Life gets in the way!

Have you ever had so much to do or so much you want to do that you can't get started because you can't get focused, well thats me. I have so many things that I really want to do I am finding it harder and harder to settle in on one and do something. I was asked to design a T-shirt for the Outdoor Adventures group at Casa Colina where Jennifer has her rehab. I have posted pictures from our week long adventure in Long Beach, well this year my design might be their T-shirt. Here is what I have done so far, it is only one design and I a few others I need to get drawn up to present to them. For some reason I could not upload the picture with the text so here is only the artwork. I love this program and how it empowers the participants. Everyone leaves feeling as though they can do anything, for a week they finally feel like a normal person. I am so deeply touched every year by this great effort by everyone involved to enrich a group of disabled people.

New Baby for the New Year

As you can tell from all of my posts lately, I have been a frustrated artist. With all the commotion and with the holidays I didn't find much time to draw or paint. I have had a few days before I have to start the craziness of undecorating. I hate undecorating although I do love the feel of the house back to normal and a bit less cluttery. I received tons of Christmas cards this year, due to the fact that I sent so many out! I am a true believer that if you don't send them you don't get them. I received lots of picture cards and some of new babies that were born close to Christmas. I took the opportunity to do another exercise but I think this one is not as loose as it should be. I still think the baby turned out ok although doesn't look exactly like him, don't all babies look alike? I was supposed to do a wet on wet letting all the colors mix on the paper, I cheated and fell back into controlling everything. I will try again with some of the other pictures I received this year. I think I will stick this in a frame and send it to the new mom as a welcome to baby Dylan.

WC tutorial

Hi all, I found a wonderful tutorial on portraits that I was just dying to try. It was a looser style than I am used too and within the tutorial there are several assignments to try. I choose one that was one color and one brush. You had to study your picture and then simplify and then simplify again, until you got the essence of the person with minimal brush strokes. Then you had to select one brush to do the entire picture in, it was great. It was a challenge and a great study. I loved it, I chose a picture of my grandson who is such a cutie anyway. The picture turned out good I think, I will do the other assignments soon. It is a great tutorial and I hope to continue to improve my watercolor skills and become a bit looser in my painting style. I really perfer a looser look verses the picture perfect look. I think for me, I appreciate leaving a bit to the imagination instead of painting every detail for them. Just my thoughts which is not to discredit realism at all.