Two Pumpkins, Three Ways

My creative friend Viv recently had a tutorial about painting pumpkins in pastel. Check out her informative blog for some fun and encouragement. I followed along and painted the pumpkins in three different mediums: watercolor, oil pastels, and soft pastels.

Pumpkins, Watercolor

Pumpkins, Oil Pastels

Pumpkins, Soft Pastels

I really like the look of soft pastels but they sure are messy to use. Because I don’t like the “dimples” that this particular paper shows, next time I will try sanded paper. The oil pastels were fun to blend, but their colors are so bold. However, this was my first attempt with oil pastels, and I need to work on color mixing with this medium. I enjoyed blending and dry brushing the texture on the watercolor pumpkins. Which do you like best?

Tomatoes and Peas, Please

This colorful painting is the third in a series, and now I’m ready to mat and frame it along with the berries and cherries paintings for the kitchen. After experimenting with mat colors this weekend, hopefully they’ll be matted and framed in the next couple of weeks.

Tomatoes and Peas, Please

This painting is based on another tutorial led by artist, Vivian Cooper. She’s a wonderful teacher and explains in detail how she evolves her paintings. She teaches newcomers as well as intermediate and advanced students, so if you’ve ever thought about trying out watercolor, you should check out her website!

Spring Is Just Around the Corner

Hi there. I’ve been away from blogging for a few months for various reasons, and I hope you have been happy and healthy. On Thanksgiving night we made an offer on a new home. The process of buying a new house, moving, and then selling our old home was much more time consuming than I remember when we moved 25 years ago, but I was much younger then. Actually, the selling of our old house was a breeze because my son and daughter-in-law, who are expecting our first grandchild, a boy, in just a few days, wanted to buy it. It’s been fun helping them get settled in their new home, and I know they will be very happy there as they start their family. We are quite eager to meet Baby Boy!

These pansies were painted following a negative watercolor tutorial taught by Viv Cooper of Art with Viv. I’ve been following her for many years on Facebook and Instagram. She is a patient, encouraging instructor and explains clearly her process, and she keeps us students laughing with her sense of humor and quick wit.

Pansies

I’m looking forward to seeing what kinds of flowers pop up as the weather warms. Currently, daffodil leaves are poking through the soil, and I’m hoping that some of the dormant bushes and trees in our new yard are flowering types. Spring holds promises of rebirth of our world and surroundings, an I’m feeling very hopeful and blessed.