Tattered - Work in Progress

I am working on (yet) another butterfly painting, though this picture does not due the background justice.  I had a bit of a rough start on this one... the greens of the leaf got washed out with slightly too much white applied.  So, when it dries I'll be adding a glaze of cadmium green hue to add more colour to it.  Tomorrow I hope to finish the leaf and perhaps start on the butterfly.

 Tattered

7" x 5" oil cradled wood © 2011

Golden Drew Drops - Finished

It has been a long time since I last worked on this painting but I do believe that I am finally finished it (sorry about the light glare, I will take a better picture tomorrow when it is light outside).  I love the colours and all the dew drops (so sparkley)... I do believe this one is going to be back on my 'to do list' as a much bigger painting with even more dew drops!

  Golden Dew Drops

10" x 8" oil cradled wood Image Reference courtesy of a good friend, Peter Biglowe  © 2011 

Time Swiftly Passes - Completed

Another butterfly painting is finished and hanging on the wall drying.  I love how the orange of the butterfly really pops off the green of the leaves.  This painting is based on another photograph I took at the Butterfly Gardens in Niagara Falls, Canada.

  Time Swiftly Passes

7" x 5" oil cradled wood © 2011

Time Swiftly Passes (In Progress) - Step 2

I am almost finished the background.  Going to let the greens tack up a little before putting in some of the veining details.  I am really loving the contrast between the brightly lite leaves and the dark shadows.  The butterfly should really pop!

  Time Swiftly Passes

7" x 5" oil cradled wood © 2011

Time Swiftly Passes - Work in Progress

I started my next butterfly painting...  I am going for a slightly more detailed background (increasing the 'complexity' with each painting I do).  I hope to have the background done in the next couple days, then I will tackle the butterfly.

  Time Swiftly Passes

7" x 5" oil cradled wood © 2011  I have been painting these butterflies on cradled hardboard (which I totally love painting on).  The surface is prepped with a minimum two coats of extra heavy acrylic gesso (one layer brushed stroked on one way, the second layer perpendicular to the first).  Then I sketch in my drawing and seal it with a layer of fine pumice ground.  I absolutely love painting on a layer of fine pumice ground... not only does it have just the perfect amount of tooth for the paint, but it super nice to blend on.  I bought myself a small jar (which is almost done) so I suppose I just might need to splurge on a larger jar in the near future.

Fleeting Moment - Completed

I absolutely love the shiney metallic blue of this butterfly and it is a shame that this is the only photograph I got of it at the Butterfly Gardens in Niagara Falls, Canada.  I suppose that this means I will have to make a trip back someday to get more photographs!!

  Fleeting Moment

7" x 5" oil cradled wood © 2011  I never thought I would enjoy painting butterflies so much (not sure why....  perhaps it was the greens of the plants or so just something about their delicateness) but I am having a total blast painting them. 

The blues are a combination of Titanium White, Phthalo Turquoise, and Light Blue Violet.  The greens are a combination of Titanium White, Sap Green, Cadmium Green Hue, and Green Gold. 

 

Fleeting Moment - Work in Progress Step 2

I made excellent progress on this painting and I should finish in the next day or so.  I absolutely love how the butterfly is turning out and I do have to admit.... I think it is my favourite part. 

  Fleeting Moment

7" x 5" oil cradled wood © 2011

Fleeting Moment

Still painting butterflies, but this time attempting a green leafy background (a bit of a warm up to finish this tulip and this tulip painting.  I am spending a little more time on the leaf under the butterfly trying to get a more realistic looking leaf (green and foliage have always been my nemesis).  So far so good I think.

  Fleeting Moment

7" x 5" oil cradled wood © 2011

Resting in the Moment

No... you are not seeing double, I loved painting this butterfly so much that I had to paint him again.  It is a slightly different pose than the previous one and on a slightly different support (see picture at the bottom of the post) but otherwise has been painted using the exact same palette.  I am having so much fun with these butterflies that I have started another one!  Stay tuned.

  Resting in the Moment

7" x 5" oil cradled wood © 2011 

A Brief Stop

Taking a break from watercolours today and picking up the oil paints after a long hiatus from them.  This summer I traveled to the butterfly gardens at Niagara Falls and was amazed at all the varieties of butterflies!  I snapped this photograph of one particular fellow that was resting on the stone path and thought it would make a lovely painting.

  A Brief Stop

7" x 5" oil on 10" x 8" cradled wood © 2011 

Wood Duck - Work in Progress, Step 7

So close that I can almost declare it finished.  I am going to let it sit on the easel for a couple of days to see if there is anything else I want to change.  I may add some more colour to parts of the blue of the water... and... well, not sure what else. 

  Wood Duck Drake

10" x 8" watercolour on aquabord © 2011 Photo Reference kindly provided by Alan and Elaine Wilson

On the Lighter Side - Bird #58

A second version of the painting I finished the other day... this time a lighter background and the resulting image is completely different.  I don't know which one is my favourite.  All the colours used between the two paintings are the same (including the slight touch of white to recapture a couple of lost highlights).

 "On the Lighter Side..." 2.5" x 3.5" watercolour  © 2011 

Inquisitive - Bird #57

Taking a small break from the wood duck painting to paint one of two titmouse portraits.  The reason for "one of two" is that this was originally suppose to have a light background but I wasn't happy with it so I turned it into a dark background.  As a result, there will be a second painting with this pose with a completely different background.  It will be interesting to see how different these two paintings will be with same posing bird.

 "Inquisitive" 2.5" x 3.5" watercolour  © 2011 

Wood Duck - Work in Progress, Step 6

It is hard to believe that it is already November (where did the year go??).

I am working on the details on the duck now and it is really starting to look pretty good.  The back has a combination of Daniel Smith (DS) Mayan Blue, DS Indigo Blue, DS Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, and DS Sepia (with a small amount of DS Chinese White to recover a couple little areas of white).  Soon I will start work on the water and sky... not going to put in too much detail here, but just enough to add to the atmosphere of the painting.

  Wood Duck Drake

10" x 8" watercolour on aquabord © 2011 Photo Reference kindly provided by Alan and Elaine Wilson