Award and a Friend's Contest

Woohoo! Julie Daines of http://juliedaines.blogspot.com gave me an award today - thanks a million, Julie!

Please go visit her site. Now is a great time because she just happens to be running a contest.  (And who can resist an Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card?)

So, onward.  Here are the rules of the award:

1. In a post on your blog, nominate 15 sister bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award. (Fifteen isn’t mandatory, but it’s a nice gesture. Try and pick at least five.)
2.  In the same post, add the Versatile Blogger Award.
3.  In the same post, thank the blogger who nominated you with a link back to their blog.
4.  In the same post, share 7 completely random pieces of information about yourself.
5.  In the same post, include this set of rules.
6. Inform each nominated blogger of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs

So, seven random pieces of information?
Okay.
1. I'm shorter than I used to be.
2. I like sunshine.
3. I'm wearing running shoes.
4. I'm not a 'runner' per se - unless you count doing it in my car. (Then I run A LOT.)
5. I'm participating in a first page contest on http://throwingupwords.wordpress.com/. (See the January 23rd post: http://throwingupwords.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/project-writeway-season-1-episode-1/ for last weeks entries, and see today's post to vote for the latest round (it's coming after 10:00 a.m).
6. I didn't win in the first round, but I'm doing the home challenge. Be a doll and go vote for your favorites. Don't worry about trying to get mine. We all have pen names and we're not allowed to share them.
7. No, I'm not giving any hints.

Next, I'm passing this award on to these wonderful and amazing bloggers:

Leisha Maw: http://leishamaw.blogspot.com/
Lydia Kang: http://lydiakang.blogspot.com/
Kyra, Chris, Ann Dee and Carol: http://throwingupwords.wordpress.com/
Elizabeth Mueller: http://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/
Chersti Nieveen: http://cherstinieveen.wordpress.com/
And all the fantastic writers at Scribblers Cove: http://thescribblerscove.blogspot.com/
 which are: Elizabeth, Emily, Susan, Rachel, Elizabeth, Chersti, Amber, Leisha and Rebecca

Congratulations, all and thanks again, Julie!

Watercolor Portrait of Sweethearts

Recently, I had the honor of painting a portrait for a newlywed couple. If you're up for a time lapse, here is the finished painting and the steps it took to finish it.

(Disclaimer: please forgive the inconsistencies in the coloring of the photographs. They were taken at different times of day, and it affected the lighting.)

 First I sketched in the portrait with a grey watercolor pencil. Then I applied liquid frisket (the orange you see) over the areas I wanted untouched while I painted the background.

 The forest in the far background came next.

 Now I added green lawn, deep shadows, roughed in the leaves in the background and began detail work on the leaves in the foreground.

 I deepened the shadows in the leaves and added more detail. But it needs some deeper coloring.

 So I went back and added in a lot of reds.

 Now it's time to work on the trees. I remove the frisket.

 I paint in the trees in the midground.

 I begin the faces. For the most part in watercolors, you add your light colors first and your darks last.

 I'm deepening the skin colors and bringing in more reds.

 Now I'm adding deeper browns.

 This is a close up, so you can see what it looks like without the darks.

 Adding more reds and some deep tones.

 Now the faces are taking shape.

 Eyes.

 They bring life to the painting.

 At last, eyelashes on the bride and a goatee for the groom.

I need to deepen the skin tones and add more detail to the faces.

 It still needs more.

 Hair helps a lot.

 And blue jeans.

 And shirts.















 They're still a bit washed out. It's time to really hit the reds, shadows and details of the faces.

 It's done!