Saturday, November 21, 2009

November 21, 2009 - Day 103

Acrylic on Strathmore linen canvas

My goal with today's painting was to create more accurate colors. I used my photo editing program to isolate the different colors in the water so that I could see what they were. I was surprised to find that most of the water was a very dark green that in places was almost black. I found it really difficult to paint the water green. My logical mind kept saying ""but water is blue". In this case, it wasn't blue it was green.

Friday, November 20, 2009

November 20, 2009 - Day 102

Acrylic on Strathmore Illustration Board


Today was easier than yesterday. My colors are still off but I am starting to remember how to mix them. I would have done a lot more work on this painting today but I just didn't have the time or the energy to do any more with it.

When I scanned it into the computer I was able to compare it side by side with my reference picture. That was when I saw how far off my colors actually were. My goal with my acrylics is to first learn how to paint more accurate colors. Once I have done that I would like to experiment with using thicker paint and obvious brush strokes.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

November 19, 2009 - Day 101

Acrylic on Strathmore Acrylic Linen Canvas

First day of painting with acrylics after 3 years of painting exclusively with watercolor. I decided to do the same painting that I did yesterday to see what effect using a different medium would have on the outcome.

I had forgotten how to paint with acrylics after all this time. I think I re-painted the trees at least 4 times before I stopped. I still don't like them much but I think it is because I didn't have the colors on hand that I would have liked to use. I also think that I may need to buy different brushes. The watercolor brushes I was using seem to be almost too soft for the acrylic paint.

I attempted to create the painting using only the artist quality acrylics that I had on hand. These were Golden Acrylics in Naphthol Red Medium, Hansa Yellow Medium, Phthalo Green (Blue Shade), Cobalt Blue, Black and Titanium White. I also used Liquitex "Slow-Dri" Fluid Retarder to slow down the drying time.

I discovered almost immediately that I don't have the colors that I need. I was really missing Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Aureolina Yellow and Ultramarine Blue. I finally found a small sample tube of student quality Yellow Ochre that I used to finish up the golden areas in the grass and on the trees surrounding the house.

I also found it hard to paint on the pre-cut Artist Trading Cards from Strathmore. The cards are pre-cut to the exact size of 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches. There aren't any margins to tape down to prevent the card from sliding around while painting. More than once I had to touch up places where I put my finger in the wet paint.

It looks like it is going to take me awhile to get back into painting acrylics but I am hoping that my acrylic paintings will improve through the next 100 days as much as my watercolor paintings did.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

November 18, 2009 - Day 100

Da Vinci watercolor on 140 lb Bockingford cold press paper

I am glad that today is the last day with watercolors. I just couldn't make the painting turn out. I really didn't know how to paint all the different types of trees in the background and it just turned into a solid green mass.

It has been a long time since I painted with acrylics. I wonder if I will find it really easy now that I have spent so much time painting in such an unforgiving medium like watercolors. I am going to really enjoy have the freedom to paint over something that doesn't turn out.

If this painting would have been in acrylic I could have just kept re-working the background trees until they looked right but I can't really do that with watercolor.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

November 17, 2009 - Day 99

Da Vinci watercolor on 140 lb Strathmore Windpower cold press paper

This painting is of an abandoned barn in the middle of a canola field. I don't really have much to say about the painting except that I liked the scene because of all the primary colors. The blue sky, red barn and yellow fields.

Tomorrow is my last day painting watercolors for awhile. On day 101 I will be switching to acrylics. I don't know if I should stick with landscapes when I switch so I can see the difference between the two mediums or whether I should do something totally different.


Monday, November 16, 2009

November 16, 2009 - Day 98

Da Vinci watercolor on 140 lb Strathmore Windpower cold press paper

This is a painting of the Sooke Potholes near Victoria, BC.

Only two more days of watercolors and then I am switching over to acrylics. It has been 3 years since I painted with my acrylics and I am starting to get really excited about it. I first learned to paint by watching "The Joy of Painting" with Bob Ross on PBS. He was painting with oils but I used his techniques with acrylics because I don't like using harsh chemicals like turpentine.

I haven't painted with my acrylics in such a long time because I tend to make a mess when I paint. Watercolors generally wash off walls and floors fairly easily but acrylics not so much! I didn't care when it was my own home but living in an apartment now means I need to be more careful.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

November 15, 2009 - Day 97

Da Vinci watercolor on 140 lb Strathmore Windpower cold press paper

Another Victoria, BC landscape. This one is of the pathway along Dallas Road.

I am trying another new paper today. It is the 140 lb cold press Strathmore Windpower Watercolor paper. It is called Windpower because it is produced with 100% windpower and is certified through the Green-e Consumer Labelling Program.

I didn't notice much difference between this paper and the Aquarelle or Langton. It is a bright white paper and the paint flows nicely onto the paper. I like that the manufacturing plant producing the paper doesn't use electricity generated by environmentally harmful means. That being said I still prefer the Bockingford over all the papers that I have tried so far.