Pink May

I'm often on the lookout for painting inspiration, sometimes it randomly appears, which is great.  Our walk in the park had loads of painting opportunities, but one thing that really took my eye was this lovely pink flowering plant, it was literally dancing in the breeze.  The month of May always seems to be the Pink Month.

Capturing a photo and video will now be filed into my "To do list" for painting.  I might even do a little tester piece 2"x3" to see how a larger version will work.

 ~  click the image below ↴  ~

Mixing Black

Artists say, don’t use ready made black, and to an extent I agree.  It can make a painting look very flat and dull.  On occasion though, I do use the manufactured blacks, be it in watercolours, acrylics or oils.  These days I’m mostly using oils, and when black is needed quickly, I do use the shop bought one, however, I add other colours to it.  This lifts the flatness of the ready made variety, so I can manipulate it according to what is needed.  

This is in no way as good as mixing the colour from scratch.  Go to colours for me are :

Version 1:

Ultramarine Blue+Burnt Sienna (or Burnt Umber),

and also

Version 2:

Veridian Green+Alizarin Crimson

Here’s a short clip of mixing these.  You’ll see there is White on the palette, this is to check the tones, too much Alizarin or Viridian and it shows up on the white, then I can adjust the mix for a good tone black. Take a look, click the pic below......

SOLD and SOLD

 I waved goodbye to two paintings today as they are about to make their way across the pond.

It’s such a lovely feeling that they will be enjoyed by others,  having put my heart and sole into creating them.  Although strangely it does feel like waving goodbye to a friend, (Or have I lost the plot there 🤣)

both Oil paintings on panel

Supplies

SUPPLIES - as if I haven't enough!   I'm a soft touch for pens and also pencils, so thought I would do a blogpost, starting with pencils and sharpeners.  Only some, I would be here all day otherwise. 

Perhaps it is best I say that some pencils are Everyday ones, there here right now on my desk, ready to pick up and make notes, sketch out ideas for paintings.

The only thing is they require Sharpening.  That's another issue of it's own....What sharpener to use. I guess we all have the plastic versions, they work for a few turns, but in the end don't seem to get to the point (literally, the pencils don't have that nice pointy end).  

Easily resolved, you buy a new pencil sharpener, or use a stanley knife and go old school.   Incidentally, that can be useful, you can get a pointy end on one side of the graphite, and a flatter side on the other.

Of course, there's the battery operated one... although this has been a bit disappointing.  Even with new batteries, it doesn't seem to sharpen as I had hoped.  Not to be wasted though, I've had this one for several years and as you see, it is used (I'm not wasting £8).

However, and some years ago, I bought this one...

It's a brass one, made in Germany (vorsprung durch technik and all that) -

Very successful, although I did loose it in a handbag for a year, eventually found it again, it was like Christmas.

However, during the time I misplaced it, I bought another - I felt justified and I did choose a different shaped one!

At least now I have another handbag to loose this one in.

So, with all this pencil sharpener business, there is always another solution and that's have a mechanical pencil instead, they are always ready to go.

some of these are Lead Holders, a couple are mechanical.  

I keep these in a separate pencil case, which means I can grab that and take it out for some sketching plein air.

(Hope this post has been useful, to anyone out there...if anyone is actually reading my blogposts that is)

Bye for now

~~~~