I am sad to say that it has been a very long time since I have updated my blog. I now have a full time job and find it hard to put the time towards anything but lounging around or playing with my dog when I get home. I have still been doing some art here and there, but mostly small sketches and watercolors just to relax.
I wanted to share the two Christmas ornaments I painted as gifts this year because they were so much fun to do. At first it was very difficult to paint on the shiny, smooth surface, but once I got a base coat down in acrylic it became much easier to layer up my paint.
This first one is Gigi the cat. She is well loved by my grandparents, but I can't say the same for the rest of the family! She can be a bit grouchy, and if you walk past without giving her some space you might find yourself with a leg full of claws. I believe she is a Russian Blue.
This is Scooby the yellow lab. I have never actually met him, but he sounds like such a goof (then again, what lab isn't?). His nose isn't really that squished in the painting, but this just illustrates the troubles with painting on a rounded surface. It gives it a real fish-eye look. Hopefully I will be able to combat it better next year.
This is a giant terracotta flower pot that I painted for my grandpa. He LOVES flowers and plants, and he spends a majority of his time outside planting things. His yard has more flowers in it that many butterfly gardens I've seen. He has such a beautiful garden in the spring. I am not very good at painting flowers, but I know that he likes birds as well so I decided to stick with that. I included some of my favorite birds (except for the blue jay because I know not many other people like them). It's hard to see how large this pot is, but I imagine my grandpa will put a bush, or plant with big colorful leaves in it. It was hard to get good consistent color on the pot initially because liquid paint soaks into the pot and dries dull. I put a protective spray on it that brought back a little shine and vibrancy but not much.
