Tag Archives: Acrylics

Postcards

Sitting in on an online pattern design class, and working on postcards. Not really a good idea, I have to admit. Several have turned out rather blah. I may be able to save them as backgrounds, if not I can start over with a layer of acrylic.

This is eye-popping. A contender for submission. I don’t work with red much, but the tube jumped out of the caddy and into my hand. This is actually a “save”. There is a bit of texture under the red, barely shows here, but it really adds depth in the original. Grab your shades before scrolling down, this one is really bright.

Red. Abstract Acrylics on 140 lb Arches cold pressed paper. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

Oops! Forgot to mention that the “brown” is actually copper, and it adds a bit of shine throughout. It’s a shame it never translates well in the scanning process. When I scanned this one in, well let me just show you…

Red, scanned image.

The colors were horrible. Most often when I scan images in, an adjustment to the vibrance will make the scan look like the original piece of art. With this, I had to use the curves adjustment as well as the color balance. I am sure it is due to the intensity of these hues. I just played with the different adjustment options in Photoshop until I found the best representation. (Image – Adjustments)

Patches. Gouache on 140 lb. Arches cold pressed paper. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

For any artist who is new to Photoshop, you should feel free to play with these options. You can try them on your image, and if you don’t like the change, you can just “cancel” out of the pop up box. You do need to rasterize your image before these options will be available to you.

One more card that is ready. I may use it as a background for some collage. I can add pattern as well.

There is still time for artists to submit postcards. You can find all the information here, Visual Aids 17th ANNUAL POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE.

Happy day ya’ll!

30 Paintings In 30 days, Day One

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Painting #1 for Leslie Saeta’s September 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. I started this on August 23rd and it has been sitting unfinished, because I thought I botched the background. I finally made the attempt to “fix” it. I scrubbed out the first layer which was Alizarin crimson and French ultramarine. Over that I layered Inktense Deep Indigo. I am so happy with the result. There is a hint of the red in some areas, and it brings a warm light in. I haven’t thought of a name for her yet, do you have a suggestion?

Watercolor 4 x 5, 140 lb Cold Press, © Sheila Delgado 2013

Acrylic on canvas panels

I have also added more layers to the canvas boards. I smudged, scraped, and applied paint with a twig. I took out some of the light colors, then added them back in. And I thinned the turquoise and then scrubbed a bit of that back on. There is a nice texture building up. I have lost count, but there are about eight layers so far. I have chosen some quotes from favorite poems, and I am planning to add those at some point. My hand lettering skills are a weakness, so I am crossing my fingers I can pull it off.

Art Journal – Work in Progress

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I attended Terri Sproul’s Art Journal Class. It was LIVE on YouTube. OK, I am really behind the times, because I did not know you could do a live class on YouTube. How awesome is that! Terri holds this class every Tuesday at 6 pm pacific. She was so much fun, and she shared so much information on products and how to’s. Click on the link, and you can watch all of her classes.You really should think about checking it out!

I don’t have an art journal, so I worked on some loose pages. I think I am going to use my sketch pad as a journal for now. That should work. I don’t know why I never considered doing an art journal before. I do really like the idea of allotting time each week just for creative play.

This is the beginning of my pages, I have a few more ideas I want to play with. I need to add some more dark areas, for balance. I found this great image in a magazine, and she was calling my name. She is a princess, and I am not really a princess type of girl, but the artwork is gorgeous, so there it is. I am trying to contact the artist, and if she gives the OK, I will show you the pretty princess when I post the final piece. Do you like them so far?