Tag Archives: #gouache

Graceful Gathering

Doodle Bugs was our Spoonflower assignment this week. I am not a fan of bugs in general. I wouldn’t choose to draw them. I do admire bugs that other artists create. And I have to admit, I was surprised at how many colorful, pretty bugs there are. I had a hard time narrowing it down.

The brief called for hand drawn or painted bugs. My Talens Angora watercolor palette came to mind. Warm desert tones. (Their skin tone collection.) And I decided on Moths. There are so many pretty ones. Some are neon pink and yellow. There were lots of yellows, in the images I researched. And warm earthy rusts and salmons.

Graceful Gathering Wallpaper. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.

I created the bodies and details using the pen tool in Photoshop. I wanted nice crisp lines. I painted blobs, trying to get some bleeds and blooms. I wasn’t as successful with that, but I did end up with a few that were usable. I trimmed them digitally to fit the moth bodies.

I have never considered painting a butterfly. Always felt it was beyond my abilities. But I surprised myself. I am learning to think in pen tool. Haha. 🙂 No way would I be able to draw them by hand though.

Graceful Gathering details. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.

Graceful Gathering samples. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.

I am really happy with how this turned out. Happy with the hues.
Happy with my little taught-me-so-much doodle bugs. 😉
Voting is open until next Tuesday, the 25th.

Graceful Gathering Collection. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.

Last week I received notice that Spoonflower was making changes in the challenge voting. They have already changed the main challenge page, and WOW! I am looking forward to seeing what changes they made on the voting page. Fingers crossed.

I just read in a Facebook Spoonflower group, that the voting is messy and takes you through 21 pages. BUT, it does allow you to exit and come back to it. It saves your votes, but shows the designs in random order. So you may see some designs more than once, if you re enter. Sounds like they need to work out some glitches.

It will take people using it, for them to gather info for improvements. And if you do consider voting, I am very interested in hearing your opinions, so I can pass them on to Spoonflower.

They did mention, that there would be two columns instead of one, on the phone app. That is a huge change. And will help make voting a little faster. They will also be verifying that designs meet the requirements, and are repeating designs. One key to voting on the phone, is to open the page, and give it a few seconds to load the images.

WOO WHO!!!

Spoonflower calculates the counts now! Awesome! I don’t have to search through the entries now, to find my placement. Thank you Spoonflower! 🙂

Rugged Line placement in the Miniature Dollhouse Wallpaper challenge.

Rugged Line - Pink. Miniature Dollhouse Wallpaper. © 2023 Sheila Delgado. — Rugged Line – Pink. Miniature Dollhouse Wallpaper. © 2023 Sheila Delgado.

Woo Whoo! 176!! That is the top 10.45 %. (If the online calculator is correct. LOL)

You can see the top 65, here. I would have needed only 30 more votes to make the top 65. WOWzers! 🙂 This simple design is one of my favorites. So nice that so many others like it too. 🙂

Sending out a huge cup of appreciation, to all of you who voted & to those of you taking the time to vote this week. 🙂 And to all of my followers. I am so grateful. 🙂

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

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Ranunculus On A Rainy Night

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Watercolor, acrylics, gouache, digital marks. I started with layers of pattern using Inktense pencil, acrylics, stencils and a texture sheet. After painting the blooms and vase, It was boring. It needed more but I didn’t know what. It sat for two days.

Ranunculus, Before. Watercolor on Paper. 10 x 10. © 2022 Sheila Delgado. — Ranunculus, before. Watercolor on Paper. 10 x 10. © 2022 Sheila Delgado.

I pulled out my digital pen (laptop), and drew swirls over the blooms. 3 layers, one for each color. (I needed a fourth layer, where the two darker blooms overlap on the right.) I drew complete swirls over each bloom, and had to erase areas where blooms overlapped.

At the end I copied and pasted a bloom to the top right, to fill a hole. But it further emphasized a line I am not happy with it. I had fun though, and I am calling it done.

We’ve had two days of glorious spotty rain. Reports say it will continue all week.
Fingers crossed.

Artistic creativity is a whirlpool of imagination
that swirls in the depths of the mind.
Robert Toth

Give thanks for the rain in your life
which waters the flowers of your soul.
Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Work In Progress

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Eucalyptus. Watercolor and gouache on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado. — Eucalyptus. 12 x 12, Watercolor and gouache on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Experimental. Exhausting. Lacking.

I can’t help but feel this is still in need of… something. First layers in Inktense. Splotches, daubs and puddles. Days of contemplation. Watercolor glazing that became layer after layer. More splotches. More consideration. Days became a week. A week and a half.

I reminded myself it is only paint, and sat down to finish. Gouache thinned to reveal previous layers, for the vase. Thick layers of gouache for the greens. Blues. Blue-greens.

Painting propped up across the room. More thinking.