Snowflake the rescued cat.

Here........is Snowflake.


Snowflake has been rescued from my outdoor garage and the thanks goes to the Smooth Rock Falls Animal Rescue.

You can donate to the rescue effort to help pay for Snowflake's vet bill or keep up with the story on the Rescue Stories section of the website, please visit the website.

Pam

Moose Too Close

This picture is interesting because I was actually holding the left antler so it didn't stab me while my sister fed it out of a bucket. :) If you ever visit Cedar Meadows in Timmins you should take the animal tour.

Moose Too Close step 2:

I started laying darks with a pencil and changed the shape of the antler.



Moose Too Close step 1:

Charcoal lay in with vine charcoal.



Pam

Cozy

I'm waiting for the snow to paint outside. In the meantime I have work to do in the studio.

With the holiday season upon us... I'm into cute and cuddly things. :)

I'll put all the steps for a quick mixed media on this post.

Here is "Cozy".

Thursday the 18th: Finally it is snowing and it's supposed to stay. :) I'll continue on with this painting and hopefully get it finished before the end of the day to put in tomorrows sale.


Step 2: Finished with watercolour and starting on colour pencil.


Step 1: Watercolour stage. No... the cat won't be orange when finished.


Pam

Poinsettias

Each of these small paintings/ drawings are only 2" square. I have 3 small frames that are connected together with ribbons and I needed a holiday theme for them.

Step 3: Finished with some acrylic washes. Still very loose paintings.



Step 2: Finished the watercolour step and moving on to colour pencils.


Step 1: The first step is watercolour and then I will change to colour pencils.


Pam

Santa? (all steps in one post)

"Santa?" is finished. Here is where I will be showing it.


I had to do a quick charcoal to log the steps as I go. I'm giving a charcoal workshop in a couple of weeks.

Santa? and the final surprise...

Step 7: FINISHED I added the hat in pastel. :)



Step 6: Finished the charcoal.



Step 5: Almost done and then a surprise finish. :)


Step 4:


Step 3:

Step 2:


Step 1:



(More to come shortly...)

Pam

Arthur finished.

Here is Arthur finished and in it's frame.



I'll be moving on to oil painting now. Now that there is snow is on the ground I want to get out plein air landscape painting. Also, I have to prepare a charcoal course to give later this month.

Pam

Arthur step 6

Almost done... Arthur step 6.

More putting on and taking off charcoal until everything looks right.

Pam

The Twilight Zone

Halloween isn't very busy in a town with less than 1500 people. But I love the scenery.

Here is what it looked like at twilight on Halloween in Smooth Rock Falls.



Next...it's time for me to finish the portrait, Arthur. I'll add the finishing steps shortly.

AND...

RIDE EM COWBOY The Horse Gift Continues to make its impact! The Canadian Finals Rodeo will be featuring the Horse Gift mural in all its 22 foot high splendour from November 5th-14th in Edmonton Alberta. A perfect setting for this majestic project.

"Le Cadeau Du Cheval -The Horse Gift" See the original artwork on display 23' high Touring Exhibit info click here

My square is number 163.

Pam

Arthur step 5

What do you do when you want confirmation that the drawing is going to turn out looking like the person? You ask a relative, and if they say it doesn't look right? You do what I do and super-impose it onto the original photo. WHEW, thank goodness everything is EXACTLY in the right place. (Sometimes you can't rely on relatives when the drawing isn't finished.)

Anyhoo... here is Arthur step 5, and it will look like the photo when it's finished. If the photo isn't a good one to start with, it's not MY fault. :)

I've started adding pencil charcoal covering the background and laying in the beginnings of the dark details. Still using vine charcoal for the overall shading.



He has a kinky hair do, I'll have to do something with that. Lots more shading to come.
Pam

Arthur step 3

Here is step 3 of Arthur in charcoal.



I have switched from using vine charcoal to using charcoal DUST and a Q-Tip to apply it for shading. I then use a kneadable eraser, rubber eraser and electric eraser to remove charcoal where highlights are needed. I have also started using charcoal pencils to darken the really dark areas without creating a lot of loose dust that will fall off the drawing.

Much more to do but it has to be finished in a few days.

Pam

No Exit is Done

I'm not happy with this creation, but it's done.

No Exit: finished. The fixative did weird things to the pastel on the top layer, so I won't use that again in my mixed medias.


Pam

No Exit step 4

Let is SNOW, let it snow, let is snow. :)

It's not xmas yet but I was so happy to see the snow stay that I put my xmas music on the CD player. :)

Back to the painting:

I'm at the point where I don't like this one anymore. That usually means I'm close to being finished and moving on to something else. I enjoyed experimenting with different mediums on this one and wrote a list of what works on top of what.

Bottom Layer: graphite and india ink
Middle Layer: watercolour and colour pencils
Top Layer: pastels and colour pencils

I'm going to finish the angels, back chains and left headstones, and spray sealant on the piece.

Step 4:



Pam

Arthur

Now, this is a secret so SHHHH if you know who this is. :) It will be a gift.

Step 1:
Just drawing in the basic layout of the picture and deciding how dark to go.



Step 2:
Starting on the facial details. Trying to position the eyes, ears, and nose correctly. The eyes are different than in the original photo. It looks flat until I get all the shadows and highlights in.



Pam

Step 2 & 3 No Exit

Last night I worked on No Exit. I hope to have it finished quickly so I can get on to more important work.

