Rosa (Codfish Project) as of April 20, 2023

Here is Rosa, my codfish project, as she looks today.  This year, Rosa will be my donation to the annual Cod Auction to benefit Marblehead Festival of Arts.  (Area artists are given wooden codfish cutouts to decorate so they can be displayed in Marblehead and auctioned online.)  Rosa is going to be decorated with white lattice and beach roses (also called rosa rugosa).  Today I finally began adding paint, starting with yellow centers of the flowers and the green leaves.  I am using acrylic paint and teeny-tiny brushes.  The white area is still just primer, which will be covered with a couple of coats of titanium white. I am happy with the way the pattern is turning out.  Over the past few years, I have learned that when you decorate a codfish, you have to adjust your pattern to accommodate the shape of the fish..  This year I did that by substituting rosebuds for roses in the smaller areas.

Rosa (Codfish Project) as of April 19, 2023

Here is Rosa, my decorated wooden codfish, as she looks tonight.  I am doing this for the annual Cod Auction, to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art. Some 50 area artists are given codfish cutouts to decorate; they are displayed in Marblehead and then auctioned off online to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  I named my fish Rosa because I am decorating her with lattice and "beach roses", also known as "rosa rugosa".  Tonight I started outlining the design with Sharpie pens. As I added the ink, I made changes, mostly simplifying the leaves so that everything would fit. You can see some of what I changed  because a lot of the pencil marks remain, but they will be covered up as I add paint. (The white background is just primer.)  I am already quite fond of Rosa, and I hope she will find a good home. . .

Magnolias Waiting for Spring

When took this photo (April 18th),  it was still cold, but the magnolias were having a hard time waiting for spring.  So was I.

Rosa (Codfish Project) as of April 18, 2023

I worked on this project today.  I am decorating a wooden codfish for the Marblehead Festival of Arts Cod Auction.  Participating artists are given a wooden codfish "blank" to decorate, and the decorated codfish are displayed in Marblehead, and then auctioned (online).  This year, I am decorating my fish with lattice and beach roses. The scientific name for the "beach rose" is rosa rugosa, so I have named my fish Rosa.  Yesterday I drew lines for the lattice on the wooden form, working from the cardboard pattern I had created.  Today I drew on the wooden form again, working out the placement of the flowers, drawing freehand but following the sketch I made yesterday on paper. This meant drawing on a gessoed surface with pencil. That can get messy so I was hoping not to have to make many changes, but while I was working, I decided modify my plan for the smaller areas. Although I could make the flowers fit, as planned, in some of the smaller spaces, I wanted it to be less crowded to enough of the background color would show through.  So for many of the smaller areas, I replaced a blossom with a rose-bud with just two leaves. That decision--plus several just plain mistakes--has left me with more erasing than I hoped for, which is annoying but worth it because I like the way the pattern is turning out. Anyway, the extra marks won't show after I apply color. I am getting excited to see how Rosa will look. . . To be continued.

Rosa (Codfish Project) as of April 17, 2023

This is the wooden codfish cutout that I am decorating for the Cod Auction, to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art. Some 50 area artists decorate a codfish, to be displayed and then auctioned online. (People can bid from anywhere. . .) This year, I am decorating my codfish with white lattice and the beach roses that grow near the water around here.  The scientific name for the beach rose is "rosa rugosa", so I named my fish Rosa. I have been priming my wooden cutout and meanwhile working out my design on paper and cardboard.  But today was the first day I actually began drawing the design onto the wooden cutout.  I drew in the lattice, working from the cardboard pattern I made. I measured carefully and made delicate lines in case I need to make changes.  Now I think the lines are all in the right place and I am eager to see what Rosa will look like. . .  

