Frogs for PW!

Here are a few of the frog 'studies' I've been trying to re-create for P.W. My goal was to recapture the feel of the original that sold at Art Hop, but without copying exactly. Well, there are a fair number of attempts, but still I'm not quite sure I've got it. Patient P.W. has been waiting for ages to see something (anything!) so here they are for her perusal.


Out for a jaunt with his mushroom umbrella and acorn. 4x6 inch.



Walnut ink wash, colored pencil and black ink. 4x6 inch (I like his eyes.)


Quite a departure from the 'original' I wanted to give him more landscape. (For 4"x6" I was able to squeeze in a good amount.)


Breaking away from the original 4x6 size, I went to 8x8 and then cropped to about a 5x7 size here. A few nice moments in this, but also a few technical issues. This led Rick to recommend me doing more figure studies for Frog.



These sketchbook images are from this evening, I'm trying to emphasize his "dancing" posture.

Maybe something a bit happier

How about something a bit more cheerful this week?
We've been visited by a crazy selection of birds lately: hawks, new chickadees, goldfinch pairs, something that goes "brap" at me and might be a nuthatch, and today two broods of turkeys with their moms. And I'm still hearing the hermit thrush on quiet evenings. A most fantastic sound that I am in love with.

Tonight however, the music in the studio is drowning out most of that. I'm creeping closer to the finish line on "Frog in the Forest" after staring at it perplexed for way too long.
Another piece I've gotten myself into is Frog related again, but that's being done as a trade so I won't post it until it's in the recipient's hands. And it's going well enough I may get it professionally scanned.

Our 4th was excellent, by the way. We had AndreZero & Carol over, and there was much eating and drinking. As usual! I couldn't have asked for better weather--it's really been amazing up here.

Listening to while posting: Four Ton Mantis by Amon Tobin
(and thank you, auto-save function)

Paintings in progress

Here's a few pieces that have been in progress for awhile:
The Kitchen Table:
Colored pencil & acrylic on watercolor canvas; 11"x 11"
Frog in the Forest:
Acrylic on canvas; 16"x 24" (if I remember right)
A quick study of a different frog face for Frog in the Forest. I missed using pen & ink, though perhaps cold press w/c paper wasn't the best choice for my poor pen nib.
Walnut ink, colored pencil, india ink; 4"x 6"

I'm also itching to get some more underwater pieces started. The squid & submarine hasn't moved past the sketchbook, much to Rick's exasperation. Our trip to the Boston aquarium next month should get me moving on that one.
I also have to work on our anniversary cards. Continuing our 'poster' idea, this one will take off from a pulp science fiction magazine from the 40's. That'll be a new style altogether for me, and a tight deadline to boot.
Time to give Rick back his computer & get back into the studio.

Still a frog. In the forest.

This latest sketch was fun, but working in color shows just how much I really have to consider about the value range. (As to the dead-centered red mushroom cap, well, it's just a test. There is more to the picture than shown.) Also, I think I'm going to show more underside of the mushroom umbrella. The piece which started this whole ball rolling was all about the underside, not the top. I'm happy with those sunbeams though.

more of frog in the forest!

Tonight, I'm resting my achy self, and the tv came through beautifully: I got to watch Great Perfomances' Peter & the Wolf stop-motion animation. Fantastic!

Following are some sketches from Wednesday & Thursday. I'm starting to get a bit better at trees. Real trees have So! Many! Branches! But I'm loving my simple little #2 pencil, it has worked it's little heart out. All the fancy pencils are grumbling in disgust.