Fresh Paint

“Black Labrador”… Based off a Fresh Paint Reference

| cathmary1030

I started this on a 9×12 canvas, and then my cat bit my right wrist — that’s my painting hand. Ten days of antibiotics got the swelling down, and I pretty much have most of my range of motion back, so I was able to finish this.

The painting is based off a reference photo on Ali Kay‘s Fresh Paint site, and I turned up the saturation on the photo to see colors other than black: dark blue, some deep violet, and some silvery gray.

The photo which looks bluer is actually truer to life, but I made the color more red today (Cadmium Red Hue by Golden) and the new photo looks more washed out.

“Stack of Pancakes”… Based off a Fresh Paint Reference

| cathmary1030

This painting was done on an 8×10 canvas, and is based off a reference photo on Ali Kay‘s Fresh Paint site. Ali will demo her version of this stack of pancakes and blueberries in a few days; I wanted to do my own version).

I’m happiest with the blueberries, which I painted with Anthraquinone Blue straight from the tube, Ultramarine Blue, and Ultramarine Blue with Titanium White. For the syrup, I used a glazing medium with Liquitex’s Raw Sienna.

“Lilacs”… Based off a Fresh Paint Reference

| cathmary1030

I outlined these lilacs on an 8×10 canvas over a year ago (based on a template found on Ali Kay‘s Fresh Paint site.) Finally got around to painting it — using the reference photo Ali Kay provided, and NOT copying her style at all.

Overall, I’m more satisfied with the lilacs — which put me in mind of spring in New England during my college years — than with the daffodils in the vase I did a while back.

“Sledding Friends”… A Fresh Paint Lesson.. Calling it Done

| cathmary1030

This is the last of three cute kids-playing-in-the-snow painting lessons on Ali Kay‘s Fresh Paint site. This one is called “Sledding Friends” and it, too, is painted on 8×8 canvas. I toned it with Golden’s “India Yellow Hue” and matte medium. As with the “Building a Snowman” painting, I referred only to the reference photo, and not to Ali’s painting or her online video.

I think I prefer the India Yellow Hue to the Yellow Ochre for toning; it’s more mellow. (It is also much more expensive than Yellow Ochre, unfortunately.) The Golden Paints website states that it is a mixture of Benzimidazolone Yellow (PY 175), Nickel Azo (PY 150) and a Quinacridone Red (PR 206). Weirdly, it is “modern mixture replacing the pigment originally produced in the early 1800’s by collecting urine from oxen fed only mango leaves”. (!)

The outfit of the boy in front is painted with Anthraquinone Blue and Ultramarine Blue, tinted with white. The boy in back is painted with Burnt Umber Light, Mars Black, and white as necessary. The snow is tinted with the India Yellow Hue, and, in places, with Ultramarine Blue.

I painted the snow quite thickly, which was fun!