posted December 25, 2008 08:16 PM         

Proud, contented.

posted December 25, 2008 09:16 PM         

HSC, interesting observation. They kind of do, dont they? Their full bellies don't hurt that look either.

i'll share two more recent ones. because one to me looks somewhat Scorpionic and the other? well...it's obvious

keep in mind i had VERY minimal (and cheap) supplies on hand at the time. *meaning not my best work; couldve been alot better.

posted December 26, 2008 12:23 AM         

The lion is perfect.

I wish I could see the world thru your eyes for a while.

The cardinals are definitely Tauruses!

And, also, they look sort of like sentinels to me.

Like they are on watch.

The red one thinks no one would dare to attack. (Or is he just fearless?)

The yellowish one is looking over his shoulder, just to be sure.

...and how the snow lines the twigs...

I really love this one.

posted December 28, 2008 12:02 AM         

I must beg to differ that red cardinal has Virgo energy to me....if you study the face it looks rather focused...

You're a phenomenal artist 26 T~ thank you..

posted December 28, 2008 03:52 PM         

With most birds the males have the prettiest plumage to attract the plainer brownish females. Red Cardinals are all BOYS and the duller colored ones are the GIRLS.

I'm just saying that because of what you said about him seeming so brave/fearless. It made it more interesting to me. : )

I also noticed how the snow lined the twigs and had to look again when fellow artist Nosis mentioned "the medium"... so I had to think of it in terms of painting with water colors. Not that it means that much to me but I AM familiar with paint with water... LOL so it seems it would be more difficult to be so accurate with water colors as opposed to regular/oil based paint... even though water color is more dreamy and light and misty...

posted December 28, 2008 04:27 PM         

If you haven't tried gouache yet, I recommend it. It's basically watercolor but thicker and more opaque. Illustrators use it because it dries quicker than most paints and it is easily reworkable (just add water once it has dried). The cheaper ones tend to fade and change color over time but there are qualitative brands as well. I'm under the impression that you can preserve it anyhow, if you seal a finished work with an acrylic medium. The tricky part is that the paint is very sensitive to fluid, so I don't know what would happen if you tried to brush a moist acrylic gel medium over a goauche/watercolor painting once it's dried, since I've not tried it yet. I would imagine that the sealers that come in a spray can would work better.

posted December 28, 2008 08:18 PM         

Nosis,

Yes, I picked up some gouache awhle back while in FL. I didnt work with it though. I didnt know it was easily reworkable! Good to know. I had read somewhere that watercolorists would often use it to make corrections in their paintings because of the opacity of it; it could often be a painting saver. That's probably why I bought a set. It's a little unfortunate that the quality of paintings greatly depends on the quality of one's supplies. I couldnt believe how much of a difference a good quality brush could make. Really, for a long time I didnt believe it, though I'd read it many times. That brush, a no. 8 Round, is somewhere among the missing now. Someday I'd really like to work on Arches paper too. For now, the cheaper brands will have to do. I gave away most of my supplies when I left Florida. So I'm trying to start over now.

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to put gouache on my list of supplies to eventually aquire. And when will we get to see what youve been workiing on these days? I'd love to take a peek! Last one we got, I was amazed at how your talent had flowered.

posted December 28, 2008 08:25 PM         

The girl bird might have that look on her face because she is unhappy with my inability to make muted tones. She shouldve been "browner", like most girls of her kind, but instead she somehow resembles a canary. lol

posted December 28, 2008 11:42 PM         

T

I have to ask you.

Do you have to pay for gas just like everyone else? *deep pensive far away look with combined hair flip*

LOL

Art goddess woman

Breaking news... see your messages within the next two days when I get around to typing it...

posted December 28, 2008 11:46 PM         

Geez! Absolutely splendid point!

Having to work with what's around makes for a far more inspiring session sometimes. It makes for more of a struggle between creator and creation, but God can that be satisfying!

My professor once told me "If you're not in love with the medium you're using, then you're never going to make good art." And, of course, that doesn't mean you have to buy the best-of-the-best supplies. It just means that you should use the media you are working with in a manner that transparently exhibits a loving relationship. Your work above shows that flawlessly. Examples: 1)The way you used one of the staples of watercolor with the blending of the two cardinals' bellies. 2) The dry brush technique you used on the crow's feathers. 3)The building up of tones you used to give the lion more mass on his right side and to describe the texture of his mane.

BTW, the lion is by far my favorite. There is something so elusive about it. The following words will explain my feelings poorly, but it's as if you've captured the animal's astral element.

posted December 29, 2008 08:04 AM         

Good to know.

I'm sure that knowledge will come in handy someday, --
like, when somebody posts a painting, and I dont want to sound ignorant.