Shells Art Blog

Latest Oil Painting

2011-03-13T09:07:00.003+11:00

I created this painting for a commision.
It was originally "A frog" and then was changed to "can you do a train and a frog in the same painting?"
So this is what I came up with.
I hope they liked it. I think it was a success.
Its Oil on Canvas 16in x 20in.

WDE - Watercolour efforts from the last month.

2011-01-30T17:07:00.000+11:00

These are my efforts for a couple of the WDEs from the last month.
I have not been doing a great deal creatively.
I am working on an Oil Commission that is taking up my creative time but when it is done I will be able to get back to painting and drawing regularly, and participating in the WDE, which I love to do.

Tiger Finished.

2010-07-08T22:11:00.005+10:00

I have been working on this one for a long time now.
It is 1M x 50cm, Oil on board.
I am extremely pleased with the result.

WDE-Acrylic Pears

2010-07-08T22:07:00.003+10:00

Finally got a chance to get back into doing the Weekend Drawing Event at WetCanvas.
I thought I'd give my acrylics a bit of a go.
This is a 12" x 12" acrylic on canvas.
So much FUN! I really enjoyed this one!

Life Drawing.

2010-04-17T18:33:00.019+10:00

Now for something a little different.
I went to a to a life drawing class held at The Junction Hotel in Newport, hosted by "ink and lead". See more here: inkandlead
A really enjoyable event with some interesting results.
I'm keen to try drawing again at the next event.
With 4 x 5 minute poses, 2 x 10 minute poses and 2 x 15 minute poses, this is what I came up with.

Oil Painting.

2010-03-14T08:15:00.002+11:00

Finished this one a few weeks ago.
It's Oil on board and quite big at 1M high.

WDE Portrait.

2009-12-18T20:49:00.002+11:00

I thought I would have another play with Artrage 3.
This is from a reference provided by in the last WDE.

WDE - Orchids

2009-12-16T20:12:00.003+11:00

Just got the new Artrage and love the new watercolour feature.
Here is a painting I created using a reference from the WDE at WetCancas this week.
I like how it works!

WDE - Christmas drawing.

2009-12-11T13:34:00.003+11:00

This is from last weeks WDE.
It is drawn with back pen and colour pencil.
Best wishes eveyone for Christmas!

WDE Digital painting.

2009-11-29T20:54:00.002+11:00

For this weeks WDE at WetCanvas, I had a try at doing a portrait.
I'm not too good at portraits but I guess if I keep practicing, I might improve.
This is a digital painting created with ArtRage.

WDE Dolls.

2009-11-14T21:21:00.003+11:00

WDE at WetCanvas this week gave me the opportunity to have a go at drawing some colourful soft toys.
ArtRage Digital Painting.

More Cards for the Dog Series.

2009-10-25T10:19:00.010+11:00

Its taking me a long time to complete these but I am slowly getting there.
Here are a few more I finished in the last couple of weeks.
These are all Acrylic on Watercolour card. 2 1/2 inch x 3 1/2 inch.

"M is for Maltese Terrier.""Q is for Foxhound." (Couldn't find a dog starting with Q.)"U is for Harrier Beagle."(Couldn't find a dog starting with U.)"R is for Rottweiler.""P is for Pumi."

More Dog cards for the 25? Exchange.

2009-06-02T11:11:00.010+10:00

Slowly making my way to the finished line!
Here are some more cards I have painted for the 25? Exchange at WetCanvas.

1: "H is for Havanese."
2: "I is for Italian Cane Corso."
3: "J is for Jack Russell."4: "K is for Kelpie.5: "L is for Lowchen."
6: "N is for Newfoundland."
7: "O is for Old English Sheepdog."

WDEs from the last few weeks.

2009-05-29T19:47:00.010+10:00

1: Pumpkin - This was created using Artrage Digital oil paint. The colour isn't as vibrant as I would have liked but I don't mind this one.
2: Guitarist - I chose this because you cant see the boys eyes so, no eyes to do, not so intimidating to try. I enjoyed the process. It seems a little unfinished but I like the overall effort.
Artrage, Digital chalk.
3: "Polish" - This is another Artrage digital. I used the oil paint to create an Abstract, inspired by one of the WDE images. I had alot of fun with this one and really like the result.

Easter WDE - Digital Art.

2009-04-13T20:37:00.007+10:00

Happy Easter!
These eggs were created using an image from this weeks WDE and Artrage. I used the metallics and stencils in Artrage and tried to bend the images around the eggs using Photoshop.This Magnolia is from another Image from this weeks WDE and I have used Artrage to sketch freehand and Artrage oil paints to paint.

