Vintage Teapot - Working in CP's on Darks

Worked on background yesterday afternoon, using my Derwent Coloursoft pencils. Colors are Black, Dark Green and yet to be applied is Indigo.

I've also mapped out a little of the rose that will be mostly in shadow, just a few sparks here and there. Some Grey has been applied to the right edge of the teapot for reflected light.

Vintage Teapot, 9" x 12" colored pencil/Inktense on Colorfix sanded paper

Update to Vintage Teapot

This is the beginning of the underpainting with Inktense watersoluble pencils. I have used Bark for the most part. I started to use an earth tone but decided against it, So I will try to lift some of the warm color in the shadow areas.

The one thing that our pastel instructor is trying to get us to do is create a strong abstract structure to then build our color on. So I've posted a second photo of the underpainting that is turned...if you squint at it you can judge the abstract quality of the piece. This is such a new concept for me....but I think I'm much closer to understanding it than before.

This afternoon I will be adding water to the watersoluble pencil and completing the underpainting. I'll take a photo and share that when I'm done.

Vintage Teapot, 9 x 12 colored pencil on white Colorfix sanded paper


Later afternoon....and how it looks with the water applied...pretty messy huh? I anticipate this messy look will be gone when I'm done :-)

New Colored Pencil Piece

Vintage Teapot 9 x 12 (photo...so far)

I bought this beautiful Gibson's Staffordshire vintage teapot as part of my vintage business several months ago. On Thursday I bought a beautiful deep red rose and played "photographer" using some of the concepts about lighting and composition I have learned in pastel class.

I'm starting the colored pencil piece today. It's way too complex for me to pull off in pastels at this point, but I may try the pastels after I finish this piece.

Saturday's Pastel Class-More of the Peppers

I would love to have somewhere that I could set up my still life and just leave it. It takes forever to set them up and take them down. But this is my progress from Saturday.

I had to change a few things because of the little subtle changes in this week's setup. And I started to lay in some color.

A couple of things I learned:

- Just as in colored pencil, it's very hard to put yellow over anything! So going forward I will have to keep in mind to leave my yellows plain paper for the pure yellows.

- I soooooo know this and I don't know why it escaped me...work the whole picture at the same time. Don't work a small piece to completion. Pastel sounds sooo easy, and yet it's just that much different than colored pencil that my "pace" is all off.
Practice, practice, practice.

Finessed enough!

"Pepper, Pot & Red Onions", 8" x 10" colored pencil on pastel board

This is the first colored pencil piece I have finished since I started taking pastel classes with Deb. So now I need to start (and quickly) a piece I can use for the CPSA International in Atlanta this summer. I can't use this piece because it has Acrylic under the lights.

I now have uploaded the print size digital image to Imagekind.com so that I can get note cards printed. I LOVE their note cards...they arrive looking just super professional in their little plastic sleeve. The colors have been spot on and the quality of the card itself is very pleasing.

One of the online markets that I really seem to gravitate to is 1000Markets.com. I get pretty good views there. There is also a place for people to leave comments and each shop has the capability to blog right on their shop. Gee, one more blog...but the site is really clean and the people seem really encouraging. I loaded the original art for sale.

I also loaded the original art for sale on Yessy.com. It doesn't really have much of a community, which is sooooo fine. I have enough community. But what I do like is that the views are wonderful and come from all over the world.


We had a great class yesterday although my pastel painting is quite tenuous still. We discussed the "concept" idea again, and those thoughts are rattling around in my brain. Tomorrow I will post my work from class and talk a bit more about my "concept" for the painting as I understand the idea....which at this point is pretty close to nil!

Update to Onions, Pepper and Pot

Had a chance to work on this earlier today. My computer was acting up so I decided to shut it off before I took a hammer to it and I still had my sanity, and do some "art therapy".

This is not quite done yet, still putting some saturated color on onions and "finessing" the edges. That's what my pastel instructor, Deb, calls it....finessing.

