5-Day Painting Challenge: Day 3

I had less than an hour to play yesterday, so I shooed poor bro-in-law from my studio after work (sorry N.!) and got to it before leaving for the evening. Luckily I prepped two extra surfaces the night before so I could get started right away.

(Mental note: Prepping surfaces ahead of time makes it much easier to go to the table. It's one less obstacle between me and the paint.)

I spotted this magnet on my whiteboard in the morning and figured it was time to try my hand at a Frida Kahlo piece. I had a perfect piece of cardboard with a black background ready to go.

Frida magnet, 1x1

Here's where I got:

Frida, 7 1/2 x ~9 1/2 on cardboard

You can see ripples where I used a lot of water on my brush. Next time I use cardboard I may try sealing it with a layer of matte gel medium before painting to see if it makes a difference. But I don't mind the dappled look.

It's obviously not finished, but I like where it's going. Of course the face is the toughest part, but I'm determined to get 'er done. Maybe today's session - or not.

Up next, Day 4.

5-Day Painting Challenge: Day 2

"Don't worry about your skills or techniques or how much you know about art - just get into making something."

~ Dean Nimmer, Art From Intuition

Following through with my promise of public accountability, here are my results from Day 2:

orange splash - work in progress (but almost done!), 8x8 on wood panel

I started with a black background and played with reds, magentas and a bright Cadmium Orange. You can't see it much on the picture, but I love how the grain of the wood shows through. And wood is so much fun to scratch up! I foresee maybe one more orange scribble to finish it off.

Next up, Day 3...