Digital Rainy Day.

2009-04-05T18:06:00.003+10:00

This weeks WDE at WetCanvas gave me the opportunity to try this rainy day image using Artrage. Quite like how it turned out.

New cards for 25? Trade at WetCanvas.

2009-03-03T21:58:00.007+11:00

I decided on a theme for this trade.I am painting 25 dog breeds for each letter of the alphabet.
Trying out a different support for the acrylics, 300gsm watercolour card.
Here are the first few:
A is for Airedale -B is for Border Collie -C is for Chauaua -
D is for Daschund -

G is for German Shepherd -

ATC for the Africa Exchange.

2009-02-22T17:12:00.012+11:00

Here are some more ATCs I've painted forthe Africa trade at WetCanvas.
All acrylic 2.5 x 3.5 inch in size.
Quite like doing these little paintings.

1. Sleeping Hippo.2. Penguins.
3. Lioness.
4. Hippo.
5. Elephant 3.
6. Elephant 2.
7. Altelope.
8. Buffalo.
9. African bird.

WDE Oil Painting - Cherries

2009-02-07T21:38:00.004+11:00

This is another try at painting and completeing an oil painting in one sitting. This was 2 sittings, before and after lunch!
It took ages, 6hrs and 45 minutes.
Its 16 x 20 inch gessoed board and I am used to painting ATC size!
I enjoyed the challenge of painting it.

WDE Oil Painting - Amber.

2009-02-01T15:51:00.003+11:00

Unusual for me to paint an oil painting in one sitting.
I was inspired by the Oil painters on WDE that finish thier paintings in the one sitting and thought I would try.
Although not a bad effort, no where near the standard set by the other members.
This is 6 x 9 on Oil painting paper. Took about 1hr 45mins.

Recent WDEs.

2009-01-24T17:48:00.004+11:00

Here are a couple of pieces done for recent Weekend Drawing Events at WetCanvas.
Both drawn freehand and finished within the 2 hour limit.

170109 - Shark: Colour pencil in my 5 x 7 sketchbook.240109 - Winston: Acrylic on watercolour card 5 x 7.

Out of Africa trade at WetCanvas Cards.

2009-01-24T17:27:00.014+11:00

I joined another trade at WetCanvas.
These trades are becoming addictive!
This one has an Africa theme.
I am doing animals because I love to paint animals.
Here are the first lot of cards I have painted.

1: Pangolin - I thought I would try something a bit different by using watercolour and markers on watercolour card.
While the card is ok, I was not satisfied with this as a medium.2: Flying Sugar Glider - Another watercolur and marker on watercolour card effort.
3: Pygmy kingfisher - Acrylic on Matt board.
4: Meerkat - Acrylic on Matt board.5: Hippo - Acrylic on Matt board.
6: Hornbill - Acrylic on Matt board.7: Crane - Acrylic on Matt board.
8: Buffalo - Acrylic on Matt board.
9: Baby elephant - Acrylic on Matt board.
10: Antelope - Acrylic on Matt board
11: African bird - Acrylic on Matt board.

WetCanvas ATC Exchange cards

2009-01-24T17:11:00.008+11:00

Here are some more cards from the Wetcanvas ATC exchange.
These are the last from this trade.

1: Turtle - Acrylic on matt board.
2: Sarah the dog - Watercolour on watercolour card from a recent WDE at WetCanvas.
3: Christmas Ornaments - Watercolour on watercolour card - another from a recent WDE over christmas.
4: Cows - Acrylic on matt board.
5: Budgie - Acrylic on matt board.
6: Chocolate - Acrylic on matt board.

WDE with Artrage.

2008-11-10T20:40:00.004+11:00

Here is my effort for this weeks WetCanvas Drawing Event.

I painted this with Artrage.

Digital chalk and palette knife.

2008-10-30T06:32:00.005+11:00

These are the latest efforts for the ATC Exchange at WetCanvas.
All Acrylic ATC size 2.5" x 3.5".

More Acrylic ATCs.

2008-10-13T20:53:00.008+11:00

Here are some more acrylic ATCs I painted over the weekend for the exchange at WetCanvas.

I am enjoying this new exchange in tat it is getting me out of my ATC slump.

ATC ROSELLA.

2008-10-06T06:24:00.002+11:00

Last one for this weekend. This is another acrylic rosella. Done in ATC size on matt board.

WDE ATC.

2008-10-05T19:44:00.003+11:00

This week I decided to have a go at painting this cheeky little chimp.
It's an ATC size that I will be sending out to someone in the WDE exchange I'm doing.
I like the way it came out and I enjoyed doing it, I'm having some fun with the acrylics lately!.

