Melting Snow - Day 3

Continued work on the closer hills; they're pretty close to done now. Also started layering in some pigment on the ice and the water. Probably going to have to switch to sticks for the ice, at least for parts of it. I've been using pan pastels for all of this piece so far, but the white is just a little too transparent, and it's too hard to make sharp lines. Another hour today. Would have spent more, but a) I'm tired, and b) it took hours to go through the calligraphy paper samples I received...because of course I had to try each one. And then try my favorites with a different kind of ink. And then try the automatic pen. Etc. I'm obsessive, what can I say.

Melting Snow - Day 2

Primarily worked on the background mountains/fog bank -- lots of glazing to make the light and shadow close in value and to evoke atmospheric perspective. Also started laying in some color in the hills. Although I am not sure I'll be able to make the goal I established a couple weeks ago (namely: finish this before all the snow melts), I am definitely going to pick up the pace. Current goal: work on this every day this week.

1.4 hours today. It felt really good to work on art with sun shining into my studio. I know they say south light is bad because it changes so frequently (which is true -- it does change quite a lot)...but it just feels wonderful to paint with the sun streaming in.

Melting Snow - Day 1

Ok, it is high time to start another piece! Here is the initial base color block-in, done with pan pastels. (Don't be alarmed, these are not the final colors...these are just some colors I think it'll be fun to work on top of!)

And here's how it looks after the alcohol wash:

Can't work on it anymore today, unfortunately -- it has to be thoroughly dry before I keep going. But at least I've started another one!

My goal: Finish this piece before the snow melts, so when things finally start turning green, I can paint something green to celebrate.

Little Pond - Finished

Ok, made those few changes, and I think it's (finally!) done now.

Little Pond - Day 5

Another hour today. It has been an embarrassingly long time since I've put any work into this piece. I've been doing sketches and little one-off pastel paintings and whatnot, but nothing time intensive. It's time to get back in the swing of things. (As long as I don't end up getting the flu.) It's almost there. A couple quick fixes that I didn't realize needed to be done until I was looking at the photo, and then (finally!) it'll be finished.

Little Pond - Day 4

Finally back at this one again. I spent an hour and fifteen minutes on it today, mostly working on the trees/reflection to the right. That side still isn't done yet, but it's starting to take shape over there.

Little Pond - Day 1, 2, & 3

I really have been bad about updating this blog (along with just about everything else). Here's the current painting in progress:

Day 1 - I did a very loose underpainting with pan pastels, sticking to a (somewhat) limited palette and defining large shapes for later.

Day 2 - I finally overcame my fear of Ruining Everything and did an alcohol wash over the underpainting, which had some odd effects. I'd never done a wash on this type of paper before, and I wasn't prepared for how much pigment got lifted up and deposited elsewhere! Still, it's just an underpainting...it doesn't have to be perfect. And to be honest, I kind of like the random pigment deposits. Sorry about the shine -- I took this photo while it was still wet.

Day 3 (today!) - Using pan pastels, I started to lay in more color on top of the underpainting. I was going to use regular stick pastels, but decided against it -- and I'm glad I made that choice. Sticks would have covered up all the color in the underpainting much too quickly. I'll save the sticks for finishing touches.

Slea Head II - Finished

There were some other stages in here, but I didn't record them or post them. Ah well. Now it's off to the framer.

Slea Head II - Day 2

Sorry for the dearth of updates! I've been doing more small sketches (and a ton of calligraphy practice), and I've done less work on larger things than I'd like. Here's the latest work on this piece; another 1.3 hours today.

Tompkins Avenue Bridge - Day 2

Finally started to work on this a little more in the studio. I worked for about 45 minutes today -- I'm starting to bring in some deeper darks into the left side.

Slea Head II - Day 1

As you might know, I once did another painting of the beach at Slea Head. I decided to try another painting of the same location from a different angle. (This one is also considerably larger than the other painting!) Today was the first time I worked in my newly rearranged studio. I moved everything around over the weekend to make room for a second easel, and it feels great in there.

