In my last blog entry I mentioned that I wanted to do one painting a week, for four weeks. Am I on track. Well kind of. One isn’t quite a painting, but more of a sketch, but illness, and having a bit of a social life got in the way.
So far I have completed three out of the four pictures and just have one more to do, which I don’t think is that bad going.
I started off painting a version of a St Ives scene, although my artistic licence meant that I opted not to put in a few buildings. I then decided that all of my pictures would be of the same scene. I find it quite interesting to paint the same scene using different materials and mediums as it not only helps me familiarise with it, but I like to see how using different mediums changes my style.
The first painting was on canvas and painted using acrylics. I primed over an old painting I didn’t like – this is well worth doing, as canvas’s can be expensive. Then I sketched out in yellow ochre the outlines of the buildings.
I selected my palette of muted colours and set to work. Here’s the result.
My second painting was created on arches watercolour paper and collage, acrylic inks and acrylic paint was used.
I tore up some handmade paper and stuck this on to the watercolour paper using Golden Gel Medium. I then started to drip inks over the canvas, using a misting spray to help the paint merge on the paper. This gets quite messy so it’s best to put down some plastic sheeting or newspaper if you don’t want your worktop to get stained.
It's almost the weekend - yay! Which means I get to spend more time with the people I love. So all is good. 
After I had painted the initial picture I wasn’t sure what else to do to it, so I left it a while. Anyway, I came back to it and decided that I would ‘do an Escher’ on an Escher picture, (he used mirrors in the making of his art) and I traced the painting so that I could mirror the image. Now that I have done this I am trying to work out how to link the bridges together. My thought is to mirror the bridges so that they form a loop. I have traced those from my original drawing and I am now trying out various placements. At least I can do this with tracing paper until I like the effect 
This painting is taking ages, but I seem to want to really think this through which is very unlike me. I have also had creative input from the amazingly talented Mac in my art group (he seriously is brilliant) and from lovely Jim.
I really enjoyed this and used a pencil I bought years ago called black beauty. It’s a thicker pencil and is made of bonded lead, which gives a thicker and darker line without having to press too hard.
I haven’t drawn in ages (I usually paint) so this is really good to do especially as art teachers have told me that as an artist, you should draw every day. Anyway, here’s what I learnt when starting this challenge: 
Through this wonderful blogosphere I have come across the amazing work of Kelly Berkey. Her jewellery is so lovely and unique – I love it! She is also part of a community of other female artists and Kelly decided to set up a weekly sketching challenge. So she asked her partner to photograph her and she posts up one picture a week for people to draw or paint. A few people have joined in, and I have decided to dip my toe in the water and have a go.
I will say out of all three paintings I had the most fun with this.
