Toad in a Boat

I am a sucker for dogs. My own dogs have never let me get decent photos to paint, so I paint other people’s dogs.  Isn’t she cute with that single clover right in front of her nose? I had to paint her. I wish I’d thought to take an angled shot of the painting. It is on 3/4″ deep cradled wood panel, with the edges painted black, so it can be hung framed or unframed. I really like how these panels have a nice finished look on their own.  These have a little canvas texture to them that I like with oils, too. You can see the texture on DailyPaintworks.com if you mouse over it to magnify.  The most important part of any portrait to me, is the eyes. I’m very happy with the eyes on this one.

Sharing with my friends at Paint Party Friday!

Please don’t tell me you don’t know Bela. Done for the DPW Limited Movie Star Challenge. Yes, in my world, Bela counts as a movie star. We were to use a limited palette to focus on values. I used Pthalo Blue (RS), Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow Light, and Titanium White. I added a tiny bit of Ivory Black to desaturate the color, but the dark is mostly the blue and yellow mixed. I used  alizarin crimson in the halftone areas to keep things from getting boring. I thought these colors suited him.  He was so much fun to paint! I think I managed a pretty good likeness, too. 8×10, oil on museum grade gessoboard panel.

Available at my Daily Paintworks gallery, if you fancy him.

I’m still feeling puny from the horrible virus but I made myself go into the art room and paint the last few days. Doing nothing is drivng me crazy, even though that’s all I feel like doing. Anyway, I finished this little portrait from a photo posted for the last week’s WDE at Wet Canvas.   I loved the purple/pink shadows on his face and that bright pink hat. I had a devil of a time getting the skintones like I wanted them! I’m happy with the results, though. 6×6, Oil on museum quality gessoboard panel. He’s available at http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/melisa-mccurley/the-workman/113662

Remember this charcoal portrait I did a while back?  I’ve  put it up for auction on ebay. I’m selling it unframed but I couldn’t resist playing with a virtual mat and frame, just for fun. What do you think?

I just haven’t had much time for photographing and blogging it. I painted this little robin Monday. It’s 6″x6″ acrylics on gessoboard. It’s the first time I’ve used the gessoboardt. I missed the texture of the weave and the bounce bounce of stretched canvas.  I found the acrylic tried to lift as it reached a certain tackiness and  I continued to paint, and I’ve never had that happen on canvas. I had to give it some drying time before I could continue.

I also finished this watercolor vignette. I’m not very pleased with it and I’m just not enjoying the watercolor much, lately. I think I need a change of subject. Something loose and washy and colorful, maybe.

And this is the last portrait I did in my Diary of Faces. It’s been done a while but I couldn’t get time to upload it here. The original was by Irish artist Major Sir William Newenham Montague Orpen, 1878 – 1931. I painted a cropped version of his Portrait of Gertrude Sanford. Gertrude was an American socialite who served as a spy during World War II. She was also a noted explorer, big-game hunter, environmentalist, and owner of Medway plantation in South Carolina. I hope to make it to Paint Party Friday this week!

I’ve got about 5 minutes to post this before my ride gets here! This is my  version of American artist Marie Haughton Spaeth’s White Birch (Janet), 1923. Hers was oils, mine is acrylic because I was in a hurry! I’m calling my version Among the Birches. I did this for American artist week in my Diary of Faces group, but I decided to do it on a canvas instead of my book. It’s 16″x20″. Linking to my buds at Paint Party Friday! Gotta run!

Happy Paint Party Friday, everyone! Here is my Girl in a Striped Scarf after Australian artist George James Coates (1869-1930). I had the hardest time with the mouth on this one. It’s at an angle and I kept losing that as I painted it. And it kept gettng bigger and bigger until I finally had to paint white over the mouth and start it again.  I love the stripes!

This is a charcoal portrait I did this week after one done in chalks by English artist Edward Robert Hughes (1851–1914). Sorry to post and run but I could only steal a minute or two. I’ll be back tomorrow to see what everyone else has been up to for Sunday Sketches.