Paint Party Friday - 2/4 Finished Paintings and Faces #17-21

This weekend ended up being productive, at least as far as painting was concerned. I picked up the paintings I started a while ago and first added some more colour to the abstracts. Not really happy with how they were looking I decided to start doodling. And this is how they ended up:

Colourful Bubbles #1

Colourful Bubbles #2

On the mantle - to see if they work in the room where they will replace the Xmas nutcracker paintings. 

(Sides are also painted..)

Uncertain what to do with the other two - I decided to scan one, print copies on paper and play with several ideas:

initial abstract

Test #1 - more of the same?

Test #2 - similar but different?

I think I will go with the test #2 version on the other two paintings - it complements the bubbles but doesn't make it too excessive with them all hanging together. Unless I come up with some other idea, of course... or maybe you have a great suggestion???

I also continued Martha of Ayala Art's 29 Faces in February challenge and am now up to Face #20.

Ileana of XO had a little challenge to do Elizabeth Taylor. This is my third version - zen doodly. The other Lizs are on my last post.

#18

#19

#20

#21 - Trying a calligraphy marker and a profile... neither worked very well   :(

Hope everyone has a great week! I'm excited to see your efforts, and will do my best to drop by and say hi.

Sunday Sketches and Faces #15 and #16

Since I have been sketching faces, I finally have something with which to join in Sunday Sketches with Blue Chair Diary

These two faces are from a mini-challenge that Ileana gave on her blog - to try to capture Elizabeth Taylor. Here are my two tries (and the photo inspiration).

#15 - pastels

#16 - Paint pens

Photo inspiration

Didn't quite get her - but it was fun to try! I'm looking forward to visiting everyone over the next few days! 

Have a great week.

PPF and Faces #8 to #14

This week I decided to try doing faces in oil pastels. They are an interesting medium to work in. You can blend like paint so that is fun. Not sure that I quite have the hang of it, but there is a lot about them that I like - except the messiness of course!

I am still trying for the 29 Faces in February challenge to explore not only a diversity of media (though all in my "Faces" journal) but also of faces - men, women, children and different ages and races.

#8 - I think my favourite this week though this boy looked even younger in the photo

#9

#10 - Tried to do a "Black and White" (and shades of grey)

#11 - messed up her eyes and mouth - oh well...

#12

#13

#14 - For Valentine's Day - a heart shaped face

There is definitely a resemblance of my faces to all of the photos I used as inspiration, though I have yet to feel I captured a face perfectly. Sometimes though I think it is the imperfections that give these character...     ;)

Hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day! See you over the weekend.

Paint Party Friday Week 48 and #4 to #7 for 29 Faces in February

I have continued working away at Martha's/Ayala Art's challennge 29 Faces in February. So far so good! I decided to switch from using last week's watercolour crayons to my paint pens (using the newspaper for facial inspiration...) I always find male faces especially challenging so I am trying to do a variety of sexes and ages. (Of course the older ones look younger and the younger older... unsure how to rectify that...)

#4

#5 - He definitely looks younger than the photo...

#6 - She is/was a child so somehow I have aged her...

#6

I have also started painting again in 2013 but am only making slow progress. These are my 4 abstracts/works-in-progress...

Abstract WIPs at the UGLY stage...

For Christmas I hung up the Nutcracker paintings I did last year. After undecorating all of the house but these, I decided I wanted to try to create some abstracts to hang in their place the rest of the year.

I hung the painting using these:

and thought it might be easier to substitute different paintings than pull the hangers off... Has anyone used either strategy?

Anyways - lots of work ahead on those abstracts!

Looking forward to (slowly) visiting you all over the weekend! Happy PPF everyone!

29 Faces for February 2013 - #1, #2 and #3

Back at it! 

I haven't done much creatively lately, so when Martha at Ayala Art restarted her 29 faces in February, it inspired me to (get off my butt and) start sketching again!

These first ones were done using watercolour crayons. Why the coloured faces? I really don't know!

She reminds me of a  undersea siren...

Funny how the scan almost gives him an evangelical aura....

a little jaundiced?

Well, off to a colourful start! Last year I really felt this challenge improved my ability to draw faces. While I have regressed somewhat, I hope it has the same effect this year.

Looking forward to seeing what everyone is up to...

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!