Rosa (Another Pencil Sketch of Pattern)

This is a very rough sketch of a pattern I am working on. These are beach roses (rosa rugosa) on a lattice, and I am going to use this design to decorate a wooden codfish cutout. This is for the annual Codfish Auction to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art. I name my fish every year, and this year's fish is called "Rosa".  I had already developed the pattern, and yesterday posted a version of four of the squares in color.  But because I already have laid out the lattice pattern on a piece of cardboard, I know that there will be many irregular shapes to fill with flowers.  So I decided to do a second sketch to get some ideas for placement in those irregular shapes. (It's much easier to work things out on paper as a dress rehearsal, because it is much harder to fix mistakes on the final project.)  Some of the shapes are going to be small triangles, and I decided that for the smallest shapes, I will use a bud instead of the open flower. Despite the rough state of the sketch, I feel more confident having done it.  

 

Rosa (Color Sketch for Pattern)

This is a color sketch of the pattern I plan to use for Rosa, the wooden codfish I am decorating for the annual Cod Auction, to benefit Marblehead Festival of Arts. Wooden codfish decorated by some 50 artists will be displayed and then auctioned off.  (The auction is on line, and people can bid from anywhere.) This year my fish will be decorated with white lattice and beach roses, the bright flowers that grow near area beaches. The scientific name for these flowers is rosa rugosa, hence the name of my fish. I am getting ready to paint the wooden form, but before I do, I need to work out the pattern.  I had already traced the form onto cardboard and worked out the layout of the lattice.  Then I made a rough pencil sketch on paper of the flowers, to scale.  Yesterday, I modified that sketch and then added color with Sharpie pens.  In my sketch, I changed the leaves, putting three per stem.  Although I wanted really wanted 5 leaves on each stem, which would be botanically accurate, but too crowded.  I decided on a blue background for the flowers and am happy with the color scheme. 

Rosa (Rough Sketch for a Pattern)

Once again, I am decorating a wooden codfish for the annual Cod Auction, to benefit Marblehead Festival of Arts. Some 50 artists participate, and everyone starts with a 'standard' wooden cutout.  The decorated codfish are displayed and then auctioned off in June. (The auction is online and people can bid from anywhere.)  This year, I am decorating my fish with lattice and "beach roses" (scientific name: rosa rugosa). So naturally, I have named my fish Rosa. I am still applying primer to the wooden codfish form, but yesterday I traced  the form onto a big piece of cardboard to lay out the design.  (See yesterday's post.)  Today, I worked out the design for the flowers.  I drew some lattice to scale on a piece of paper, using the dimensions worked out yesterday on the cardboard sketch.  Then I worked out the design and placement of the flowers. The design is simple, but the placement is a bit different in each of the four squares. Although the sketch is rough, it will work well for my purposes. 

Rosa (Pencil Sketch on Cardboard), April 12, 2023

I have started applying gesso (primer) to the wooden codfish form that I am decorating for this year's Codfish Auction.* But before applying the next coat of gesso, today I traced the wooden form onto a big piece of cardboard so I could lay out the design. This year, my fish will be decorated with "beach roses" on lattice. Since "rosa rugosa" is the scientific name for the roses that grow near the beaches around here, I have named my codfish Rosa. Today, while the gesso was drying on the wooden form,  I spent an hour with cardboard pattern, pencil, ruler, and eraser to lay out the placement of the lattice. Here is how it looks so far.

*(Some 50 artists decorate a wooden codfish form; the decorated codfish are auctioned to benefit Marblehead Festival of Arts). 

Rosa (Idea for Cod Project)

For the past few years, I have been participating in the annual "Codfish Auction".  Some 50 area artists decorate wooden codfish plaques, which are displayed and then auctioned off to benefit Marblehead Festival of Arts. It was almost time to pick up my wooden codfish and I had no plan. But Just as I was telling me husband that I had no idea how to decorate my codfish for this year's auction, an idea came to me: a fish with white lattice in place of scales and pink "beach roses" peeking through the lattice.  I grabbed a piece of paper and made this pencil sketch of my idea. (I had not yet picked up my "codfish blank" so the proportions aren't accurate.)  The bright "beach roses" that grow near New England beaches have a formal name, "Rosa Rugosa", so I decided that the name of my fish would be Rosa. 

