Ann Buckner PaintingsSketch, Draw, Paint!

Barbara, Charcoal

2009-12-26T21:23:00.000-06:00

Barbara

8" x 9"

Charcoal on gray tinted paper

Tomorrow is my sister-in-law's birthday and this is her gift. If their subdivision roads are clear they will come for a visit. They had so much ice and snow they couldn't get out of their driveway.

Barbara has the most beautiful silvery, gray-white hair and lovely cheek bones. Not only that she cooks & bakes like a dream and has more energy than anyone I know.

TMC #19, Handbag

2009-12-24T05:52:00.000-06:00

TMC #19

Handbag

4 1/2" x 6 1/2"

Gessoed Bristol Board

Wanted to get an early start today so set this fabric handbag on my paint table. I wanted to practice painting the folds and shadows.

Christmas Eve morning, and all is quiet. Mornings are a special time, any morning. A wonderful time to listen to the quiet, all the things we don't normally hear in the rush of daily living. A time to reacquaint ourselves with our most cherished dreams, a time for thanks. I'm hoping we all find a moment of this refreshing quiet time.

Sisters Finished

2009-12-23T06:18:00.000-06:00

Three Sisters

Each matted to 11" x 14"

I put some studio mats on the graphite drawings of my nieces as protection for delivery to my sister. The drawings are what she requested for Christmas. Now the waiting begins, to see whether she likes them or wants changes. They do look like the girls but the resemblance isn't as close as I would like. In other words, they aren't spot on lol. Maybe in a year's time my skill will have improved.

TMC #18, Erasers

2009-12-21T07:26:00.000-06:00

TMC #18, Erasers

1 3/4" x 2 3/4"

Watercolor & Ink

This subject was challenging to paint since the erasers are white or gray and one covered with charcoal erasure areas. I used ink to do a bit of line to delineate the erasers. The grays were mixed with Indanthrone Blue, Burnt Sienna combination , or French Ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, changing the color by adding a bif of quin. magenta or lemon yellow or more blue or more brown.

Countdown to Christmas - wishing each of you good things in your day to day journey.

Santa, Merry Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-20T00:36:00.004-06:00

Being in the Christmas mood, had to paint Santa this year. 5" x 7" watercolor and gouache, painted to the edges of the Fabriano watercolor paper.

Wishing each of you a life filled with health, happiness, prosperity and love, and praying for peace.

TMC #17

2009-12-19T18:50:00.004-06:00

The darks in this TMC are Indanthrone Blue, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Lemon Yellow. The golds are Spanish Gold Ochre and Quin. Gold. French Ultramarine Blue used in the background. The powder belonged to my sister and those are nail clippers beside the powder. Because these are 20 minutes it was a challenge to even get close on the ellipses. The other thing that runs through my head when looking at the finished TMC is that there are so many different ways this could be painted or drawn, emphasizing line or shapes or colors.

Before Daylight

2009-12-18T08:33:00.000-06:00

These items were sitting on the window sill and could see the reflections in the glass. Painted on 5" x 7" Fabriano watercolor paper.

Steph, Graphite

2009-12-16T19:50:00.000-06:00

Steph

Graphite on Bristol Board

8 1/2" x 9 1/2"

Graphite Portrait

2009-12-16T06:22:00.000-06:00

Carol

7 1/2" x 9"

Graphite

Bristol Board

Instead of doing the 20 Minute Challenge every day I have been working on my portrait skills. Carol's personality shines through in her smile and I hope I captured that.

TMC #16, Feather Duster

2009-12-13T18:21:00.000-06:00

This was painted a few minutes ago in acrylics and I don't like it but am showing it anyway. It is a Pledge can and a duster.

Then yesterday the only thing I painted were these two little things in watercolor as i was thinking of Christmas. Just had to get my brushes wet and play a little.

TMC #15, Tools Again

2009-12-11T12:42:00.000-06:00

This time gesso was applied to bristol board and the subject matter was painted in watercolor. The pliers are better this time I think and added screws for a bit of interest. Still need to work on shadows and their shapes. One of these days will start applying backgrounds, as time allows even if it is just a swish of the brush.

Watercolor Portrait for CWC

2009-12-10T07:47:00.000-06:00

Finished painting

Underpainting in Terre Verte

I used one of my niece's photo as a reference to paint this for the Yahoo colorfulwatercolor art group hosted by Rhonda Carpenter. We were to do a monochromatic painting first then overpaint the same painting. I chose terre verte (green) by Holbein as my underpainting.since I wanted that color in the shadows.

This was painted on bristol board and kept getting hard edges as the paper absorbed the paint so fast. It was hard to soften the edges without beading the paper. I couldn't get smooth transitions. Maybe I should have wet the paper first then dropped in paint. BTW, this does not look like my niece but has some similarities. Still, it was all a learning process.

TMC #14, Hand Tools

2009-12-09T17:15:00.000-06:00

I grabbed some hand tools and however they landed on the table was how I was going to paint them. This TMC is a bit confusing when it comes to separation of the tools and some of the shapes are unclear. The black handle has areas of light that are barely seen in the photo but are much more distinct in real life. Tools are fun to paint and even with all the irregularities, I would paint this again.

Hand Sketch, Graphite

2009-12-08T06:33:00.000-06:00

Did this hand sketch this morning as a warm up. I didn't time it so it won't count for the 20 minute challenge. Yesterday, I worked on a portrait, my third try at drawing this person. It is heading for the trash bin. It was a case of almost right but some shapes were wrong.

