New favorite wine

Acrylic & ink in Smash #2.  I haven't been to Olive Garden for over a year.  Our table was given a complimentary taste of wine.  This was the first time I've ever had a wine tasting that I would actually buy. I've only had one favorite since 1991 (yes I remember exactly when I discovered it.)  Now I can add two more to my Favorites List.

Blue Bulldog

Acrylic in my 2013 journal 5x7 inch.  This has been fun but I'm out of references for this series.

Grumpy Cat

I'm a new fan.  Acrylic in the Smash journal.  The other is a study in colored pencils in the 6x8 inch sketchbook.

How I spent my Thanksgiving Day

I didn't have to cook or serve or host.  Just hung around to help with honey-do's and I got some painting done.  Feels good!

Acrylic sketches on 4x6 inch cardboard for scavenger hunt 292.  There was more!  I also did a wooden elephant and a panda.

Weekend art

 Donkey & Friend - or maybe it's a mule, I can't tell the difference.  From this week's WDE invitation.  Acrylics in the Smash.

The Smash journal has really fired up my creativity.  Since I got the journal, I've been painting/sketching again in my other sketchbooks.  I had three other paintings this weekend!  I don't show them all, that's not the point.  I feel good when the art flows, good or not.  Oh, this is conte pastels in the 6x8 inch drawing sketchbook (one of the 2011 goals)

Carabao

This was last week's WDE, acrylics in the 6x8 inch sketchbook.  I struggled with it and the elephant reference.  It shows. 

I went to the Philippines in 1987 and my uncle arranged a side trip to see the Banaui rice terraces.  Incredible manmade feat!  The brightest green I'd ever seen, even greener than Ireland.  So I was hiking down one of the mountains to see the terraces up close and there was a tribal village down at the bottom of the valley.  Halfway down as I was coming down to another terrace, I smelled this awful stench that wasn't toilet but definately fertilizer.  I turned around and it was a huge water buffalo staring at me.  It was knee deep in the water-filled rice paddy and munching on a mouth full of long grass.  They say smell is one of the greatest memories we have.  Just seeing this reference brought back that stinky memory.

Playing with Barbie again

Acrylic in the SMASH

San Diego Fishies

Acrylic in a new (uh oh) "Smash" art journal from Michaels.  I was trying to use a 50% off coupon but since this was already discounted, it wasn't discounted more.  I've finally learned the difference between an art journal and a scrapbook.  Art journal is definately the direction I want to go but sometimes I pick up the paint brush and end up filling the page with a painting.  The fishes are inspired by a sculpture at the San Diego Botanic Garden I visited a couple years ago.

Venice

This is as close to Venice in almost 30 years.  A telephoto view from the stateroom balcony.  Acrylic paint in the crispy crunchy paper homemade sketchbook.

Just passing--couple photos taken from the bus & combined.  Acrylics, same sketchbook.

Mola #1

My first Panama inspired art, in the style of the Kuna natives of Panama.  There's lots wrong with it that someone familiar with it would see it's not done by someone who knows anything about their style, but it's just the first of my series.  This is acrylic in my (#10) 12x12 mom-made sketchbook of old, non-archival paper that's already going brown and crispy.

WDE pelican

Something from this week's WDE references. I haven't done WDE for over a year. Acrylic in the 4x6 inch Aquabee. I'm really happy with it considering I don't have black paint with me. I probably won't be uploading this to Wetcanvas, no time to comment on the other WDE work. I think that means I'm relaxed if I can crank out art as easily as I'm doing this weekend.

Edit: Improved some things, better scan.

vacation sketches

View of the living room (also floor lamp & table lamp for scavenger hunt) acrylics in a 6x8 inch watercolor pad. Started as a pen & wash. Then I added watersoluble graphite to darken some areas. It just got all muddied up so I covered it all with acrylic paint.

Mandalay Beach looking toward Ventura. Watersoluble graphite on ATC size watercolor paper. Sketched during my walk on the beach. Resisting the urge to add color, but even though the sun came out, the dominating color was gray. Can't see all the way to Ventura today, can't see the Channel Islands.

My left hand and my other left hand

Something for scavenger hunt, my left hand again. I did the yellow first, then the blue, I guess I was warmed up by the time I did red. Was so quick, anyway. Can't belive the acrylic paints in my palette are still good since October. It's in the 12x12 Mom-made sketchbook, as much as would fit in the scanner. Pity I couldn't turn the picture 90 degrees.

Artsomofo #4

Acrylic in the 12x12 sketchbook. Started out playing with color, then used it as a background for scavenger hunt 197. The "bear hug" picture was from my birthday. Color's off but I just don't have daylight time to take a proper photo, so it's an indoor photo.

Artsomofo #2

Started out with a rainbow, it turned into sunflowers. I electronically cropped the 12x12 inch original. Acrylics. The picture's not fuzzy, I used a fat brush to paint it.

Chayote Squash

Like the last post, this is acrylic paints in a 12x12 inch handmade sketchbook Mom made years years ago. It's not great paper, not acid free and it's already yellowed and brittle. I also used it as an item in this week's scavenger hunt.

Scavenger Hunt 194

An unfinished page with items from Scavenger Hunt 194 at Wetcanvas, hosted by Jeanne. I've been inspired this week. Took a couple days to prepare the squares before I could paint the items in.

For day 10 & 11 of artsomofo

Damian McGinty when he was 14. I've definately got his youth, resemblence is close...maybe a cousin? Graphite in the 4x6 inch sketchbook.

And then there's George Donaldson again. Good facial likeness I think. The ear's not right though. Golden's liquid acrylics (payne's gray and white) in the same 4x6 inch aquabee sketchbook. I was surprised how blue this payne's gray is.

Attempting Ryan (Acrylic sketch #45)

Struggled with Ryan all night to get a resemblence but now it's nearly midnight and I have to quit. He always looks like he's smirking, one of those smiles that curves down rather than up at the ends and wierd lips. I'll have to do this again in graphite or charcoal. Crossposting to artsomofo. Oh yeah, acrylics in the 4x6 inch aquabee sketchbook.

Acrylic sketch #43 & 44

More George but I struggled with his profile today, not as good a resemblence as yesterday's. I think I've gotten George out of my system. Tomorrow is either Damien or Keith.

Cross posted to artsomofo, it's a daily art challenge for the month of October. Hey, I figured out how to get picassa images to Livejournal [thumbsup]. Now I want to figure out how to put in a paragraph. Same 4x6 inch Aquabee sketchbook as yesterday.