Michelle Smith's Art Blog

In Your Face

2011-06-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

In Your Face - 11" x 15", Transparent Watercolor

Portrait painting always seemed like it would be too difficult until I tried it a few times. Now I really enjoy it. Once you figure out which colors work best for skin tones, it becomes a lot easier. My favorite colors to use are various Daniel Smith's quinacridone colors mixed with some New Gamboge and a tiny bit of Winsor & Newton's French Ultramarine Blue. The hair is definitely the most challenging element of a portrait, in my opinion.

Renny's Fuzzy Mug

2011-05-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Renny's Fuzzy Mug, 6" x 6", Transparent Watercolor

As a companion piece for "Toots", the painting I did of my Aunt's horse last year, I painted her dog, Renny, for her birthday gift this year. She seemed very happy when she received it and said it looked just like him.

Ria

2011-03-15T15:23:00.001-07:00

Ria - 13" x 11", Transparent Watercolor

I saw this young girl last year and was struck by how beautiful her eyes were. Her mom was gracious enough to allow me to take a few snapshots of her so I could practice portrait painting. I added the veil to add some color and interest to the portrait.

Summer Fruit

2011-02-22T14:35:00.000-08:00

Summer Fruit, 15" x 12" - Transparent Watercolor

This was some of the sweetest fruit I had ever tasted; and it was as beautiful as it was delicious. I loved the way the sunlight was shining through the window and illuminating the cantaloupe slices from behind. It gave it a beautiful glow.

Illuminated Iridescence Selected for the 2010 Watercolor Competition and Exhibit at the Triton Museum of Art

2010-12-11T10:09:00.001-08:00

Illuminated Iridescence, 12" x 12" - Transparent Watercolor

My painting hanging next to Chris Beck's "A Shocking Discovery" painting. I'm happy to be in good company here.

I was delighted to learn that my "Illuminated Iridescence" painting was selected for the 2010 Watercolor Competition and Exhibit at the Triton Museum of Art. The Jurors for the show were Rebecca Schapp, Director of the de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University, and Art Educator and Watercolor Artist, Karen Frey. The show will be on display at the Triton Museum of Art from December 11th through February 27th.

Spring Preview won Best in Show

2010-12-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

Spring Preview, 24" x 18" - Transparent Watercolor

In September I was so excited when I received the good news that my "Spring Preview" painting had won Best in Show at the 45th Annual Fine Art Show. What an honor! The show was juried by George Rivera, Executive Director and Senior Curator of the Triton Art Museum. My "Self Portrait" was also juried into the show. The show ran for the month of October, 2010.

Reflection/Refraction

2010-07-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome! to the new followers of this blog, I'm glad you're here. My apologies for being neglectful of my blog lately.

Reflection, Refraction, 6" x 6", Transparent Watercolor
Wanting a challenge, I went a bit out of my realm with this painting, as I've only painted glass one other time, and it was clear, not colored. Color and light draw me to paint something more than almost anything else, and this is full of both. I had a lot of fun painting this. Also, I did a less detailed drawing this time, and found it more enjoyable to do a bit of "guesswork" with the brush.

Toots

2010-05-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

"Toots" - 7" x 10", Transparent watercolor
I've heard it said that you should paint what you know and now I completely understand why. My aunt is having a big milestone birthday soon, and I wanted to give her something special. She adores her horse, Toots, so I figured a painted portrait of her would be a great gift. The problem is, I don't know horses. I've rarely been around them and since I don't live near Toots, I had to work from the few, not so great reference photos that other people had taken. I probably got some of the muscle and bone structure wrong, but I did the best I could with what I had. All things considered, I'm pretty happy with this painting.

Accepted into CWA's 41's National Exhibition!

2010-04-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

Spring Preview, 18" x 24", Transparent watercolor

I'm ecstatic! I found out this week that my "Spring Preview" painting has been accepted into the CWA's 41st National Exhibition. I'm new to entering shows, having only entered one other show before. Two of my paintings were accepted into that show and one of them placed 2nd. That was very exciting, too.

