29 Faces in February - Successfully Completed!

First, thank you very much to Ayala Art for the great 29 Faces in February challenge! It was definitely a challenge and a stretch but now 29 faces exist in my sketchbook that didn't before. It was very enjoyable, I tried a number of experiments and I think my face sketching ability has improved as a result. 

Thank you very much!

This is my last face, one of my faves and the final in my scientist series. 

Wernher von Braun by EVA

These scientists were inspired by this special issue of Discover magazine - interesting people and interesting faces. In addition to it acting as muse, I finally finished reading the issue! (A year old now...)

Here are 3 collages of my February efforts:

The Scientist Series

 Every Face

The non-scientists (or so I presume...)

(double-clicking should enlarge these...)

I haven't been able to visit everyone who participated every day (or even most days) due to time and frustration with word verification, but I will try to over the next few days. From what I did see there was AMAZING work done by this group! Wow!!

29 Faces in February - #28

Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge is almost complete! Here is my effort for today...

Not quite Daniel Craig...

One more to go! Have you kept up with the challenge?

29 Faces in February - #27

Watching the Academy Awards last night, with a magazine by my side, I attempted to capture one of the actresses nominated for Best Actress (Best Female Actor?)

This is Rooney Mara - the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. How glamourous she is! And how very different she looked at the awards ceremonies compared to her role in the movie!

This face is for Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge! Only two more days to go!

Sunday Sketches and Days 25 AND 26 of 29 FACES

Time for Sunday Sketches with Sophia of Blue Chair Diary! And since I have continued to work on my face sketches for Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February, I actually have something to show this week...

First up is another in my Scientist Series:

Marie Curie by EVA 

This next one I sketched just using watercolours but no pencil - but I really messed up the amount of water and damaged the paper where I was trying to add shading.         :(          Oh well - this is all a learning experience!

I'll be dropping by throughout the day to see your sketches. Have a great day!

Paint Party Friday - Week 50 - Winter Fields finished!

THANK YOU for all your comments last week about how to finish off my landscape painting. I really appreciated them all - so many great ideas!

I added a little blue to the snow and silver to the Moon and the trees to the painting. Here is the final finished painting:

"Winter Fields" 

Left Side

Right side

And I started a new painting - very much still a WIP (work in progress) though...

I am also still working on Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge and this is face #24 - another in my series of scientists...

Stephen Hawking by EVA

Hope you have a great time at Paint Party Friday! I look forward to visiting you!

29 Faces in February - #23

I thought I'd try something different for today's face for Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge. I decided I would try using a Sharpie - no pencil...

Not very forgiving! I messed up his chin - so I gave him a beard!

(Oh! I see I didn't finish his tie! D'uh!!!)

29 Faces in February - #22

Here is my 22nd face for Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge. 75% of the way through!! 

I thought I'd try another negative space, profile of a face.

29 Faces in February - #21 plus Scribbling... for PETZ

OMG - what fun has Sunshineshelle started?! A few days ago she linked to this cool digital doodling site and ... well I had to try it!

PETZ.    But friends?

I had no idea that this is what I would come up with - but once complete, it seemed like a fun submission for the Butterfly Effect's theme of PETZ this week!

Here is my 21st face for Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge. Another in my scientist series. this is my attempt to capture Linus Pauling.

Linus Pauling by EVA

29 Faces in February - #20

2/3 of the way through Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge! Yay!

This one I like but it unfortunately looks nothing like my "model"! Oh well...

Day #20

I did figure out how to get a bit more tone using watercolours ...though I still have lots to learn.

29 Faces in February - #18 and #19

Continuing with my face sketches for Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenges, I played with those (challenging to me) watercolour brushes for #18...

Day #18

And for today, I continued with my scientist series, trying to capture evolutionary biologist and author Stephen Jay Gould.

Stephen Jay Gould by EVA

... 10 more days to go!

Paint Party Friday - Week 49 - Landscape WIP and Face #17

I started to paint a couple of small landscapes, now that my Nutcracker series is finished. I really like this one but am unsure if it is time to stop or if I should add more to it...

As it is now...

 I scanned and photocopied it and decided to add some loose trees ...

...possible way to finish it?

I am wondering (because I had such AWESOME advice on my Nutcrackers - THANK YOU!), what would you do next? Leave it simple? Add trees? Add something else? Want to print it off and show me what you've done?

Still working on Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge and here is a painted face for #17.

Have a great time at Paint Party Friday! I will visit you when I can!

29 Faces in February - #16

For Day 16 of Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February, I thought I would try painting a face (with watercolours) without an initial sketch...

Hope you have a great day!

29 Faces in February - #15

Jane Goodall by EVA

Another in my scientist series for today's face #15 in Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February... Jane Goodall primatologist who did incredible work living with and learning about chimpanzees.

We're halfway there - yay!

29 Faces in February - #14

Happy Valentine's Day!!

A quick, fun heart shaped face for today in my watercolour brush pens...

Hope you have a sweet day!

xoxo

EVA

P.S. Check out my latest microadventure!

29 Faces in February - #13

And now for something completely different...  (...while still a face (sort of) for Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge.)

P.S. Join me on my latest microadventure!

Sunday Sketches and Day 12 of 29 FACES

For Sunday Sketches with Sophia, today I have another in my scientist series of faces that I am intermingling in my 29 Faces in February with Ayala Art. I'm trying to get used to adding shading to my sketches...

The "Green Revolution" in agriculture was largely started by this Nobel award winning scientist:

Norman Borlaug by EVA

Will be by later to visit you!

My Favourite Things...

(As some of you participating in The Butterfly Effect may already know...) I just finished painting a series based on a few of my favourite things!

