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Aquaboard

Observations on Aquabord

My experiences with Ampersand's® Aquabord are limited to two pieces so far so any or all of these observations could change in a few weeks. For what it's worth:Aquabord seems to create a soft finish (see yesterday's post for an example). I believe this surface would be good for fur babies or portraits.The pigment sits on the surface so color is vibrant and...

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Aquaboard

Summer's Delight

Over the weekend I was able to finish up this small watercolor, Summer Jewel! It is painted on Ampersand's Aquabord® and is my first painting on this support. (UPDATE: The size is 4" x 4" and this is an original watercolor!) I have to say, I rather like the Aquabord and I'm going to be doing some more work on it to see...

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artwork

Re-learning My ABC's!

Since you all know I don't have enough to do, I wanted to share something that I've been involved with for a some weeks now . . . . ABC's From Around the World! I was asked to play with some very, and I do many very, talented ladies in an Art Trading Card swap! The theme is the A, B, C's, and...

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artwork

Just A Peek!

Detail of Chance of Rainby Laure Ferlita© Laure Ferlita, 2009 All Rights ReservedI have finished Chance of Rain with the possible exception of a few minor tweaks as I observe it for a few days. The painting will stand on an easel in our living room, giving me the opportunity to see it at various times of the day and from different distances....

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artistic growth

Sometimes, You Just Can't Tell

I fell in love today . . . . with my latest competition painting! And I can't show you. Yet. Dagnabbit! One of the things about painting that has always intrigued me is that sometimes when you start a painting, you can tell right away that "it works" or that's it's going to work. Other times, you don't really know if it's going...

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Aquaboard

It's All In What You Call It!

It would seem that Teresa, over at Blueberries, Art and Life, thinks the ugly duckling needs a new title because she doesn't think it's ugly anymore. Hmmm, okay, but what do I call it? (As it's still kind of ugly, I think). And if you're wondering why this little 4 inch square painting is taking so long, it's because it's my "play" piece...

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Aquaboard

The Ugly Duckling - Updated

Well, it's beginning to look like a flower. Finally. We all have preferences as to what we like to paint with (tools, brushes) and on (surfaces) as well as what type of media (acrylic, oils, wc) we prefer. Sometimes it is simply what we learn first that becomes our favorite. Other times we search and search and then fall head long in love...

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artistic growth

Updated Sunflower and Goals

Original Sunflower Watercolor Paintingby Laure Ferlita © 2009, All Rights Reserved2 5/16" x 3 1/4" This little sunflower is considered to be a piece of Small Format Art or SFA. It just misses being an ACEO which stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals, because of its size. To be an ACEO, the size must be 2.5" x 3.5". This SFA will be...

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artistic growth

Daily Practice - Sunflower from Life

Boy! Wasn't I surprised when my muse brought me a sunflower to paint this morning! I must say it's a nice change from all the greys and lavenders and pinky golds I've been painting lately. But it would seem she had an ulterior motive in bringing me the sunflower. It was to remind me that the summer solstice is nearly here! Sunday, in...

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Aquaboard

Daily Practice - The Ugly Duckling

Here is my little "ugly duckling" flower on Ampersand's Aquaboard, formerly called Clayboard. This is a rework from where it was last post. It still has a very long way to go! One thing I've noticed with Aquaboard is the painting gets ugly in a hurry. There's no middle ground. When I wet the surface with water, it turns to a light putty...

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artistic growth

Starts, Finishes, Stops, and Deletes

Today, and the weekend, has been just that - a series of starts, finishes, stops and deletes. I spent the better part of Saturday and Sunday getting caught up and up to date in the office. Receipts, paperwork, orders, etc. All the stuff that didn't get taken care of for the last few months. Paperwork is the bane, well, one of the banes,...

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artistic growth

So Much For Good Intentions

I had planned to take a few days of downtime. Get caught up on email, reading blogs, banking, cleaning up the studio after the last painting, decluttering the house and just decompressing after the last week of manic painting. Hmmmm, not sure what happened to those planned days but I've already got another painting on the go! I thought I was going to...

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artistic growth

The Painting Lives!!!

As of 10:43 this morning, I am calling this a finished and SUCCESSFUL painting! Many thanks to all of you for your kind comments and support. It helped more than you will ever know. It has been a rather stressful 18 hours, and I think I've changed my mind about missing the painting. In fact, I think I'll be damn happy to see...

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artistic growth

There is Nothing Quite As Humbling . . . .

. . . . as your own stupidity. And I have had a colossal dose of humble pie. I have nearly ruined my painting. I was putting in the last shadow and when I "came to" I instantly knew I had messed up and messed up big. The shadow I had just painted was a value of 7 on a scale of 10....

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artistic growth

How Long Does It Take You To Do Your Best Work?

Detail from No Place Like HomeHave you ever tracked the hours it takes to create your personal best? I've been working on this paint for almost 50 hours - that's brush-or-pencil-to-paper hours! And that total doesn't include all the hours I've thought about it, struggled with it in my mind, worked out problems when I was eating lunch, driving around, taking a shower,...

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artistic growth

Extraordinarily Good Time

As I am deep into a competition painting, and the rules prohibit me from displaying it online at the moment, I thought I would share with you about a recent experience I had  - the delightful opportunity to meet Gabrielle of Inner Artist in person!  Gabrielle and her husband, Paul, were down visiting family in Florida, so she and I made arrangements to...

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artwork

More Progress - Scarf

Here is the scarf - almost complete. I'll be moving on to other elements in the image and will come back and adjust different areas of scarf as needed to either push areas back or bring them forward. Kathy of Red Thread Art asked how I achieved the mottled effect. There are four ways, well no, there are more than four ways, but I used...

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artwork

WIP- Scarf

Guess what I did today? In the first image, you can see the underpainting to help me identify where the folds in the material of the scarf lay. (Sorry for the odd colors in the photos. There really not quite that pink.)This image shows the introduction of more colors.The whole image begins to shift with the introduction of the darks.This image shows 5...

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artwork

Daily Practice - Rainier Cherries, Take II Finished

You know, if it would do any good I would worry. But it doesn't help. Nothing seems to help. What am I talking about? My slow, downward spiral into ditziness. I'm pretty sure I didn't used to be a ditz. This seems to be a development of the last few years. Is art doing this to me? I don't think I'd mind as...

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artistic growth

Daily Practice - Rainier Cherries, Take II

More cherries. This time a WIP as not only am I back into a competition painting . . . . and I've lost a painting. A painting someone wants to buy! EEEEEEEK! Of all the dumb bunny, really idiotic things I could possibly do, and right now of all times, I've. . . Lost . . . A . . . Painting. It's not...

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artwork

Daily Practice - Rainier Cherries

Another reoccurring theme in my life - cherries! These are the first of the year and they are delicious! Not to mention they make a fabulous still life. I started over on the left hand side and worked around to the right. If you look at the first and second cherries and then the next three, you see some color changes going on....

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