Category Archives: Acrylics

Late March Update, Acrylic Portrait

16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress

Pretty happy with this one so far! I think I am going to leave it for now, but it may reappear on these very pages in the coming weeks.

Here is proof you can make a decent nose and mouth and eyes if you practice. Which I am trying to do more aaaaaaaah. Have to fix the nose on the right side, decide how to finish the shoulders, and eventually eyelashes. And tone down the pink cheeks a bit. But on to the next one for now!

16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress 1, portrait on green

16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress 2, portrait on green

This is definitely one of my better sketches underneath, and improved the process quite a bit. Obvious, right? I have been watching more videos. I linked some over here! The green background was done the day before and let dry.

16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress 3, portrait on green

16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress 4, portrait on green

16″ x 20″, acrylics in progress 5, portrait in green

16″ x 20″, acrylics in progress 6, portrait in green

16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress

Eye detail in progress, March 2018

Hooray progress pics.

Thanks for dropping in! Hello to Paint Party Friday. :D

 

Mid-March Acrylics Portrait Practice

 

March 11-14, 2018. 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress

So this one is at a point where I may decide to move on to the next one. But that is probably a mistake! This is definitely not *done* but maybe it will never be. Or is that a terrible precedent?! I don’t know. Any insight appreciated.

Anyway, I think I will give this one some more time. I will post an update next week!

There will probably be a new one as well. REALLY trying to paint 5-6 days a week. Progress pics below. See how the mouth was crooked to start? On the other hand, it looked a bit like she was deliberately sort of pursing her lips. But I straightened it and it still needs some fixing up.

March 11, 2018. 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress

March 12, 2018. 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress

March 13, 2018. 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress

March 11-14, 2018. 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress

Thanks so much for dropping in! Thanks so much for the nice comments!

Hello to Paint Party Friday, recently having reached their seventh birthday, wow!

I am learning to paint so I can be a painter in support of our inclusive, progressive future. :)

Acrylics 2018 – March Restart

12″ x 16″ acrylics in progress

After painting every day the first 30 days of the year, I was waylaid by a (small) separate art obligation and then February happened. But now we’re in March. (HOLY COW IT’S MARCH) I am switching from animals to people.

12′ x 16″ acrylics in progress, March 6-8, 2018

I’ve been watching a lot of portrait painting videos. Some acrylic, some oils. The oil painters often do an underpainting in acrylics. I think about adding oils from time to time, but for now I’m going to stick with acrylics until I feel comfortable with them rather than add more complications! (I will add links to some of my favorite portrait painting videos next time.)

And here is the 12″ x 16″ hound dog in acrylics which was the last painting at the end of January.

12″ x 16″ Hound Dog in progress, Jan 26-28, 2018

As I wrote on Facebook:  As a side note, many days I feel I cannot post things without acknowledging the absolutely grotesque political environment in this country. I hope we are all trying to help in small ways, however we can. But I can’t be a painter if I don’t learn how to paint. So I’m going to keep doing that. Be kind to each other!

Hello to Paint Party Friday. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Acrylic Painting 2018. Days 19 through 25

January 19, 2018. 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress, www.theslumberingherd.com

Jan 20, 2018, 16 ” x 20″ acrylics in progress, aardvark!

Jan 21, 2018, 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress, Aardvark!-2

Jan 22, 2018, 16″ x 18″ acrylics in progress, aardvark!-3

Jan 23, 2018, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress, young panda

Jan 24, 2018, 9″ x 12″ acrylics, young panda

Well I do think this young panda is quite cute. Someone suggested it looks like a finished painting. When I stopped I did not think it was finished because I keep seeing things to fix. But it IS the most finished painting in these first 24 days of acrylic painting.

Jan 25, 2016, 12″ x 16″ acrylics in progress, hound dog

I started this hound after watching this Lachri Fine Art video about painting in a looser style. These early underpainting stages look terrible! She says the early stages always look like she painted them with her feet. On the other hand, they are *slightly* less terrible than earlier this month. :)

As a side note, if I could just add this comment to the universe:  Please send Mr. Mueller and his team some extra strength and fortitude to face what’s coming. A dying animal is most dangerous.

Thanks so much for stopping in! Hello to Paint Party Friday!

 

Acrylic Painting 2018. Days 12 through 18

Hello again! Here is this week’s production.

Jan 12, 2018, 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress, eagle. www.theslumberingherd.com

On January 13, I switched from taking photos on the easel, to taking photos in the bathroom. So, the lighting is slightly better. Plus I am able to make some adjustments in Adobe Elements. But, many apologies for the subpar photos! Also yes, I need to do something about the terrible lighting at my easel! Dangit.

Jan 13, 2018, 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress, eagle. www.theslumberingherd.com

Jan 14, 2018, 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress, eagle. www.theslumberingherd.com

Jan 15, 2018, 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress, bat. www.theslumberingherd.com

Jan 16, 2018, 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress, bat. www.theslumberingherd.com

Jan 17, 2018, 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress, bat. www.theslumberingherd.com

16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress

Jan 18, 2018, 16″ x 20″ acrylics in progress

Also! I have started an Acrylics page so I can list all the articles and videos that have helped me the most. I will try to remember to put a link in my acrylic painting posts.

Hello to Paint Party Friday! Thanks so much for all the nice comments. :)

Acrylic Painting 2018. Days 6 through 11

Hooray, still at it! Though as you will see, one day  produced only a background. But a background painted in acrylics! (The whole of which got painted over the next two days – a llama with a completely different background.)

