Wheat - Attention to Detail

Wheat

This painting was quite a challenge for me.  Well, I was trying to challenge myself not to rush through it and think it through a bit more than I usually do.  But, I did get stuck at moments.

It began with the sky.  Whenever I am unsure of myself, I can always start with the sky, it is a motivator for me and one part of my paintings that I have a bit of confidence in.

As I was working on the sky, it helped me to decide what I'd like to do next.  I wanted a silo, wheat field and a barn too. So I began researching silos, wheat and barns.  When I decided on what I liked and where I would put them on the canvas, instead of just starting to paint them in, I actually, quickly sketched the barn and silo with pencil, which is not something I normally do.  I was on to painting shortly after the research finished, because with acrylic paint, the sky and horizon were already dry.  Acrylic dries fast.

I went ahead and painted in the base color of my land where the wheat would be and played with the sky some more.  I knew I needed to make everything on the left side of the barn darker and place my shadows just so because the sun was actually coming from the right side.  I worked on this through out each step of the painting.

To make the wheat in the foreground stand out more I had to darken the shadows and field even more.  Knowing I wanted the sun to be hitting my most forward wheat, I began placing it in here and there with white paint.

I got stuck for awhile on my wheat.  I kept going lighter and lighter and it continued to blend in with my sky until I was pretty frustrated.  It wasn't until I bit the bullet and went darker on the wheat did I fix the problem.  Then I was able to highlight the wheat to make it look as if the sun was hitting it.

But, oh that barn, I couldn't figure out what was wrong.  It looked too perfect and that's when I began working on the roof, giving it some age.  

I gave it a road, added more wheat and still wasn't happy.  It was the barn, I knew it was, but just couldn't think of what exactly it was about the barn.

Though adding those elements helped, it wasn't until I actually aged the wood that it came to life.  Put some holes and places where the wood had chipped away and was finally was able to move on.

A bit of light coming from the hole in the roof down into the inside of the barn, darken up the sky a bit more on the left.  Bring a few clouds on the horizon on the right.  Fix the silo shading.  And I think I've got a finished painting.

Growing up, scenes like this weren't something I noticed everyday, in fact not very often at all.  But there is something so inviting and breathtaking about the countryside, I would be happy living in a barn with this as my yard.  Wish I would have paid more attention to details like this while growing up.

I hope you enjoy my wheat field, barn and silo.  I really loved painting this scene and learned quite a bit from the experience.

This is an acrylic painting on stretched canvas.   If you would like a print of this particular work, please visit my store by clicking below to view the posters.

Southern Sky Posters
by Teresa owner: Southern Sky Studio

Paint With Black, White and Gray

Even if all you have is black, white and gray paint, you can still paint anything you like.  I'm going to be experimenting with this technique a bit more, but I really did enjoy keeping it simple.  This painting is on canvas and painted with acrylic craft paint, black, white and gray.

There are some touches with watercolor pencil.  Three shades to be exact, French Green and Staedtler #50 another green. Then add Staedtler #30, a blue touch for the rain and droplets.

After lightly penciling in the flowers and stems, I just began my background with black, gradually working up the canvas adding a touch of white as I moved upward and gray.

This was my first attempt at raindrops, so I Googled them, studied them and tried it.  Yes, I was afraid of failing, but now I've actually got something to build on for the next time I try.  They are not the greatest, but they will do in a pinch.

I enjoy the look of lead pencil and the act of shading.  This worked much like it, just a different look.

You should try it.  If this becomes your palette think of the space you would save in the studio.

On dreary days as it's pouring or drizzling rain, it seems my mind will always turn to flowers and especially sunshine or light.  Even on these kinds of days God can help us turn our minds to happy, positive visions and thoughts.

God gives us His light to see us through, even on days like these.

Starting off 2015 Western Style

I procrastinated several days before starting this one.  It was lined up to be the next painting I worked on, but I was waiting on the new year so it would be the first of 2015.  Then when the first day of the year rolled in, I seemed to have found yet another reason not to start the painting.

