30-day review

Well, my efforts in the 30-day challenge really waned at the end. Life got in the way.

Here's a little collage of some of the floral sketches I did as part of the challenge. Most of the time during the month I worked on two larger paintings. So this partial collage of "finished" pieces will have to do. Thanks for reading about my efforts in the challenge, and it's soon time to work on a much, much larger piece. I finished the drawing for that today.

Day 29

Day 29

Well, I let down the side over the weekend in the 30-day challenge. Too many things going on. There was the opening at of the Robert Singleton show at the new Grasshopper Gallery right here in town, then a meeting of the state watercolor society on the opposite side of the state (left at 6:30 a.m. and returned after 8 p.m.) and then a trip to Harrisburg, Pa., to deliver Ivy League for inclusion in the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society's Juried Exhibition, and then another stop to pick up a painting from the West Virginia Watercolor Society Signature Show. What a mouthful, and what a long weekend.

At any rate, I pronounce this painting to be finished. I put together a little animation to show some of the stages you've been watching over the last couple of weeks:

Day 25

Day 25

Sorry, missed another day (my third) in the 30-day challenge. My job is kicking my butt at the moment.

Got a little bit done this evening, mostly trying to feel my way around some of tree issues. I suspect you are tired of seeing this image. I'm getting there myself!

Day 23

Day 23

Now we've reached the stage where it seems that nothing is happening...but believe me, I've been at this for more than 30 minutes this evening (remember, my goal is at least 15 minutes for the 30-day challenge)...Now it's a matter of trying to enhance all the little things as I carefully nudge values in tiny, tiny little areas. Time to visit the eye doctor....or get bifocals.

Day 22

Day 22

So I messed around with the foreground and added more contrast. In doing so, I also lost some of the impetuous shapes and blooms that I liked in that area. Sigh. I wish I could manage to get color temperature and values right in the first application, but I always end up painting areas in multiple glazes to get things set, and I overwork a lot of delicious elements in the process.

Day 21

Day 21

Had to take a break from the 30-day challenge yesterday...family picnics and such. So back to the landscape today....now I think I need more blue to balance out the heavy yellows.

Day 19

Day 19

This is more of a paper experiment than anything else....This is a scrap of Fabriano Artistico cold press paper and I thought I would try it. I have friends who swear by it, while I've always used Arches.

So this is a small section of one of my recent Wardensville paintings used as a little test (as you can see, little is correct!). I'm not sure that I like it, but I know that's mostly because it's different than what I'm used to. I have some other little scraps...I'll just keep playing with them.

Day 18

Day 18

Attended a nice 75th anniversary celebration at our county library this evening, so I did not do anything on the landscape....so a quick little illustration instead for the 30-day challenge.

Day 17

Day 17

Didn't manage to make much progress today, and I'm a bit late in posting this for the 30-day challenge!

Day 16

Day 16

Still don't know where I'm going, but at least I put one foot in front of the other as part of the 30-day challenge.