Glazing is amazing :-)

I enjoy using a couple of techniques (a lot) - glazing and sgrafitto.  My focus on these techniques came straight from "Table Top: Drawing and Painting", an online class taught by Diane Culhane.

A few days ago I completed a Table Top-inspired still life.  It began like this:

From "Transparent Layering" blog post

(transparent layering blog post http://darlenecranna.blogspot.com/2015/01/layering-transparent-colors.html )


The next phase is about adding color - layering glazes:

At this point I was unsure of how I would develop this painting differently from previous ones; time to put this aside for a while.

Some days later I came back to it. Next steps:

• Add more glazing. 
• Add definition with opaque layers.
• Sgrafitto for revealing earlier layers and to add texture.

And the finished piece:

"Three Vases with Flowers"

For more about Diane's class, here's a short video http://vimeo.com/77735037

Layering transparent colors

New still life where I used layers and layers of transparent paint.  I have always loved transparency even way, way back when I used an air brush to create colored screens and glass-like panels in imaginary landscapes.

This time I incorporated the techniques of glazing, sgraffito and painting negative shapes that Diane Culhane demonstrated in her online class, Table Top: Drawing and Painting.  For more about Diane Culhane, visit her website http://www.dianeculhaneart.com/

For my still life I chose vases; here is the beginning phase:

Basic line work

An interim phase:

Glazing.

An the finished painting:

"Five Vases" :-)

Bunnies

Another critter I love - the bunny.  Even more fun... more bunnies!  Here they are:

"Secret Society", mixed media painting

 
To create the background layers of this painting I used some techniques (glazing, sgraffito and masking) that Diane Culhane demonstrated in her class, "Paint Your Garden" - the class that keeps on giving.

I have several canvases with backgrounds done in much the same way.  I set them aside; later on I will return and continue painting :-)

Serendipity!  Carla Sonheim is offering Diane's class again later this month.  I highly recommend "Paint Your Garden".

Links:
Paint Your Garden class - http://www.carlasonheim.com/paint-your-garden-with-diane-culhane/
Diane Culhane's website - http://www.dianeculhaneart.com/

Yupo calling :-)

I found myself wanting to experiment more with Yupo “paper” and also adding some texturing techniques from Diane Culhane's online class, "Paint Your Garden".
 

I used watercolors with frottage and blown blots techniques to create the background layers.  More texture was created with sgraffito  -Yupo is rugged and holds up nicely to this technique.  Next, even more watercolor and added definition using colored pencil and graphite:

I call this "Wild...Flowers" :-)

Mixed media bird

I felt like drawing another imaginary bird. Earlier this month I watched a quick video from Carla Sonheim called “Crazy Birds Tutorial”.  Carla has great ideas for getting started and this is a fun one. 

I made a few sketches using the ‘crazy birds’ approach and posted the first bird here a few weeks ago.  This second bird is a mixed media piece:

In the sun's light...

 I used some masking, stippling and sgraffito techniques from Diane Culhane’s “Paint Your Garden” workshop, too.