Painting a Day -- some thoughts and day 1
I'm not sure if I'm going to be posting every day with my paintings for this month, but I thought I'd start out that way. To clearly state my goals and the hows that I'm considering for this challenge. One of my unspoken (until now) goals for the month is to be spending less time on the internet. Posting daily is kind of antithetical to that, but I'm thinking it will keep me on track. We'll see.
To keep from delaying the actual painting any more than I already had, I sat down with paper, paints and brushes and a model plucked from the front steps.
I've been wanting to paint some maple seeds for weeks and weeks. Charlie ate my first models, others wrinkled and dried up before I got to them. I photographed some and I sketched some in my sketchbook, but hadn't painted any. This little model was less than ideal, but still in my pajamas, I didn't want to traipse around in the rain looking for the perfect maple seeds to paint.
I painted them lighter than my model because they're not supposed to be wet seeds plucked from the front steps at the last minute. I used a spiral bound pad of watercolor paper because of the small size of the paper and then afterwards decided that I was going to cut paper for this month's paintings. I have a pad of watercolor paper and a pad of acrylic linen that are both 12 by 12. So I cut them into quarters, moving my ill-fated quilt to the side first (finishing it is another goal for the coming days).
I cut enough so that I'd be able to alternate between watercolor and acrylic.
Making one painting on a 6 inch by 6 inch square each day seems doable to me. And then I can bind them together in a book or hang my favorites in a grid or collage them or something when the month is finished. My maple seeds are on a 6 by 9 sheet that I can cut down to match.
I love prep work like the cutting of those papers. I feel such a sense of accomplishment and I feel ready when I've finished.
I like how my painting turned out. No fussing. No lingering. Just painting.
Not a bad start for the month.
Do you want to try doing a painting a day (or just painting each day)? Stop by Dana's blog for some inspiration and camaraderie.
To keep from delaying the actual painting any more than I already had, I sat down with paper, paints and brushes and a model plucked from the front steps.
I've been wanting to paint some maple seeds for weeks and weeks. Charlie ate my first models, others wrinkled and dried up before I got to them. I photographed some and I sketched some in my sketchbook, but hadn't painted any. This little model was less than ideal, but still in my pajamas, I didn't want to traipse around in the rain looking for the perfect maple seeds to paint.
I painted them lighter than my model because they're not supposed to be wet seeds plucked from the front steps at the last minute. I used a spiral bound pad of watercolor paper because of the small size of the paper and then afterwards decided that I was going to cut paper for this month's paintings. I have a pad of watercolor paper and a pad of acrylic linen that are both 12 by 12. So I cut them into quarters, moving my ill-fated quilt to the side first (finishing it is another goal for the coming days).
I cut enough so that I'd be able to alternate between watercolor and acrylic.
Making one painting on a 6 inch by 6 inch square each day seems doable to me. And then I can bind them together in a book or hang my favorites in a grid or collage them or something when the month is finished. My maple seeds are on a 6 by 9 sheet that I can cut down to match.
I love prep work like the cutting of those papers. I feel such a sense of accomplishment and I feel ready when I've finished.
I like how my painting turned out. No fussing. No lingering. Just painting.
Not a bad start for the month.
Do you want to try doing a painting a day (or just painting each day)? Stop by Dana's blog for some inspiration and camaraderie.
Hi Anne. I love how organized you are. oh, and that beautifully painted maple seed. It is so well done!
ReplyDeleteI admire you for setting this goal, and I look forward to watching your progress here.
ReplyDeleteAnd I LOVE your maple wings.
Nice first day work. How can you resist whirlybirds, wet or dry?? You're developing quite an ability to translate what you see to the paper. So happy to see that the painter in you, present even as a wee one, growing and growing.
ReplyDeletei also join Dana's painting a day. Been wanting to do this for so long and now i just plunge right through and enjoy the process of painting together with other artists. I love the way you narrate your prepping of work. The maple leaf painting is very delicate. You've capture it nicely. Excited for my day 2 now! :)
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate & imagine the satisfaction and exciting potential of having the perfect blank squares ready to create on. Binding them or collaging them both seem good ideas. I look forward to seeing more of your painting as you progress through your pile of squares :-)
ReplyDeleteHugs
Kat Xx
So beautiful and delicate, Anne! You are smart to get all that paper prepared ahead of time so you can just grab one and get to the painting. Aren't the contradictions of the Internet interesting? We can get so much inspiration online, and yet spending time online keeps us from our worktables. Setting a goal for less internet time and more painting time is admirable, but I also look forward to seeing you post your work!
ReplyDeleteThis is great, so realistic! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful month. xo
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the encouragement, everyone! So far I'm thoroughly enjoying the painting!
ReplyDelete