More Acrylic ATCs.

2008-09-24T23:40:00.006+10:00

These are both acrylic on matt board.

Rosellas from down the street from me.

Acrylic ATCs.

2008-09-22T18:27:00.006+10:00

Here are some more ATCs I have painted in acrylic for the Exchange at WetCanvas.

1: Dove. 2: Giraffe.

3: Gorilla.

WDE ATCs.

2008-09-20T20:16:00.003+10:00

I have used this weeks WDE images to paint ATCs for the ATC exchange I am in at WetCanvas.
These are both painted using acrylic paints on board.
The rose was very difficult, I had trouble with the background.
The alpacca was a bit easier 'cause he's so cute!!

WDE - Flower Vendor.

2008-09-14T17:53:00.007+10:00

I decided to have a go at drawing this flower vendor image from this weeks WDE. First I drew him in black pen and used coloured pencil and second I painted him in acrylics. Both of these are ATCsize. THe second one is closer to the mark though.

WDE - Seaweed.

2008-09-01T20:53:00.004+10:00

This was created using Painter essentials, digital watercolour.
An abstracty painting loosely based on a photo of some seaweed.
I enjoyed the chance to play around with colour and I like the way this turned out.

WDE - Gorilla.

2008-09-01T20:50:00.003+10:00

Another Artrage painting.

Freehand sketch with digital chalk. Stencil for the leaves.

WDE - Panda.

2008-08-22T22:40:00.004+10:00

This weeks WDE held some great images.

I decided to do this panda.

I painted it using Artrage and my tablet on a grey background with digital chalks.After adding burlap texture in photoshop.

WDE ATC.

2008-08-17T22:18:00.002+10:00

This is from last weeks WetCanvas Drawing Event. I decided to do an ATC of these cute little dogs.

Prismacolor pencils on matt board.

Digital Art Cards.

2008-08-17T15:35:00.003+10:00

I've been doing a little playing around with photoshop and creating some digital ATCs.

Here are three that I have created.

New Oil Paintings.

2008-08-01T18:00:00.012+10:00

I have finished some new paintings.
First is from a picture taken on the Great Ocean Road.
Not taken by me but a close friend.
It is painted in Oil on board and is 26" x 20"

"The Cliffs."

Second is just a tree!
I think it is a ghost gum and was painted using another photo taken by the same friend.
I'm not sure it's entirely completed yet. I may return to it.
It's Oil on board and is 24" x 17".

"The Tree"

An Award.......for me?

2008-08-01T17:03:00.008+10:00

I've been offline for a little while and when I finally get back on, I find Vidhya has awarded my blog with the Brillante Weblog award !!

Thank you Vidhya!

And now, it’s my turn to award some of the blogs that I love. And the awards go to…

Congratulations, everybody! Here are the rules.
Put the logo on your blog. There’s one logo on the right and one on this post.Add a link to the person who awarded you.Nominate at least 7 other blogs.Add links to those blogs on yours.Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.
Participation is entirely voluntary (of course!). Happy Awarding!

Digital Portrait.

2008-06-07T13:06:00.003+10:00

This was painted for this weeks WDE.

I don't normally do portraits (obviously) but I decided to try my hand this week.

I used ArtRage again this week - ArtRage and a tablet.

This took about 4 hrs, mostly on the face and hat!

Skin tones are hard!

I'm quite happy with howthis one turned out considering how I usually avoid portraits.

Everybody loves a hug!

2008-06-04T18:12:00.002+10:00

This was drawn for the WDE this week from a photo of two cats having a big cat cuddle!

Drawn using ArtRage.

Freehand sketch and freehand colour.

Another WDE Drawing.

2008-05-28T06:41:00.002+10:00

This was drawn using Neocolor watersoluble crayons and burnished colour pencil.
It took about two minutes to sketch the drawing and the abour 3 hours to lay the colour.
Love how it came out, except for the face being a little cartony.

WDE - Frogs and a Yellow Flower.

2008-05-25T21:05:00.005+10:00

This weeks WDE was my turn to host.
I drew these frogs from a photo taken at Sydney Wildlife world

and the flower was drawn from a photo taken at Sydney Japanese Gardens.
These were alot of fun to do, they were done using water soluble crayons and colour pencils in my 6 x 8 sketch book.

WDE - Still life.

2008-05-18T11:26:00.003+10:00

This was drawn for the WetCanvas Drawing Event.
I draw this using prismacolor pencils in my 6 x 8 inch, Sketchbook.
For some reason I just cannot draw with prismacolours with out burnishing.
I just don'i want to see the papper underneath.
I really like the result though.
I enjoyed mixing up the greens in this one!

