Designer Pet Buttons

Thursday, January 23, 2014

What I learned today

1. To mix my own shades of black...when I run out of  Ivory black in the tube.
2. How far you can push Thalo green oil paint on a canvas before it becomes a disaster.
3. Dive into the on going weekly challenges DPW has to offer is always truly helpful... especially when following the directions!
4. Learn how to do something....before trying it in a different way... I need the foundation of knowledge first.
5. Learned how to paint glass anything from memory.

 
   


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Working on a daily painting still

January is almost gone ...
Still busy painting each day...
Still learning 5 things about the painting process daily also....
 Bought more supplies again to keep going and finish my goal of a a painting a day.
Yes.. I keep my work area ready to go... the night before.
Sketch with pencil on paper to warm up before starting.


This is cat week and that is what I have been working on.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Cats / Kittens week

Starting January 22, 2014
I will be doing a week of different cats. I use to own several during my life time and
I miss their type of friendship and warmth around the house.





Sunday, January 19, 2014

A good day

Painted Max a cat today for a DPW challenge
... Also another cup with napkin painting.

Two paintings today
Zero wipe outs today
Now this is truly a "Happy painting" kind of day to me!


Saturday, January 18, 2014

Accomplished another painting today

After struggling with a white cup an napkin composition on canvas.. not very happy with it ...so this morning I wiped it all off... put on a shelf..I went and did errands.... Later in the day it bothered me I
that I did not paint ... talked myself into trying again... another wipe off ... then another...so I stopped....cleaned my brushes...sat and had  a cup of coffee.... was I ready to quit?....no... went back
changed the color palette... another start... this time everything seemed to work better.. I knew what the struggle before had taught me....I was more sure of paint placement and how much.... and most important... when to put the brushes down and say "done" ... put it out of my viewing it anymore.
So I would not start fussing at it and removed the freshness of it...tomorrow I will look at it ( after my morning coffee) and see if I feel the same way.



Friday, January 17, 2014

More wipe outs today

I have fallen into the familiar little trap of mine which is getting a painting I am working on to where I am loving my efforts ...then I start fussing with it until I kill it... that spark in the painting I had liked
so much is now gone.... I now will sleep on it ... then decide if it's going to be another wipe out.
 Five things I learned from working on it.....
1. Not all paintings are worth saving
2. Accept the end result as a lesson and not a three hour wast of time.
3. To be careful using Thalo green paint it stains and needs to be used in a sparingly manner.
4.  Paint to please myself first is important!.. If I like it... that's enough.
5. If the drawing is not correct...more paint won't fix it.



Thursday, January 16, 2014

Learn just five things a day

I live by this rule .. It keeps me from getting overwhelmed when learning about a new computer software.... So now...I apply this rule daily to painting my single cup with napkin week.
     I have to learn at least five new things as I paint each cup and apply what I have learned to the next painting I do .
I can learn something new...but if I  don't apply it... I will  forget it.

Today's five things learned....
1.Which of my brushes I depend on the most for what effect I am looking for.
2. To buy better quality brushes to avoid falling out brush hairs getting trapped in a paint stoke.
3. Being more thoughtful before each brush stroke ..ends too many of my wipe outs!
4. Learned how to get falling out brush hairs out of a wet painted canvas.
5. To use less than a whole roll of bounty paper towels now.


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

A single cup with a napkin week is next

Each day for a week I will work on single cups with a napkin paintings.
Corrected window in oil "inside cat" (way off perspective). Looked confusing to viewers.
Entered in " Interior room challenge.

I also took some time to mix many shades of warm and cool grays.
I now have my favorites.
Cleaned my work area each day...
Noticed I use up one whole roll of Bounty paper towels a day this week!
( too many wipe offs I guess) lol

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Challenge entered

January 14, 2014
Did small 6x6 oil for the DPW challenge section
" interiors" my work titled  "Inside cat"

Monday, January 13, 2014

Making black paint interesting

Worked with black paint...cats in particular...was my subject.
Shadow colors etc make the color black look wonderful to me.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Dog / Cats week

This will be a week of daily painting of just dogs and cats from me.

Friday, January 10, 2014

January 10, 2014

Still not too sure of myself when it comes to how many strokes of a color to use to get the results I need ... Working wet in wet

Thursday, January 9, 2014

January 9, 2014

After 7 daily paintings ... It is not so overwhelming for me now to use oils in a neater cleaner manner.
I believe and know it to be true now .. A messy, muddy palette gets you a messy muddy canvas!
I feel more organized today. Stopped using wipe rags and made the jump to white paper towels...
Looking forward to what tomorrow will be like...whatever ... I am still enjoying the learning process lol.... you know... that trial and error thing.... that always seems endless...yet learning something new.


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

January 8, 2014
Received my order of supplies:
6x6 size canvas panels
12x12 canvas panels
Some oil paints
Brush cleaner
Brushes
---
Painted in late evening when I was rested and had warmed up with many pencil sketches.
Watched some painting videos on computer.
Went through some items that I have been inspired to paint...  and put them next to my art box.
Logged in a journal my expenses for supplies bought.






Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Wipe out


January 6, 2014
Did my first complete wipe out today... Yes after 3 hours of working on a cup and saucer ... I went to bed being very unhappy with my efforts. ... First thing this morning ... Saw so much struggle in my brush strokes....I wiped it all off to the original sketch that I had done... put it aside for now ... Will give it another try at some point.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Brush cleanup

Worked on some ideas for future paintings in 6x6 inch size this evening.
Found that cleaning my brushes as soon as possible in a paper towel to get off excess paint ...than brush cleaner....than paper towel wiped... Then in a bowl of dawn liquid dish soap works really well.
( Dawn liquid dish soap is used to clean oil off waterfowl)




January 5, 2014

Today I did some touch ups on painting I have started but was not too happy with at all. I think I wipe off too much too soon. ....learning to give it a rest come back to it next day often saves one or two of my work.