Pinocchio

Pinocchio 14 x 11 acrylic on gessoboard  NFS

This 14x11 acrylic was enormous fun to paint. I made it for our brand-new (well fairly new) 9-month-old grand-nephew's first Christmas.  I tried to paint a three-dimensional puppet rather than a cartoon, and used photos of figurines as well as the Disney illustrations. Here are some steps in the process.

Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine 10 x 8 acrylic on gessoboard  NFS

A warm and wonderful friend shared some photos of her lovely little great-grandaughter. One particular photo really caught my eye. I loved the light on her face, the expressive hand gesture, and her dazzling blue eyes. She was a treat to paint and it was such fun to send it as a surprise to my friend!

 Light on her face to be the focus, so cropped and simplified composition and moved hand a little closer.

Softened contrast from what appeared in photo, added more half-tones.

 Background darkened, and to keep focus on the face, clothing was painted loosely.

Hair and features are further refined, injecting color into the shadow areas.

Lightened the background a bit and added finishing details. 

Little Miss Sunshine - 10x8 acrylic on gessoboard.

Demo in Acrylics

Demo at Muskoka Arts & Crafts Spring Show 8 x 10 acrylic on gessoboard

This little painting is the demo I did at the 39th Annual Muskoka Arts and Crafts Spring Members' show held this past weekend. The show features hundreds of pieces of artwork and runs from Friday evening through Sunday night. It was great fun and I was thrilled when my three acrylic still life paintings received the show's penultimate award for Best Use of Media. 

I often do a demo at the show. It's very informal, and really involves painting between chats and QandA with folks who attend the show. Usually it's a three-hour session of painting/chatting, but this year  -- to my dismay -- I accidentally left home with everything EXCEPT my paints! Fortunately, I'm married to a treasure of a husband who dashed home again to retrieve my paintbox. Here are some photos, including some shots of the little painting in progress.

Daydreamer

Daydreamer 10x 8 acrylic on gessoboard

This is based on a photo of one one my favorite models, but not intended to be a likeness. It was a quiet moment when she appeared to be lost in thought. I wanted to capture that faraway look and my aim was to achieve an expressive and painterly image. Below are some progress shots.

Initial sketch on toned gessoboard

Placed Darks

Mid tones and some lights added

More midtones and finer details added

Refining and trial background

 

New background and Final Touches...Done!

Hello There

Hello There 12 x 12 acrylic on gessoboard  SOLD

How can you go wrong painting a face like this? Deer are plentiful where we live, and occasionally venture through our backyard. They aren't timid, at least at a distance. They just raise their lovely heads, as if to say hello, then carry on munching. I understand they can decimate a garden -- it's a salad bar to them. Fortunately for me and my flowers, the ones that visit us seem to prefer the wilder parts of our backyard.

Curled Up

Curled Up 8 x 10 acrylic on gessoboard  SOLD

This sweet little fawn is all curled up and tucked in for a nap. When they gather up those long legs, they're just so very small. See below for photos of the painting in progress.

"Curled Up" 8x10 acrylic in progress ...

the initial sketch in acrylic on black-toned gessoboard

beginning to define the face and some tonal masses

further refining the features and form - including the distinctive "spots"

playing with background to determine how much dark I wanted

added background color and texture as well as final touches to face and fur

Abundance

Abundance 10 x 8 acrylic on gessoboard  SOLD

I know what you're thinking... another brass bowl with grapes, Helene, really?!  Can't help it; I so enjoy painting the varied tones as light passes through grapes, and a brass bowl just adds more sparkle. Gotta lo-o-ve those textures!