Queen of Hearts update

I added some colour to the Queen of Hearts.  Its still not finished but its nearly there.  More detail is needed now which is always the most satisfying part of a painting.  Knowing when to stop is the challenge.   I had heard that a painting is only finished when it is sold.  How very true sometimes.  Artists tend to add 'just a little more'  or 'I'll change this tiny part' and it can go on forever.

This is not destined for sale but I don't think it will become a victim of tweaking.  A better image tomorrow, even though I do now have good daylight lighting at last.  I'm just not in the right place to use it tonight.

After a record breaking snowfall yesterday and some other challenges, I've gotten lots of aerobic exercise shovelling over the last 24 hours.  The weight of the snow on the trees had them laden and bent to the ground with a large branch snapping off across the driveway.  Just the thing you want to deal with first thing in the morning, along with knee high snow.  I was too tired to take any photos of the very white scenes, but this the dawn view from my dining room of the storm before much snow was down.  Just add 35cm of additional snow to that scene.

My January newsletter is complete and on the virtual presses ready for delivery at 12:05am NL time on the 15th which means that many in earlier time zones will receive it before their 15th of the month rolls over.  Others will have it waiting for them to digest with breakfast.  

Procrastinating heart

Another piece from somewhere in the recesses of my brain.  Perhaps it says something about my current mental state, these little creatures that are coming off the pencil and brush.

More like, its just a nice interlude between gyotaku prints and larger paintings.  Soon I must get back to the business side of art and tie up some loose ends.  I keep putting it off and these little pieces, while amusing to do, are really procrastination on paper.

The Queen of Hearts

 
I've never been much of an illustrator, but sometimes doodles turn into something more elaborate.  While waiting for someone, I started a little doodle as a circle, that turned into a heart, that turned into a body and face and hat and and.... so it goes.

And now I want to put some colour to it so I'll put it onto watercolour paper and see what comes out of it.  Perhaps thoughts of Valentines were spinning in my head after a trip through a local store.  Christmas is just gone and yet the red is back again, this time in the form of hearts.   There's a little doodle that I'm working on now in colour, but its not quite ready yet.  Tomorrow perhaps.

After this, I guess I should be drawing shamrocks or bunnies.

The last drop

I had started a portrait of my grand daughter ages ago, then go sidetracked but today I thought I'd have another try using the same reference photo.  She was about two and it was just after her bath. She stood by the window in late evening light, eying up my camera, which was the incentive for staying still long enough for me to take a couple of shots. Its called 'The Last Drop' because, if you look closely, you'll see a little drop of water on the tip of her chin, as she was too impatient to be dried off thoroughly, wanting to get back to where all the people and action were.

This is the piece so far after about a half day's work on it.  Its acrylic, 6 x 6" on canvas board and I'm working the layers up slowly and will start adding more glazes to deepen the colour.  Her skin is very pale and there are a lot of cool blues in it, but I don't want to overdo it, so the glazes will be warm.  I also need to darken the shading on the right side of the face that has more shadow to it.  Again, it must  be subtle so I don't overdo it or make it muddy.