Another Version of Cardinals

Remember the pair of Cardinals done in watercolor? One of my students had requested a cardinal design. Here it is again. My colored pencil students liked it so much, they asked to do it, too. I think I like the colored pencil version better. The curved lines at the bottom of the photo are because I developed this small version of the design for a lamp shade that fits over the top of a wine glass to make a candle holder. This is the prototype, not the finished lamp shade.

Many designs can be adapted to different surfaces and mediums. Use your imagination and wonderful things can happen.

Goldfish

This is the first in a series of goldfish paintings. It is done in colored pencil on hot press watercolor paper. The size is 7x6. The goldfish is a Ryunkin and the painting is based on a photograph used by permission of the owner. If you are going to work from a photograph that is not your own, ALWAYS ask for permission to use it. I am thinking about all the other ways a goldfish can be painted. Look for more of this series in future posts.

Pears and Luggage

Here is my latest colored pencil project. It is from a still life drawing that I did several years ago and just hadn't been inspired to turn it into a painting by any of the mediums I was working with. It is painted on cardboard-colored cardstock. The pears are underpainted using complimentary purples as are the brass buckles. In order to keep the pears and brass buckles from disappearing into the cardstock, the first step in developing this piece was to put a light wash of white over those areas.