Sunset on the Delta

Sunset on the Delta, a photo by BYarborough on Flickr.

Water miscible oils on 9x12 canvas paper. This one almost went into the trash, but I posted it on WetCanvas and had some very good critiques and was able to salvage it. I love sunrises and sunsets and am finding them easier to get down with oils than with watercolors.

Still Life Lesson 7

Still Life Lesson 7 a photo by BYarborough on Flickr.

Franciscan Crinoline Tea Set done on 9 x 12 canvas paper with Cobra and Holbein water miscible oils. The background and shadows are Indigo with turquoise blue mixed in, the teapot, sugar and creamer were done with titanium white with a dot of cerulean blue and then zinc white for some sparkle highlights. The china pattern is painted with quin rose, turquoise blue and pthalo green all lightened with titanium white.
I've always wanted to paint one of my teasets and this was quite a lot of fun! Of course, there's always areas that I'd do differently if I were to do it again, but I'm mostly happy with this.

Lake in Broken Color

Lake in Broken Color
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

The second part of lesson 4 is broken color technique. Painted on 9x12 sheet of Canvas Paper, using water miscible oils, reference photo from Nel Jansen. An undercoat was applied in vermillion and allowed to dry. I decided on the vermillion because it is the compliment of blue (which there's a lot of in this landscape) and also because it would fit in with the fall foliage.I chose to do the sky and lake smooth and then use the broken color technique for the vegetation. I have a looooong way to go in learning this technique, but found the assignment fun.

Red Tulips

Red Tulips
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Lesson four in Oils class: lost edge. I was ready for a simpler subject (after two landscapes) and thought these tulips would be perfect since Valentine's Day is coming. I tried something new-to-me for the background by mixing Burnt Sienna and Cobra's Light Gold and applying with a "X" motion. I applied the left side heavier than the right side. In real life it almost looks like suede, I LOVE it! What a fun color this light gold is going to be as an additive! Painted on a 9 x 12 sheet of Canvas Paper.

Sagebrush 2

Sagebrush 2
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

With corrections. I'm happier with this now.
Now to wait and seewhat my teacher thinks of it. There's ALWAYS room for improvement.

Sage Brush

Sage Brush
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Still working from the same ref photo, but with a crop. I didn't get the sage bush as blue as it should be, it was more "true" the first time I painted from this ref photo. I DO like it with no clouds. I'm having some problems with my "cools" and "warms" with the oil paints. I think I'm concentrating more on darks first and then am not remembering to check the color temperature.

Juniper Forest-Lesson 3

JuniperForest-Lesson 3
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

For oils lesson three we continue to learn about composition. Photo ref was taken while hiking in the hills above our house a few days ago. There is a lovely high desert meadow and mini juniper forest that I really like to walk through. There's lots of dappled shade and a variety of desert vegetation. Royal Talens water miscible oil is now under the brand Cobra instead of Van Gogh H2Oil. Same paint, different look to the tube :-) I also have a few tubes of Holbein Duo -- I like all of them equally well.

Pears

Pears - Corrected
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

We are still working in composition in Nel's class, this week it was to paint with a "path of dark" or a "path of light." Originally the shelf was dark but it melded into the striped wall and made the pears look like they were floating, so I lightened up the shelf. I MAY have lightened it too much as I think I've lost the "fork" shaped path of dark. I do think it's more appealing this way, though.
This was done with two colors plus white and I used Van Gogh H2Oils in Indian Yellow and Blue Violet. I found out that Indian Yellow is VERY transparent, which made the pears to be most difficult. I used a variety of blending brushes, especially on the shadows and shading. Note to self: Check transparency before deciding on colors!

With Corrections

With Corrections
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Okay. . .I couldn't stand the "marching ants" and so pulled up some of the bushes and gave some others some growth vitamins ;-)
For some reason (probably better/morning lighting) this one is brighter and more true to life.

Intermediate Oils - Lesson 1

Intermediate Oils - Lesson 1
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

The finished painting after much angst. I haven't painted with oils in over a year and ran into memory blocks while working on this. The vegetation was done at the end of the day and I had lighting problems, didn't see the "marching ants" effect of their placement until just now. I'd like to redo this painting after I finish the course. I love the reference photo and have always been partial to desertscapes that have the red rock against a vivid blue sky.