Lucky and the Alpacca.

2008-05-04T18:56:00.005+10:00

This week for the WDE at the WetCanvas "weekend drawing event". I chose to draw This military parrot named Lucky and this cute Alpacca.

Done with NeoColor, watercolour crayons amd waterproof markers.

I enjoy using the Neocolor crayons because the colours are beautifully vivid, they blend well and cover areas quickly.

WDE Tigers.

2008-04-23T10:59:00.003+10:00

This weeks Weekend Drawing Event at WetCanvas held some wonderful images.

I chose the tigers to do. I did them in colour pencil in my cream paper sketchbook.

After a long break from drawing, it was nice to get some drawing time.

A treefrog in digital chalk.

2008-04-02T17:55:00.005+11:00

I had some time spare last night so I spent it drawing this frog using Artrage.
I used the digital chalk and digital spraypaint for the background.
Love the way this came out.
The background was done using spraypaint and the blender.

WDE -Colour Pencil Drawings.

2008-03-30T10:05:00.005+11:00

This week I decided to get my colour pencils (prismacolors) out and give them a go.
I can use them in the lounge where the light is dim and I cant see the colours correctly and it doesn't seem to make alot of difference.
If the colours aren't correct its no big deal as its not usually out by much.
For some reason I can not use coloured pencil lightly. I have to cover the paper completely but, I do love the way the colours blend when I burnish. ( press hard and go over another colour. )

The First one is a meadowlark on a fence stump. Second I have a horse with its eye slightly out of place but I like the colours..

Lastly, This kelpie pup had to get a guernsey as I love kelpies and this one looks just like my Molly when she was a pup!! Shame I drew the head a little long and skinny!!

WDE - Puppy.

2008-03-22T18:59:00.003+11:00

We almost missed out on a WDE this weekend with the Wetcanvas site being offline.

When finally our host was able to post his images, I had a go at drawing his gorgeous little puppy.

Its done in black pen and the Neocolor watersoluable crayons in my cream coloured sketchbook.

Non-Dom Hand WDE!

2008-03-10T11:28:00.008+11:00

This week I attempted the challenge posed at the WetCanvas WDE, to try doing one of the images in your non dominant hand.

I am left handed so I tried drawing with my right.

Here is the result:

I used NeoColor watersoluble crayons and black pen in my sketchbook.

I think it's alot like what I would normally do!

Later I Painted the same image digitally using Artrage, a tablet and my correct hand.

WDE - "Figs"

2008-03-03T20:53:00.004+11:00

This was drawn for this weeks WDE.

Drawn with Prismacolor pencil.

New ATCs.

2008-02-25T06:26:00.012+11:00

I have been creating a few ATCs over the past few weeks.
Some Acrylic and some collage.
1: "Orca" - This is an Oil painted ATC.
2: "Dolphin" - This one is acrylic. I like that it is a monochrome. I have painted this before in digital. Its one of my favourite images.

3: "Fur Seal Cub" - This is another acrylic painting. ATC size.

4: "Bird on a wire" - Yet another acrylic ATC.

5: "Time to take off" - This is a collage card.

I am having trouble sourcing my usual glaze and was trying a different brand, unfortunately it leeches the colour out of the printed images.

Came out ok anyway, just a bit blurry.

6: "Secrets" is another collage that I created as an experiment just using scraps I had on hand.

I actually created this one late last year.

I like the way it came out.

7: "Big Cat" is another acrylic painting. ATC size.

8: "Peace" - This collages card was created last minute as an entry for a challenge on a yahoo site. I was impressed with what I came up with so quickly!

Neocolor Watersoluble Crayons.

2008-02-14T06:54:00.005+11:00

I bought myself some Neocolor watersoluble crayons.
I've heard great things about them and work that I have seen done with them seemed to have great colour so I thought I would give them a try.

Here is my result.
They are lovely to use, great spread, great colour and creamy texture.
I loved using them and am tempted to rush out and get the full colour range!

This is a quick black pen sketch in a cream sketchbook with Neocolor Watersoluble Crayon colour.

Digital Dog!

2008-01-28T18:04:00.001+11:00

"Buster" -This was painted using ArtRage. I painted it to make an ATC for a Swap at WetCanvas.

WDE Jan 19 - Artrage and colour pencils.

2008-01-21T21:05:00.000+11:00

I decided to use ArtRage again after quite some time.

After a blogging incident back in August, I was turned off doing good digital art for a long time.

I am just starting to get my hand back in.

These are from the WetCanvas Drawing Event this week. (for those who are wondering, check out wetcanvas here: http://www.wetcanvas.com/ )

The first was created using ArtRage.

