Done!

Wow has this painting been a journey as well as a learning experience. Having only painted with the Bob Ross method, I have never painted from a reference photo until now. It is very different. I started out on this canvas and aborted the painting. I wasn't happy with it. I started it again on a smaller board and tried to correct a feaux pous and messed it up. Messed it up bad (see below). This was my 3rd attempt now back to the original canvas. I only did the tree line 3 times, the water 4 times and the shore line at least 4 times, the sky at least twice, the rock 3 times and the trees in the reflection on the left once. I am ready to call it done now. I was going to try it again in oil but I'm a little tired of looking at the same thing. Who knows, time will tell. I still regret not making the horizon lower. It threw off the painting from the get go. It is also brighter than the photo as it was brighter in person. This photo was taken under the shade of trees and the camera is a basic one. It really was a beautiful, tranquil place.

Well that didn't last long. As soon as I made the last post, curiosity got the better of me and I mixed the Prussian and Phthalo blue, added a little white and this is the result.The top photo was taken when the paint was still wet. The one below was taken hours later when completely dried and the color changed.

I had to keep the canvass wetter. I kept spritzing it as I worked the paint.

I still wasn't happy with the color of the water and the shape of the shoreline so I went and got some Prussian blue and redid the water and shoreline. I am still having trouble blending but I feel it is closer to what I want to see. Looking at the two side by side, I think I should have mixed the two blues (Phthalo and Prussian).

Update

I decided to change it a little

I brought the shoreline up to make the rock appear lower. I also made the berm a little higher to thin out the shoreline. I didn't feel like trying to match that blue and bring the water line down. That, I think would have been the better choice but almost impossible to execute. It's a learning process.

About an hour after posting this I changed it again. This time I brought the water down. It was getting a little "fish bowlish". I'll post pictures at a later date.

getting carried away and happy accidents

Bob Ross always said "we don't have mistakes, we have happy accidents". Well, too much of a good thing can be bad.

I had put the trees in on the left side and got carried away with the highlights and closed all the spaces between the trees. In layman's terms I made mud. Then I tried to fix it that's when things took a turn for the worse and this was the result.
        Being somewhat stubborn in nature I was not to give up. I tried it again and and wasn/t crazy about the results. I was scouring the internet for ideas and tips and found a few pages about the Flemish 7 layer method. I was wondering if I could use the same principle with acrylics. I redid the first row of trees in the now 3rd attempt and actually got some depth in the treeline.

It isn't done but I/m satisfied so far.

I remember my Uncle telling my father that if you sketch, it will help improve your ability. I have never been able to draw people. I saw a few "how to sketch" videos and decided to give it a go. I started working on being able to draw lips. Easier than it sounds. The following page was done over a few days. The top left was first and the top 3 on the right were last. Some looked horribly deformed but it's a learning process, right? I like the second one down.

I wanted to try and draw from a picture  found a picture of Alicia Silverstone Click here to see. It's a little washed out as far as contrast but it's my first attempt so who cares. It may make it easier. This is what I have so far.

 This was my first real attempt at drawing an eye and a face. I think I have the shape of the eye off a little but it came out somewhat realistic. That's all for now.

Update

It always fascinates me how the mind interprets things. I went through some photos I took in New Hampshire and Vermont a couple of years ago. I decided to try this one

I started painting it on a small canvas board (6x8). When I put the images next to each other on the computer an switched from one to the other, I was surprised how differently I reproduced the image when painting it.
 Just to give some perspective on the size of this lake, if you look at the shoreline just left of the left side of the diving platform, the white spec is actually a guy in a rowboat fishing. I think the name of it is Crystal Lake. It was in the morning and like a huge sheet of glass.

 I have been looking at it on my laptop with the dashboard and windshield wipers out of view. At this stage I feel the far shore is too high on the board. I am going to finish it and see how it goes before trying it on a canvass. The Photo below is of a couple of roses I did. More or less a doodle of sorts.

 That's all that's new. Have happy safe Halloween.

After taking a 20 year hiatus from painting I have started painting again. I will post paintings as I finish them. I am nearing completion of my first attempt after all these years with acrylic which is new to me having been exposed only to the wet on wet oil technique.

This is it. I call it "Above the clouds". It was a little tough to execute, and considering I started making the clouds one way and finished making them another I don't think it is too bad after a 20 year layoff with a new medium. I may change it yet. I have to thank my Uncle Ron for prompting me to get a web page and post my art. He is a talented artist and an inspiration to me. Thanks Uncle Ron!