My first acrylic

/ CrazyKat1963

Okay, guys. I’m really putting myself out here for this one (on my mostly anonymous blog, ha!). Be kind, be kind. Just kidding. I already put my weight on this blog, what could be more humiliating than that!!! Actually, I love constructive criticism, especially since I am a work in progress and everything I do is a work in progress and I am a total novice at this.

First I do a basic sketch of what I am going to paint, then write in what colors I plan to use so I can at least, hopefully, get the right paint out on my palette and not waste a bunch of paint, doesn’t always work, but I try.

I try to do a quick study of what I am going to paint before I get to the real thing. I use flat inexpensive canvases. My goal is to see what it looks like in terms of perspective and to practice with the paint mixing/colors.

Here’s my first draft:

first run through

Then, I put a basic sketch outline of what I plan to paint on my real canvas, and I put a light wash over the canvas, usually with yellow ochre (I forgot to take a picture before I started painting the sky):

yellow ochre

I paint and I usually get to the point where I think I am pretty done (or just tired), but I don’t really like it. Here is a picture of that point in my process:

something's wron

I felt the mountain on the right was too dark/bright and the trees were too pronounced and I felt like the flower fields were too flat. My son, Sammy, came in to my office at about this time in the painting process and gave me a couple of suggestions. I was grateful as I was getting pretty burnt out from looking at this thing.

I made some changes, I edited the trees, I re-worked the flower beds and added some vineyards in the background and finally decided I needed to be done with it, for my own sanity. I took it to the framer and picked out an elaborate frame to hopefully distract my mother a little from the brightness of it all, and we picked it up this afternoon. Tomorrow we will deliver it. I hope she likes it. Fingers crossed!

grammys painting

Botanicals, Santa Barbara, CA.

9 thoughts on “My first acrylic”

  1. I really do like your painting and I can appreciate how hard it is to put what you see on a canvas. I have nothing to critique because what you have painted is purely from your own visual expression and what I see is a lovely painting that makes me think of flowers and trees and it is lovely.
    I had not mentioned before but I thought your Japanese inspired water colours were beautiful too. I love bamboo. Keep on painting Kat!

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    • I cherish everything my children create. We are about to deliver the painting… hopefully my mommy still feels the same way 🙂 . I’m pretty sure she does. On days like these, I am truly grateful for my parents. Not just because I can offload my artwork, but because they actually truly appreciate it.

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  4. I’m no art expert but I love it. It’s Monetesque, especially the use of colours, and I love Monet (probably why I like yours!). It reminds me of The Artists Gardens at Giverny. Can definitely see it hanging on my summerhouse wall 😀

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    • If my mom doesn’t like it, I’ll ship it to you 😉 . Thanks for your very sweet comments. And you have a summerhouse? How divine. I loved visiting Monet’s gardens at Giverny. I find myself looking at everything now from a painting perspective. I feel true passion returning. It’s a good feeling.

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