Nutcrackers!!

I've always loved the Nutcracker Ballet, the music, the story, the characters and the source of the inspiration - the Nutcrackers. I have a big collection that emerges every December...well over 100 and decided to augment my collection with painting portraits of the main characters in the ballet. (Much more detailed views in previous post.)

Here are my answers for the game:

1 - What is your favorite flower to bring to your enemy’s grave? Hmmm - can't think of any enemies and I can't imagine leaving them any flowers...

2 - What is your favorite bird to dress up as if you were in a parade? A parade? Gotta be bright and loud -  a parrot!

3 - What is your favorite pet quality you’d like to own? I'd love the ability to nap anywhere (and everywhere)! Napping is a skill I haven't yet acquired...

4 - Which one of your favorite celebrities would you marry if you could? Marry? {...a totally different thought/question than I'd normally think about when thinking of celebrities ;)  } 
Hmm - thinking of my answer to #10 - maybe Jon Bon Jovi...

5 - What is your favorite food to order when your in-laws are paying for the meal? My in-laws were gone/deceased before I arrived on the scene but who pays has never affected what I'd order.

6 - What is your favorite drink to accidentally spill on a person you like? Definitely water as it would cause them the least grief (and me the lowest drycleaning bill....)

7 - What is your favorite destination to vacation and/or live if you won a million dollars? Tough one! There is so much of the world I haven't yet seen to choose the one place where I'd like to live. To vacation there are so many places I have yet to see and would like to! One thing for sure that I would like to do is to go snorkeling and see beautiful fishies.

8 - What is your favorite color to wear to your best friend’s wedding? I wore turquoise but really it depends on what fits, looks great and is the stores at the time.

9 - What is your favorite book or/and book character you’d take with you on a lonely island? My sensible side says a survival manual of some kind and/or MacGyver! (Showing my age that I remember him... - hmm - do TV characters count?)

10 - What is your favorite song to sing in the shower? I don't usually sing but I have belted out It's My Life by Bon Jovi on occasion...
Fun quiz NatashaMay!!

And for Day 11 of Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February, inspired by the above quiz, here is my attempt to capture Jon Bon Jovi...

Have a great weekend everyone!

Paint Party Friday - Week 48 - The Nutcracker Quartet

I think I am finished! (Yay!)

First, THANK YOU!!! I really appreciate everyone's comments last week as to how to fix/improve my backgrounds, etc.

Clara's hair stayed blonde and I added the raw sienna and other high/low lights that people suggested to her hair and eyebrows.

Lots of you liked the copper - which was actually before the beige (not after - I probably wrote my description poorly). I had immediately painted over it as it looked so ghastly (photo didn't do it justice). Because so many liked it though I wondered what else similar I could do....

Stephanie suggested all the backgrounds be the same and that was my thought (but poor execution) too.

CarlaRey suggested stamping holiday symbols or music notes on to the background and that idea leapt out at me and said "Yes!" ...though since I didn't have such stamps, I spent some time painting music notes on the backgrounds (in my rather shaky and imprecise hand). Then I added a thin coat of gold paint and another of bronze (NOT copper). Now I am much happier plus they coordinate well with my living room!

Here they are!

The Nutcracker by EVA

Professor/Herr Drosselmeyer by EVA

Clara by EVA

The Mouse King by EVA (whiskers added after rest of the photos below were taken)

Together - leaning near where they will eventually hang (more separated) during Christmas season...

With their models...

...and in an assortment of groupings...

 

Whew!!

Thank you all for your help and encouragement! And to Heather, for making me laugh saying how early I was on my Christmas painting when I was thinking I was SO late! Love your attitude! ;)

Oh! I guess I should sign them...

I also have continued my efforts on Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February and today's is another in the "scientist series"...

Sir Arthur Eddington - astrophysicist

Have fun at Paint Party Friday and see you over the weekend!

P.S. Brandy just finished her pages for my Travelling Sketchbook and they are AWESOME!! First time in a while since I've seen any of the work done in my book. Wow!!

29 Faces in February - #9

I thought I'd try something different today's face (for Ayala Art's 29 Face in February challenge) and brought out my pastels. I rarely use them because they are messy but I love their strength of colour.

29 Faces in February - #8

Today I am continuing my face sketches of scientists - using an old special issue of Discover magazine for inspiration. Day 8 of Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February - 25% complete!

Kurt Gödel

There are more interesting faces (people) for later this month. (And I am finally reading it as I sketch - something I have been meaning to do as it has sat on my reading pile for far too long!)

Creative Tuesdays - Patterns and 29 Faces - Day 7

For Creative Tuesdays, the theme this time is PATTERNS so I decided to combine my effort for it with my face for Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February and make a patterned, zen doodled face..

Looking forward to seeing everyone's patterns or faces or patterned faces!

29 Faces in February - #6

Day 6 of Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge. Today a quick, loose sketch using one of my watercolour brush pens.

Hope you have a great day! I will try and visit this evening.

Sunday Sketches and 29 FACES in February

I'm sketching! And it's Sunday! Time for Sunday Sketches with Sophia of Blue Chair Diary as I finally have a sketch to show as I also work on Day 5 of Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge.

Richard Feynman

I am back to using a Discover magazine on Genius (scientific) for inspiration and Richard is one of my favourites.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's sketches and faces!

29 Faces in February - #4

Continuing with Ayala Art's new challenge for February - 29 Faces, here is Day 4. I decided to try a few different things today - no model and using watercolour crayons.

Dry...

Water added... (but poorly scanned...)

I will try to be by to see your efforts when I can this weekend. Have a great one!