When you deal with a lack of confidence the way I do, procrastination is either your best friend or your enemy.  Which ever way you choose to look at it I suppose.  In a way I think it’s manipulation of yourself.  Putting off your goals, your fears and ultimately your success.

Instead of looking at each piece as a learning experience in technique and subject matter, I’m going to look at it as an exercise in building self confidence.  How do I do that?  Beats me, but it’s worth a try.

Part of being successful at anything is making mistakes and learning from them.  Finding the error of your ways and correcting them.  I can see several things that need to be corrected in this piece along with getting it closer to completion.

So as I labored with my lack of confidence and poor planning, hours into the painting I had this…….





So the picture was cut completely in half by land and sky.  Not a good idea.  When I got to looking at all the area I was going to have to fill up with blades of grass, I got really tired.  That’s when I knew I should stop for the day.  “I’ll tackle that after a good nights sleep”. (More procrastination?  Or maybe finally a bit of wisdom.)  Only this would have never happened if I’d planned a bit better.





One million blades of grass later, a few weeds here and there, a few touch ups, oh and also some after thought embellishments I finally had a finished piece.





This painting was most definitely a labor of love.  Love of the process of art and the beauty of God’s creation, the desire to please the customer and to grow as an artist.

Not sure if this has boosted my self confidence though.

Art: Rows of Beans

 

 

This picture was taken from memory only.  It is quite amazing the wonderful things our minds can recall when we try.

I get so inspired by nature and the scenes I see as I ride.  This particular scene, we have all been blessed with so many times in our lives as we ride down the road or walk down a road in a rural area.  The idea began with my grandchildren’s garden.  We were looking at the leaves of their bean plants.  The plants had pretty much stopped yielding beans and before the plants were leveled the caterpillars and other insects were having a fiesta with them.  The leaves looked like lace they had been munched on so much.  At first I wanted to do something with those leaves, but when I got home and started working on an idea, all that came to mind was that scene of rows and rows of beans.  The next thing that I pulled from my visual memory was the lone tree standing in the middle of a field.

I always wondered as a little girl, why that one tree was left.  Later I found out that the tree was a resting place for those tending the crop.  I have seen this particular view so many times in my life, I didn’t even need a photo to paint it by.  I thought that was quite amazing considering I think I have to have a photo to paint just about everything I paint or draw.

This painting was painted with acrylic paint.  The canvas is barn wood with a thin coat of white gesso applied.  The barn wood was planed, so no sanding of the surface was required.

I am so thankful for the beautiful scenery God has given us.  He places certain things in our minds and in our hearts that we can recall at will. I’m also glad that among the things we would like to forget or ignore, there are also these wonderful bits of nature that we know and are familiar with even when we don’t realize it.  He is working in our lives even when we don’t realize it.

Art: Painting Peace

 

Even when your mind is in turmoil and you can’t seem to find a peaceful moment, you can change that by painting the peace you desire.  Little did I know that as I began painting this peaceful scene that it would actually change my mood and ease my mind.

We all have certain things that we enjoy and look forward to.  Things we find comfort in, sometimes when we don’t have the time to do them, just thinking about them can bring about that peaceful feeling.

I use to be able to roam the country side, through the pastures and areas where hardly anyone ever walked.  Scenes like these were a daily part of my life.  Now all I get is a brief glimpse every now and then as I travel to work and back.  I don’t know anyone any more that has this kind of land where I would feel free and welcome to roam.

I long for those days.  At least though, I have the memories I can flash back to that helps to put my mind at ease after four, 12 hour work days at the factory.

The painting was almost finished at this point…………….

………….but I really wanted something else in it.  So I added the round hay bales, which gave it that more complete, finished look.  And the hay didn’t take away from the peacefulness that the landscape and sky created, it added to it.