The center details were put in with india ink and a small brush. I started the side angels in watercolour washes and laid more washes of colour on the stone itself.

This morning I am working on the background in coloured pencils and washing it with odorless varsol to blend the layers.

Step 2:


So I did some more work on the stone and grass, a little on the background but it was still damp.

Just washes of watercolour to darken the stone. It needs many more.

Step 3:


Pam

No Exit step 1

This painting is being done for a themed exhibition, "Signs & Symbols" for the Porcupine Art Club.

I don't want to have the theme seem overbearing in the painting so the sign is understated. You will see it in the background, soon to read "No Exit". I've been wanting to paint this theme since seeing the sign in the cemetery 2 years ago, although this is not the same cemetery.

All I want the viewer to see is a beautiful headstone and then as the viewer's eye travels around the painting they will see the No Exit sign and interpret it on their own.

Step 1:

I gridded out the picture, after many changes in composition, and drew the outline of the stone. There will be an marble angel on each side of the stone when finished.

I painted all the darkest areas with waterproof India Ink. After drying, I started painting with watercolours over top of the ink. When all the painting is done in watercolours I will do the touch up's in coloured pencils. I have already started putting coloured pencil work over the India Ink in the trees.

The most difficult painting will be the intricate work on the front/ top of the stone.


Pam

I attended a weekend watercolour course taught by my sister, Ellen Catherwood CSPWC PSC NOAA, last weekend. Check out her website.

NO... I am not a watercolourist, or a still life painter, but I do want to use watercolour in my mixed media paintings.

I won't bother showing you the watercolour at the state it came out of the workshop but I have since attached it to a board, added colour pencils to the mix and started to varnish the work. I'll frame it in a few days after many coats of protective varnish.

Reflections

Next, on to another charcoal portrait.

Pam

Finished Lianne :)

Here is the finished charcoal portrait of Lianne:


Pam

Lianne step 5

Almost done now,

step 5 of Lianne:



I used my fingertips quite a bit tonight, I couldn't get enough of the charcoal to stick without the technique. I'm happy so far.

Pam

Lianne step 4

Getting closer:

Starting to use white compressed charcoal in areas and more of the same with the black.


Pam

Lianne step 3

This is step 3 of Lianne (corrected spelling):

After correcting the left eye, I used a kneadable eraser to pull charcoal around and off the background to simulate the hair. Much more to do.


Pam

Leann step 2

This is as far as I have gotten with the charcoal drawing.

Step 2:

I've taken a lot of time laying down one layer of soft charcoal for the background and then adding a second layer (cross hatching) with harder charcoal and finally using my fingers to rub the background smooth and dark, using the oil in my skin as a fixative to help hold the charcoal down.

I'm starting to block in the shadows around the face before smudging them into the graduated tones.

Pam

Charcoal Portrait step 1

I have been working on my oil painting deadlines but the difference is hard to see. I'll just post the finished versions of those two.

Here is step 1 of my charcoal portrait for the Northern Ontario Artist Association.


It's a little blurry but not much to look at yet anyway. It is approximately 18 x 24" on 140 lb. Strathmore watercolour paper.

Pam

Photowalk and loss of a friend.

For the last week I've been sitting with my dying cat, Dipstick, until she passed away last night. She died of old age and was my constant companion for almost 16 years.

On a lighter note:

The 3rd Annual Photowalk in Smooth Rock Falls was great. The weather started out drizzling but it let up to let us photograph and then rained for the rest of the day. We had 8 people participate, 3 of which were children with their own cameras. It's great to see kids having fun with photography.

Here are some of my shots:

You can view all the photos from our photowalking on our Flikr site.

Pam

Finishing Hope Springs Eternal

After finishing up a double wedding portrait (that I can't show) I can get back to finishing the painting "Hope Springs Eternal".



Yes, it doesn't look much different than the last step, even less detail because I corrected some values and added more blue to the oil paint layer. It should go fast now, adding finishing details.

And I worked on the large painting for The Owl Foundation.


Keep watching, and watch Hope on the North American Bear Center website.

Pam

Worldwide Photowalk

On July 24th, the whole world will be walking in the 5th Annual Worldwide Photowalk.

I'll be a leader of a walk here in Smooth Rock Falls.

Join in the fun and photograph the sites in your own city.

http://worldwidephotowalk.com/

Pam

My Smooth Rock Falls

I've been working on something that I can't show on the internet, but I'll start working again on Hope's painting tonight.

In the meantime, I've been uploading images from my camera excursions throughout Smooth Rock Falls and hope to have them placed on Google Earth. Now, they haven't been looked at yet but if you go to

Panoramio

type in Smooth Rock Falls, Ontario, Canada and then click on "Also show photos not selected for Google Earth " above the photos. You can see the photos I have uploaded.



I am on a mission to photograph every business and interesting site in Smooth Rock. It's a good way for me to get accustomed to the new town and get some exercise.

Pam

Hope, bunnies and fish.

Here is step 5 of "Hope Springs Eternal":
The under layers only had turpentine added to the paint. This is the first layer with some Linseed oil mixed in.


I've adopted 2 fantail goldfish and a bottom feeder. They came with their own aquarium, food, filters, etc.


And we have bunnies across the street every morning. :) They like the clover growing in the grass.



More to come tomorrow.

Pam

Step 4 of Hope Springs Eternal

Here is step 4 of "Hope Springs Eternal".

I started working on her mother's foot and the left side of her face. Many more layers to go.

Pam