Acrylic Portraits

I have been playing around with skin tone in acrylics. It can be so frustrating sometimes!!!! I did this painting of my grandparents and little brother ( he is now 26 so this is an old pic) using a blue under painting which I found was helpful. I then mixed red oxide with titanium white, naples yellow and a dash of naphthol red. For shadows I used my favorite color, payne's grey. I still have a lot to do especially with my grandpa's face but I like it better than my previous portrait in terms of blending.  I found it was very helpful to use acrylic retarder with my paint which slows down the drying process of the acrylics.  I also LOVE using a dry brush to blend the wet paint around.  This was very helpful in making sure my blending was a little more gradual. Well I am off to paint some more!  Have a good day!

Painting Without a Paint Brush VIDEO!

Hello!  Happy Saturday!  I hope you are having a lovely day so far.  It is sunny and beautiful out here in Ohio so I will probably be hitting the pool with Little I for a little swim action.  Today we went running (Little I LOVES to hang out in her running stroller!) and in between laps at the park we played at the playground for awhile. 

I just wanted to quickly post a link to a NEW video I created.  It was for one of my master's classes but I wanted to share it with you also!  Click here to watch a video called "Painting Without A Paintbrush."  It is actually a painting project I do with my advanced painters at the beginning of the school year to help them think outside of the box in terms of using painting tools.

Well I am off to enjoy this beautiful day! 

Hollyhock Paintings

Why hello there!  Hope you are enjoying your summer.  It has been divine for the most part!  I am finishing up two of my FINAL masters classes and then I should be DONE!  Hooray!  It has taken me three years but I have almost done it!

Anyways...so I have been super duper busy this past year with Little "I", teaching art full time, finishing up my masters and MOVING!  Yes, we sold our lovely Cleveland Cottage and have moved into a WONDERFUL place.  It is not permanent but it is perfect for us right now until we buy or build our dream house (because I am never moving ever again!)

So back to being busy.  I have had no time at all to do artwork for myself.  I have only been able to work on things that pertained to school.  My school art style is different from my own personal style seen in my store.  High school kids are very picky about art.  Everything has to look semi realistic.  That is generally not my style but I have tweaked it so that I can assist my lovely students.

So that being said, here is a painting exercise I did to show the importance of completing an underpainting.  The underpainting I used here was burnt umber.

Here is my final hollyhock painting I completed using acrylic paint.  I used the monochromatic burnt umber underpainting for this one as well.

I actually gave this painting to my mom for her cottage on Lake Erie.  The reference picture I used was actually a picture I took on the island my parents have their cottage on.  It is one of my most favorite pictures!

If you would like to see how to complete a monochromatic underpainting you can check out a video I made on doing one here.


Well I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!  I am hoping to go to the cottage this weekend and hopefully take some great pictures for more paintings!

New Art: Wave Series

Hello!  How is your Sunday going for you?  Mine is going very well!  I am off for a girl's day  to see Jersey Boys!  The husband is staying home all day with Little I...great bonding time!

I just wanted to share with you a new artwork I have been working on.  It is the first in hopefully a series of 5 or 6 artworks.  I don't know if I am finished with it yet but here it is:

Small detail picture:

They are kind of like cloud waves.  I used acrylic and some painted paper collage elements.  I love the color scheme so far.  I can't wait to do more!

Hope you have a lovely and productive day:)

Grisaille or Grissaille painting

Hello!  Hope everyone had a lovely weekend:)  I had a wonderful relaxed one with the husband!  I just wanted to pop in and show you a little grisaille painting I am working on.  Grisaille or Grissaille...I have seen it spelled both ways!  A grisaille is basically a value underpainting that can be glazed over with color.  I love this technique and am currently having my painting classes do this for their first "real" project this year.  So here is the beginning of my grisaille:

Once I finish it I will post the end results:)  I am so excited to glaze color over it though!