Fuzzy Mug #6

2010-03-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

"Fuzzy Mug, #6" - 6" x 6", Transparent Watercolor
Number 6 in my "Fuzzy Mug" series. These are so fun to paint, and lucky for me there is an endless pool of subjects out there to choose from. Of course, I'm biased to this sweet, little, fuzzy face. I started with a very colorful underpainting to give lots of depth to the black fur. It was all done with transparent watercolors, no opaque white, so I had to do a little masking.

Dewy Daisy

2010-03-03T23:16:00.000-08:00

"Dewy Daisy", 12" x 12" - Transparent Watercolor
When I went outside the other morning, the sun was shining on the dew covered African Daisies in front of our house. They looked so pretty, I decided to do a (relatively) quick painting of one close-up.

Yellow Orchid

2010-02-24T07:13:00.000-08:00

Yellow Orchids, 5" x 7" Transparent Watercolor
This was done a few years ago, but I forgot to photograph it and post it at the time.

Final, W.I.P Magnolia in Crystal

2010-02-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

"Spring Preview", 18" x 24", Transparent Watercolor
Ahhhhh, it's finished! This was only the second time I have attempted painting white flowers and the first time was a disaster. White is relative. There was actually no stark white left on the flower in the painting; everything had at least a hint of pink. The flower itself was white on the inside and purple on the outside, so it cast a lot of pink. I thought the crystal would be the hardest portion of this painting, but it turned out to be the flower and the shadow instead.

2010-02-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

Starting from the petal on the bottom left and going counterclockwise, petal by petal. Several layers of color on each.

Step 2, W.I.P Magnolia in Crystal

2010-02-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

I darkened the shadow, added the hint of a prism on the bottom right side of the table, and began the tedious work of the crystal. It's amazing how many colors you can see in the crystal when you look closely.

W.I.P Magnolia in Crystal

2010-02-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

18" x 24" - I started with the background on this painting since that is usually my least favorite part. I figured if I messed up now, there wouldn't be as much at stake. Warm reds and browns were used for the wall and a yellow/violet mixture on the tabletop. Not masking the whites saved a lot of time; it also meant I had to work quickly around all the shapes. The shadow is proving to be harder than I thought. It will need some darkening...

Sunlit Lily

2010-01-29T13:36:00.000-08:00

"Sunlit Lily", 21" x 14", Transparent Watercolor
It's finished. This was a fun painting; I love working with bright, vibrant colors. It turned out to be a bit of a challenge as the masking fluid damaged the surface of the paper very slightly making it harder to achieve a sharp line in places. A challenge is good, though. It teaches you a thing or two.

Almost Finished...

2010-01-21T10:59:00.000-08:00

Sunlit Lily - 22" x 15", Transparent Watercolor.
It's close to being finished. I have to add the black dots that are speckled all over the petals, remove the masking fluid, and complete the stamens and anthers. I like how it looks without the black dots and am a bit nervous about adding them, but all the Oriental Lilies I've seen have the dots.

Backlit Orchids

2010-01-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

"Backlit Orchids" 16" x 22", Transparent Watercolor
I'm breaking away from painting furry creatures for a bit. During the long, dreary days of winter, painting something vibrant and colorful helps lighten my mood.

Mugshot

2009-06-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

6" x 6", Transparent watercolor
The latest in my Mug Shot Series. This cute little guy was with his person at a Farmer's Market one sunny Saturday. He was very sweet and had an interesting face, so I had to paint him.

Splotchy Giraffe

2008-03-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

"Splotchy Giraffe" - 17" x 23", Transparent Watercolor on Arches CP.
Stripy Horse needed a friend to hang out on the wall with him. So here he is.

Illustration Friday - "Garden"

2008-03-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

Butterflies and Flowers, 18" X 24" Transparent WC on Arches CP paper.
For Illustration Friday.
When I first saw a picture of a Madagascar Sunset Moth, I didn't think it was real. They have nearly every color of the rainbow on their wings. They're just beautiful. That was the inspiration for this painting.