The second one of the ship is black pen and coloured pencil in my 5x7 sketchbook.

First WDE 2008!

2008-01-16T19:57:00.001+11:00

I can't believe it took me 14 days to get a chance to participate at WetCanvas.

I hope I get more time to do art as the year goes on!

This little cardinal is a black pen and colour pencil drawing I did for this weeks WDE.

Hes a little well fed, but cute and happy!

I enjoy using the black pen to draw, it is a real challenge to get the line right (or close to right) the first time. Once its committed to the page theres not turning back!

Can have you scratching around to try and save a drawing!

Also gets you to think about the drawing a little before drawing it.

Last WDE for 2007 - Peaches.

2008-01-02T21:06:00.000+11:00

This is drawn in black pen and coloured with coloured pencil. Its a little wonky but on the whole ok. I drew it with my sketchbook sitting on the keyboard of the laptop, sketching from the screen. It took about an hour and a half.

Pigeon Surprise!

2008-01-01T11:40:00.001+11:00

I have been working on this painting in secret for the past year, to give to DH as a Christmas present (or birthday '08 if I didn't finish it in time for Christmas!).
I finished it in time for christmas so I can post it now!
It has been very difficult at times because he was under the impression that I was painting a tree (that I did start, and will now finish!) and this tree was taking an awful long time to finish!!
Most difficult was the organisation required to get it framed!
Pigeon breeding and racing is his hobby.
He was very surprised and I think he liked it because he asked me to do one for his brother, who races pigeons too!!
I used 3 different photos I took of the pigeons, one for the group, one for the mob flying past and a couple of the white bird (called a "Grizzle") in the middle as this is his favourite bird.
Painted in oil Paint it is approx. 24" x 30".

WDE Drawings

2007-12-31T16:25:00.000+11:00

Here are some Drawings from October and November WDEs that I didn't post.

These are all from my sketchbook that has soft cream coloured pages that dont take very well to having water splashed on them and the pages I have used are all crinkled up.

I don't mind. It makes it easy to find my place!

From October 20th
1. This Cat is drawn with black ink pen and coloured with some water colour pencil.

2: ....and the cow, with the luscious lips, was drawn using the same pen but coloured with pencils.

This little girl is from the 28th October. I drew this one with graphite and a little colour pencil. I need to practice my portraiture.

From WDE - 4th November.

1. The Seagull. I painted this by using a simple, very light, pencil sketch and watercolour. I erased what pencil I could afterwards. I love the result. One of my recent favourites!

2. The Crows. This one was drawn using a black ink pen and coloured with watercolour.

From November 16th WDE:

This Dragon Fruit is drawn using the black pen again and watercolour.

SunSet - WDE

2007-12-18T20:16:00.000+11:00

This was painted using ArtRage. I like the way this one turned out. It was created for this weeks WDE at WetCanvas.

A beautiful painting created from a gorgeous photo!

Still Life Tomatoes - WDE

2007-12-18T20:11:00.000+11:00

This painting was created using Painter Essentials.
I painted it for a recent WDE at WetCanvas.

Maccaw.

2007-11-09T09:33:00.000+11:00

This painting was created using Painter for the bird and ArtRage for the background.

Thought I would give painter another try.

Still not very impressed with it but with some more practice I could get used to it.

This is a fun image to paint, I think i will do it again sometime!

WDE - Apples in ArtRage

2007-10-15T15:04:00.000+10:00

This was painted in response to this Oct 13 WDE at Wetcanvas.

I didn't really do the great photo provided much justice but its not too bad.

This is painted using ArtRage, a digital painting program.

WDE Poppies.

2007-09-09T14:16:00.000+10:00

This painting was created using a reference from a WDE a few months ago. I never finished it on the day and just now finished the painting. Painted using ArtRage.

WDE Magpie.

2007-09-09T11:40:00.000+10:00

I have never seen a Magpie as beautiful as this one. The host of the weekly drawing event posted the photo as a green magpie but here in Australia, a magpie is a black and white bird, not this gorgeous blue.

Here is a picture of the Australian Magpie.

I would love to know more about this green magpie as it is a gorgeous bird.

Recent WDEs.

2007-09-04T20:59:00.000+10:00

These paintings are from the last few Weekend Drawing Events at WetCanvas.
1. "Charlie the cat" and "the carousel horse"
Two ATCs done in acrylic on watercolour card.

2. "Pomegranite" This is a digital painting done using ArtRage.
3. This painting, the original refernce was pink and the challenge was to paint it a different colour.