Today was also the first time I used PanPastels on Pastelbord. It goes on very nicely...but unfortunately, the toothy surface chews right through the PanPastel sponge applicators. That's how they get you, I guess. Sure, yes, PanPastels are much cheaper by volume than traditional sticks -- but you don't need special sponges to paint with sticks! Ah well. They're a lot of fun to use, so I'll happily get more sponges when I destroy the ones I have.

1.7 hours on this today.

Dingle Road - Day 1

My full set of PanPastels arrived today! Here's what I started with them. It's nowhere near done:

Tompkins Avenue Bridge - Plein Air - Day 1

I walked down to the Mamaroneck River again, sat somewhere else, and painted the bridge on Tompkins Avenue. I worked on this for about an hour before I was chased away by BEES! D:  I really, really dislike bees. I took a photo and will continue this in my studio, which is completely bee free.

As you can see, I spent the most time on the water...most of it is still pretty sketchy:

Mamaroneck River - Plein Air

I walked down to the Mamaroneck River and did a quick plein air painting today. It was a little awkward trying to juggle things without an easel (I have a fractured wrist, so I can't manipulate anything with my left hand), but it was still a lot of fun! It quickly reminded me how very rusty I am at plein air painting, but that is something that is only fixed with practice. So...I will do this some more very soon. I.e., tomorrow. (Although I also do need to finish that poor neglected Twisted Pine painting at some point.)

This was just over an hour of work -- nothing too involved. Got a basic layout down. Not too happy with the value pattern in the foreground; if I ever do anything else with this, I'll fix it. Otherwise it will hang out in my sketchbook.

Sun and Rain - Day 1

Another unfinished piece in three stages. First layer of pastel:

Wash:

More work on top of it:

Power Lines - Day 1

Did a quick two-hour painting today. I might keep working on it...then again, I might not. This week I've been experimenting with PanPastels. They are so much fun to use! I've been so distracted with doing little sketches and whatnot with them that I haven't worked on Twisted Pine since they arrived...but I'll finish it up soon.

In other news -- I received my first check from a gallery today!

Anyway, here's a painting in three parts:

First, a quick layer of pastel followed by an alcohol wash...

Then I added more detail...

Finally I added some finer details in the grass with pastel pencils -- and the power lines, which were pretty scary to execute. One false move and the whole piece could be ruined forever!

I'm pretty happy with it, honestly. Consciously choosing not to obsess over details is...liberating.

Twisted Pine - Day 8

Another hour on this today. I got a new lamp -- the blues in the sky are coming out way more than before.

Twisted Pine - Day 7

Working one-handed is getting old! Although I don't dual-wield pastels (now that's an amusing mental picture), I am accustomed to accumulating a selection of "currently-in-use" pastels in my left hand, which I can switch between with my right hand. At the moment, I have to set those pastels down on a table, where I quickly lose track of them, because apparently I lack the capacity to put pastels back from the place where I picked them up. It goes something like this:

"Oh, I picked this pastel stick up from that side of the table? Let me just set that down right here for a second, in the middle of a bunch of pastels I haven't used lately, which are all so covered in the pastel dust of other pastels that they all look the same color. Wait, where did I put that one I just set down? *cleans pastels and examines several before finding the correct one* Ah! Great. Now I'll use this, and then I'll set it down right here..."

You get the idea.

Anyway, I'll see an orthopedic specialist on Wednesday morning. Hopefully there is nothing seriously wrong with that wrist.

1.4 hours on this today, and over 6 hours on art-related stuff in general. Not bad.

Twisted Pine - Day 6

I sprained my wrist on Sunday. Fortunately it was my left wrist, but I didn't really feel like moving earlier this week! I'm doing a bit better now, so I worked on this for another hour today.

Twisted Pine - Day 5

I can't believe I haven't worked on this for almost a week! I spent this week sketching and beginning to educate myself more about Photoshop instead of working on this painting. In any case, I worked on this for another hour and fifteen minutes today. I should probably wrap this one up soon.