Snapshot - Watercolor Portrait

My daughter was trying to take her own picture before going out to a party. She was all dressed up and she looked so cute. I painted this on Aqua Board which I really like. The paint doesn't absorb into it because it's not paper. It's similar to painting on gesso which I also like. This is a way to get some really interesting texture without trying and if you're a realistic painter wanting a looser look, this might work for you, but if you're a watercolor painter who has to use multiple layers of paint, then you might not like this. You can go over with new paint but you have to be really careful because your previous layer will lift if you're not careful. So on the plus side, it's really easy to fix mistakes. This surface doesn't need to be framed under glass. It only requires a spray fixative so that is a plus in that you don't have the hassle of matting. That was my unsolicited opinion!

This is 11 x 14 but was slightly cropped by my scanner.

Sidewalk Artist

I painted most of this last weekend with my friends in the All Media Events forum on Wetcanvas.com but I didn't get it finished until the next painting event started so I'm just posting it here for now. It measures 8 x 10. I don't usually stretch my small paintings (meaning tape them down well with that sticky brown tape watercolorists use) but after finishing some larger paintings that I had stretched, I decided it really is worth it to be able to have a completely flat, smooth painting when you're done so I decided to stretch this small one and I'm glad I did.

An Assortment of Trading Cards

Here are a few trading cards that I painted for a swap at my art club tonight.

Yellow Pansies I

This spring I got an early start on my flowers and planted two pots filled with yellow and purple pansies. This is the first of several watercolor paintings featuring these lovelies. Actually, I like this one so much I'm going to enlarge it and paint it bigger. This one measures 10" x 10".

Bella Revisited - Watercolor Dog Portrait

I painted Bella the first time in December 2008. This is a much larger portrait I just finished. It measures 16 x 20 in. When I work larger like this I like to stretch my watercolor paper. It really is a pleasure to paint on. I might have to quit being lazy and start stretching smaller works.

If you don't know how, here is a link to instructions on how to stretch watercolor paper. The only step I didn't do was pre-soak my paper which I don't think it necessary. (I use 140lb Arches cold press). It is well worth the few extra minutes to stretch your paper!

Watercolorist Expands into Teaching | Metro Neighborhood News | Omaha, NE

Watercolorist Expands into Teaching Metro Neighborhood News Omaha, NE

Watercolor Portrait Boy with Bat

This is from a reference on Wetcanvas. I spent 4-5 hours playing with this today. It was such a good photo I couldn't resist. Here's my WIP.  8 x 10