Category Archives: Painting Challenge

30-Day Creative Gathering, Day 9

Day 9, Watercolor on 8 x 8 140 lb. Strathmore Cold Pressed Paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Day 9, Watercolor on 8 x 8 140 lb. Strathmore Cold Pressed Paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Botched, befuddled, and blighted. Haha. I was doing well, and then I wasn’t. I completely overworked this. Bad timing. And timing is essential in watercolor.

I was distracted by the light and Mingus. First, the front range was white, and Mingus was dark. Then Mingus was white, and the front range was dark. Then the sky began to change. And well…. distraction. I started painting this before the light caught my eye. And I was thinking I had not seen the hills white, as I was trying to paint them. And then boom. They were. Haha.

My sky was decent. The field was ok. Then I added clouds. and they started out ok, but too light. I went back in with more color, but too much water. Ugh. They bloomed, and I had hard, jagged edges everywhere. I tried to soften them with a damp brush. And then I tried again with a digital brush. The small PPI blurs things a bit more.

Knowing I had already messed the sky up, I played a bit more with the field. Trying to get, you know, a feeling of distance. Bleah!!

OK, enough of that. Now for the real star of the show!

Sunset 2-8-21. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Sunset 2-8-21. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

On our neighborhood website, everyone has been sharing their gorgeous sunset photos this week. And why not? Last night I was oo-ing and ah-ing over the sunset out front, looking to the east (below). While at the same time, my folks were hyper about the sun setting in the back, to the west (above). WOWzers!

Oh beautiful, for spacious sky!

Mingus Sunset 2-8-21. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Mingus Sunset 2-8-21. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Winter Sunset 2-2-21. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Winter Sunset 2-2-21. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

This sunset sky is from a week ago. It is subtle, but those colors! I wish I could post it larger. To the left, the pinks in the distance, the soft purples. The undulating cloud shapes. It was delightful. 🙂

When the sun is setting, leave
whatever you are doing and watch it.
Mehmet Murat Ildan

When I admire the wonders of a sunset
or the beauty of the moon,
my soul expands in the
worship of the creator.
Mahatma Gandhi

Another Day, Another View Of Mingus

Day 8, Watercolor on 8 x 8 140 lb. Strathmore Cold Pressed Paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
Day 8, Watercolor on 8 x 8 140 lb. Strathmore Cold Pressed Paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

I have mountains of Mingus photos. Haha. Many times, it is more about the sky action, but Mingus makes an awesome frame. More sky painting practice today. I need to practice creating distance as well. I’ll keep working at it. 🙂

Always think about practice…
theory is not the endpoint of work,
it is the work along the way to work.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres

To gain confidence,
constant practice is essential.
Just as a musician needs to practice regularly
to retain his touch,
the watercolorist needs to be constantly
in touch with the medium.
Robert Lovett

February 2021 30-Day Creative Gathering

FEB 2021, Day 1, Mixed Media on 8 x 8 Paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.
FEB 2021, Day 1, Mixed Media on 8 x 8 Paper. © 2021 Sheila Delgado.

Paper, acrylics, crayons, Zig writer, Posca white, Liquitex Portrait Pink Pen. I started with scribbles to “activate” the paper as they say. The early marks are were still visible under the layers of paint, so I decided to accentuate them.

I added circles in bright pink, but the crayon was muted on the acrylic. I tried the Liquitex pen and that added a shine, an interesting addition. I outlined some of the circles and filled in others. Next, I added white to some of them. Now there is shiny white, glossy pink, and a flat background.

I am not really a fan of mid-century modern. And I am not sure this falls into that category. It turned out completely different from what I had in mind. Haha, how many times have I said that before? But I have two more in the series.

Happy Day one everyone! Let’s have some fun!

Play, have fun and take risks.
Someone somewhere will always love your work.
It’s not your job to like or love your work.
Your job is to enjoy the process of creating it.
Wyanne Winter