dark orange first and then apply a yellow wash on top. Each painting is a learning process.
This painting is for my sister with much love.
Remember the lovely orange and turquoise tulips that my daughter painted a couple of weeks ago? She thought it might be fun to show two different interpretations of the same painting using a similar color scheme. And while we painted side by side and used the same sketch, the results are quite different. In the painting above, I chose more vivid colors and added a soft blue sky plus a bit of sunlight. In the painting below, my daughter chose softer colors and omitted the background altogether. It was a fun experiment and we were both pleased with the results. I always enjoy our mother-daughter painting sessions.
I spent the evening listening to classical music and painting with my daughter. She painted this gorgeous hummingbird. I love the color scheme she chose. The colors are so soft and fresh. The original line drawing was a free download available at DeviantArt.com. I love it when my daughter joins in on my painting sessions.
This was such a simple drawing, yet I found these morning glories quite challenging to paint. Challenging = difficult, which usually means it was a learning experience, and that’s a good thing. This painting was based on a drawing lesson from Janet Whittle’s book, “How to Draw Exotic Flowers in Simple Steps.”
While my daughter was painting her lovely orange tulips, I worked on these morning glories. This is a redo of these morning glories that I worked on last week:
I decided the yellow and turquoise background was too distracting and wanted to try a more monochrome painting. I also changed the proportion of some of the petals and glazed the flowers with blue. Which painting do you prefer?
My daughter painted these cheerful orange tulips during our joint painting session earlier this evening. How fabulous are they? I love the color scheme and the series of lines and dots drawn in micron pen that she used to shade the flowers and leaves. This painting was based on a photo I found on Paint My Photo.
Here’s a photo of her painting before the addition of the details in micron pen:
She wanted me to ask my readers if the painting was better with or without the micron pen details. I say it’s better with the dots and lines. What say you all?
I spent the evening painting with my daughter, listening to Christmas and classical music, and sipping peach iced tea. I love spending time with my daughter. What a lovely way to spend a Sunday evening.
My niece’s first watercolor painting–completed during our Memorial Day family watercolor fest. She was so proud of her work, and she should be. She did a great job shading the leaves. Watercolors on cold pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.
For her second painting, my daughter chose to create another version of the same calla lily she painted last week. Her plan is to create a series featuring the same painting–using different colors, techniques, and mediums. It’s a great way to experiment with color, mediums, and painting techniques. I think it’s a fabulous idea. But then I think everything she does is awesome 
Watercolors and acrylic ink on hot pressed Acquarello Artistico paper by Fabriano.