This view; the sky, the land, the trees, are all gifts that God has given us to help ease our troubled minds. If we will just be looking for it, beauty like this is everywhere.  I thank Him for that.

About the painting:

The paint I used for the entire painting is Apple Barrel Colors by Plaid

Before beginning your painting apply two coats of ProArt Gesso Canvas Primer.

To create the sky, I used Tropical Blue, Dark Gray, White, Yellow Flame, Apricot and very small touches of Cardinal Crimson and Nutmeg Brown.

The line of trees in the back ground were made with English Ivy Green and Nutmeg Brown.

The green pasture was created with English Ivy Green and Lime Tree.

The lone tree was painted with Nutmeg Brown, Dark Gray, English Ivy Green and Lime Tree.

The hay bales were created with Nutmeg Brown, Yellow Flame, White.

The painting was rendered on an old piece of barn wood.

I hope you enjoyed viewing this painting.

Art: Pleasing Imperfections

 

This painting has been quite a challenge for me and I’ve learned a few things I find quite interesting.  The more imperfections I caused it to have the more I seemed to like it.

Here’s what it looked like to begin with…..

For some reason it just bothered me and I couldn’t figure out why.  It wasn’t a perfect square outline, which I like the imperfection there.  I sat back and studied it for awhile and decided it was the light blue clouded area, the outline was just too perfect.  I worked awhile on it and just couldn’t get that perfect outline off of the painting.

I knew what I was going to have to do to make this painting more pleasing to look at, but I just kept putting it off.  I was afraid after all my hours of work on it that I was really going to mess it up when I started sanding it.  But that’s what I wanted to do and that’s what I did.  The more I sanded it the better I liked it.  Sometimes those hard lines need a lot of elbow grease and sand paper to get them out.  I’m thinking the same can be said for out lives.

On the painting:

To create this painting use three pieces of old wood prepared with two coats of white gesso and lightly sanded.  To achieve the colors use these for the rose – Apple Barrel by Plaid Acrylic , Pale Daffodil, Bright Yellow and White.

For some of the darker areas on the rose use  Staedtler watercolor pencil No. 16

For the wispy stems on the small white flowers use English Ivy Green acrylic paint again by Apple Barrel Plaid.

Use the same green for the stem and foliage on the rose along with Lime Tree and White by Apple Barrel Plaid.

The sky was achieved by mixing Aple Barrel Plaid Acrylic Paint, Turquoise and White.

Using a paper doily stencil, create a light layer using Turquoise and white to dab the design on around the outside edges.

I hope you enjoy giving this a try.

Inspiration:

I was wondering if God looks at our lives in the same fashion; standing back and studying about just exactly what we might need to help us become more pleasing to Him.  What might He do next in our lives to bring about a more positive or pleasing result?

Like this painting, I have had quite a bit of sanding and, I might add, chiseling too.  I am glad that God knocked me down several notches and shook “stuff” out of me that wasn’t pleasing to Him.  Now that we have established what I should not be doing, God and I are working on what I SHOULD be doing.

Happy Painting!

Art: Put Reality Into Your Paintings

 

These butterflies are real!  Oh yes, they are.  Because I love the butterfly so much, when someone finds one they give them to me.  Sometimes they are whole and sometimes not.  But they are always lifeless.  What better way to bring them back to life and give them another chance to grace us with their beauty, than to put them in a painting true to their surroundings.

This wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.  Although first dissappointed, it became apparent that they were going to need a little touch up.

I began by painting in the background on my canvas using acrylic paint and then painted the flowers and the grass.

Using an exacto knife and tweezers the wings were removed from the body.  Afraid the delicate wings wouldn’t take much moving around, I used the knife and tweezers to place them in different positions on the canvas to decide where they would be most appealing.  Using Plaid Matte Mod Podge with water mixed in it, I applied it to the area on the canvas for the first bottom wing.  Carefully moving the wing I placed it on top of the Mod Podge.  It was all more forgiving than I expected, but still working very carefully, I pressed gently with my fingers, then applied a coat of Mod Podge on top of the wing.  Each wing was done this way.  One wing at a time.

