Art journey update

I almost forgot...I bought 3 painting guide books last weekend. One on watercolor, one on oil and one on drawing and sketching. Couldn't find one on acrylic, but I think these books will be a great help to me. I am eager to learn some techniques and really try hard to teach myself to become a good artist. This experience has been great so far. It has opened my eyes to see everything with a keener interest and with purposeful examination. I feel my eyes opening to everything. Somewhat similar to the day I put on contact lenses for the first time, ( I was 16 then.) and was able to see everything clearer and brighter. Wow! I literally gasped! I was shocked to discover how much I was unable to see all those years before. : ) May

Portrait of a friend

Today, I painted a portrait of my friend Lee. I tilted her head down a bit and brushed back the hair to reveal more of the left eye. I've never actually painted a "real" person before, so this is a real challenge. I started with a pencil sketch on a 5" x 7", 140 lb. coldpress watercolor paper. Using diluted acrylic paints, I was able to get a watercolor effect. Since I painted from a photo on my computer monitor, I had to keep turning to my left to look at the monitor, and turning back to the picture to paint it. That was a bit tough, particularly because I've been suffering from back and neck spasms lately. But in the end, I'm very pleased with the results, and I did it all in one day! Whew! This is my artistic interpretation of a dear friend, and I wanted to capture the sparkle in her eyes and a soft peaceful expression. I thought she looks like an angel in this portrait! Not too bad for a first "real person" portrait right?

A most unusual bird!

I going to tell you something very silly! Last night, I decided to do one last picture before going to bed. Since I had the idea in my head, I wanted to put it down on paper before it slips out of my memory forever. I made myself comfortable with a couple of pillows so I can prop my head up a bit. First I sketched a big tree branch with a few simple lines. I proceded to sketch a fairy, and then a bird. And now for the really silly thing that happened. OK, I drew the bird's body, drew its eyes, and everything was fine. Then sometime after sketching the bird's eyes, my brain must have turned off completely. However, I continued sketching, and even erasing somehow. That went on for a little while. And then, all of a sudden, I was "back"! And to my horror, my bird ended up with a nose, lips and some funny whispy hair. It was truly hysterical! I just brust out laughing even though I wasn't fully awake. This bird already has such a funny scarcastic expression in the eyes. And with the hair, nose and lips...my goodness! It was quite a sight. Hmm....Now I regretted erasing it, or I can show you what it looks like . You will have a good laugh too!