CHARLIE'S ALL STARS

(Click image to see enlarged view.)

I took the photography at a sporting goods store but changed the composition to a hardwood floor instead of the counter top of the store.
First I masked off all the stitching and laces. I couldn't really tell what the stitching would look like as the masking is a light yellow and doesn't show up well on white paper. I then mixed indigo and van dyke brown to create a black that I layered in gradually for the canvas shoes drying between each layer. I got a bit ahead of myself and removed the masking before a glob of black was dry and smeared it across some of the laces. I added some white paint, a no-no in transparent watercolor, to cover by gaff.
The ball was the problem area. I eventually scrubbed off some of the brighter orange I started with and decided to make the ball darker and older to blend into the background and thus highlight the shoes.
I like the shoes and the reflection of the shoes in the hardwood floor. The painting seems to really jump out at the viewer.

ALMOST JAM

I was thinking of painting the blueberries in a basket; but it seemed pretty much a cliche to do that so I poured them into a small canning jar. I was almost done when I decided to add one more blueberry sitting outside the jar.

I started by masking out the highlights on the jar and fruit and then added a light purply-blue wash on the blueberries and the jar. I dabbed in some dark red on the blueberries and dried the entire painting. After it was dry, I started layering darker and darker purples and indigo. Using a scrubber brush I softened the colors on the blueberries.

I like the top blueberry and the one outside the jar.

Olson's Sailboat

This boat belongs to Diana Olson. She gave me a picture thinking I might want to paint it. She was right! This was an easy composition to draw with all the straight lines. I apologize for taking a bit of artistic license with her picture by adding numbers on the sail and adding some clouds on the horizon.

I saved the water to paint last because I wasn't sure how to do it. Even though it is a bit impressionistic, I think the contrast between the sails and the water really makes the picture. I'm satisfied with how it turned out as long as I don't keep looking for mistakes :). And where was Diana when the picture was taken? I think she must have been jumping out of the boat, took the picture and threw the camera to someone in the boat as she splashed into the lake. That's dedication!

Mercedes Convertible

I seem to be stuck on blue. All of my last 4 paintings have been predominantly blue in color. I'll look for some earth tones for the next painting which I think will be another train picture.
The Mercedes at the right is okay. Good from far, but far from good as my grandmother used to say. I think the wash of the car hood should have been smoother and I over worked the highlights next to the headlights. But all in all, it is a keeper and I'll post it on the Web page. I like the reflection of the house and the shadow of the hood ornament.