I will start another one today and hope to start with a very light line drawing to be sure the shapes are correct. I have a very heavy hand so this will take diligence to keep it light until the values are gradually shaded to create the form.

Last night I watched a hand tutorial at Drawing Tutorials Online and one of the things learned is that the first two phalanges (from the tip of the finger) equal the length of the third phalange. Hopefully, I learned a lot more as I also watched two portrait videosl. My thinking is that the more often I watch the videos, more information will sink in and, the more I practice, the more the information will be firmly embedded in my subconscious and the hand/eye coordination becomes more in sync.

Dirty Dishes, Still Life Study

2009-12-06T23:43:00.000-06:00

There were some dirty dishes that needed to be taken to the kitchen, instead I used them for this 9" x 12" acrylic painting. It has probably been a year or so since I have painted with acrylics andI had forgotten how fast they dry. The palette consisted of Cad. Red light, Cad. Yellow Deep, Yellow Ochre, Alizarin Crimson, Dioxazine Purple, Cobalt Blue and gesso for white. My plan is to do a 20 minute painting using acrylics. Wonder how much of the subject matter will get blocked in during that short time frame??

Christmas Candy

2009-12-05T21:17:00.000-06:00

This 4 1/2" x 6 1/4" painting is my first Christmas painting this year. I have had the reference photo for a couple of years but wouldn't paint it because I found the plaid napkin and the filigree mirrored tray rather daunting. I still do but gave it a try anyway.

TMC #13, Iron

2009-12-05T08:19:00.000-06:00

TMC #13

Iron

5" x 7" Fabriano paper

Watercolor

Portrait Sketch

2009-12-04T07:12:00.000-06:00

I did this quick portrait sketch using vine charcoal on bristol board this morning for practice. I eyeballed the measurements and came really close. The left eye is just a bit high but overall I like it. Doing these practice sketches is helping to train my eyes and hands.

November 20 Minute Challenge Collage

2009-12-03T08:26:00.000-06:00

20 Minute Challenge

November

Collage

TMC #12, Scissors

2009-12-02T04:04:00.000-06:00

I felt rushed through this TMC. You know the feeling, so much ground (paper) to cover and so little time. The one area of learning that keeps reenforcing itself when doing these little studies is that painting is all about values and shapes. Design and color also play an integral part.

Worked more on the first graphite portrait yesterday. Today I will revisit the mouth area. I'm at the point where it looks like the person's mouth but still isn't quite right. The Christmas client says it looks just like the person though so that is a big plus. Did you notice I'm not saying whether it is male or female?

TMC #11, Tennis Shoes

2009-11-30T21:11:00.000-06:00

Tennis Shoes

5" x 7"

Watercolor

At the end of 20 minutes I have one almost finished shoe and sock and one unfinished. I really enjoyed painting this. Before painting this, I took the time to study the shoes and socks so that when the timer was turned on, I was ready to paint. That is one of the lessons I'm learning - study and plan first, then paint. I had good intentions of beginning the day with the TMC but here it is, 9:00 p.m. Hopefully my good intentions will be filled with tomorrow's TMC posted early..

Today was filled with working on a graphite portrait. I have four to do before Christmas and won't be posting any of them until after Christmas. Don't want to spoil the surprises. Plus, I want to join in the portrait project at the colorwatercolor group.

TMC10

2009-11-29T09:39:00.000-06:00

Implements of the trade, painted on 2 1/2" x 4" 300# Arches wc paper. I quickly sketched in the shapes and began laying in color. I didn't have enough time to get the kneaded eraser in that was placed between the green pencil and the pencil sharpener, overlapping the sharpener. Just use your imagination and place it there lol.

Cuties

2009-11-27T16:37:00.000-06:00

Cuties

3 1/4" x 3 5/8"

Watercolor & Gouache

Arches 300# Cold Press paper

Cuties are a brand of very small oranges which I thought would be quite sweet. I liked the size and the color so arranged them on a piece of paper this morning and began painting. The first photo shows the painting at the end of 20 minutes. I like the fresh look of the whole oranges. I knew when I began this that I would keep painting rather than stop at the end of 20 minutes and do not consider this as part of the Twenty Minute Challenge.

The 2nd photo shows the finished painting. I had to use white gouache on bits of the orange slices and on the orange peels. Then I decided to scrub out the orange peels with a bristle brush. I like the look of the peelings much better now.

TMC#9, Harmonica

2009-11-27T06:16:00.000-06:00

Harmonica

5" x 5" Watercolor & Ink

Arches 300# paper

This is a toy harmonica which came in a colorful purple box with yellow lettering. Didn't have time to paint the yellow.

I hope everyone created some good memories yesterday. I decided to take the day off and didn't paint or draw. Does that mean I have to paint two TMC's today???

Waking up at midnight, wide awake, did some doodling from the Loomis .pdf's. I also drew circles, going over the same circle trying to not go off the original line. Try it, this takes practice. According to Michael at drawing-tutorials-online.com, this will create better hand/pencil control.

May your Thanksgiving & All Year Be Blessed & An Oldie

2009-11-26T07:36:00.000-06:00

This barn was drawn in charcoal for my sister three years ago and I may have posted this before. (We all know how memories are.) It is reminiscent of the old barn on the place where her husband was raised. I haven't taken the time yet to do the 20 minute challenge nor drawn anything. Being Thanksgiving it may be later before any artwork is done.

I want to take this opportunity to wish each of you a most bountiful life with peace in your heart & soul.