Sunday, December 7, 2014

Helen Eaton





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After drawing lines i (As I've gladly admitted  before, yes, I cheat with a sheet of carbon paper) I blocked colors.



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Next I tried to add a little life to the big flat areas of color. Some yellows and purples livened up the leaves. Added all kinds of I streaks paint colors from left over on my pallet to the vines ... Hoping They'd start looking right ... they did not.



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After the bold background colors dried a day or two, It was in time to block the flower. I planned to use alizarin red and white, I used diaxozine  for the purple shaded Areas. It seems to work best for me if get those areas in first and darker than I know they should be.


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* Blend with new white ... the petals look like mud ...
* Add the middle ... the yellows and oranges smear ...
* Experiment with Those vines again ... what a mess ...
* Try to make the  spots look intentional INSTEAD of like I dropped dark paint blobs on the leaves ... Add Some yellowish greens and purple-leaf greens around the holes .... hmmm ...

*  And this is the Point Where It Happens ... It always happens ... It's the ugly stage ... I wonder if I shoulds give up, if I have the right to call myself an artist, if this one just isn ' meant to be ...


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Then with fresh eyes and one more try, it comes together. ALTHOUGH it's happened dozens and dozens of times, I'm always surprised when it happens ... and I smile then sign my name in the bottom corner.

Helen Eaton
6 "x 8" Oil on Canvas

4 comments:

Terri Einer said...

Love your post! Same struggles as the rest of us. Nice job on the painting.

Shirley said...

alyLas mustGosh I thought as I saw each stage "oh this isn't going to work " but it certainly did. I think that is the beauty of working with oils. You really can't do that with acrylics. Great painting

Anonymous said...

Love the development,and the beautiful result at the finish,Syls

Valérie M. said...

Une belle interprétation, toute en finesse et assez réaliste... une peinture toute en délicatesse et soin....