Morning Glory Watercolor WIP

Morning Glory watercolor WIP

Here is a new piece that I just finished. I think it took me longer to make the slide show than it did to paint the morning glory.
"His mercies are new every morning" Press the play button to view the slide show

Big Apple Deli Sign

A New York style deli has opened in Snyder.

It is called Big Apple Deli.

B.A.D. for fun. I was asked to paint the

sign for this very unique place.

It was a lot of up and down the ladder.

Or up and down several ladders.

My Granddad on my mom's side was a sign

painter and my dad is a sign painter. It's not

my favorite thing to paint. But, I do love to paint.

In another blog I will share about my art heritage

and then the promise that God gave me concerning

my talents and abilities.

Cute worm peeking out of the apple!

There it is! A friend of mine has a picture of the
front of the restuarant on her blog.
And the deli has wonderful food!

Cait and Her Horse - Finished (I think)

I am almost there!

Highlights in her hair.

Shadows on her neck.

Now the details on her hand and

her earring. Deeper shadow under

the brim of her hat.

Eyelashes on the horse.

Well, I think this is it! Maybe!
Anyway, I have put away the palette
for right now.

Here is the reference photo. I may need
to warm up her skin tone just a bit.
I worry about over working it.

W.I.P. Work In Progress. That is us in the
Father's hands. He loves us just the way
we are but He loves us way too much
to leave us the way we are.

Cait and Her Horse - WIP almost finished

I'm back! I am almost finished.

Now to start on Caitlyn!

A little shadow on her face and

a bit of work on the hat.

Eyes, nose, and mouth. HMMM!

Something is wrong but I am not sure what.

I know! If I didn't tell you,

you probably wouldn't

even know that it's not quite right.

But, if you know Caitlyn you would know.

I want to this to look like her.

Lord, help me to see what I need to see.

While I am trying to figure out what I

need to fix, I will work on her shirt.

Another coat of red.

The horse was easier to paint.

Of course, I don't know the horse.

Now some shadows!

Some white plaid.

I think I may have figured it out.

The changes are subtle.

And some are only two or three brush hairs wide.

I think I am getting closer.

More plaid. And some details to the hat.

Next, the scarf.
I love painting fabric folds and
this is not only fabric folds
but satin fabric folds. Fun!

The horse's halter and her earring.

Base coat on her hair. I am so close.

Almost finished.

All I lack (I think) is her hair,

her hand, detail on the earring,

and a tiny bit more on her face.

As I have been working on this

I have prayed for Cait and her mom.

I love them, both!

Cait loves Jesus and she has some s

trong, godly influences in her life.

She loves horses and I know

that Jesus loves horses, too.

When He returns, He will be riding a white horse.

The Spirit and the Bride say,

"Come quickly, Lord Jesus"

I know why the Bride would say, "Come quickly".

But why would the Spirit say that, too?

I wonder if it is because He (the Spirit) is stuck

here on the earth, with us, until Jesus returns.

Check back later, I may finish this weekend.

After this, I will start a 4 foot X 16 foot

mural for a local business

Cait and Her Horse WIP Acrylic

Here is a new painting that I am working on. It is "Cait and Her Horse", 11" X 14", acrylic on canvas. After sketching, I masked the areas that I wanted to protect. I used regular masking tape and just didn't leave it on very long. Background is added.


Removed the tape.

Started base coats on the horse and her hat.

Added flesh tone.

The shirt base coat.

Turquoise!

Time to start adding details Ears first.

Face. In the reference photo, the horse has a winter coat. Little shaggy.

Now the eyes. Grey blue.

Some pink on the nose. I am concerned about capturing the velvety surface of the horse's nose.

Maybe that will work.

Got the mane finished, too. Now to work on Cait. Check back later to see the progress.

Trompe L'Oeil for a Wood Floor

Or "What To Do 'Til The Carpenter Arrives?"

Well, here goes. We have been remodeling our house - some contract but mostly DIY and elbow grease. I love old houses. Every board you remove opens the way to have to remove and replace at least four more.

In our living room we removed 2 doors and widened them and built arches (which I love). One doorway was an easy fix because we laid tile in the kitchen. But, the one leading into the hall had a 2 X 4 in the floor with a 1 inch gap all the way around.

What to do? Tear up about three foot of floor and splice in new? (Professional and $$$) Install a raised threshold to cover the gaps? Easy fix!!! The carpenter was suposed to have been have before Christmas. He didn't show. So, I did what I knew to do!

PATCH IT! and PAINT IT!

If you are interested, here are the steps.

1. I used Rock Hard Water Putty to fill the gaps. Let it dry. I waited overnight. Sanded it smooth and cleaned up the excess dust and residue.

2. The paint is acrylic that comes in the little squeeze bottles. I selected 3 colors that I could see in the actual wood grain (raw seinna, burnt umber, and antique gold). The clear stuff is a little bit of Floating Medium. This retards the drying time and gave me just a little more time to move your paint around.

3. Using a 1" brush, I worked each board one at a time. I base coated each board in the color that was the closest match to the undertone of the wood. Sometime I had to blend the colors just a bit to get a good match. The base color varied from board to board. (More old house charm!)

4. I used a liner and a small round rough bristle brush to create the details of the oak grain. I watched the grain line coming into the repaired area and matched the flow of the grain.

5. I replicated water spots, knots holes, and distressed edges to match the other boards in the existing floor. I took advanatge of the occasional rough spot in the putty. That was a good place for a knothole.

6. I stood up often to see how it looked from all angles. Also, to stretch my legs and relax my shoulders. You might be wondering about the coffee cup - that's not part of the technique unless you count coffee break as part of the process.

It's beginning to look a little like a wood floor with no gaps. A couple of coats of polyurethane (the same kind that is on the rest of the floor) and I may not need that carpenter after all.

I may not need the carpenter from Texas but I will always need and enjoy the company of The Carpenter from Nazareth. I thought about Him alot as I was kneeling on the floor, paint brush in hand and a song in my heart.

Hope you can use this bit of information.