paint party Friday

Welcome to paint party Friday!
My friend Carol (https://quiltedfabricart) told me about a free online sketching/painting workshop, unfortunately now over. I signed up and it was very fast paced with two videos a day from world known teachers. I have another week to finish up but it'so been very valuable to me. it was at (https://www.karenabend.com/)

First of all I now have my sketchbook, paint sketchbook, watercolors, pencils and pens out on the kitchen table next to the computer.

Apparently it's good for my creativity to have supplies at hand. I've been stretching and learning and growing in my confidence from doing these exercises. The picture above was yesterday's sketch on my own, as I read the I Like posts and had a morning cup of coffee. Not even a prompt.
That's a sign of a good workshop, that it leaves you experimenting on your own.

I have painted for a long time, and nowadays often on fabric...remember this piece from a couple weeks ago?

I watched the color move across the fabric, and as it dried I decided it was no longer horizontal mountain scene, but a flower in the foreground. I came back using a stencil of petals, some dark blue  and dark magenta paint with a sea sponge, and daubed in depth and details to lead you to see my tall flowers. Then used a spiral stamp for some whimsy. (click on photos to see them better)
I would like to somehow not quilt it but hang it on the wall as a banner

Back to painting on paper...

All of the teachers have in common their ability to really see an object. The ones working intuitively will just start in moving color across paper but the ones painting a face, or seahorse, or dog, or flowers will start with looking around them. They noted shape, positive space (the object) negative space (anything that is not the object, which also creates spaces) color, line, perspective, proportion, etc.
One can learn to draw.
One gets better at any skill as one uses it. Languages, riding a bike, cooking, speaking to a group.

I looked at my carnations as I trimmed them, added water, deadheaded them. Oh, the colors and the textures were lovely close up.

How delicate, how could I paint them? The lesson that day was on botanicals. It included creating a mix of colors you saw in your palette first. I usually mix right on the wet paper, so that was interesting in itself. (see the pic above). Then daub each color across the paper at the top, to see it will look dry.

paint one petal, paint one leaf, paint one blossom. Paint components before painting a composed picture. Again different, and a way to really see the object.
I carefully followed directions, and painted on watercolor paper. I didn't particularly like my picture but learned from the lesson. Now what to do with the paint remaining in the palette?

I took my sketchbook, the large one with sketch paper (thin) that I had made notes on, and with abandon painted big globs of color, squiggling my brush as I went. Painting over dried areas again with another shade, creating depth and curves and just letting myself see the color as I saw the flowers.

One is white with pink edges, but a hint of yellow in center, one variations on pink, and a tiny bit of greenish yellow too. When the paint was used up I found I liked the freely painted, large blooms more to my liking than the careful first painting.

the camera can't capture the color, which is at once subtle and dynamic in real life.

 when I drew the faces, I was amazed that this came from me. From me, from my center and heart, from learning from brilliant people, from seeing, from God.

mixed media, paper, painted coffee filters torn, pieced fabric

Milo was understanding while I learn and practice...

I'm bored, and it's cold again

 Music is important, while writing this I was listening to my CD of

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHGA6kUHYDg

Linking to:
Let's be social Wednesdays 
 
http://abcwednesday
http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.com/
off the wall Fridays
can I get a whoop whoop Fridays 
https://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/
rosie and the boys nature pics