Hour 10

I took a couple of days off from painting, not because I really wanted to, but because, well, you know, life. I found that I really missed sitting down and losing myself in the paint!

I did this painting from a photo of a friend's horse. It is a gorgeous animal in the photos. Makes me wish I had one!

Thanks, Cheryl, for letting me paint "Hit the Lights," aka Elvis.

Paint Pony 11

10"x8"

Watercolor on Paper

Hour 9

I can't believe I've painted ten paint ponies in the past 12 days! I'm glad I sketched this one the night before, because I was pretty tired when I got home, and wasn't sure if I was going to skip another night, but in the end, I pushed through.
This sad guy was almost all blue, but I changed my mind and tried to perk him up with some brilliant colors. He still looks sad.
He's a little larger than the rest, but I'm not sure his chest and legs translate very well, so I may cut him down. He sure is bright in his face area, though.

Paint Pony 10
11"x14"
Watercolor on Paper

Hour 8

Had class this evening as I will all semester, so I was tired when I got home, and almost didn't paint. Maybe I shouldn't have, pretty sure this one isn't my favorite. The reference photo didn't have much contrast because the horse was almost completely backlit, so it was hard to find any details in the dark side of his face. I also think his jaw is a little small. Oh well, he was fun to paint, and that's what it's all about!

Paint Pony 9
8"x10"
Watercolor on Paper

Hour 7

I was so busy with work stuff this evening that I almost forgot to post! But I did paint!
I got home from work this afternoon and after turning on the computer, it informed me that it was ill and needed more rest, and it shut down. Not being wise in these matters, I decided to let it rest until my tech-savvy mate got home! With nothing to work on, I decided to paint.
I liked the intent look on this guy, as well as his blues and greens. My husband says it looks like he fell in an algae-filled pond!
The computer is all better now, so here he is.
Paint Pony 8
8"x10" Watercolor on Paper

Hour 6

I decided to re-do the #5 Paint Pony today. It's still not quite right, but much better than the first one. I like the colors in this one better, but the proportions are still a little off.
I spent a lot of time cutting paper and getting supplies ready so I can get some painting done this week. I also got all my laundry done!
I may take Sunday to work on class work as classes begin on Monday. So maybe no painting tomorrow. I may try to sneak it in just a little while though!

Paint Pony 7
10"x8"
Watercolor on Paper

Hour 5

I waited until late to get started again, so it was almost 11pm before I completed this one. I like the painting, but I think, except for the colors, that is it tending a little more realist than I originally intended when I started this project.
Time for bed, maybe I'll work on some dogs tomorrow!

Paint Pony 6
10"x8"
Watercolor on Paper

Hour 4

Had a hard time getting started tonight after a long day registering students for classes. Came home tired and hungry, and really just wanted to watch TV. But I didn't, I went to look through my reference photos instead. I finally settled on this Arabian horse, the photo for which was beautiful. I laid in a cerulean background, and had to let that dry, so I printed out my reference photos. When I sketched it, I had a hard time with some of the angles because of the foreshortening, so I think his neck looks a little odd. I love his eyes, though.

Paint Pony 5
10"x8" Watercolor on Paper.

Hour 3

I'm glad I found the time to paint tonight, because tomorrow will be a beast!

This painting was derived from a photo of a black horse. I didn't have the extreme contrast of the other photos, and when I started, I thought I was going to have a mess! All the colors were running together and making gray. But I kept adding more pigment, until finally I got some of the colors to stay!

Paint Pony 4
10x8, Watercolor on Paper

No-time Tuesday

I sold two paintings!

I didn't paint tonight, just too much to do today. Dr. appt, meetings and more meetings, and then I was just mentally tired. I will post one from Sunday though, and try to fit it in tomorrow!

This was one of the two that I sold today - he is a 10x8 watercolor, he was the first I did of this series, so I call him "Paint Pony 1!"

Hour 2

This evening my hour started after 9pm. I found that it took me over 15 minutes to get everything together, so in the future, I will get the water bucket the night before, the reference material in advance, and spray down/put out fresh paint before I start to sketch so it has time to get juicy!
This is Paint Pony 3, a watercolor on paper, and is 10"x8." I like the of warm tones in this one..

An Hour To Paint - Hour 1

I am not a professional artist. Yet. But I consider myself in the transitional phase. I have a full-time job teaching biology at the community college, and I frequently find myself just too darn tired to think about painting.
This summer, I didn't teach for the first time in ten years. But tomorrow, I must go back to my day job. So I decided to commit to finding an hour each day to fit in some painting, so I won't stray too far from my goal of transitioning to full-time artist status. Someday.
The first thing that I decided would help me toward this goal is to get a little more organized. I have cleaned out the art room and located all my painting gear. I have been painting fairly regularly for the past week or two to help me train myself to paint regularly. This weekend, I undertook two tasks to help with both: I organized my freezer, and did some meal planning for the next week, and I prepared some art materials to help me start painting quicker.
My freezer was a disaster, I had much more than I thought (including three packages of frozen tilapia). Now it is more organized and inventoried. Perhaps that will cut down on the time it takes me to decide what to cook for dinner. Every little bit helps!
The art materials were also a disaster. I have sketchbooks and notebooks and palettes (at least six full size and as many travel size, and a few in-between!). What I decided was to cut up some good paper to common sizes - 8x10 inches, 5x7 inches, and card size, so I can take these with me if the only time to paint is while I am away.
I hope to post one painting each day to help me work toward this goal. The paintings may not be complete, but I hope to spend at least an hour each day.
By this time next year, I hope to be 356 hours closer to my goal!

Today's painting: The second "Paint Pony" I have done following watching a video on Art Academy Live by Peter X O'Brien. The first thing I remember drawing was horses. So I thought I'd post one for my first blog!