Daily Study...Calla Lily

7x5 pastel on Wallis

Janet, thanks for letting me borrow your photograph of this lily! I liked how the background was just blurred enough to make it abstract looking. I spent about a hour on this study today...it still needs some tweaking, but I wanted to go ahead and post what I had done so far. It's not a good picture...it's a cloudy day, so I had to try and set up some good lighting. If it's sunny tomorrow, I will take it outside.

Here is a picture of my drafting table with two lights shining in the middle. This did help somewhat. The top picture is the actual photo and the bottom is my pastel. Any suggestions on how to take a good photo inside on a cloudy day?

Daily Study...Shell in the Sand

4x5 pastel on Wallis

This is my first shell study. I picked up shells and took pictures of shells in the sand at San Luis Pass on Sunday. It was cold and windy, but felt good. I'm not much for when it gets so hot you can't stand to even walk in the sand without shoes on! I prefer to go to the beach in the fall and spring. I'm hoping to make another trip to the beach in about a month for more pictures and possible put together a small box of pastels to do some quick sketches while at the beach.

Same Three Daisies

7x5 pastel

This is the same study of daisies, just with different lighting. I took this study outside and photographed it in the sun this morning...I wanted to show ya'll what a difference lighting makes! When it's cloudy or I have to take the photo inside, it doesn't look as close to RL as taking it outside in the sunshine.

DH, Chance and I went to Galveston yesterday and drove along the seawall and then drove along the coast to Surside/Freeport area. I took 143 pictures! This week, my studies will be from those pictures. I picked up shells along the San Luis Pass and Chance ran around on the beach. Chance loves the beach!

Daily Study...Three Daisies

7x5 pastel on Wallis

I tried to stay really loose with this study...I'm actually please with it, even thou I couldn't get a good photo of it. I'm hoping I get a better camera for my birthday next month. It still needs some tweaking. I mainly used Terry Ludwig pastels...they are square, chunky and soft. I think I can work looser and faster with the Ludwig's.

Berm

6x8 pastel on wallis

I was looking at some of my studies that I painted before I started this blog and found this one. I painted this from a photo I took of the berm in our backyard...I liked the changing fall leaves and all the trees. I had been reading a book by Elizabeth Mowry called "The Poetic Landscape"...I love her pastels! I'm hoping to actually get outside next week, if the weather stays nice and paint a study from life.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

I was in the baking mood today, so I tried a new recipe that I found in American Profile...it's always in our local paper on Thursdays. These are healthy except for the 3/4 cup of shortening. There's banana, oatmeal and I added raisins...the recipe calls for chocolate chips, but since I gave chocolate up for lent I needed something else. They are yummy!

Daily Study...Peanut M&M's

5x51/2 La Carte paper


I did this quick study last night of some peanut m&m's...it's what I'm giving up for lent! There is one snack size left, so I'll get DH (darling husband) to eat them...that way the temptation is not there! lol I used a small piece of the La Carte paper...this took about 20 minutes. I tried to stay very loose.

Daily Study #14...Sunflower #1

7x5 pastel

It's such a dreary day today, so I decided to paint a sunflower. My reference is from the WC library. This is my first sunflower to paint. I used La Carte sanded pastel paper...first time to try this paper. I liked it...it's similar to Wallis except you can't get it wet. I like the fact that it comes in different colors...this study is done on sienna.

Daily Study...Seagull

5x7 pastel on wallis

This is my first seagull ever...I think I overworked it! I know I much have put 20 layers of pastel on his body! I just couldn't get the texture of the feathers the way I wanted them...Oh well, it's just a study! I'm hoping to do a study of a robin and a red bird this week, so stay tuned. I have been putting birdseed all around my yard and on my ledge outside my art room window...red birds frequent the bushes out that window and I think they are going to build a nest.

Beautiful Sunny Day!

Chance loves to sit on this bench in our backyard. I got him to pose for me by telling him I would give him a treat! lol

I took this picture while sitting on the bench with Chance. Most of the trees in our yard are budding out.

This last picture is one of my favorite gnomes...I think gnomes are so cute!

No artwork today. I spent most of the day outside weeding flowerbeds, planting some bulbs and enjoying the spring like weather! I'm hoping to sow some wildflower seeds in a couple of weeks...I have the spot ready for them. Hopefully, we won't be having anymore freezing or close to freezing weather!

Daily Study...Hibiscus

4x5 pastel on sanded paper

Here is my second flower to paint in pastels. I think it still needs some tweaking, but I think it's better than my first flower. I'm trying to paint looser and more painterly. I found this photograph in the wetcanvas library. I seem to want to paint birds and flowers right now, maybe it's because spring is on it's way! I did find a couple more pictures in the wc library of another hibiscus and a poppy, so maybe next week I will work on one of those or both. I'm hoping to start a seagull tomorrow...if life doesn't get in the way!

It Was Free!!

Best margaritas in town!

Queso...as if I had to tell you what it was! Yummy!

We had the Valentines Day special, which consisted of grilled stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon, grilled baby back ribs, rice, beans and fajitas. Oh, and their flour tortillas are scrumptious! I have never eaten anything at Gringos that wasn't delicious! Now, your probably wondering why I said it was free? When we were finished our waiter came up to us and said "My manager said that your check has been taken care of." Of course, I immediately start looking around the room for someone that I recognize that would have paid for our meal! I didn't recognize anyone, so we thought it was a mistake. Oh well, free meal! Then my husband called me a few minutes ago and says that he has found out who paid for the meal...someone from work. Glad that mystery is solved!

I started a portrait last night of my youngest daughter...this will be a slow process, so once I have the line drawing to my liking I will post it.