There were a few parts missing on the butterflies so I took acrylic paint and painted the missing pieces in.  You can’t really see it.  The right bottom wing on the black butterfly was missing a bit, the yellow butterfly was missing some on the right bottom wing.  The brown butterfly (or moth) was in tack except the body and antenna, I had cut them away on all the butterflies and had to replace them.

The dissappointment came when the Mod Podge had dried, it left the butterfly darker and some of the colors were no longer vivid.  As I began touching up flowers and adding more and adding more grass I decided to try a little watered down paint on the wings to see if it helped them.  Not much was needed.  It was like giving them a drink of water.  Since they accepted paint well, I decided to highlight them and even put some blades of grass and cone flower petals on top of them.

All in all, I’m pretty satisfied with this idea and can’t wait for friends to give me more butterflies.  They would look great on old wood.  I’m thinking they would also be easier to apply to something a bit harder than this stretched canvas.

To finish the piece, paint a coat of Mod Podge on top of the entire canvas being careful not to put too much pressure on the butterfly wings.

You should try this for yourself on a wood board for ease.  Let me know if you do.

Happy Painting

Art: A Little More Research

 

 

I was under the assumption that art was just painting pictures.  But, it seems I was a bit mistaken. There are quite a few things you have to do to prepare for the painting and also to finish the piece if you are the unconventional type.

Because of that erroneous assumption, you know thinking things were just cut and dried, sometimes I just dive into painting only to wish I had of done this or had of done that.  Now, I’m not saying those thoughts won’t come anyway, even if you are the most meticulous planner, but it might help cut down some of the time you spend having to make corrections on your creations.

When someone challenged me to paint a fish, I began my usual research for photos of my subject.  As I looked through the photos, I found a very clear picture of a fishe that I thought I could use and manage to get some detail.  I already knew that there would be water, sky and land and had decided pretty much on my color scheme.

I was really giving myself credit for actually sketching out the fish first before I started painting.  But, what I failed to do was to stand back and study it a moment.  I just started painting.  Needless to say the finished product was not appealing to me at all.  The more I looked at it, I knew that the fish and the splashes of water would have to go or I couldn’t give this away to anyone.  Here is what it looked like…….

                                                  

The fish was way to big, the colors weren’t right and the water splashes were really bad.  I was ashamed.  Then I realized that I can’t just look at one photo of a fish.  If I want to paint a large mouth bass, I should research them, make sure the colors are the same, find out what they really look like before diving in and just painting it.  I should plan out my paintings a little more carefully, putting more thought into the process.  If I knew my fish and painted fish everyday it might have been a bit easier.  When someone challenges you to do something that doesn’t come as easy as what you normally do, then we need to educate ourselves.  Put a bit of extra time into it.

So after much studying on water splashes and much time comparing photos of large mouth bass, after sanding out the first fish and regrouping, here’s what it turned out like………………

 

                                                 

There are still some problems, but overall it’s much better.  Now, if I had just planned a little more I would know what to put in this picture on the left, because it’s empty since I sanded boss bass out of the water.

Last week I sawed a painting down to size to fit the only frame I had for it.  This week I’m sanding 1/3rd of the picture away.  What’s next?

Painting notes:

I used Plaid Apple Barrel paint on old wood boards.  The boards are nailed together on the back side using wood slats.  The boards were sanded, then two coats of ProArt Premium Gesso canvas primer was applied and sanded just a bit more.

Spiritual notes:

Sometimes I feel like God is sanding and sawing things away on me that need to be corrected.  The more we study His Word and do our research, it’s possible we might “get it” before we let things get to messy.  Anyway it’s worth a try.  Some of us just have to mess up to learn it seems.  Is it because we haven’t done our research?  It might cut down on some of the time we spend trying to undo the messes we make.