"Spring Cascade" Update

I took this to work today and worked on it during my lunch break so there is not a lot of progress. I was so excited when I began working on all the color on the limbs.

Here is a close up.

I Can't Help Myself!

This painting will be, as I mentioned before, a painting of a crystal vase and roses. Both the vase and roses are my mother's. The roses are from a bush she planted about 50 years ago.

I know that I should be working on "Spring Cascade" but I had been thinking and sketching on this for about a week and I just could not figure how to draw the cuts in the crystal.

Tuesday was my day to stay home and paint or draw. I had planned to paint but I can't help myself, I couldn't get the crystal out of my mind. I needed to solve this problem! I sat down to draw and came up with the 1st drawing to the left.

It looked ok until I stepped back and looked at the whole drawing. The cuts are much too small for the size I have drawn the vase. The vase is actually much shorter than this but I wanted to make an impression and to fill space so I decided to make it taller which means that everything has to be elongated.

After studying the vase by sight and touch, I came up with what you see in this photo. I still have to work on "seeing" how the cuts appear as they curve around the vase but I am to a point that I can put it down and finish work on the painting...I think.

If anyone has advice on drawing crystal PLEASE feel free to share! Thanks!

"Spring Cascade"

Yes, it is another painting of pink flowers but I promise it is the last of the pinks...at least pale pinks...for a while.  I started this painting, "Spring Cascade," before becoming so involved in the peony painting. 

The next painting will be so much more involved than this. It too has flowers, red roses and a crystal vase. I am looking forward to the challenge of painting all the detail in the glass.

Happy Mother's Day!

Ruffled, Yellow Iris

Here is the progress on the ruffled, yellow iris. This painting is about 10x14. The smaller paintings are completed much faster which is a nice change from the full sheet paintings. 

Here I go again...

This is the line art for my next painting. I never thought much about painting flowers but here I go again. I have painted some portraits and a few still lifes, which I love to paint, but I seem to be on a roll with the flowers.

This is on a quarter sheet of 140lb. Arches watercolor paper which is what I use most of the time.

I still have to adjust the petals in a few places. In the main photo I am working from it is difficult to tell exactly how some of the petals curl, so I am studying several photos to determine some of those correct shapes.

Queen of Hearts!