Jo's Northern CA Coast

Jo's Northern CA Coast
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I nabbed this photo from my friend's, Jo, Facebook page ;-)
It's a morning shot of the Mendocino Coast. The fog is just starting to clear away. Jo and her husband have a family ranch there and it's her favoirite "get away from it all" place.
I did this on a 9 x 12 sheet of Fabriano Artistico and used American Journey paints. I tend to use the AJ paints mostly on Yupo and every time I use them on paper I wonder why I don't more often! They are pigment rich tubes and very creamy.

Tumbleweed Snowman on Yupo

Tumbleweed Snowman on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Another WetCanvas challenge for the Watermedia forum. The challenge was to paint a sample for Christmas Cards. We actually DO get snow in the high desert of southern CA, but rarely enough to make a decent size snowman, Many people spray tumbleweeds with fake snow and build a snowman with those prickly, stickery weeds! So here's mine, he's done on Yupo (I sure do LOVE working on this slick stuff!) and I used American Journey paints. The Yupo sheet is 9 x 12

Autumn Road

Autumn Road
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I got a new art book by one of my favorite watercolorists, Rose Edin. The book title is "Color Harmonies." I've always admired her style but been quite unsuccessful in executing it! I decided to try one more time. The underpainting is poured using the primaries. This one was poured keeping the white of the paper for the center, followed by a band of yellow, then red, and the outer "ring" in blue. After the underpainting is dry, the sketch and painting is done. I used masking on the birch trees, prior to the pouring step. All paints are DS and the paper is Arches, cold pressed (5 x 7)

Roadside Tombstone

Roadside Tombstone
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Wetcanvas October challenge in the Watermedia forum was for cemetaries or tombstones. I found this reference photo in their photo library. I haven't used my water soluble graphites in a long while, so decided to do the drawing with them. Most of the graphite was lost with the watercolor and gouache, but you can still see it in the texturing of the distant mountains. Done on Arches, cold pressed (7 x10) and used DS paints and some white gouache.

Prelude in Nebula on Yupo

Prelude in Nebula on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

The idea for this came to me one morning and I just had to try it! WetCanvas has a Sept challenge in the Watermedia forum called "music." I thought about painting an instrument. But an instrument would be difficult (at best!) on Yupo, and I've been itching to get a sheet of Yupo wet. My mind went to painting a nebula (something else that had been discussed on WetCanvas). The idea then grew to include some music notes and do something a bit abstract (nebulas certainly lend themselves to abstract!). I found some sheet music for the theme from 2001 A Space Odyssey and . . .wah lah!! Here it is. The music notes were done with a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen and were by far the most difficult to get down (some smudging where my hand rested--it was MOST difficult to draw these lines while holding my hand in midair!!)

Macro Robber Fly

Macro Robber Fly
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

The only one I'm doing that has legs! Two more to go and then I have to decide how I'm going to "assemble" these for Austin's wall.
Same support, paint, technique as the others.

Macro Rhingia Hoverfly

Macro Rhingia Hoverfly
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Isn't this one odd? I think I like the reddish eyed ones best. While painting this one for the series I was reminded of how much Austin likes the movie, Monsters, Inc. and that he'll probably associate these flies with that movie. Same support, same technique, same paint. . .and, yes, I'm starting to get bored with same ol', same ol'

Macro Soldier Fly

Macro Soldier Fly
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I'm not happy with this one and almost didn't post it. I may end up doing it over. One of the features of flies that I've noticed is their "fake" eyes. I know other insects have these and they are defense features. So I ask the question, what does a fly need to defend itself against besides a flyswatter? Frogs are one predator, but are there others?
This is the same support and medium as the previous ones.

Macro Horse Fly

Macro Horse Fly
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Continuing in the WetCanvas July challenge, and in my personal challenge to get 9 of these painted before the end of the month! Same support, watercolor canvas and same technique, oil pastel, watercolor, gel pen.
The eyes on this guy really were red and green and in this strange zigzag pattern. He's rather plain without those colorful eyes! They remind me of some of those weird contac lenses that some kids were wearing a few years ago.

Macro Long-legged Fly

Macro Long-legged Fly
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

WetCanvas July challenge. It's amazing how many different flies there are! This is again done on the 5 x 7 watercolor canvas, using oil pastel, then DS transparent watercolors, then DS interference watercolor, Bic black gel pen (for some of the fine hairs). The eyes on this reference photo really ARE these colors -- truly amazing what the macro shots show!!