Author Archives: Sheila

One, Two, Three

26 Replies

 

#1 of 30. 3 x 3 in. mixed media on canvas. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

#1 of 30. 3 x 3 in. mixed media on canvas. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

 

#2 of 30. 3 x 3 in. mixed media on canvas. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

#2 of 30. 3 x 3 in. mixed media on canvas. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

 

#3 of 30. 3 x 3 in. mixed media on canvas. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

#3 of 30. 3 x 3 in. mixed media on canvas. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

 

This botched bunny was the first number one.

Botched Bunny, 4 x 6 in. watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb. cold pressed paper. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

Botched Bunny, 4 x 6 in. watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb. cold pressed paper. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

It’s possible I can save this.  I used granulating medium on the background and planned on adding more layers there. The foreground area was very pretty before it dried. The colors faded more than usual. When these areas bombed I did not go back to finish the rabbit. I can see a second attempt in my head, ideas are percolating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And It’s On!

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View of Mingus, 8-27-18. SMD

View of Mingus, 8-27-18. SMD

I just love that swoosh of color. New shape of a shadow. Come and gone in a few moments time. Want to paint that.

I know I wasn’t the only one worried. Leslie Saeta posted today, time to sign up for the September 30 Paintings in 30 days challenge. In TWO DAYS!!?? I lost a week somewhere. Thought I still had a week to prep and paint a little. Are you ready for the challenge?

I have two themes in mind. But I may just go with the flow. I have decided to go small for the most part. My September calendar is full, only one week is clear of distractions.

 

New And Improved

I am so excited! I will be putting my new palette to use! Just finished setting it up. After researching palettes, paint colors, paint makers, and of course, how to set up a palette.

I decided on a Mijello 18-well palette. Hard decision, so many options available. I thought surely this would be big enough. HA! I like the abundant space for mixing. It takes up a lot of room on my desk. But I won’t need the multiple small porcelain palettes I used in addition to my Cotman sketchers box.

 

Yay!

 

I followed the examples of others, and washed the palette first. I made sure not to scratch it. I left space in each well to work, not filling them completely. And I made the cheat sheet.

It is not a perfect, or balanced, color wheel palette. There are some new colors that I might end up not liking, or using much. Time will tell. And already, I know of at least five colors I would like to add. A good grey being one of them.

I am clearly heavy on the light side. Not enough mid to dark values. I do have a basic red, blue and yellow, so the mixing options are wide open. Looking forward to the learning ahead.

Large storage box.

I found a great box at Michaels for storing my paint tubes. Meant for storing photos, you can find them in the scrapbook section. I bought two each of the large and small. They snap closed securely. Much better than the Ziploc I used at one time.

 

Pete is home!

Finished Proton Therapy on the 15th. There will be follow ups of course. They said it would be nine months before he feels 100%. He IS starting to sleep longer at night. That is a major relief for all of us! He is doing physical therapy and weight training to regain strength. And playing word games to strengthen different areas of the brain. Very happy to be home, and in his own bed!

So grateful for your well wishes and prayers!
Prayer is POWERFUL!
So blessed with your kindness and good thoughts!
Thank you!

 

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

We give thanks to God always for all of you,
constantly mentioning you in our prayers.
1 Thessalonians 1:2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Testing, Testing…

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Light and Dark. 8-23-18, SMD

Light and Dark. 8-23-18, SMD

A chance of rain still. The next few days. The golden grasses are all a brilliant shade of green. Well. You might have to look closer, or just take my word for it.

 

Green on the hills. 8-23-18, SMD.

Green on the hills. 8-23-18, SMD.

 

NEW TOYS. I MEAN SUPPLIES.

I purchased these, so excited to try new art toys. Michaels, Artist’s Loft Water Soluble Wax Pastels. It was the first time I saw them in the store here. Looking online, I found that they have been around for at least two years. Oh well. They are new to me, and I thought I would share.

 

Water Soluble Wax Pastels by Artist's Loft®

Water Soluble Wax Pastels by Artist’s Loft

 

If I had to give these a rating, it would be a 2 out of 5. You can see below, the strength of pigmentation. The pinks and yellows all but disappear. There are 24 colors, no names though. It is hard to tell some of the colors apart. You can see it here, and in the test sheet below, that the colors do not blend easily. Most of the color stays where you put it.

 

24 Colors.

 

The pastels looked messy in the package. It also looked as if one of the purples had melted all over the wrapping. Not a big deal to me, but for gift giving that would be a disappointment. The pastels are covered with a white haze. I think it might be the ingredients separating, blooming  like chocolate will. Funny, but I didn’t even notice that at the store. I must have been really excited!

 

First look.

 

I pulled a few colors to test and compare with Caran d’Ache Neocolor II. The pastels are really creamy, they go on smooth and are fun to draw with. First I laid down a heavy patch of color. For the second square, I pulled wet color from the first, to see how much color would be lifted. The third patch, I put a small amount of pastel. I added water, and spread the color. I pressed hard, to blend the color completely. But as you can see, the original marks remain. The Neocolors are the four at the bottom.

With the four samples on the right, I tried to blend two colors together. Red and Yellow. On top, I used a wet brush to pull color directly from the pastel. Very little color transferred. The second sample, I pulled color from the still wet samples on the left. The two side by side samples, I drew the colors on to the paper.

 

 

I was disappointed in the pigment levels, and how hard it was to get color directly from the crayons. But I do think that these would be great in mixed media for texture and mark making. Glad I had a 40% off coupon though.