Winter Trees

Winter Trees – Mixed Media on Paper – 8 x 8 inches

This is my last painting of 2016.  I feel I have learned more these last few months than when I first started.  It has been an interesting learning curve, especially as I have been teaching myself.  I want to thank all of those wonderful people who have made youtube videos, wrote books and made DVDs.  I would also like to thank everyone who reads my blog and has been supportive of my efforts to be a creative person.  Here is to a wonderful and creative 2017!

 

Cattails

Cattails – Mixed Media on Paper – 4 x 8 inches

I had cattails in my head when I woke up this morning.  Crazy, I know.  So I had to paint some.

I don’t like to paint with acrylics straight onto paper as the paper sucks up too much paint.  I always put a layer of gesso on first, hence the mixed media on paper thing.  I am currently using up my stash of Bockingford as I have put my watercolors to one side for a while.  Right now, I am all about texture, layering and trying to paint a bit of nature.  Painting with a limited pallet is also helpful.  For this painting I used W&N Ultramarine Blue, Payne’s Grey, Burnt Umber, Raw Sienna, Golden Yellow Ochre heavy body, Liquitex Muted Turquoise soft body, and a glazing medium.  I used a credit card for the grasses.

I’m going to see if I can squeeze a few more small paintings in before the end of 2016!

Winter Poppies

Winter Poppies – Mixed Media on Paper – 8×8 inches.

Here is something I knocked up earlier today.  I tried out some new tools.  I bought a few cake icing embossers and used them to make a pattern in the gesso.  I think they might be great for painting patterns too.  There is a lot of texture and pattern going on here which was the intention.

Here is a close up:

It isn’t very wintery where I live, so I thought I would create something from my head.