Stripy Horse - Finis

2008-02-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

Stripy Horse - 17" x 23", Transparent WC on Arches CP paper.
He's done and ready to hang on the living room wall. But he needs a friend...

Stripy Horse - In Progress, Step 6

2008-02-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

Almost done. Just some slight tweaking left on the Zebra and then the dreaded background.

Stripy Horse - In Progress, Step 5

2008-02-19T21:30:00.001-08:00

Yep, I'm being pokey on this painting. Here's step 5.

Stripy Horse - In Progress, Step 4

2008-02-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

Step 4 - darkening the black stripes. There will be at least 3 layers of color on the dark stripes. This should give it some nice depth and glow.

Stripy Horse - In Progress, Step 2 & 3

2008-02-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

Stripy Horse - 17" x 23"
Step 2 - the under painting on the black stripes.
Step 3 - The eyes.

Stripy Horse - In Progress, Step 1

2008-02-13T17:19:00.000-08:00

Stripy Horse - 17" x 23" Transparent w/c on Arches CP paper
Step 1 - laying in the color for the white stripes. Note how dark the white stripes appear now without dark colors to offset it.

Toots

2008-02-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

Toots, 6" x 7" Transparent W/C on Yupo
Second painting on Yupo. This synthetic paper is so fun to paint on! You have to be careful not to touch it in the painting area. You can see the fingerprints in the green where the paint wouldn't stick.

Illustration Friday - "Blanket"

2008-02-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

Blanket3.5" x 2.5"
A quick illustration/watercolor for Illustration Friday. Theme is Blanket.

Kona's Wiry Mug, #3

2008-01-30T14:19:00.000-08:00

Kona's Wiry Mug, 6" x 6", Transparent W/C on CP paper.
This painting turned out better than the last two, for sure. However, I'm still not completely satisfied with how the wiry fur looks. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. This has been the most frustrating subject I've painted to date. Not the dog, but her fur.

Kona's Wiry Mug - Practice painting #2

2008-01-26T12:41:00.000-08:00

Kona's Wiry Mug #2, 6" x 6", transparent watercolor on Arches C/P.
Boy, is Kona's wiry fur difficult to paint. I still need a LOT of practice on this, but I think it's better than the first attempt. A little.

Tatiana

2008-01-16T12:13:00.000-08:00

Tatiana 6" x 6", Transparent Watercolor on Yupo
This was painted in memory of Tatiana, the tiger who had been caged at the S.F. Zoo. The events that transpired that day are still untold, but it seems that Tatiana was being taunted by some punks who were carrying sling shots. She escaped her grotto and behaved like a tiger, killing one guy and tracking down and mauling the other two. So, she was shot and killed. One less tiger this world could not afford to loose. If humans would leave wild life in the wild, where it belongs, tragedies such as this wouldn't happen.

As for this painting, it's my first attempt using Yupo synthetic paper. It was very fun to paint on something that responds like nothing else I've used before. It's almost like painting on glass. The paint pools and can be hard to control. Obtaining tight, photo-realism is not an option using this type of paper.

Kona's Wiry Mug - Practice painting #1

2008-01-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

Kona's Wiry Mug 6" x 6"
Wow! I haven't posted anything new since September 11th? Anyhoo...This is a practice portrait I did of my hairy "niece". I need a lot more practice on this type of wiry fur. I used hot pressed instead of cold pressed paper like I'm used to. It gives different results, for sure.

Tree Frog

2007-09-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

Transparent Watercolor 9" x 12" Backgrounds are usually my least favorite part of a painting. This painting was no exception. Aside from the background, this was a fun painting. I had to paint one of these little frogs. They're so beautiful, but you don't often see the purple/blue stripe that's on it's side.

Tiki on Wood

2007-05-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Tiki - Acrylic on wood.
I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post.
Anyway, this was my first attempt at painting with acrylic on wood. It was a fun piece.

Sadie's Fuzzy Mug

2007-04-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

Sadie's Fuzzy Mug - 6" x 6", Transparent Watercolors
Fourth in the series. Sadie is my friend's cute, little, blonde Pomeranian. She is quite the Diva.