Hy and Ruth at La Bate's (with Prisma filters)

Last year, I posted a rescued snapshot that I found among my Dad's photos.  It was a picture of my parents sitting at a table (at some place called "Bates") with another couple, unknown to me.  Such a nice photo, but I had never seen it before.  As I started editing it to post for their anniversary (April 4), I realized why I had never seen in before.: my father was missing a front tooth, lost while he was in the army overseas, which helped me date this snapshot to shortly after return, and tentatively identify the other couple as army buddy and wife. Anyway, last year, I did some digital dental work with Painter, and edited the photo to create a nice double portrait of my parents.  This year, I went back to the same photo and added not one but two Prisma filters: "Diamond" (for red tones) and "Drawing" (for the texture).* Then I re-edited in iPhoto for contrast and value. I liked the result, so I am posting this today to mark their anniversary.   *NOTE: to add multiple filters in Prisma: I apply one filter, download the filtered image to my photos, then upload the already filtered image to Prism and apply a second filter. 

Lots of Kaleidoscope Daisies (Pattern)

A couple of days ago, I used Painter's "kaleidoscope" mode to draw an image of pink daisies.  I also used Painter's "capture pattern" function to create a pattern from my drawing.

Kaleidoscope Daisies

I made another digital drawing in Painter 2023  using "Kaleidoscope" mode. I drew more flowers, but with different spacing.  As before, I used this image to create a pattern with Painter's "capture pattern" function.  I plan to post the pattern here tomorrow.

 

Kaleidoscope Flower Pattern

I recently posted a digital drawing of a flower that I created in  Painter 2023 with the kaleidoscope grid.  Today's post is a pattern based on that image, created with Painter's "capture pattern" function.

Kaleidoscope Flower

Today I had a chance to continue working with Painter 2023.  I decided to try the kaleidoscope grid, which I have used in the past.  This grid divides the drawing space into six sections, and then mirrors what you draw so the drawing is repeated six times.  I just decided to draw some leaves and flowers for practice.  I had fun and this is the result.  I used this image to create a pattern, which I plan to post here tomorrow. 

Reposting: Irish Landscape with Connemara Pony

I posted this back on March 17, 2010, a photo of one of the best moments from a visit to Ireland.  This is what I wrote in 2010: "Today I cropped this image from a photograph that I took back in 2004 during a trip to Ireland. This was taken at a bed and breakfast in Oughterard, near Galway. The setting was beautiful, a little farm right next to Lough Corrib. The ponies were a surprise. They came right over to me as I was taking pictures from the road. They seemed magical to me, like the rest of Ireland."

Quick Picture of Daffodils (with Prisma filter)

More daffodils from my daughter, to enjoy now and to plant in the garden later.  A few days ago, I took a quick picture of the new arrivals, perched on the table.  Then I used the Prisma app to add the "Trendy" filter, and cropped the photo to get this somewhat quirky composition. 

Tulips on the Table (with Prisma filter)

Here is my photo of tulips on the table, this time with the Prisma app's "Oleander" filter added. 

Tulips on the Table

My daughter bought me some tulips to enjoy now and to plant in the garden later.  I took some quick pictures.  This one has a quirky composition, but I like it.

Reposting: Hamentaschen Again (Drawing Replay Video)

A Purim classic: "A few years ago, I drew this on my iPad, and my drawing program captured the action.  These are hamentaschen, triangular filled cookies eaten on Purim.  The cookies are triangular to represent the three-cornered hat of Haman, the "wicked, wicked man" who plotted to kill all the Jews. Reposting today because Purim starts at sundown."

First Bouquet Pattern Pen with Gradient

Still making sure I can find and use all my favorite tools in the Painter 2023 upgrade.  This time I used the pattern pen with the same "First Bouquet" pattern, but used a color gradient rather than the original colors.   I used the (new to me) "select content tool" to help fill the background, and actually cropped this in Painter.  Later, as a post-script, I used iPhoto to add more contrast so the paler flowers would show up better. 

