To Post or Not to Post

May 2, 2014 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

nest
I overworked my bird’s nest painting. It’s sad to say. I thought, “Post or not?” Aww, why not? I should have stopped touching the background several steps back, but it is what it is. Lesson learned for next time – I hope. Looking back, I think the problem from the beginning was the background was so loose and the nest so tight. Without realizing it, I think I was trying to reconcile that. I also struggled with giving the nest depth. And I didn’t have the right robin’s egg color, so the color of the eggs is washed out. I would have loved a bright pop for the eggs.

I like the background below.

Practicing painting pansies and other things…

April 29, 2014 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Throughout the day I kept being pulled back to “practicing painting pansies” (say that 10x fast). My intention was to dedicate the day to acrylics – why was it so hard to do that?

I started with a quick warm up sketch. Then, I started playing with the pansies in watercolor. I kept finding excuses not to start with the acrylics – breakfast, more coffee, stripping the sheets off the beds – lol! Finally I forced myself into my studio and started painting.

First I started adding branches to my “sunrise trees” painting. (Inspired by my other tree painting.)

Then I pulled out my “jellyfish”! It has been awhile. I’m not sure I’ll ever finish this one, but I like what I’ve added to it.

Why was it so hard to get into the “acrylic groove?” Watercolors are easy to pull out and work on (and easy to put away). Acrylics require more setup and clean up. Is it that? Or is it that I’m not that inspired by the ones I’m working on? Or maybe I’m more confident with the watercolor? And somewhat intimidated by the acrylics? Whatever it is, I plan on pushing through.

Inspiration found during my run

April 25, 2014 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

tulips
I’ve been wondering what to paint next in acrylics. I spotted these tulips, while on my run. These would make a pretty painting! I love running. Actually, back up and erase that. I don’t love running. I love that it’s a quiet time to think and observe – no kids, no distractions. I don’t always feel good while I’m running, but I always feel great after. Sometimes it’s a struggle and I have to distract myself. If I think too much about how far I have to go, I’ll end up walking. So I listen to music or an audiobook and think and look around for inspiration!

Watercolor Sea Turtle

April 24, 2014 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

This week I painted a sea turtle. No not another bird! I’ve been starting with the background first (since I watched that video). Here are my steps. I painted a lighter green before the blue, which shows in some areas.

This isn’t my first deep sea creature. I painted this shark years ago for my son. Have I grown since then? Hmmm.

Watercolor Woodpecker

April 15, 2014April 15, 2014 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

Another watercolor bird! The other day I was trying to decide what paint, when I heard the woodpecker in the yard. Since finishing my daisy, I’ve haven’t felt very motivated. I’ve had a similar feeling to when you finish a good book and need a break before starting the next one.

Woodpecker steps:
Starting, with inspiration nearby.

When I added the dark areas (picture to the right), I held the paper up to let the paint run and create the grooves in the bark.

Learning more about artist tools and techniques

April 10, 2014June 6, 2014 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

When I stepped into the art store last week, I was both excited and intimidated, but mostly intimidated. The store is full of things that I don’t know what they are or how to use them. I think I’ll always feel a little unsure of being an artist – because I don’t have an art school background. I barely feel secure in calling myself an artist, but I’ve realized (with the help of my creative resolution – both the blog and the actual resolution) that I feel joy and fulfillment creating things. And I want to learn more.

I have taken classes in the past, but right now, I’m enjoying following my own inspiration and motivating myself. While at the art store, I quizzed the woman working there and learned a lot. As I was leaving, she mentioned visiting the store’s website for more information. All of those things in the art store, that I’m too embarrassed to ask about, are on the internet with descriptions!

Between product websites and instructional youtube videos, which detail different artist’s techniques, almost everything I would want to know is available. I am vowing to spend this month using these resources to learn.

This fan brush I’ve had for years? The display at the craft store shows what each brush does. Who knew I could use this to create beach grass?

I still haven’t figured this brush out. Does anyone know what this is for?

An acrylic painting finished!

April 9, 2014 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

It is a huge accomplishment for me to actually finish one of my acrylics! As an inexperienced painter, I often hit a roadblock and give up. Over the past few months I have spent a lot of time painting in acrylics and have learned a lot. I am proud that I moved past the “color” roadblock that I hit while working on this painting.

I did a lot today. I added darks to the leaves, and painted the center of the flower. I also painted the tips of the petals so there wasn’t a gap between the background and the petals. I brightened up the color of the flower, with a more saturated pink.

A part of me wonders, “Is it really finished?” I know I could tweak it for awhile. As I was adding my last tweaks, I thought, “I don’t want to ruin it!” So I stopped and declared the painting done.

Steps today before the finish:

How do you keep track of your mixed acrylics?

April 5, 2014 | Eileen McKenna {my creative resolution}

When I went back to work on my daisy painting, I immediately had trouble mixing and matching the green. It was way off from what I started with. I realized that the more I mix my colors, the more trouble I’ll have matching them later. I had time that day and went to the art store. The woman there was very helpful and I was asking a lot of questions! I asked her how she kept track of colors she mixed. Her only advice was to keep a swatch of the color, which I already did.

When I told her I was painting a flower, she recommended “Hookers Green,” which is a leaf green. I was using phthalo green, which not surprisingly was very blue. I wasn’t so sure of the color when I first put it on (bottom right leaf in the photo below), but I decided to go for it and covered all the leaves. Then I started adding the details of the leaves. I had mixed shades of the Hookers Green using the Brilliant Yellow Green, which was the base color of my painting. I thought painting the leaves would be easy, but I was wrong! I think I started to get the hang of it. Painting in watercolor and acrylic is very different!

This time when I mixed my paint I used the disposable palette sheets I bought at the art store. These are perfect for me, because I hate cleaning up. I also bought a palette about the size of the sheet, to support it. When I was done, I was scraping off the paint I wanted to save, when I realized I could write on the sheet to label the paints and the mixes. This is so helpful! I have a terrible memory and sometimes don’t return to painting for several days (or even weeks). I guess I answered my own question. But I would love to hear other ideas! 🙂