Dance Notes

This is a gift.
Background based on Banesh Dance Notation, which is used to document ballet choreography.

ACEO (2.5" x 3.5") pastel on Colourfix

Tiara & Topiary Cat

There was a package in the mail waiting for me when I got home from painting on  Saturday.
Beth sent me a tiara!! It was supposed to be for her birthday party but the shipment was late.

I found the perfect place for my awesome tiara:

Daya needs original art for her school locker.
She wanted a Topiary Cat and a pointe shoe.

This is an ACEO card on Brisol, which I primed with Golden's pastel primer for some grit.  I used pastel pencils because it is so small.

ACEO (2.5 x 3.5") pastel
I could not get a good photograph, and pastels are usually easier to photo than oils.

Flip: Broken

The theme Broken is in honour of Carey's fridge, which was in a broken state more than any fridge has a right to be.

ACEO 2.5x3.5 pastel on bristol with Golden pastel primer.

DOOM

Carey's Fridge Tribute is here.

Flip: More Cowbell

There is a member of my household who would insist on more cowbell in everything and that member is Pebbles.

So here she is, and yes she is judging you to irrational standards.

Watercolor and inktense. ACEO

You have to see Carey's... it is hilarious.

FLIP: Prohibition

I'm with Georgia.

Prohibition was something that people got all insane about back in the 1920s.
Amazingly that was almost 100 years ago!
This really is a very interesting bit of history, though,

I am not sure this is a valid case for prohibition,

as no one was suggesting to outlaw water.

Mom might need a glass of wine sometimes.
She does not look happy in this picture.
She is also a giantess and the baby is bigger than the girl.
Just... DRAWING OBSERVATIONS
:p

******
I had trouble figuring out what the heck to do for this week.
Nothing great from my end... I did  this last minute without the benefit of contact lenses, because as of Monday 7:30pm MY EYE STILL HURTS.

Just a little play on the wet/dry concept.
ACEO pastel on colourfix 2.5 x 3.5

I'm sure my cylinder is off perspective but I can't see it because I literally can't see.
Ugh.

Micro-Tree

Here is a little ACEO I did with one hand while I was on the phone.

It occurred to me several tines to use my headset so both hands would be free, but that meant getting up so I didn't.

These little cards are great when I want to paint but don't have the energy and focus for more intense work.

Pastel 2.5 x 3.5

Golden pastel primer on bristol

Muted Forest

I was playing around with my new Liquitex Muted Series ink.

Started abstract and i guess it still is, but it also looks a bit like a forest.

Muted Green * Muted Purple * Muted Gray

ACEO (2.5 x 3.5) on Bristol

Mad! Chess

This week's theme is chess.

I had a bunch of ideas but managed to pull off half of one idea before I ran out of steam.

The King is in Trouble

Pastel on Colourfix

ACEO (2.5 x 3.5)

Mad !! Tornado (PRT)

I am so late on Mad! Tornado. But now it is done!!

The Ominous Slinky-Tornado

Pastel on Colourfix

ACEO 2.5x3.5

Mad! Super Color

I came home yesterday AND THE HEAT WAS ON.
THE HEAT.
WAS ON.
IN 92 DEGREE WEATHER.

The building's sensor was zapped or something and it is controlled by a computer in the landlord's office. Which mistakenly switched the heat ON in heat-advisory 92 degree weather.

It was worst pun ever NOT COOL.

********
Carey said our theme is Super Color because she is very astute and she knew somewhere in her maze-mind that I have Diane Townsend fluorescent pastels. They are obnoxiously bright.

That's how cool Carey is.  She knows Things.

If this is not super color then I do not know what is.

Melting Tree
ACEO pastel on colourfix primed watercolor paper

These things are so fantastically bright 

they almost hurt your eyes.

Tortie ACEO

I have a project at work which involves a bunch of waiting for files to publish.

So I brought my small set of Rembrandt half-sticks and did this little ACEO.

Pastel on Colourfix

Dusty Weekend

I have some paintings from the weekend that need to be here on my blog.

Diane Townsend (who lives in Hudson) makes fluorescent pastels. I had a couple and I got some more.

Turquoise Tree ACEO (2.5 x 3.5) on colourfix

Plein air up at Olana.
5x7 pastel on colourfix

That set on the right is...was.... the 30 full stick Rembrandt set but I broke all the sticks in half and supplemented with open stock. So the color range doubled and it is super easy to travel with.

Pastel boxes are taped to the side palettes of my Belly River box. It worked out perfectly.

Dru took this pic of me painting. I forgot to bring my painting apron but especially for pastels it doesn't matter.

I LOVE PASTELS!

I LOVE ALL THE PAINT!

Mad: Sparta

I have no idea why Sparta is our theme.
Carey thought it up.

I went classical with it, though I suppose there are many modern "Sparta" things that can be done.
5x7 pastel on stonehenge (unprimed! it is different working on non-gritty paper)

Pilot Light

Well, I'm supposed to do this painting so here it is.

Pilot Light
ACEO (2.5x3.5)
Pastel (unisons) on Colorfix

Gigantor

Drusilla has the biggest rat in the world.
Fittingly, he is named Gigantor.

When people say, "That rat was as big as a cat!" they are talking about Gigantor.
Seriously, he is ENORMOUS and I love him madly.

If he wasn't so incredibly lazy he would rule the world, but he can't be bothered.

Gigantor
ACEO 2.5 x 3.5 (times three)...(he would not fit on one card)
pastel
colurfix primed bristol

Dusky Clouds

Here are some dusky clouds.

ACEO

pastel on colorfix primed bristol

Mad: Finished

This week I thought I would be smart and choose "Finished" as the theme so i could finish my lobster and maybe even that cloud landscape from forever ago.

Because I didn't want to start something new.

I haven't been doing all that great lately, and that makes painting really difficult.

So I did not finish the lobster or the clouds, but I have this misty lake little aceo oil pastel.

Because I could not post something unfinished for a finished theme.

Carey finished something here.

Mad Space

Our theme is Space.
Space is a great theme.

Here is a little ACEO.
Unison pastels on blue colorfix primed bristol
2.5 x 3.5

Dru if you are reading this, I used my little grater! :)

Technique-wise this was a successful experiment in pulling off a speckled effect in pastel.
It's fragile as all pastel paintings are, but I am pleased with the result.
Colorfix primer has a nice toothy surface...I don't think this would work as well on a smooth surface.

Carey's mad space is here.

Mad ACEO: Pan Pastel

Our theme this week was pan pastels!
This was the theme last week before the last-minute change.

I LOVE pan pastels.
Here are all my trays except for 2, laid out for painting.

I painted a cave in 5 parts.

First, I colorfix primed 5 ACEO size bristol.  Then I taped them together and stuck them to my drawing board.  Here is my sketch in conte.

First layer in pan pastel.  I sprayed it with fixative.

The final layer is Rembrandts and pans.

I worked on all 5 as one painting, while taking care to make sure each mini-composition still worked.

Full Cave

2.5 x 17.5

And each section of the cave

2.5 x 3.5

Cave 1

Cave 2

Cave 3

Cave 4

Cave 5

Carey's are here! :)

Mad ACEO: Snow

We had a mid-week theme change...theme is snow!

I got three done. All are 2.5 x 3.5" oil pastel on bristol.

The first two have a double coat of acrylic glitter glaze, which is really difficult to photograph.
Oh well.