I actually spent two days on two different paintings this time. I would not call any of these finished! Don’t know if I will ever finish them, and it doesn’t really bug me! It’s all practice.

Jan 6, 2018. 12″ x 16″ acrylics in progress, theslumberingherd.com

Jan 7, 2018. 12″ x 16″ acrylics in progress, theslumberingherd.com

Jan 8, 2018, 12″ x 16″ acrylics, a background.

Jan 9, 2018. 12″ x 16″ acrylics, www.theslumberingherd.com

Jan 10, 2018. 12″ x 16″ acrylics, www.theslumberingherd.com

Jan 11, 2018. 12″ x 16″ acrylics, www.theslumberingherd.com

I have learned a few things in this first 11 days. Mainly this. A thing I already knew:  paintings look TERRIBLE for the first 85% of the progress. One must keep on. :)

Acrylic Painting 2018. Days 1 through 5.

Hello!

It is Day Five of January, 2018 and also Day 5 of acrylic painting.

Some of these are terrible! None of them are finished. Some may never be finished, but that’s ok. Really!

January 1, 2018
12″ x 16″ acrylics, progress.

Jan 1. I started this first one on a background I did back in August. Which is just the most recent time (before this one!) that I decided i was really going to do painting for reals.

Jan 2, 2018 12″ x 16″ acrylics, progress. This is where I started and ended today

Jan 2. Started this one today with the left image completed. Also from last August! Anyway, I worked on it for a couple hours and ended up with the slightly fluffier, still far from complete, right side image.

Jan 3, 2018
16″ x 20″ acrylics, progress.

Jan 3. 16″ x 20″ is big! Though I’d like to do bigger. This one started with the blue background previously completed, you’ll never guess when!  Last August.

January 4, 2018
9″ x 12″ acrylics, progress.

Jan 4. Terrible! Holy cow. I think the nose has some promise but otherwise pretty bad. Started this one on a white canvas. Painted a quick blue ground. Might try to rescue or might paint over. Going to need lots of canvas, after all.

Jan 5, 2018
12″ x 12″ acrylics in progress. Started today with the background.

Jan 5. Not too thrilled with this one either, after 3ish hours. We’ll have to see if I give this one another go. Either way, I think tomorrow it’s back to dogs. The fifth day was rough. My brain was telling me I could take a day off. But no. Nooooooo. Not giving up today. :)

Thanks so much for stopping in! If you leave a comment include your site so I can visit back.

Hello to Paint Party Friday!

Continued Acrylics – with progress shots

Acrylic painting and pencil sketching continue.

11" x 14" Acrylics, in progress

11″ x 14″ Acrylics, in progress

This one is feeling much more forced than the last one! Probably overthinking things. The black outline was not the best move, but it will probably see a lot of changes yet.

And these are two favorite recent sketches. I am finally using a piece of paper as a smudge guard. Hooray!

Horned Oracle, 9" x 12" pencil sketch

Horned Oracle, 9″ x 12″ pencil

Pavel's Pet Portrait Palace 9" x 12" pencil

Pavel’s Pet Portrait Palace, 9″ x 12″ pencil

I haven’t decided what to do with these, Copics won’t work with this much pencil and the Bristol is no good for acrylics. I could trace the outline on a new sheet, maybe. More likely I will just start the next one.

Thanks so much for dropping by! (All acrylic tips appreciated!)

Could it be an Acrylic Painting post? IT IS.

two painted beasts, omg. 11" x 14" Acrylics

two painted beasts, omg.
11″ x 14″ Acrylics

Wooo, I’ve been painting! And pretty big too, if you keep in mind I’ve been mostly drawing 2.5″ x 3.5″ art card size the last couple years.

Since my last progress shots post, some WordPress update business or another has removed my slideshow function. I may search out another for future posts, but here is a little gallery of shots. You can click on each to enlarge, but tragically you cannot page through them.

So, I was pretty happy at step seven. The next day, after a couple hours working at it (with some frustrations!), what a big difference! I still have to fix up the background. Might just cover the splatters, or might add something new. Or might start the next painting! Here’s a sneak preview:

11" x 14" sketch on canvas board

11″ x 14″ sketch on canvas board

Thanks so much for dropping in! Please, please feel free and encouraged to drop any and all acrylic painting tips in the comments. I’m a bit of a hack at it still, and probably will be for another few years. (But that’ s ok!) :-)

One Very Fluffy Cat, in Acrylics

Hello! My name is Cindy, and it’s been thirty days since my last post.  However, it’s a painting post rather than a pen and ink post. That’s something!

Super Fluffy Cat, 5″ x 7″ acrylics

Back in January or so I promised to trade a 5″ x 7″ canvas painted with a cat. Then I got painter’s block and didn’t paint until, well, this weekend. Considering my apparent reluctance to practice and my novice level skills with paints – something I would love to remedy but I find it hard to make myself sit down and paint – somehow this cat looks like a cat! He went through some crazy transformations as I tried to figure out what I was doing (see progress pics below).

I’m trying to determine how to best motivate myself for the next painting (please reply if you have a suggestion). I’m considering trying to do some fantasy type paintings for the art show at another convention later this year.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I’ve also done some new pen and ink art cards, but I’m gonna hold them for the next post. :D

[portfolio_slideshow size=”large”]

Here is the handsome reference subject, a Main Coon called Relaxing Tiger Tamaris.