Birthday!

Today is my birthday!
.. will be back tomorrow :)

In the meantime, take a look at an older painting... modelled on the three of us!

T2

I've added the darker tones, and I think I'm finished.

Meet :                                

T2

Inktense pencils can be wetted, by doing so the colour will be intensified and it will look more like a painting.
However, I quite like the way this picture has turned out, so I shan't be wetting it.

Stages 5 & 6

Just for my impatient followers - you know who you are - you are going to get two stages today :)

Both background , firstly the under layer of yellow and then the top layers of field green, teal blue and indigo.

 I need to do some darker tones in the background. That will be next and then I think it'll be finished. That should be tomorrow.

Stage 4

The platform support that the tiger was resting on has had its first few layers of colour applied.  Next will be to start the background.
Layer after layer of applying colour using pencils is quite hard on hands and wrists. I've had to take a few breaks from creating this. Painting is easier!

Stage 3

Second colour, Mustard is now on the tiger

Here you can see how this textured paper picks up the colour from the pencils

and here's the second layer of the same colour

Because the paper has texture, the colour from the pencils doesn't get right into the grooves, unless forced. I'm not going to force it into every valley, because I like the lighter sections. I think it helps give character.

Stage 2

I started by laying down an under - colour on the Tiger.
For this I used a Sunshine Yellow.

I intend to blend another colour on top of it, to give a truer tiger colouring.

Stages with Inktense pencils

After drawing the mints, I thought to try a more detailed picture with the Inktense pencils.

This is the drawing, from a photo my friend Lynne took at a wildlife sanctuary; which she kindly gave me permission to use.

I used a sheet from my Strathmore pad to draw upon. 

The mint with the hole

Whilst I was snuggled up on the sofa last week, the sketchbook and the Inktense pencils got an airing !

And here is the result

What a week!

Last week whilst you were enjoying the step by step of the bull in the field, I was feeling pretty poorly.
The victim of some awful bug, which  made me nauseous every time I ate or drank.
Even the computer was too much effort.

Mummy, if that cheese makes you feel ill,

I'll deal with it!

Thankfully, I feel much better now and am looking forward to catching up on my blogging friends' posts!

Field of Dreams

Here's the finished painting:

Field of Dreams

Many thanks to my friend Lynne, for the use of her photo.

This painting will be added to my gallery site
Pat Elliott Paintings

Step four

I love all the different techniques you can use for painting rocks.
In these rocks I made some very wet mixes, washed them on and then added some sea salt. The salt absorbs the paint and give some lovely patterns.

Tomorrow you will see the finished painting, because the bull is not painted in stages.

Step three

Darkening the foreground of the Field now, in an endeavour to sit the bull further back  from the rocks.

Step Two

In the second stage, the sky is painted.
The whole are is wetted, then french ultramarine is washed in with bold strokes.
The pale green in the lower section will form a background field to the bolder foreground yet to be added.

A step by step begins...

Its a little while since I showed you a step by step painting.
Wait no longer! Here is the first stage.

Pencil drawing and masking ..

A Certain Style

There are many watercolour techniques and many different styles.
There are some paintings where you can tell instantly who painted them.
Is that you? Do you have a certain style?

Or are you searching for a style or technique which suits you - and when you find it will you stick to it, like glue?

I don't know that my paintings are instantly recognisable as mine; or that they conform to a style.. I think I'm still experimenting and learning and enjoying the variety.

and a couple of bookmarks

Here are a couple of bookmarks I made for friends.
Photos taken before they were laminated.

A few more cards

Today I thought I'd show you a few more of the cards I've painted.

All for Christmas and soon to be in the mail !

Creating a Path

Its the build up towards the holiday season, so some of the painting I have been doing, I cannot show you, because they are Christmas presents. And I am not one for spoiling surprises!

So here instead, you can see how creative I am being in my garden.

When we knocked down the old decrepit sheds, we found behind, some 400 bricks and numerous broken pieces of paving.
Rather than throw these away, we decided to recycle them when we made the paths in the garden.

Here's my little helper, checking out the quality of the materials

and here she's making sure there are no creepy crawlies or mice to make me scream...

and now she's wondering what I'm doing

and here is the first part of the path laid out.

More will be done as the weather allows.
Once the path is complete, I can go back to painting in the studio. Right now I do not want to be treading mud into the beautiful studio. So for now, I am painting at my old friend, the dining table.

A present for Missy

There was a knock at the door - and there stood one of my neighbours.

I had helped her with her website and blog, so she, knowing the way to my heart, bought a present for Missy!
You can see her website here
The Rocking Horse Sanctuary

and her blog here
Blog

The gifts..

 

 

This one smells good!

 

 a Ball onna Rope! What fun

 

 Let's throw it at mummy and watch her duck!

haha,  very funny, Missy!

Remembrance.

 Armistice Day - Remembrance Day:

At the Eleventh hour, of the Eleventh Day, of the Eleventh month -  Armistice.
We remember them, with a two minute silence.

For my Grandfather, mustard gassed in the Great War.
We were fortunate that he lived, although his life was shortened. He passed away when I was six years old.

For all who suffered and fell in that war and all the wars after -

 We remember. 

The Oldies Club

Not so long ago, I painted a picture of Monty

his owner and I colluded -  she sponsored an Oldie Dog as a gift for me, at my request.

The Oldies Club is a network of volunteers who do their best to find new homes for some of our older canine friends, who find themselves homeless at a time in their life when they should be enjoying the warmth of a fire and a family's love.

We are honoured to have helped, in some small way.

Here is a link to the Oldies Club, should you like to read about them and ways you may be able to help.

The Oldies Club

Two's Company

This is my latest attempt at using broad brush strokes.
Because it was drawn and painted in my art club in one night, I have no stages to show you.
I hope you enjoy the painting anyway.

Two's Company

This painting will be added to my Gallery site at
Pat Elliott Paintings

Surprise!

Today I received a great surprise in the mail!

One of my blogging friends,  Tonya, sent me a card.

Here  it is

I'm truly blessed to have made such friends.

and here's a link to Tonya's blog :

Hillbilly Handiworks

Missy on Christmas

I had to give mummy a severe talking to about her Christmas cards. 

I told her, don't you know, if it had me on there, it would naturally be a winner.

I am pleased to say she took my advice - and this card is better by far!

Farmer's Market

and today, here it is - the finished painting.

 Farmer's Market

It will be added to my Gallery site
Pat Elliott Paintings.

FM 4

I decided to incorporate a few of the techniques I had learned recently.
In this stage you can see the marbled top , which I originally learned to paint in my painting of the pears - The Three Muses.

I did start to paint a few of the lumpy bits on the gourd, but stopped, so I could photograph the marble stage!

FM 3

here I've painted the mid section, using a beautiful cadmium yellow.

All the paints I use are Winsor and Newton Artists Quality.
The paper is usually Arches Aquarelle Rough - but this one was painted on a Strathmore watercolour pad, given to me as a gift.

FM 2

In this stage, I have painted a light wash of a mix of sap green and cad yellow to describe the green of the gourd.

I'm enjoying painting this, its such a fun subject.
Might even get painted again, as part of a group. I like props that can be painted again and again!