Christmas Bauble Final

So here it is.

Popped on some text to the photo using Gimp. I used a couple of layers. The bottom layer text I created in ornage to match the orange mid range on the bauble then blurred it so that it discreetly glowed from under the white text. It's subtle but works well.

Cards are expensive to print en mass so I got a big pack of non glossy printed from Moo.com and some glossy ones from Photobox.com. Sent them out and got excellent feedback.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Christmas Bauble Pt3

Final sitting. Added the bauble cap, fixed the perspective on the ribbon as it peaked out from under the bauble, deepend the shadows and added the ribbon reflections, Phew done! And in plenty time to photograph, upload and create into a Christmas Card.

Christmas Bauble Pt2

Forgot to take a picture of my second sitting. Wasn;t much difference though due to the slow drying undercoat. Here is sitting three though and it's looking good.

Christmas Bauble Pt1

Well I think I bit off more than I could chew with "Good Morning Bela". Not sure what went wrong but I think it was a combination of bad composition and bad colour management, so it turned out all muddy. And that's how it stayed - for a long time. I kept it up, waiting for inspiration on how to fix it but nothing came. Note for next time, when you get stuck, move onto something new - quickly. Otherwise the painting will just begin to annoy you and you might never return to it.


Anyway Xmas is coming and I decided I'd use this as a natural deadline for my next project. Which sees me returning right back to basics, doing a still life with a limited palette. The image posted here is a second sitting. Other note to self: don;t use to much oil to begin with as it takes aaaages to get dry enough to move onto the next stage. Acrylic would have been a more sensible option.

One more thing. On my quest for the best palette I decided to throw my white chopping board out as it soaked up my paint and it was a nightmare to clean. Glass was my next choice but wanted something with a white background so had the idea of using a white bathroom tile. So far so good. Mixes well and cleans very well. Downside being it's a bit heavy to hold.

Good Morning Bela - Pt1

New work in progress. Thanks to my lovely Bela for modelling this one. She's such a natural.

Chimney Pots

You know how sometimes you just get that urge to sketch chimney pots?

Ganga's Offering - Complete

At last it's complete. Didn't think it would take this long - maybe I should address the life/art balance.

Anyway it's been great fun and a big learning curve. And thanks again to my great friend Troy for providing the original photograph.

Wasn't easy trying to get a photo of the final piece but the light wasn't right and the paint was still wet. Will have to get a better shot later for the portfolio.

Thanks to everyone for your support whilst I trundled along with this one.