I decided to go with yellow. I found it very difficult to drag the correct colours out of my imagination.

It was only later that I remebered I have numerous photos of yellow roses from my mothers garden and I could have used them to get the right tones!!

It was good for the excercise anyway.

Acrylic Pet ATCs.

2007-08-26T12:30:00.000+10:00

I joined an ATC trade at WetCanvas of painted pets. This is what I have done so far.
I am enjoying painting these.

"Barbara" - Digital painting painted in ArtRage. "Kayser and Chelsea" - Digital painting painted in Artrage.

"Harriet" - Acrylic painting.

"Baron" - Acrylic Painting.

"Alex" - Acrylic Painting.

"Sammy Joe" - Acrylic Painting.

Digital Still life.

2007-08-06T20:34:00.000+10:00

This one is in response to a challenge on "the digital art board" at msn.
I have used artrage to paint this image.

WDE - Lab.

2007-08-04T17:31:00.000+10:00

This gorgeous lab was painted for this weeks WDE at WetCanvas.

Alpaccas in Artrage.

2007-08-04T17:27:00.000+10:00

These are 2 Alpaccas that belong to a work friend.

I was given a photo of them to work from.

These are so cute!!

WDE Digital Iris.

2007-07-28T15:46:00.000+10:00

This is a digital painting created in ArtRage.

I love the colours in this.

I painted it for the WetCanvas Drawing Event this weekend.

Penguin painting.

2007-07-15T20:03:00.000+10:00

This one was painted in "Painter".

It's the first painting I've created in Painter and I think with practice I might be able to doing something worthy!

Digital Portrait practice - Jessica.

2007-07-10T21:38:00.000+10:00

This is my second portrait so far in the digital medium.

Again I have used ArtRage for this.

I quite like how it came out.

Still need lots of practice on skin tone and hair.

Digital Cheetah.

2007-07-10T17:04:00.000+10:00

This Cheetah ws from this weekend WDE as well.
Another ArtRage painting.

WDE Digital Painting.

2007-07-07T09:45:00.001+10:00

Another painting done in ArtRage. This one was from the Weekly Drawing Event At WetCanvas this july 4th weekend.

Digital Paintings.

2007-07-02T17:25:00.000+10:00

These paintings are painted usingreference images given to me by friends. I have painted both in ArtRage.

1: For this fish I used a reference image taken by Ssu Yuan while she was diving in Cairns.

2: This painting is done from a reference image photo taken by jack at the Buddah birthday celebrations at Federation Square recently. I can see I need alot of practice doing hair and skin tones.

Digital Heron.

2007-07-01T11:43:00.000+10:00

I painted this Heron for the Wetcanvas Weekly Drawing Event this week and I see it fits the EDM Challenge #125- Draw a bird as well.

I have used Artrage to paint this one.

Digital painting With Wetcanvas References.

2007-06-30T11:08:00.000+10:00

I have been doing a fair bit of ArtRage Art lately. Its been a little while since I have udated this blog but here i am!

These are all painted using ArtRage.

1. Dolphin: This one is from a photo I found online. I loved the way that its has only blues in it and had to try painting it. 2. Impala: This one is from a recent Weekend Drawing Event at WetCanvas.3. Lily: Another image from a recent Weekend Drawing Event at WetCanvas.4. Canteberry Bells: This image is from a WDE a while ago. I painted it for the White Flower Project I am participating in at WetCanvas.5. Conch Shell: This Shell is from The WetCanvas Image Library. It is a gorgeous image and I had to have a go at painting it.6. Fish: This is another image from a recent WetCanvas Drawing Event. 7. Father and Son: Another WDE Image. I have been doing quite a few of these in the past few weeks.8. Still Life: Yet anther WDE Image.

Dolphin and daisies - ATC Art.

2007-04-15T17:38:00.000+10:00

This painting is a little watercolour pencil piece I painted in response to the Wet Canvas WDE this week. It didn't scan very well but it does show how much i am struggling with the watercolours. I think I prefer Acrylic and Digital!
This is a pair of "black eyed Susan's", I wonder if they are called the same thing in Australia. Our hostess this week is an American so it might be the American name? Well I've never heard of them, they look like daisies to me so that's what they are!
This is a digital painting using ArtRage. It came out alot better than I would have expected but It took twice as long as an Acrylic might have. I will have to see how it prints out. I think it will be a great Digital ATC

Experimenting with watercolour.

2007-04-14T17:40:00.000+10:00

More ATCs for the WetCanvas Exchange but these are a little different.
1. Cardinal - I used watercolour pencils for the cardinal and black ink for his eyes. 2. Blue frog - watercolour pencil for the main part but acrylic for the eyes and white highlights.

