Vicki's Roses

This is my submission for the Watercolor Workshop project for February where we all paint from one photo. The photo was provided by Vicki Greene and the roses are from her garden. I just loved the vase as it reminded me of the paint color, Prussian Blue, which is a fav of mine. I used my evolving process of doing an underpainting first, using the grisaille method of painting with gray to set the mid tone and darkest shadows first, only I used purple acrylic ink for this as it doesn't lift when glazing over it with watercolor.

I didn't use any masking in this, but set the doily hole edges with the ink first to mark where the holes were and painted them later with the table color. I hope this was not a heritage piece crocheted by one of Vicki's ancestors as I fear I changed the pattern a bit in my rendition!

This was a fun one to do and I so enjoyed getting to paint two paintings this month. This wheelchair and walker business is becoming a real drag, but I am half-way through it all and will continue to take care so as not to re-injure myself and make it take longer to heal. I am also trying to be patient with it all since I feel so small and unworthy in complaining about my situation when I know there is a date I can get up out of this chair...so many others will not be able to do that and I am very empathetic for their struggles.

Davi's Mama - WIP 3

I have this painting to this point, and, after seeing it on the computer monitor I see a few things I need to address. It is always so much more clear to see problems on the PC than in person, holding the painting! I need to reshape her eyes, especially her right eye, with the lower lid scrunching up over the right side of the eyeball more. I also need to add a few more darks to the hair sections.

I will submit this for critique to the WcW group, consider any suggestions here, and take care of what I see myself. Then, this should be done. For once I managed to get the mouth right and she does look like a toothless woman, which was one of the reasons I wanted to paint her photo. My other goal was to get the facial contours to suggest all the wrinkles, instead of just having the darker lines to suggest them. I am pleased so far with that, and with just a little further tweaking I will be finished with that. Another thing I like about this was I managed to show the kindness in this lady's eyes, and I don't want to do anything to detract from that, but I do need to fix that right eye and work on the left one a bit more, too, to make them correct.

Anyone see anything other than what was mentioned above that I need to do with this?

Update

Just a short note here to let you all know I have not limped off into infinity...yet! I did see the orthopedist, who assured me my fracture was a simple one which means it was not displaced and should heal 100 percent...this was good news! He placed my leg in a long-leg immobilizer, which means I can take it off for showers and bedtime if I am careful. After wearing this for a week, I can tell it is working since my leg doesn't feel very good without it, kinda scary even.I am using a walker to do the prescribed partial weightbearing and that is going well.

Tom helped get me and my stuff into the art club Thursday afternoon, which was so enjoyable after not painting for two weeks. I have finished (I think, will await critiques) Davi's Mama, but cannot submit for critiques or here until I can go outside and get a good photo of her to show. I can probably do that today, but we are having two days of dark clouds and rain showers here so I will have to wait for the first sunny days. Be assured I am not complaining about the clouds and rain; living on the desert we always welcome the rain since we get so little of it.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend....

Now I've gone and dunnit!

I'm not sure how much blogging, painting or jewelry-making I will be doing anytime soon as I fell at home Thursday night and cracked the upper part of my lower leg bone where it joins under the knee cap. So, I am wheelchair-bound and awaiting a visit (hopefully early next week) to the orthopedist to see what he wants to do with me. I am in a temporary full leg cast, non-weightbearing and will hope he gives me a brace instead of a cast, but we will see.

What a revolting development! Thankfully, my Tom is far enough along in his recovery that he can become my caregiver and I will become the patient. WE ARE TEAM!

I am hoping to devise a way, once this pain eases a bit, to do some more painting on Davi's Mama but will wait to see what the orthopedist says about further immobilization. Good grief!

Davi's Mama - WIP 4

Here I have darkened some of the darkest values...still not there yet, but trying to go slowly so as not to muddy her up too much. As I work with her, I am reminded of the character Yoda from Star Wars and hope to not venture too far into that realm. But, with her squinting eyes, no teeth and wrinkles I am trying to make her less like him and more like the photo I have of herself.

I have one more photo of the WIP 5 but have to wait until after this weekend to show that and to try to work on her a bit more. This is such a busy week with appointments and art stuff for various organizations that she will have to sit and marinate for awhile before adding more life to her. Her hair needs to be darker in areas as well as her shirt folds more distinct, etc....But, so far I am sticking to my reasons for wanting to paint her interesting visage, and am pleased with her so far.

Davi's Mama - WIP 3

I took this photo of the painting while working on it at the Art Club this afternoon with a different camera and it looks to be in black and white. No...I have not changed my mind, this is being done strictly in sepia watercolor paint. Here I have started defining some of the shadows better as well as the beginnings of the features.