First Bouquet Pattern Pen Ribbon in Pink

Here is another image that I made with Painter, newly updated to 2023.   I had already used the "Capture Pattern" function to create a pattern, using my "First Bouquet" drawing.  Once you make a pattern, you can load it into Painter's pattern pen as I did here. This is one of my favorite things to do in Painter, so I am glad I found the controls for that.  I made a few strokes with the pattern pen, and then added the pink background using Painter's  (new-to-me) content select option. 

Many First Bouquets

I am working hard to get accustomed to Painter 2023, having upgraded from the 2019 version just last week.  I am trying to run through all the brushes and features I use the most, to make sure I know where they are.  One of my favorite features is "Capture Pattern", which creates a pattern from a drawing.  This pattern is created from my "First Bouquet" sketch.

First Bouquet (with Woodcut Effect)

Here is the digital drawing I posted yesterday, created with in Painter (newly updated to 2023).  I am trying to figure out where all of my favorite controls are, so I decided to add a woodcut effect.  I liked the way this turned out.

First Bouquet (Digital Pastel)

I call this "First Bouquet" because it is my first attempt at drawing with Painter 2023, update installed a few days ago.  I have watched several tutorials but even on the computer, sometimes the best way to learn to make art is to just make art.  So I went back to basics, using familiar subject matter and tools that I have used often.  I am still struggling to find and use basic controls, but I managed,  though at one point I think I changed the paper color or something, and suddenly the "eraser" was making bright red marks. Good thing I knew where the "undo" button was.  (I still can't find the "crop" tool, so I had to crop this image after I imported it to iPhoto.)  Anyhow, I am happy with these little flowers.  I also created a version of this image with the "woodcut" effect applied, and I plan to post that here tomorrow.

Randi with Dad (Posterized Photo)

This image began with one of the photos recently sent to me by my cousins. This was taken sometime around 1990, at a family event. It is so nice to have a picture of myself sitting with my father! I thought it would be worth it to fix a few distracting details, so today I opened the image in Painter 2023 and got to work. Because I have just upgraded to this version of Painter, I had to search for familiar tools and controls, and there is quite a learning curve. However, I was highly motivated to work on this photo, so it was a good match. I managed, and I learned a lot. In the original photo, there is so much glare from my dad's glasses that it made it hard to see his eyes. So I enlarged the image and used a bit of digital pastel to make his eyes more visible. I did a little retouching to get rid of some distracting marks on the faces. I removed the logo on the cup in my hand, and I took the liberty of changing the color of my Dad's tie. I added posterizing and also did basic cropping and straightening. I am glad I took the time to do this because I love having this image. And again I was reminded that photographs are powerful carriers of memory and emotion. Yes, tears were running down my face as I worked on this, but I can't blame the computer issues. Of course, these days you can change a lot of things about a photograph, but you still can't change time. . .or love

Snowfall (Digital Woodcut) 2023

I haven't posted in a while. Over the past week or so, I have uploaded new operating systems to my iPhone, iPad, and Mac. All of this was a bit bumpy, but upgrading my Mac meant I also had to get a new version of Painter, moving from 2019 to 2023 versions.  Finally was able to install Painter 2023 yesterday. So this image is a photo of our recent snowfall, with posterizing an woodcut effects added with my brand new Painter program.  The program is so new to me that I couldn't even find the "crop" tool, so I had to crop the image in iPhoto. And things are still bumpy: for example, Flickr can't seem to upload directly from my photos on the Mac. But I am happy to be able to use Painter again and eager to learn. . . 

Winter Window (with Prisma filter)

This image began with a photo of a February snowstorm.  I took a picture from an upstairs window, then added the Prisma app's "Oleander" filter.

Photos of my Dad (with Prisma filter)

My cousins recently sent me some more photos of my father. 

