NOVEMBER, 2021 ANIMAL & WILDLIFE CHALLENGE

[Schuee]

Penny,
All three are really nice - especially Indy !
The chicks feathers are really good. - they must have taken ages to do !
Cheers,
Patricia

Thank you, Patricia. Yes, a lot of pen strokes in the chick.

 

[Schuee]

Wow, these are all so terrific!!
Vivien - your dog is adorable! So charming and you've handled the bright colours really well. You make it look effortless.
Joy - I'm very self-critical too and prone to feeling disappointed and frustrated (and I struggle with backgrounds too!) so I know how you feel, but these are actually great! I like the one with the background best. To me it looks like it could be moss.
Penny - these are all great, the ink and watercolour technique seems to really suit you! Of course (me being an insect lover) I love the caterpillar best. The zingy yellow background is so unexpected but so brilliant! Love it.
Kay M - I really like your version of the caterpillar too - it's so different from Penny's. It's so stylish and has a wonderful vintage feel. Lovely work. Nice to see your set-up too, and read your comments.
ams - I know nothing about digital art but these look good to me! I especially like the bird, he/she has real substance. I can really feel the weight and fluff of it.
Christel - lovely dramatic swan - very striking. The light on the water is great, it really looks like it's glowing.

I chose the starfish. Size is A5 and I used watercolours + watercolour pencils on NOT paper, plus a wax resist crayon for the water and the texture on the starfish. I'm really pleased at how the wax resist worked.

View attachment 13504

Thank you, Claudia. I like your starfish and the spotted texture. Very clever to use the wax resist method.

 

[Triduana]

Anne - good images, it's nice to see a bit of your process. I like your bird in particular, it looks lovely and fluffy.

Christel - beautiful swan, it looks lovely and luminous on the white background.

Claudia - your starfish is delightful! Love those textures in the water and the starfish - the wax resist worked a treat.

 

[Triduana]

Penny, Vivien, Anne, Christel, Claudia, Patricia: many thanks for your comments. It is appreciated.

 

[tanjaf]

Wow, so may great pieces to look at!

Penny: your 3 paintings are brilliant: I like them all, and especially admire the bird with the intricate feather pattern, well done! The colors of the caterpillar are fantastic, the soft greens set off nicely against the yellow background.

Kay: great story of your caterpillar painting and a great result: you balance the faint and strong values in your watercolor quite effectively.

Anne: your Alpaca is wonderful and it made me smile, such a strong character! The fluffed up bird is also well done with great expression!

Christel: powerful painting of the swan set off dramatically against the dark background. I like how your have captured the similarity between the feathers of the swan and the reflections and waves in the pond.

Claudia: wow, great starfish, your painting is awesome: the colors, the textures, the composition... Wonderful!

Here is my take on the Pig and the Seagull: watercolor and gouache on watercolor paper, 18''*24''
I am a big fan of pigs (they have so much character and I didn't know that they are able to swim). The motif reminded me of a vacation in Dominican Republic a long time ago, where pigs were wandering the streets and also the beaches. I am trying to learn how to combine watercolor with gouache and I thought that this motif would be suitable. The water and the sky are done in watercolor first and then (after two weeks of pause and pondering) I added the rest of the painting with gouache...

Have a great weekend y'all

Cheers
Tanja

 

[Hawkmoth]

Thanks for your kind comments about my starfish everyone. They are much appreciated.

I love your pig and seagull Tanja! It's beautifully painted - just the right balance of detail versus simplicity. It's so fresh looking. I'm interested in your combination of watercolour and gouache. You've combined them very skillfully in this piece.

 

[Schuee]

Kay,
Lovely painting. I like the addition of the leaves and
I really like the transparent glow of the colours.
Thanks for posting the WIPs - They are very interesting.
Cheers,
Patricia

Wow, so may great pieces to look at!

Penny: your 3 paintings are brilliant: I like them all, and especially admire the bird with the intricate feather pattern, well done! The colors of the caterpillar are fantastic, the soft greens set off nicely against the yellow background.

Kay: great story of your caterpillar painting and a great result: you balance the faint and strong values in your watercolor quite effectively.

Anne: your Alpaca is wonderful and it made me smile, such a strong character! The fluffed up bird is also well done with great expression!

Christel: powerful painting of the swan set off dramatically against the dark background. I like how your have captured the similarity between the feathers of the swan and the reflections and waves in the pond.

Claudia: wow, great starfish, your painting is awesome: the colors, the textures, the composition... Wonderful!

Here is my take on the Pig and the Seagull: watercolor and gouache on watercolor paper, 18''*24''
I am a big fan of pigs (they have so much character and I didn't know that they are able to swim). The motif reminded me of a vacation in Dominican Republic a long time ago, where pigs were wandering the streets and also the beaches. I am trying to learn how to combine watercolor with gouache and I thought that this motif would be suitable. The water and the sky are done in watercolor first and then (after two weeks of pause and pondering) I added the rest of the painting with gouache...

View attachment 13507

Have a great weekend y'all

Cheers
Tanja

Thank you very much, Tanja. I am very pleased you have joined us in the challenge.. Your swimming pig and gull is lovely. The pallette is very good and I love its pink snout. I like pigs, too. They are as intelligent as dogs. Well done!

 

[Schuee]

I did two. Both are Artrage digital oils.

My first one was the Alpaca.

I started with a sketch. No real problems there.

