The Baby Llama

Llamas are interesting animals. Native to South America, they are used as beast of burdens and for their meat. They actually can be a pet since they mostly have easygoing dispositions, but mostly they are raised for their wool which is very soft and expensive. Domesticated here, there are some llama stables right here in NH and many thruout the US. The dark value of the flower pods give good contrast to the focal point. This adorable baby llama is showing his curiosity as he looks at us from his side of the fence.
Technique tips: Using colors in background and surrounding the baby that are complementary to his body color puts him as the center of interest. Also I used odd number of flower pods on either side of him. Odd numbers always challenge the eye and mind more than the even number which can be boring and tire the mind easily.
"I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

"My Kind of Beach Day"

Isn't this the ideal beach at which to spend the afternoon? Having the water and the beach all to oneself. Or just enjoying the slight breeze sitting on a bench in the shade. A Virtual Paintout painting for the June Hawaii month. It was fun taking some virtual trips thruout the islands. Probably the only way I'll ever get to see them. Lots of water scenes and tropical foliage. I particularly liked the shape of these trees. Not sure what they are.

Technique Tip: In a scene, using a cool and a warm pigment of same hue gives good contrast and punch. In this I used WinsorNewton Blue/grn and WN Ultramarine. One cooler than the other.

"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Foxglove in the Scottish Mist"

This was a fun flower to paint. All the "bells" with all their shadings each took time to analyze, but fun to make them all look like 3-D vessels.

Technique Tip: Need to use the shading for a cone for each flower. If one is not sure how that is executed, one has to go back to basic drawing and shading techniques. Google that to get direction.
"You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind." ~Author Unknown

"Safe Haven with a View"

This little guy knew exactly where to go to people watch and be safe as well. This fancy cutout is on a balustrade of a bridge in a town in Italy.

Technique Tip: I used salt and stippling to get the texture of the cement.

"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook." ~William Jame

"Water Doodle"

The dog in the middle of this scene is our 4-year-old Golden Doodle enjoying the swampy water along with his "buddies", another Doodle and a beagle who go with him and their handler once a week, every week-rain, shine, snow-on a 5-hour off-leash w/6-7 others and run thru the woodlands, fields, orchards of Hollis, NH. Rebecca takes digital videos thruout the hours, posts them on one of the photo sites like Shutterfly, and sends the link to the dog owners each time. How cool is that!

"Do not fear- only believe. All things are possible to him that believes." ~Jesus Christ.

Tis Thanksgiving time. Most of the pumpkins in the NH area are harvested and sitting in the markets ready to be selected for the pumpkin pies, bread, etc. We have so much to be thankful for just by living in this country. Let's hope we all remain strong and keep the freedom that so many have lost their lives for defending from those who would oppress.

Remember to thank God for all as you sit around the happy and bountiful Thanksgiving table where just prior the smells of turkey and pie were tantalizing.

Technique Tip: In this painting I used complementary colors of cad scar & UB. The background being strong and dark gives the shape and form for these objects. The varying shades of CS mold the round pumpkins. Use of highlights molds as well. Using AY first as an underpainting before CS was applied, then after the CS was dry, rubbing out the highlights makes them sparkle because the yellow being a staining pigment, does not rub out.

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." ~Edwin Arlington Robinson

"Colors for the Palate" & "Ready to Eat Truffle"

When this cupcake became the latest challenge of DSFDF, http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/,%20I I decided it would be the perfect companion for the "truffle" I had rendered earlier. I think next could come a slice or slices of cherry pie, or apple, or blueberry? Wonder if this is how elementary Wayne Thiebaud started? Did you notice in the video that WT is a slender man, AND he "digests" all those desserts he creates (Obvious, not literally).

Technique Tip: To make straight lines, use a T-square (they come in all sizes-from easy to handle convenient 12" small for small drawings to gigantic 60" for carpenter & huge works of art, and so on). First, line up the edge of the watercolor paper to edge of board (I use a see-thru acrylic used in picture frames), tape into position, then all lines drawn will be square with each other and the edges of w/c. I even line up the tape so my 1/4" white edge is also even. To make straight edges, use a good masking tape along w/T-square. I use "DUCK" red-see inside the roll. (Best there is-holds tight-easy removal w/o tearing if you pull the tape away from painting. Actually, I use this tape for taping w/c paper down, too.) Each of the squares taped on all 4 sides was done separately AND, not near adjacent still-damp ones.

♥ "There are three stages in the work of God: impossible, difficult, done." ~James Hudson Taylor

 (CforP: 10 3/4 x 7 3/8"; TtoET: 11 x 7 1/4")

"The Striped Hat"

This could be any little girl with a brilliantly-colored hat, red hair & pouty lips, being a stand-out on the beach. Bet she lives up to her name and red hair. Feisty, but oh so cute. .
Technique Tips: Using the same color blue wisely thruout gives continuity to the scene. Also making one color cover majority of area of painting is another wise technique
♥ "God is the perfect poet." ~Robert Browning
(16 1/4 x 13 3/4")

"The Yellow Tulips"

These yellow tulips look so good against their complement. One of my favorite windowed renderings. This was on display at SNHMedical Center Cafe and I'm so happy that it found its home with Mary Ann Bettilyon from Hollis, NH.
Technique Tips: First of all one should have a definite light source. This one coming from top, right. Resulting highlights and opposing shadows give the bulbous form to each flower. Notice that the flower cups overlap, but not in a regular fashion. This keeps the connection between them & interesting positions. The poured background is fun to manipulate and direct. Makes the artist feel like a director of a magnificent orchestra. In this one I purposely created and then used the dreaded watercolor "blooms" to give special texture. R...
♥ "God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame." ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning (19 1/8 x 16")

"Heber Valley, UT from RR" & "The Old Barn, Heber Valley, Utah"

Interesting to compare these two paintings of the same subject by the same artist in the same medium. Both were painted using the original photo for reference. The only thing not the same is the time in which they were painted and the pigments used in each. Wonder if it's possible to paint the same scene exactly the second time?

Tecnique Tip: The center of interest & focus in each is of course the barn. It is in the lower left quadrant, not in middle either vertically or horizontally.

♥ "No one or thing ever stood out for being the same."Top(10 3/4 x 7 1/2"); -Bottom(14 1/2 x 10 1/2")