Fuzzy Mug #3

2007-03-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

Fuzzy Mug #3 -6" x 6", Transparent Watercolor
Third in my "Fuzzy Mug" series.

Fuzzy Mug #2

2007-03-07T13:00:00.001-08:00

Fuzzy Mug #2 - 6" x 6", Transparent Watercolor
I've decided to do a series of dog faces close-up. This is the second in the series.

Behind the Mask

2007-03-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

Behind the Mask - 16" x 12", Transparent Watercolor.
I've been falling behind in my blogging and painting lately. To keep the blog fresh, here's a painting I did a couple of years ago. I love the mystique of Venetian masks and thought the candle light added to that.

The Pilot

2007-02-22T17:58:00.000-08:00

The Pilot
Here's something completely different. Done strictly on the computer, I created this using Adobe Illustrator. The gradient mesh tool is pretty cool.

Fuzzy Mug

2007-02-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

Fuzzy Mug - 6" x 6" Transparent Watercolor.
I just adore this cute little face. I had to paint it up close and personal.

Here's the progression of this painting...

Spring Robin

2007-02-12T22:51:00.000-08:00

Spring Robin
The Almond tree in our backyard just started getting blossoms on it yesterday. It served as a good model for this painting a few years back. I can't wait for Spring!

Glowing Rose - Art in Progress.

2007-02-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Under painting of rose petals.

Rose Petals finished.

Leaves and Stems finished. Ready for background.

Glowing Rose - 5" x 8"

Purple Spectacles.

2007-02-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

I usually draw onto tracing paper as it works well when transering the drawing onto watercolor paper. Here's my sketch ready to be transfered using Saral graphite transfer paper.

Skin tones and underpainting of irises.

Eyes, lashes and brows finished.

Hair finished. Starting underpainting on frames.

Purple Spectacles - 5" x 2"

Purple Spectacles on Hot Pressed Paper
I wanted to re-do this using Hot Pressed Paper. It forces you to loosen up a bit as it's nearly impossible to get a smooth wash on such smooth paper. I've only used Hot Pressed paper a couple of times. You can get some really nice effects with it. However, I still very much prefer Cold Pressed.

Illuminated

2007-01-29T16:09:00.000-08:00

Illuminated - 12" x 16"
I loved the way the sun was shining through the window and illuminating my little dog's fur. His white fur glowed in the sunlight. His black fur lit up to a beautiful reddish brown at the tips. I had to paint it.

Oil Pastels

2007-01-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

Sunbathing Dog - 3.75" x 4.5", Oil Pastel
I'm almost embarrassed to post this. It's an Oil Pastel version of "Sunbathing Dog". It's my first attempt at oil pastels since I was a kid. These are definitely not meant for fine detail work. They're nice to work with if you are aiming for a very loose and painterly style. I will try something else more in that fashion next.

Pretty new colors.

Treasures from the Sea

2007-01-27T16:14:00.000-08:00

Treasures from the Sea - 9" x 12"
Too many doctor appointments today and yesterday, so I wasn't able to paint. Instead, I'm posting one of my previously finished paintings.

Thoughts of Home.

2007-01-25T12:10:00.000-08:00

Winter Sunrise - 3.5" x 2.5"
I found a photo of a beautiful winter sunrise that I had taken from my bedroom window at home when I was about 15 years old. I did this one quickly and more loose than my norm.

Work in Progress

2007-01-24T13:45:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of a sketch that I am working on today. It's my dog laying in the sun on the arm of the chair.

Background painted.

Chair arm and the dog's mask, eyes, nose and feet painted.

Almost finished, but it needs more color and detail.

Sunbathing Dog - 4.5" x 3.75"

First Small Format Painting.

2007-01-22T13:08:00.000-08:00

Feet in the Sand - 3.5" x 2.5"
My first small format painting. It's ACEO (Art Cards, Editions and Originals) format. Transparent watercolor on Arches Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper, 140 lb.

Welcome.

2007-01-21T23:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my art blog. This will be a place where I can share my paintings and progress with my friends, family and others who are also interested in painting. Mostly, I will be doing small format art using watercolor paints.