Next Step in Watercolor of Give Thanks

I am hoping I numbered these right so that this is the next step! While I am doing this posting I am working on a new peony painting but with grey skies it has been impossible to take pictures. This often happens to me in the winter so we might not have a step by step on that one.
In this step you can see I began to solve the background. Remember I do not like to leave this up in the air and make mistakes. If I knew photoshop I could check this out there but I just have to rely on my instinct at this point. I would much rather have taken it in a photo to see if it was working but instead I am taking a terrible chance and hoping it will look ok. These are curtains I have in my studio so I just drew them from life and waited for the time of day that I took this picture to try to make the shadows be right. It is here that I lost my beautiful peanut. I did not realize that the dark area would run behind it and there was some erasing there or something as the edge bled over and it just was gone. It took work to get it back so that it was a nice peanut but not the beautiful one I originally had. I am still very unsure of the background here as to what to do next and the deadline is looming...stay tuned! ha!

Step Four of Watercolor Thanks Giving

Sorry guys...crzay world but I am back! So here is the fourth picture of took of the progression of Give Thanks. Here I began working on the Blue Jay and the peanut and I really nailed the peanut...not sure if in this one or the next step but I was so dang happy with it but then went on to lose it when the background went in. That is the problem when you are unsure what is going to go in the background. It is always best if you can plan that ahead because tossing one together is never the best solution. On that note, I know many of you know that I do not see a dark background as a solution...it is an easy way to get drama but for me I always want to know if there is something else I could do. Yes, there are times I have sacrificed the painting trying out something different but I just see too many artists going with a solid dark background because they know it will work...when I know something else would as well but they are not willing to go there. I should be smart and just do it myself! ha! Now back to this...I have defined more the letters etc and at this point is when I see that I wish I had added some yellows and greens for leaves. All I had were my red maples with leaves on the ground, everything else had been raked up. But now I see that would have been a very nice balance with the letters. The greens would be a great complement with the orange/reds and would have helped to pop that area,,,however at the time I took the picture I thought it might be nice for that foreground to just blend in and just be a directional tool and one that would ground the area...but greens there would have helped alot. So there you are! Step four! I have a few more steps to go! Hope you are enjoying laughing at my thought process! ha!!!

Demo of Give Thanks Continues!

Been busy around here and forgot to load the next step to my painting! This is step three. I took this quickly as the sun was setting that day thus the strange orange glow on the paper and my cast shadow in the corner!
This painting was sort of being planned as I went because I knew I had to be putting the hours in or I would not meet the deadline. This is the point where I started to realize I wish I had made a few different choices. I will try to remember to mention them on the last one so it makes the most sense. I usually say to my students, know exactly what you are painting or last minute decisions could wreck your painting. Well that is the thin ice I was walking on in this one for sure! ha!

Give Thanks Watercolor Step Two

As you can see I moved right into the lettering. My photo had the red leaves from my Maples here and it looked workable from the photo but the further I got into it I wished I had used some of the yellows. There were not as pretty but now when I see the composition I can see I might have problems...but with a deadline I forged ahead . I think if I had had time I would would have paused at this moment to reconsider the leaves. I also did not have time to consider that background but kept hoping it would come to me as I worked. It did not! ha! But I loved how the dot on the i was helping to hold up this gourd and the letters were so interesting so I hoped it would be enough to help carry this off,. The building up of washes on the gourd were working well too so I felt ok at this point but questioning some things.

Beginning Give Thanks Watercolor

I had just finished the peony painting when Pablo asked if I would be part of the Thanksgiving Challenge. I never find time to do these wonderful things because I am always in the middle of a painting but this time I was totally free! I know those of you that follow me on FB know that I love my pet Blue Jays and I had been thinking I would like time to try to paint one of my friends. So with the challenge I decided one Blue Jay would be in it for sure but had no further ideas. So I went to a friends house who loves to decorate for the seasons and there was this Give Thanks sign on her table and I immediately fell in love with it. I took her large paper gourd that you see and marched home hoping they would work. I set them up on my art table with the afternoon sun coming in and it was magic. I loved the reflection of the word better in some of my other photographs but this combination worked best for placing my bird. I was on this deadline so I just began and had no idea what was going into the background. I had even thought of no background. This is where I began and immediately I was very excited about the words and that lovely gourd! So here you go...my first step..blocking in some color!!!

Thanksgiving Challenge!

Guy Magallanes and I were invited by Pablo Villicana to join him in a painting challenge for Thanksgiving! Well I LOVE LOVE LOVE Thanksgiving so was so excited to have been invited to join in and honored as I have always admired the challenges that he and Chris Beck do!  So here they are! I hope you will follow the links to their blogs and read about their painting and look at their other beautiful works of art!

"Acorn Harvest"

Pablo Villicana

watercolor   8 x 10 1/2

"Mi Abuelita"

Guy Magallanes

watercolor  10 x 7

"Give Thanks"

Jane Freeman

watercolor   20 1/2 x 15

I loved doing this challenge as Thanksgiving is my most favorite holiday! And all of you who follow me on Facebook know how much I love all my pet Blue Jays! So this Blue Jay is giving thanks as well for the peanuts I give him. When I give them their peanuts they often pause and look up at me and I believe they are so happy to receive these gifts. I hope we all will be grateful this season for the gifts we have been given as well.

I intend to begin the step by step on the painting so that you can see what I thought about and the problems I had and what I would have done differently if I had really had the time to think about it! I just had to jump in and do it! ha! But I loved it!

Thank you ever so much Pablo for inviting me and Guy, I loved doing this with you...this was great fun to do it with two friends whom I admire so much!! 



Thanksgiving Challenge

I am part of a Thanksgiving challenge and mine is complete but I cannot show you it until we all post together on Nov 23rd. Once I have it posted I will post my steps for you and the troubles I encountered. ha! When have a painted anything without a problem to solve!?? ha! I also am working on several drawings so will be able to begin posting those steps too but first the weather must be agreeable. We have very gray skies and winds...snow...cold...not pleasant for stepping outside to take a picture! So I have to wait for some good weather to do this!
Just wanted you to know I am painting but just have to wait on the finished one for a little longer!