 Among them was a set of about 8 or 9 head shots of him.  Last week I posted a photo of six of those photos.  Then I decided to see what that would look like with a Prisma filter added.  I used the Prisma app on my phone and chose the "Pencil Tones" filter. 

 I think it works pretty well. 

Roses in Sunlight (with Prisma filter)

Yesterday, after a whirlwind trip through Market Basket, we passed a big display roses on sale for Valentine's Day.  My husband asked if I wanted some roses, so I said yes. So I  picked out some hot pink roses. Today I took a picture of them in the morning sunshine, edited the photo in Painter, and added Prisma's "Masquerade" filter.  

Photos of My Dad

A lovely surprise arrived on February 7th:  a small package of photos, sent to me by cousins Russ and Carol Kates.  Most of them were pictures of my dad, and I had seen only a few of them.  Some were snapshots, but there was a whole set of head shots of my father, nine of them I think.  What a great post-birthday surprise!!!  I couldn't decide which one of the head shots to post here, so I took a picture of six of them all at once. I am not sure of the date these were taken, but I would guess late 1980s.  I am pretty sure these were taken by my uncle, Ike Fitterman. Anyway, it is great to see that smile and I am grateful to have these.   

Tree in a Year

Yesterday I made this on my iPad with the Procreate app, which captures a video replay as you draw.  I am posting this today (a little early) because Tu B'shvat (the Jewish New Year for Trees) starts at sundown tonight.  I have always loved the idea of this holiday, and in recent years have tried to make a Tu B'shvat video every year.  I do this not only because it's great practice for the simple kind of animation that works on the iPad, but also because it is a great reminder that nature should not be taken for granted. 

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting)

I finally finished this painting, and here it is, ready to be mailed next week to my long-lost friend Marcia.  I have been working on this painting since my last post on January 27th, almost a week ago.  At that point, I was expecting just a few minor changes but In fact I did a little more than that.  First, I kept working on the background, which was surprisingly complicated. In addition to showing the shift from light to shadow, I also needed to get the shifting hues in that wall:  pink and pale purple to red-orange to burnt orange to brown and purple. It took a while to get all that and still have smooth transitions. Once I got the background to work, I did more on the foliage and flowers, refining shapes and fixing mistakes.  And once the background was in place, I was able to use light and dark on the leaves to create a 3-D effect, with some of the branches seeming to come forward and some seeming to recede. As I did that, I repainted some of the foliage. Now I am happy with it and I am glad I kept going! After all, this is for my long-lost friend Marcia and I want her to be happy with it as well.

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 27, 2023)

Here is my painting as it looks today.  I have been working on the background color and am finally pretty happy with it. That was quite a struggle over the past few days I would love to say that this is finished, but can only say that it is very close.  This is the basic painting. I don't plan to make any major changes.  But I can see areas that need to be fixed, little lines gone awry, etc. You might not even notice some of them on screen. Although the changes are tiny, they make a difference in the aggregate.  So I will continue to make those changes as I prepare this painting for mailing out. I plan to post one last time, with changes made, before I send it to my long-lost friend Marcia.

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 25, 2023)

Here is my current project as it looks now, January 25th.  Recent work includes modifying the shapes of a few leaves, repainting the leaves against the wall, making them darker for more contrast, and working on light and shadow on the wall.  I think this last needs a bit more work, but apart from that, this is getting very close to completion.

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 22, 2023)

Here is my current project as it looked yesterday.  Using my photo reference, I added a few additional blossoms.  I also tried to suggest places were the sunlight has broken through the foliage.  I am still working to fix miscellaneous small problems, any bothersome stems or leaves out of place.  But I think this is almost finished. . . NOTE: I didn't change the background color, but this was photographed in daylight while other versions were photographed at night under artificial light.

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 21, 2023)

Here is my painting as of January 21st.  I spent some time trying to smooth out the colors on the wall. I am still refining the foliage, adding a few leaves, and darkening the leaves that are against the wall.  These are the kind of small changes that I make as I am finishing a painting. But in addition to making corrections, I am looking hard at the reference photo, trying to capture the play of light and shadow.