This is colored pencil on a sanded board, but I have been using the principles that I am learning in my pastel class. Things like Light & Shadow, detailing either the lights or the darks (in this case the lights), letting the edges open and close to lead you around the painting, using saturated color where the form rolls into the shadow. There's so much to remember, I know it in my head but getting it down on paper is a different story.
Onions, Pepper and Pot, 8" x 10" Colored Pencil on Sanded Pastelbord

Ahhhhh! Back to Work

Yesterday was our second pastel class of 2009. The week before we had two new students and we spent alot of time going over the basics again, which was wonderful. The more you hear and understand the easier it is to put the information into practice.

So yesterday I spent the class getting my peppers set up again, getting the drawing more accurate and getting my lights and darks laid in. I'm having a little problem with the pepper on the left as it's bright yellow and I'm having trouble seeing the darks. But if I squint it's easier to see them.

I love working from real life...I'm not as adept at it as I am working from photos, but it's soooooo engrossing. My body is not used to standing for 3 hours, so I'm going to have to work on my stamina. Came home and had to take a couple of Advil.

My next step is to start laying in some correct value colors in the dark areas...probably dark green, dark red, dark purple. Then to work on the lights.

In this way of working, we are asked to detail either the light or the dark, but not both. So I will be putting my detail in the light.

Ta Da.....Artwork by my dear friend, Ginger Lecher

One of my very dear friends, Ginger Lecher, is having a solo exhibit at AUM Framing and Gallery beginning Jan 15th and running through the end of February.

Ginger has an exquisite way of capturing the moment, not belaboring the detail (like me), and making you feel like it's a wonderful warm memory.

I happen to know that she did attend the Symphony over the holidays and this piece reflects her soaking in the experience with all her senses.

Besides being a lovely human being and great friend, she is passionate about and dedicated to her art. She works in pastels and oils.

If you are in the Denver area, please stop in and see her exhibit. Better yet, buy a painting! Her prices, right now, are very affordable. In the exhibit there are about 30 pieces ranging from 8" X 10" to 16" X 20", plus about 15 miniature (5" X 7") figure studies.



A Night at the Symphony, Pastel

AUM Framing and Gallery (across from Abend Gallery)
2227 E. Colfax Avenue
Denver, CO
Gallery hours are generally 9am to 5pm, Monday through Saturday, but call ahead to be sure (303)394-3362.

What's Your Word for 2009?

I've never been one for New Year's resolutions, and I had enough of goals and objectives when I was in my corporate career than I care to remember.

But a "word" for the year...hmmmm....

I belong to a couple of online forums and one of the discussions was "What is your word for the year?" The poster's word was "Focus", another poster was "Faith", another "Growth". I started thinking....hmmm....

I've decided on my word, LIVE! It seems since my Dad passed away in 2005, my son got sick in early 2007, and I turned 60 last August mostly I've thought about death. I don't mean in a morbid sense, but my thoughts have been focused on holding on, reminding myself to breath, the time that's left, not rocking the boat.

So it's going to take some different thinking to LIVE!

What's your word? Do you want to share it here? I would love to hear why you picked the word, but don't tell me what you plan to do. I hate when I have to think about being spontaneous....my husband is one of those that says, "I don't mind being spontaneous if you give me a little notice ahead of time." AAAAAGGHHHHH!

Towards the end of each month I'll post what things I think qualify for fulfilling my "word", and ask how you are doing.

I've been asking people I run into today...so far only my friends at Starbucks ;-)...the youngest of the women who is single said "Love", the young mother with two kids said "Sleep", how age appropriate it seems our words can be.

This little ballerina knows how to LIVE! No guilt, no fear of what people think. Only fun, food, learning, love and hugs....and pooping....are on her radar screen.

Do you even sometimes get so sidetracked in life you forget to poop?

News Items

I should have some artwork to show soon. Pastel classes began last Saturday for 2009 with Deb Bays. We have a great class with two of my good friends, Valorie and Julie, and hopefully we will not cause Deb too much anguish ;-)

For artwork of these lovely people mentioned, click on their names to go to their blogs and galleries.

If you would like to check out where I volunteer my time (what time?), in addition to my Membership Director position for the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA), check out my new blog, LAC President's Blog.