Halloween weekend sketches

Line 'em up, Line 'em all up. 3 of 15 scarecrows at a farmhouse in Cape Elizabeth. Brush pen and colored pencils.

Sketching at the farmers market. Dip pen, ink and watercolor.

Sophie and I glamming it up in front of our building. One last time in my Halloween costume. An olive green "witches hat" with a black veil made out of netting with spiders worn comfortably with my jeans, black t-shirt and pearls.

Happy Halloween

Portrait class—Halloween self portrait

Self portrait

22X30 Rives print paper

Our assignment this week was to come in costume with a mirror to do a "Halloween" self portrait. I arrived in a $3 green witches hat with a black veil, green eye shadow, blackish/red lipstick and a large silver cross and pearls around my neck. Jerry asked if I walked through town that way and I said yes, but no one noticed. I blended right in...I think...

This is the process, I described a few posts back, using burnt sienna oil paint thinned with odorless turpentine for the initial drawing. Charcoal and pastels seem to grab onto the painted surface. More very thinned color can then layered to blend and create a surface to add more charcoal/pastel layers and on and on. I did this in about two hours, but I could have stayed at the studio all day. Unfortunately another class was waiting to start. It's quite messy! A far cry from ink and watercolor in a small sketchbook.

Bali art prototypes

Over the next five years we will be spending more time in Bali than here in Maine while Jerry implements his sustainable seafood project for Indonesia. I am leaving in January and won't return until July—my longest time away from home and my dog. I am starting to put together ideas for my art while in Bali.

Creating a watercolor background that resembles batik fabric.

I am trying acrylics for the first time. I am used to oils and the acrylics dry so quickly that it is taking me time to figure out how to blend and manipulate the paint before it dries. On the other hand, that quick dry time has it's merits.

Faces and masks on rocks using acrylics and varnish.

Acrylic on canvas board. Matte varnished applied after paint dried.

Acrylic and mixed media using local papers and batik fabric. Varnished when dry to seal.

Bali dogs possibly supporting the Bali Street Dog organization. Acrylic on 5"x5" stretched canvas. 1 1/2" border painted black. SOLD

Portrait class—mixed media

Mixed media exercise today—model is sketch loosely with odorlees turp and burnt sienna oil paint. This is a very light wash establishing shapes. Then charcoal and pastel are layered over the oil wash drawing. The pastel grabs onto the turp wash creating a wonderful layered effect. Then more turp to blend and more pastel and charcoal layers and on and on and on...

20 minute sketch from model(so little time)

15 minute sketch (even less time)

Pastel (without turpentine and oil paint wash)

Music at the farmers market

We have a wonderful farmer's market every Wednesday in downtown Portland, Maine. It is getting cold here at night, so these days it is mostly filled with pumpkins and squashes, but there is still the last of the summer harvest available. I stopped to sketch this sax player before heading home with some of the vegetables I bought.

Portrait Party on Flickr

I continue to take part in Julia Kay's Portrait Party on Flickr. Actually it can be somewhat addictive. I usually just post them on my Flickr site, but decided to add these two to the blog.

Ink and watercolor

Ink, watercolor and pastel

Portrait Party

Sophie and I are home alone until December so we spend a lot of time together. I did this self-portrait for Friday's homework assignment. We were suppose to use pastel with music. I had just come in from a "Sophie walk" so I kept my favorite sunglasses on, which I love because not only are they oversized, but they are readers. I decided to smile because non-smiling looks so grim, dismal and UGH—old. I sketched with a brush pen before adding pastel.

Self—brush pen and pastel.

I caught Sophie resting her muzzle on her stuffed toy—sooooooooo cute! I quickly sketched her and added watercolor.

Portrait Class

I am taking a portrait class on Friday mornings at the Maine College of Art (MECA) in Portland Maine. Using materials I have never used like pastel and charcoal powder to capture the live model. It's great fun and I am pushing myself way out of my comfort zone.

Assignment to use only three colors of pastel and paint to music.

Trying to smudge and blend the pastel.

My first time using pastel. I didn't even smudge or blend.

Homework—Each week we get a homework assignment and this was a self portrait with India Ink. Night before class—tired!

Around town

Sophie and I take quite a few walks around our little in-town neighborhood. Most of the time it is because she has to go out. Sometimes when it is a nice day, I throw my sketch book in my bag and out we go. So, while she sniffs the corners of every building, kisses anyone who shows an interest in her, growls at large dogs and barks at random cars and people, I am able to do a few quick sketches.

Monument Square—a few blocks up and over.

The corner of Fore and Exchange Streets—sitting across the street from our building.