3: Ostrich - In this one I have used watercolour pencils to add colour to the background and painted the focal point in acrylic. I like the way this one came out! It scanned a bit darker though.

Even More ATCs.

2007-04-14T16:40:00.000+10:00

These are acrylic ATCs for the Exchange at WetCanvas. They seem to be the only thing I'm painting at the moment.

Even though I enjoy painting them, perhaps I have over commited myself a little!

1. Rose.

This one has lost a bit of colour in scanning. There are more lights in the actual bud that haven't shown up. 2. Strawberries.

Same thing happened to this one in scanning where it lost alot of the highlights. In fact, they have all lost a little or changed colour during scanning! Perhaps I need a new scanner? 3. Lily.4. Kangaroo.5.Dolphin.6. Cheetah.

More ATCs.

2007-03-13T16:36:00.000+11:00

1. This is an acrylic painting of a treefrog sitting on a leaf.

2. This is an oil painting of a pelican standing up on the mooring post at the caravan park we stay at in Mallacoota. The park is right by the lake and the campers can moor thier boats right out front of thier Caravans.

3: This is a digital painting created using both Artrage and Photoshop. I found the image in the WetCanvas Image Library and thought it would be fun to try and recreate using many layers, it was definitely a challenge for both me and my computer!

Fruity ATCs in Oil.

2007-03-13T16:31:00.000+11:00

Here are some ATCs for the WetCanvas Exchange I've painted using Oils. These have a very luxurious feel about them.

1. Kiwi Fruit:

2. Cherries:3: Passionfruit:

WetCanvas ATCs and WDEs! A world of art!

2007-02-18T15:43:00.001+11:00

Here are some more ATCs for the Exchange at Wetcanvas.

This one is a digital painting done using Artrage.This one is an oil painting on canvas type paper.This one was drawn in response to one of the daily drawing prompts, using Artrage.
I like it alot so I decided to use it for one of these cards.

Another oil painting on canvas paper, I played around with this image for weeks and I am still not happy with it. It is Lara Croft, the Tomb Raider!
One of my all time favourite characters in game or movie form!This is another digital painting done in Artrage.
I love using this program as it is very close to painting with any other medium.
I use a stylus and tablet so its like using a brush or pen. WDEs.

This is from this weeks WetCanvas Weekend Drawing Event (WDE) I chose this image because I love the colour of the paint on her face and thought it might be cool to try to recreate that colour!I made the little girl in the image look a little older than she is is the reference.

This is a digital painting too, again done using the Artrage program.

If you've never used it, you can download a free trial version. It is really great!

This adorable image is from last weeks WDE.
I painted this one using acrylics on water colour paper. All of these are ATCs for the Wetcanvs ATC Exchange happening at the moment.

Pelicans Finished.

2007-02-13T19:23:00.000+11:00

Finally I have finished this painting.
I'm happy with the way it came out.
Ths is Oil on board, 26" X 19".

Miniature Oil Paintings.

2007-02-09T18:17:00.000+11:00

These are some Oil painted ATCs I created.

I love working in this medium, Its so luxurious!

The first two were painted using reference images from the WetCanvas Image Reference Library

and the Whale painting was created using a reference image I found online.

Alpaca ATC

2007-02-06T06:37:00.000+11:00

Inspired by an image of Maree's Alpaca that she gave me yesterday to use, I couldn't help but paint the big hairy cutie straight away! This is an acrylic ATC. I am really getting into the Acrylics.

Digital Drawing for fun.

2007-02-04T15:16:00.000+11:00

This baby Alpaca was painted using ArtRage.
I used a reference from WetCanvas Image Reference Library.
Great place to find images to use for painting!

Acrylic Rosella ATC.

2007-02-03T12:33:00.000+11:00

Another ATC for the Exchange.

This one was painted using an reference image from the Wetcanvas Image Reference Library.

"Lookin' at you"

More Cards for the WetCanvas ATC Exchange.

2007-01-29T21:42:00.000+11:00

I spent the long weekend playing around with acrylics.

I bought some drying retarder and I am in love!! The blendability of oils with the quick drying properties of the acrylics...so cool!

Here are some cards I created.

I had a pretty productive weekend. I also made a few Oil ATCs too and will post them when they are dry.

Elijah: Colour pencil on canvas paper.

Tropical Paradise: Acrylic on Gessoed card. Freedom: Acrylic on canvas paper.Nostalgia: Colour Pencil on card.Magnolias: Digital.Einie the Macaw: Acrylic on canvas paper.Green Rose: Acrylic on canvas paper. Self Portrait: Acrylic on Gessoed Card.

