painting ~

Okay.... time to quit the dilly dallying around and get down to business!  I have been procrastinating over this project long enough.  I'm going to paint a dog... and hopefully it will resemble our beloved Brandy that we had for 14 years before her passing two years ago.

I know I showed you the sketch on canvas that I finally got around to attempting:

I really didn't like the sketch; as it just didn't look like Brandy - but ... I decided to try and work with it anyways.  I never drew a dog's face before ... let alone paint one ... AND I'm using oil paints ... only did that once before ~ so bear with me.

Seriously ... I don't have a clue as to using oil paints.  This is a trial and error  ~
I don't own good brushes or any of the fancy stuff.  I don't even know if I have the right kind of canvas (my daughter picked it up at a garage sale and gave it to me).  I've used acrylic paints on occasion but oils are a whole 'nother ball game.

I decided I would first paint in some shadow and work from dark to light.  I'm sure some artist out there is going to read this and laugh. I'm serious ... I don't know what the proper steps are in doing this.  Should I be painting the background first and then working in the subject ~ or vice versa?? I suppose I could do a web search and find out some answers; but I'll just jump off the boat into the deep water and swim!

Here goes ...

Welcome to my studio ... the kitchen table.

Oh mercy!  This is not going the way I want it to go.  That poor forlorn dog that is showing up on my canvas.  It's nose is too long ... and those eyes ... oh my...

Think Mel ... think ... don't quit ... just start blending those paints around ... tweak the eyes and shorten that snout somehow.

Here's where I'm at when I quit a few hours later ... YES HOURS. I had to quit for the day.  My colors are getting muddled ... and I don't know what you do about that.  Do I have to let it dry some before attempting more?  Any oil painters out there with some suggestions??

I hope it's starting to look like a golden retriever???  

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

my bloomers ~

Today's Flowers 

Just thought I'd share a few of my flowers in the yard.  Did you think I was going to show you my underwear!!

 ~ ladybells ~

 ~ violas, petunias ~

 ~ coleous - mix varieties ~

 ~ day lily ~

 ~ monte negro lily ~

 ~ asiatic white lily ~

 ~ sempervivums ~

 ~ sempervivum  -  Oddity ~

 ~ moonbeam coreopsis ~

 ~ queen of the prairie ~

 ~ hollyhocks ~

 ... planted by the back deck ... they are almost 10 feet high ...

 ~ bearded iris that will bloom next year ... I just loved how the sun was shining through the shadows of the woods on them :) ~

 ~ stella d'ora lily ~

 ~ queen anne's lace ~

 ~ hosta buds ~

 ~  North Sky Blueberries that are finally putting on fruit! Yay!! ~

 ... a few more days to go ... they are just starting to turn blue ... 

 ~ another hosta ... can't remember it's name ~

~ sneezeweed ~

I hope you enjoyed the few flowers I posted ... I have more; but I didn't want to put this post into photo overload.  I sure do enjoy the colors of summer.

Now... here's another project I have going on the back burner... my second attempt at an oil painting.  I never drew or painted a dog before ... I hope it looks like our old gal Brandy that passed away 2 years ago when I'm finished.

~ the rough sketch on the canvas ... a work in progress ... I know this one is going to take some time; because I'm really not happy with it so far.

Brandy was the overseer of our place and is sadly missed.  Here's a few photos and scrapbook pages I made of her ...

Phew!  I guess this was another one of those photo overload post.  Sorry about that.

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

family time ~

Yesterday the family got together for a picnic.  Let me introduce you to a few ~

~Taylor, my great niece and granddaughter to my sister Cheryl  ~

Left to Right ~ Bill - my brother in law married to my sister Darla, Eric- my brother, Gary - my cousin Sandy's husband, Wynette - my Mom, ShyAnn - my cousin, Hoyt - ShyAnn's grandson, Doug- ShyAnn's husband, Donna- ShyAnn and Doug's daughter, Eric - my niece Dana's husband ~

Left to Right ... front to back~  Sydney - another Grandlove of Cher's, Dana and Shannon - Cher's daughters, Syminda - my great niece ~ another one of Cher's Grandloves, Julie - my nephew Scott's daughter , my cousin Sandy, Mona - my brother Randy's friend, Miranda and Justin ~Mona's son and girlfriend, Colleen - my sister and Ronda- my cousin

My Dear Hubby, Slim and my sister Cher

2 of my brother in laws

Cher's hubby -Thom and my sister Linda's hubby - Jim 

more nieces, nephews, and children:

Shannon - Cher's daughter in front, Brooke- my Grandlove on left with cowboy hat on,  Linda - Ashley's mom,  Ashley - Sam's girlfriend, Nathan - Cher's son,  Andy- Dar's son, Sam - my son and  Staci- my daughter.

My cousin - Debbie, my sister - Colleen, my cousin - Ronda, my sister - Darla

Let's see... who didn't I mention?  There was also Sara. Don, Bailey, Darcie, Austin, Christopher, Mark, Alice, Syrus, Ben, Noah, Issac, Maya, Dylan, Ryan, Doug, Kelly, Mike, Mitchel, (Mitchel's friend), Sloane, Traci and Tom  ... I know I'm missing some faces and names here ... 

I think the head count was around 65 people.  Almost all of them were my immediate brothers and sisters and their children.

What a great day!  

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

to the point~

I finally made my sign for out by the door ~

For those who know me ... Seriously ... I do like Thin Mints :) but I LOVE those Samoas ~ Caramel deLites!

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel