We worked on using an impressionistic style today.  It wasn’t supposed to look exactly like the sample but it’s pretty close.  After 2 1/2 hours, this is what I ended up with.  I’m feeling plus/minus about this one.  I’m debating whether to continue and finish it next week or if I want to try a new one. I want to use more blue…getting tired of using warm colors.  I may bring in one of my landscape photos to interpret next week.  That might be interesting.

I went to my painting class today unsure of what to bring for my third painting. I was hoping to keep with the tropical theme so Jes suggested that I take the pineapple that we had on the dining table. I thought, “uh, that’s going to be really hard.” But I took it anyway and it WAS hard. My instructor tried to help me out all along the way but there’s just so much he can do without painting it for me. It actually started out standing straight up but the instructor decided to tilt it half-way through my painting! So I spent another half hour trying to tip my pineapple over by covering parts up with more paint and fixing the shadow. This piece was certainly the most challenging and tiring but I’m glad that after three hours I ended up with something that pretty much looks like a pineapple. I was just happy to be able to bring it home and feel comfortable enough to say “eh, good enough” and call it a day. Here’s the finished product:

By the way, I’m SO done with painting fruits. Next week we’re starting on landscapes. Woo Hoo!!

OK, folks. Here is painting #2! This time I chose to paint a papaya that I picked out at the grocery store this afternoon.

Here is my subject, Mr. Papaya on yellow.

Here is my painting.

The photo doesn’t have the exact same angle that I was painting from but you get the idea. This one was a bit more difficult since there was different shape to deal with but I managed.

I guess I’m sticking to a “tropical fruit” theme. The goal of this project is to end up with three paintings that you can hang up next to each other on a wall. So, they need to have a common thread that ties them together but be contrasting at the same time to add some interest. For the mango and papaya, I’d say that they are similar in size and color tones but they contrast in the directions of their shadows. Here they are side-by-side:

Now I just need to figure out what the third painting will be. Any suggestions?

OK, Everyone. Brace yourselves for my very very first painting on canvas EVER!

Introducing…My Subject, Mr. Mango on Orange

Ta Da!! Here is the finished piece.

Well, it’s just about finished.  I think I’m supposed to do some touch-ups next week. Now for the most important question: Does it look like a mango?  Be honest now…

Here is my palette.

And here is my “painting station”. You can actually see the subject in the background too.

So there you have it – my very first painting. It was quite daunting at first and my instructor even said that the green was going to very hard to pull off. But I think as long as it’s a recognizable mango, I’ve succeeded.

I started my Acrylic Painting class on Tuesday. The last art class I took was in high school and I’d been itching to give it another try. Since my darkroom class was cancelled, this was the perfect time to do it. I figured it would be a good way to relieve stress and teach me a bit more about color and composition.

My instructor is a professional painter with a gallery in Laguna Canyon. He teaches a variety of painting classes and seems to have a great deal of experience and knowledge. We started by just making sketches of some fruits with strong shadows. It was a preparatory activity for our first project. He also gave us some tips on what supplies to buy and where to get them at a lower cost.

So, today I went out to the art store and it was like going into a candy store. With wide eyes and a silly grin on my face, I browsed the many aisles of pens, paints, brushes, and paper. Since this was my first real painting class, I was starting from scratch and had to literally buy everything I needed. It was a good thing that my instructor gave me some direction as to which brands to choose from and what type of tools I would need. It was very overwhelming and I spent nearly 45 minutes just browsing. Little by little I filled up my cart and I came home with 4 canvases, paints in all different colors, a Sta-Wet palette, painting knife, stetching pencils, and a box to hold all my stuff. Luckily there’s a “brush guy” that’s coming on Tuesday to sell us some brushes. They’re so expensive! Each one costs $5-15 each! I think this guy will be selling his for $3-6. Thank goodness.