Beach Scene

8x10 pastel

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

I painted this beach scene about a month ago and was looking at some of my pastels and realized I hadn't posted this one on my blog, so here it is. I love to go to the beach when it's not crowded and HOT! I know most people like to go to get a tan...not me!

My husband is taking me to Gringos tonight, so I'll take some food pictures, since I know several people who like to see food pictures! They have the best margaritas in town!

Daily Study...Dr. Pepper

7x5 pastel on wallis paper

I drink way to many Dr. Peppers, but it's my favorite drink! This study has so much wrong with it, but oh well! Ellipses are hard to draw, but I refuse to trace anything...not saying that if you trace it's a bad thing...it's just not my style. What inspired me to attempt this Dr. Pepper can was the fact that I had ordered a sweatshirt from Old Doc's Soda Shop in Dublin, Texas...it's were the original Dr. Pepper was made. I'm hoping to take a road trip sometime this year to Dublin...the soda shop is there as well as a museum/bottling plant. This is the oldest Dr. Pepper bottling plant that still makes the original formula, with Imperial pure Cane Sugar!

Here is my sweatshirt! It's super comfortable! Do you remember the jingle from the 70's? "Be a Pepper, Drink Dr. Pepper... Be a Pepper, Drink Dr. Pepper...""

Ok...enough of the silly stuff! I have just about finished arranging my art room downstairs. I'll be glad when it's completely finished and I can just concentrate on producing art!

Finally a Starbucks on Our Side of Town!

We now have a Starbucks on our side of town! It just opened this past Friday...it's about time!!!They were extremely busy...especially the drive-thru.

This is the man who waited on me at the drive-thru...I didn't have time to go inside...too many things to do at home! I asked him if I could take his picture and told him it would be for my blog...he thought that was cool! I can already hear my daughters..."Mom! I'm so embarrassed that you asked that man to take his picture!" lol Oh, btw...he was holding my coffee cake.

I ordered a tall vanilla latte (first one ever)...it was good and a reduced fat blueberry coffee cake. I wasn't going to order reduced fat...I never eat anything that is reduced fat, but the lady who took my order assured me that it was delicious! I took it home and took this picture first before I ate it. I was pleasantly surprised that the coffee cake was very good!

Hopefully, I will have some time to paint today!

Hidden Kisses

No painting today, but I did bake these Hidden Kisses cookies. Last Sunday, I watched Paula Deen on Food Network bake these cookies, so I thought I would try them out. They are so sweet! The reason why they are called Hidden Kisses is because there is a Hershey's chocolate kiss in the middle. Not only is there powdered sugar on the outside...there is white sugar on the inside! I don't think I would bake them again, but it was fun playing in the powdered sugar!

Daily Study...Vine Leaf

4x6 pastel Wallis sanded paper

This is the smallest I have ever painted! I'm moving my art room downstairs, so I have been very busy! I can't believe I'm moving downstairs...I just moved up there in August! I picked this leaf off a vine growing on a wooden fence when Chance and I were walking this morning...I liked its shape. I wanted to make sure and find a little time for art today, but now it's back to the move!

Daily Study...Nest of Eggs

5x7 pastel on wallis paper

Here is another study using a photo from the WetCanvas image library. I have no idea what kind of eggs they are...just that they are blue and that grabbed my attention. This one was a lot of fun...I used so many different pastels for the nest! This is #8 of my 100 small studies that I plan on painting for this year. I am learning so much and I can find time just about everyday to paint one. Some people don't think that using pastels is painting...it just doesn't require a brush!

Yesterday, I said that I hadn't seen a woodpecker in a while...well, I just saw one in my backyard with about 50 robins! I think spring is in the air!

Until tomorrow...

Daily Study...Woodpecker

5x7 pastel on wallis paper

I found this picture at WetCanvas in their image library. I really enjoyed this little study of a bird...it still needs some tweaking, so I'll let it set for a few days and then look at it with "new eyes". We used to see a lot of woodpeckers in our trees, but I haven't seen any lately. I love the red on the top of their heads! I'm still struggling to take a good picture to post on my blog. Today, I took it outside to photograph it. I think the colors are better, but it still doesn't look like it does IRL.

Until tomorrow...

Daily Study...First Flower

5x7 pastel on Wallis Belgian Mist paper

I spent some time today putting together a box of pastels to keep downstairs, so that I can work on small studies. I'm thinking about moving my art room downstairs again. When I'm upstairs, I can't seem to get as much done! This is the first flower I have ever painted...I'm not happy with it and almost didn't post it. I'll do some tweaking on it tomorrow. Flowers are not as easy as I thought they would be!

Red Pear Study

6x8 Oil on canvas paper

I didn't have time for any pastel studies today, so I decided since I haven't posted anything since Friday that I would post an older study. I did this red pear in September 2006 just before I became interested in pastels. UPS just delivered a new set of Girault pastels, so I'm off to add them to my collection!

Gerber Daisy

I didn't have time for art today, so I took a picture of the only Gerber daisy I have blooming in my yard. I'm hoping to get out next week and paint a study of this flower...if it's still blooming!

I'm so ready to get outside and work in the flower beds, so I have some new subjects to paint!

Until tomorrow...

Daily Study...#5 Strawberry Cereal Bar

5x7 pastel on wc paper

Another cold and rainy day! Chance and I didn't get to walk until around 1:00 p.m. and then it was still so cold that we only walked half the distance that we normally walk. The sun is starting to peak out from behind the clouds as I post this. Hopefully tomorrow it will be nice enough outside that I can get out there and stop sketching all this food!

Until tomorrow...