WetCanvas - ATC Project 2007.

2007-01-18T22:15:00.000+11:00

I joined a project happening at WetCanvas in which each player has to create an ATC for each of the other 25 players. There is a 6 month time frame but here are my first five cards. I think this is going to be quite a bit of fun and gives me the opportunity to experiment with lots of different mediums and subjects!

1: "Jaffa" - Colour Pencil on Water colour paper.
" Cute Puppy" - Digital painting.

"Still life 1" - Acrylic painting on gessoed card..

"Sedona" - Coloured pencil on gessoed card.

"Buffy" - Acrylic on gessoed card.

WDE - Last one for 2006

2006-12-31T10:01:00.000+11:00

This was drawn from one of the gorgeous photos supplied by Janet at WetCanvas. I couldn't resist this one. Its black pen and watercolour in my sketchbook. I have had a bit of an inspiration problem of late and it was just brilliant to be drawing again! Of course its a bit of an easy subject for a frog lover like me!!

Pelicans - WIP.

2006-12-21T23:23:00.000+11:00

This is a work in progress (WIP). It is an oil painting on board, 18 x 25 inches. I used photo I took on holidays in Mallacoota where there are always plenty of pelicans to photograph. It has taken a long time to get this far as I only work on it for around 2 hrs a week. I forgot to remove the stick at the bottom before taking the picture. This is used to rest your hand on as you are painting so you don't rest your hand on where you have just painted (I must learn to use that!) Seeing the painting up here helps me to find bits and pieces that need work!!

Digital Painting - WDEs December.

2006-12-17T18:04:00.000+11:00

"Green Tomatoes"
"Mango the mascot"
"Kennedy the cowgirl"

My workshop is such a mess that I have been avoiding getting out my painting and drawing gear. Instead I have been playing around a bit more with digital painting. These are from a few different WDEs over the past month or so.

WetCanvas WDE - 15

2006-10-22T08:31:00.000+10:00

The images at the WetCanvas WDE this week were almost irresistible. I have been wanting to do a portrait with my prismacolors on black paper for so long and this image was perfect. It is A4 (21x29cm) size and took about 3.5 hours to complete. I didn't capture the likeness very well but for a first portrait on black I am pleased with the result.

WetCanvas WDE.

2006-10-15T17:42:00.000+10:00

For this weeks WDE, I decided I would do some quick pen sketches and colour them with watercolours. This is what I came up with!

Altered books.

2006-10-15T09:11:00.000+10:00

I have been spending alot of time these last few weeks doing Altered book work. Trying new techniques and ideas and having alot of fun.
Here are a few of my recent pages.

Flying Frogs.
This one is for a Round Robin I am in, the theme is "Strange things with wings". I used crackle medium in the background but I think I didn't wait long enough for it to dry. Luckily because I love the effect I got with it! Looks like a waterfall.

F=Future. This one is in a mini Altered book. It is only the size of an ATC and it is very cute! I used Gel medium transfers and rubber stamping on this one.

Alter A Book. This page is in a book I have at home I am doing for my self. It is a great place to try different ideas and techniques before I use them in other books. This is the title page and I have used more Gel medium transfers and some Gesso layed on thick to add dimention then rubbed gold over it.

Think Pink. This page is also done in my own book. I used this page as a test for gel medium transfers. Although the transfers didn't come out fantastically. They are very effective on this page I think. They are the title, the butterflies and the script writing.

Another WDE at WetCanvas.

2006-09-13T14:05:00.000+10:00

This week I decided to have a play with my colour pencils. This is drawn on A4 (21 x 29 cm) but looking back, next time I will do an A3 (29 x 42cm). Its drawn with the derwent studios as well as the prismacolor black, white, crimson, one of the greys and the colourless blender. I have used the burnishing technique for the whole drawing.

WDE September 1st.

2006-09-03T17:22:00.000+10:00

After looking at all the wonderful work being done over at WetCanvas this weekend, I was inspired to get out my graphite drawing pencils and experiment. I made one of the images black and white, adjusted the lighting and contrast a bit and printed it out to use as my reference. Then I used a light box to get an outline and just filled in the tones with graphite. I was pretty pleased with the outcome and will try this again sometime on something else.

Another WDE at WetCanvas.

2006-08-13T12:26:00.000+10:00

I love having a go at the Weekly Drawing Event at wetcanvas. Here is my effort for this week. I was feeling little lazy and couldn't be bothered making a huge mess, searching for stuff, cleaning up, even getting out of my chair was asking a bit much so I used Artrage to paint this one digitally. I am just new to this medium but am loving it so far!