View attachment 13491

I work in layers on top of the sketch, with the top most layer done first. I started on the hair . Here is try # 1

View attachment 13492
Obviously, that didn't quite work so I tried a different tool which gave better results but I'm not crazy over it.
View attachment 13493
The next step was to do the face and ear.
View attachment 13494
Last step was to do the eye.
View attachment 13495

The second painting I did was of the bird.
View attachment 13496
This went pretty smoothly.

Thanks Penny for hosting this month. It was a lot of fun.

You are welcome, Anne. I like the colouring on your alpaca. It looks like you had fun painting him and the dear little chick. Love his speckled feathers. Well done!

 

[Rainowl2]

Here are my contributions for this months challenge. The alpaca is done in intense ink pencils and the pig water colours with some ink kind added
I will comment on the other puctures later.

Lesley
Rainowl

 

[Schuee]

That’s a really nice sketch of the pig and gull, Lesley. I like the colour inside its ears
I also like your alpaca. Its straggly fur is very well done and I like the blue of its face. Its got a cheeky look in its eye!

 

[Rainowl2]

Hi

Before I posted both pictures were there but one looks like an attachment. Just on a learning curve on this site.

Lesley

 

[Schuee]

That’s ok, Lesley. Mine show as attachments sometimes and not another!

 

[Queen Bee]

Hope to contribute something soon. In the meantime here are my comments on all the great work I have seen.
Viv-Nice painting of Indy
Joy-Like both versions of the frog
Penny-Caterpillar is outstanding, nice job on Indy, love the feathers on the bird
Triunda-Lovely nice composition
Anne-Like both the bird is my favorite
Christel-Beautiful swan
Claudia-lovely starfish
Tanja-your painting put a smile on my face It is delightful
Lesley-nice job on both of yours

 

[Schuee]

Thank you very much, Deborah.

 

[Joy]

Thank you all so much for your gracious comments and encouragement. You cannot fathom how much the support of a great site like this is what I need now. I just need to "get over myself" and paint more.I may not get to comment on all paintings. Anne, I see what you mean about the shadow. I try to do it that way, and it seems to look like rings instead of a fade. Either the paper is too dry or too wet. I just need more practice. Thank you for taking the time to help me. I like your bird the best.

Penny - The freshness of the caterpillar is spot on. And you must be nearly blind from all of those feathers!
Kay - Love the WIP and finished work.
Christel - I was going to try that, but was too intimidated. You did it so well.
Claudia - Love it! I was going to try to mask out the lights, and have problems with water. I have heard of using a wax resist crayon. Is it just a white crayon or a special one for watercolor paper?
Tanja - What a lovely surprise and humor is the snout of the pig approaching. You really captured the movement well. Bravo! As Winston Churchill said, "I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals."
Lesley - Your work continues to get better! Nice simple lines on the pig,and I like the water color choice. The alpaca's hair came out really well.

 

[Schuee]

Thank you, Joy, yes, the strokes for the feathers went on and on!!

 

[Vivien]

Christel - Beautiful Swan painting, he looks so spectacular against the black background!

Claudia - I do love your Starfish painting! Your watercolors worked very well for this and the wax resist crayon for the starfish texture was an inspired choice! Really beautiful painting and I hope you intend to frame it!

Tanja - Beautiful watercolor and gouache! The pig is sitting well down into the water, looks great!

Lesley - How are you? Good to see you here posting in these Challenges again! Great job on both your paintings!

Many thanks for all your lovely comments on my painting of Penny's dog. I enjoyed painting him with his little Elf costume on!

 

[Vivien]

Vivien: wonderful painting of the doggie: great expression and pose with minimal effort - I like the contrast between the bold colors of his cape and the softer ones of the dog and background. I don‘t know what pan pastels are - do you apply them with your fingers?

Joy: your frogs are excellent - I was also tempted by him and your paintings are just what I would have wanted to achieve. I like both a lot with a slight preference for the one with background.
Cheers
Tanja

Tanja - You asked about PanPastels: They are soft pastels made in little round plastic pans and you apply them with sponges and soft tools that are sold with the PanPastels. I've been a Pastel Artist for many years and a member of Pastel Artist of New Zealand. So I've been using soft pastels for years, but, now have a breathing problem so the pastel dust affects my breathing. PanPastels have very little pastel dust so much better for me to use, and I enjoy using them with other mediums, such as watercolor, ink etc. And it is kind of like "painting with a dry medium". I love them and found so many uses for them with my artwork.

 

[KreativeK]

Watercolor 5.5x5.5 in Arteza 110lb CP

 

[ams]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Christel, your swan is beautiful. The colors in the white give it such depth and interest. The reflection in the water is just right.

Claudia, love your starfish. The texture in the sand and the shadows make it. You're right, the wax resist worked well.

tanja, wonderful work on the pig and bird. I especially love how you did the pig. I can tell you like them.

Leslie, another great job with the pig. I like how I see his foot through the rippling water. Good job on the alpaca too. Hair was quite a challenge. I like what you came up with.

Kay, love your bird.

Anne, I see what you mean about the shadow. I try to do it that way, and it seems to look like rings instead of a fade. Either the paper is too dry or too wet. I just need more practice. Thank you for taking the time to help me. I like your bird the best.

Glad to help Joy. One thing I sometimes do for shadows when working in watercolor is to put a line of fairly strong pigment along the darkest area and then pull it outward with a damp brush. I don't put paint everywhere there is shadow. I have also tried dampening the whole shadow area and again only putting pigment at the darkest spot and let the water spread out. Experiment on scrap and see if either of these techniques work for you.