Challenges

Not Even Cute

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Now this is just ugly. I saw this cute pair of paintings online and thought they would be cute in my bathroom. The first mistake I made was giving this poor lady unflattering facial features. The second mistake was using watercolor pens. I think I’m going to paint over this whole painting with acrylic and use the paper again for something else.

I’ve watched a number of videos that demonstrate the use of watercolor pens, but I can’t seem to make them work for me. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong, but I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead. I do so much better with acrylics. Watercolors aren’t nearly as forgiving as acrylics. You can paint over acrylics until you achieve the desired effect. Not so with watercolors. This is not my talent. I don’t even feel much desire to try to improve it.

One thing I’m working on that I really like is a female nude abstract. I don’t know if it’s okay to post that here, but it’s coming along pretty great. Well…my definition of “great” might be a little loose.

I received the cute little watercolor notebook I ordered from Amazon. I’m going to use it for my acrylic painting challenge. I think I’ll practice some blending and backgrounds in it and then add stuff. I’m not sure what yet. Here is the little book I ordered. I chose the pink one.

I’m ready to move on from Christmas paintings, but I’m not yet sure what’s next. I’ll eventually do some Easter paintings because my daughter likes to decorate for all the holidays. Maybe some winter in Texas paintings? I’m in the Gulf Coast region of Texas, and it’s very tropical here. We have palm trees and hibiscus in the winter. That could make some interesting paintings. I’m going to look into that.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!

Stuck Santa

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This is one of my favorite little paintings. I had fun painting it. It’s on a little 6″ x 4″ postcard size watercolor paper. I painted a lot more this weekend and last weekend than I usually do. They were all fun and easy Christmas paintings. This is another one that I saw on Pinterest, so not an original design.

A Little Grinchy

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I can be a bit of a Grinch at Christmas. I know y’all didn’t think that about me, but it’s absolutely true. I’m more of a routine sort of girl, and holidays throw my routines out of whack. People have expectations at Christmas, and I don’t like it when people expect anything of me. It gives me an oppressive feeling…a feeling of being oppressed. Crazy, right?

Maybe a lot of people are closet Grinches. I posted this painting on Facebook, and everybody said it was their favorite. Why do people say Christmas is magical? Where is the magic? What is the magic? I must be lacking something. I remember the excitement of being a child and going to the Christmas parade. It felt like my heart was in my throat when the bands went by. I no longer get that feeling. I only get the feeling of stress caused by the expectations of others.

So…the Grinch. I like this painting.

Rudolph Snowman

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I call this fella Rudolph Snowman because he has a big red nose like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. He’s now sitting on the fireplace mantel among the reindeer paintings we did at Painting With a Twist.

I read today that it’s better to paint small paintings every day than to work on a large painting for a long time. Sounds good to me. The completion of something quickly might keep me motivated. For this painting, I used 4″ x 6″ Strathmore Watercolor Postcards, 3 Pads. These cards can be used as painted postcards or Christmas cards.

I saw a painting posted in a Facebook group, and the lady who did it said she had only been painting for a year. Her painting was way less amateurish than mine. Although I’ve been painting for a year, it has been just sporadic and mainly a few minutes here and there on the weekends. I know I shouldn’t be comparing myself to others, but I do. It doesn’t make me feel bad. It makes me want to work harder and improve. Whether my paintings or good or bad, they bring me joy. I feel joy while I’m painting them and again when I see them hanging on the wall or sitting on a shelf.

I want to do seasonal paintings for all the different seasons and holidays. I love this little snowman and will be sad to put him away when Christmas is over. I’m sure I’ll do other paintings that I love as much.

I must say this is not an original design by me. It’s something from Pinterest. I’m not really at the place yet where I have much luck painting my own creations. I know the more I practice that it will come. I’ll just keep doing it.

30-Day Sketchbook Challenge

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I’ve decided to do a 30-day sketchbook challenge. The challenge is to do something in my sketchbook each day. Today I drew a Christmasy dog. My intent is to paint it with acrylic paints. I’m using a mixed media sketchpad. You can also use a watercolor pad. Both of those have thick pages so the paint won’t bleed through.

I painted my first picture last October. This is all still new to me. I’m just now learning to sketch and paint. If something turns out well, I’m pretty sure I just got lucky. My hope is to get much better at it by the end of 2022. I want to record my progress to see if I learn anything.

Here are a few nice sketchbooks that I believe will work fine with acrylic paint.