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 20, 2023)

I was only able to work on this painting for a short time today, but I continued adding areas of light and shadow to the adobe wall, using my photo reference as a guide. This is getting close to finished, but there is still work to do (smoothing out colors, sharpening details, fixing mistakes). To be continued. . . 

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 19, 2023)

Here is my painting-in-progress as it looked on January 19th (yesterday).  I am still working on details of leaves and blossoms, but also trying to add light and shadow to the wall itself, using my reference photo as a guide.  

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 18, 2023)

Here is my current project as it looks now. Today I added some shadows to the foliage, refined some of the leaves, and began adding some shadows to the wall.  I think this is on the way to being done. . .

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 15, 2023)

Here is my current painting as of January 15th.  I have been working on the shadows within the foliage. Using my reference photo as I guide, I have been painting in shadows within the foliage, using dark blue and purple.  I have been reworking some of the leaf shapes as I go. To be conitinued. . .

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 12, 2023)

Here is my current painting as it looked when I finished painting yesterday, January 12th.  I worked on the leaves that lost some definition when I modified the color of the wall behind them.  I also started to define the stems. To be continued. . . 

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 11, 2023)

Here is my current project as  of January 11th.  I lightened the background and now the color is close to what I want, the dusky pink of an adobe wall.  It was time to do this so there would be more color contrast with the blossoms.  I did like the bright color, however inaccurate, but I think a hint of the bright red-orange will still peek through.  After I repainted the background, I started to work on the blossoms, using  white and pale yellow for highlights, and a yellow-orange for shadows.  Now I feel like I am getting somewhere. . .To be continued. . . .

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 10, 2023)

This is my current project as it looks right now.  It is time to work on the blossoms, but I decided that I had to adjust the background color first. My eventual goal is fo the final color to be a dusty adobe pink. More immediately, I knew that I might be using orange tones to shade those blossoms, and if I kept the background as it was, I wouldn't be able to see what I was doing. So I added some washes with purple and brown tones to the background. This is not the final color but it is closer than it was.  Then I used some yellow and white to add highlights to the blossoms.

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of January 8, 2023)

Here is my current project as it looked on January 8th.  I continued to work on the leaves, concentrating on those that are in the shadows. I am just about done with that task, at least for now.  Next up: blossoms.  NOTE: these are not the final colors. To be continued. . .

Morning Mountains (Colorado Springs) at Galatea

This is my mixed media landscape, "Morning Mountains (Colorado Springs)". Yesterday we went to Galatea Fine Art in Boston and I finally had a chance to see my painting on the wall in the Artist Alcove Show, "Light of Day".  I liked the way it looked on the wall, so I took a picture.

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of Jan. 6, 2023)

Here is the painting I am working on, as of January 6, 2023.  I have been concentrating on refining the foliage, this time working mostly in the upper left corner.  To be continued. . . 

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of Jan. 5, 2023)

Here is my current painting as of January 5th, 2023.  I am continuing to refine the lines and shapes of the leaves, and adding foliage to the areas deeper in the shadows.  These are not the final colors. To be continued. . . .

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of Jan. 4, 2023)

Tonight I finally had a chance to do a little work on this painting. I am still refining shapes, and at this point, concentrating on branches and leaves that are in the shadows. To be continued. . . 

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of Jan. 3, 2023)

I worked on this painting again today. I continued refining the leaves, looking at my photo reference, and working on the "top layer" of branches.  To be continued. . . .

Trumpet Vine for Marcia (Painting as of Jan. 2, 2023)

Here is my current project as it looks now. Today I kept going with refining the leaves that are against the wall.  To be continued. . . .

Wishes for a Bright Year Ahead (digital drawing)

Yesterday's post was a little animation that I made on my iPad with the Procreate app, which captures a video replay as you draw.  This drawing is the final frame of the video, cleaned up a bit on my computer with Painter. I am sending this out to everyone with wishes for a bright year ahead