Most recent – this window poster, on poster board. I need to make a stand or something because our window is just a tad too far from the sidewalk and street.
Look, my next poster will be uplifting and shit but this is the first one.
I have been very slowly learning acrylic painting over the past couple years. These most recent three are a good indication of current events and also of learning to paint.
8×10 acrylics on canvas board, March 3, 202011″ x 14″ acrylics on canvas, March 10, 2020 12″ x 16″ acrylics in progress, March 11, 2020
Apparently I’ve been on an orange kick. Thanks for visiting!
It’s hard to see progress in your day-to-day life, but after enough years go by, a timeline emerges. Self-taught post-40 via Youtube and many trials and errors, some help from Sarah Kaiser at Studio 215 and lots of drawing practice.
Below are a selection from the past five and something years, These first two in orange are the earliest vs. the latest in this series. Hard to believe the same person did those.
Still orange! 2014 acrylic painting vs 2020 acrylic painting
The first 30-day painting challenge I did was in January 2014. I did a bit more in February but not much for the rest of the year.
I could not find much for 2015-2017. I was practicing art but mainly with ink and pencils.
In 2018 and 2019 I painted every day in January along with some of the internet, and then with sporadic practice the rest of those years.
In 2020, January went up in a puff of smoke but I did paint every day in February and I have finally been finishing paintings, which I did not manage to do much before.
Looking forward to another five and something years of progress, particularly since it’s become *slightly less difficult to get to practicing once a little progress is made.
It’s 2020. Already February, in fact. I’ve actually had about a week trying to get my blog working, probably due to a problem with an update or something. I’m not sure what fixed it, to be honest!
The world is crazy but I am going to try to do lots of painting this year. I have started the last 3 years or so with lots of painting in January, and not much after. This time, I didn’t do any in January, but plan to do much more for the rest of the year.
How about you, got plans for 2020? Thanks for stopping by!
Attitude, 9″ x 12″ acrylics on canvas www.theslumberingherd.com9×12 acrylics in progress, 1-3 www.theslumberingherd.com9×12 acrylics in progress, 4-6 www.theslumberingherd.com
No Apologies Online Only Art Auction
Starting this weekend and running September 8-15, 2019, I am co-hosting an online art auction in support of abortion rights. Most of the art was made by the organizers, though a few of our friends have donated some pieces. Looking is free! More information here: https://noapologiesartauction.org/
(The Dolores Huerta – right side, flower background, and the tiny houses in the middle (plus the painting at the top of this post) are mine. The other pieces are from other artists!)
Bianca, 11″ x 14″ acrylics in progress. www.theslumberingherd.com
Well I have spent more time on this painting than any other. Partly because it is a person I know! Partly because I am trying to *complete* a painting. A painting that looks like someone I know. It is hard. :D
I have missed four days in February so not exactly painting every day, but still pretty good!
I practiced acrylic painting every day except one in January, and am on track to do the same for February 2019. What I have not done is finished many paintings. But they are getting closer! Virginia Woolf from my last post is the first acrylic painting I can say I am happy with, and is finished. YAY!
This post contains two works in progress – Toni Morrison and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. They are coming along pretty nicely. Learning to paint is a long process and often frustrating! But nobody can become a better painter (or musician or dancer or a lot of other stuff) without practice. The trick is just to keep going!
Toni Morrison, 11″ x 14″ Acrylics in progress, www.theslumberingherd.com
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes (AOC), 18″ x 24″ acrylics on canvas, in progress. www.theslumberingherd.com
Thanks for dropping in! Hello to Paint Party Friday! Let me know if you have any favorite youtube painting videos!
I spent the last week of January on the portraits of two writers, Mary Oliver and Virginia Woolf. The Mary Oliver one is not finished, but the Virginia Woolf may actually be finished. Which is a nice end to January 2019.
January 30, 2019, 8″ x 10″ acrylics on canvas board, Virginia Woolf, www.theslumberingherd.com
January 27, 2019 9″ x 12″ acrylics on canvas in progress, Mary Oliver, www.theslumberingherd.com
I’ve been watching a lot of videos from Yupari Artist on youtube/ . He is mainly an oil painter but I have learned a lot watching him paint portraits, in case you’re interested in that sort of thing.
Hello to Paint Party Friday and other blog friends! Thanks for dropping in!
I am still painting every day in January. AND I believe I shall also do so for February.
January 11, 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress, www.theslumberingherd.comJanuary 12, 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress, www.theslumberingherd.com
January 13 and 14, 2019, Carrie Chapman Catt, 9″ x 12″ Acrylics in Progress, www.theslumberingherd.com
January 15, 2019, Carrie Chapman Catt, 9″ x 12″ Acrylics in Progress, www.theslumberingherd.comSide-by-side 12″ x 16″ sketch to acrylic painting, Murphy, www.theslumberingherd.comJanuary 16 and 17, 2019, 12″ x 16″ acrylics on canvas, Murphy, www.theslumberingherd.com
Painting every day in January, days four through ten.
January 4 and 5 2019. 8″ x 10″ acrylic on canvas board (unfinished) , www.theslumberingherd.comJanuary 7, 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylic on canvas board, in progress, www.theslumberingherd.comJan 8 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress, www.theslumberingherd.comJan 9 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress, www.theslumberingherd.comJan 10(1) 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress, www.theslumberingherd.comJan 10(2) 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress, www.theslumberingherd.com
I can’t post the reference photo because this is the daughter of people I know! Just take my word for it, this doesn’t really look like her too much. But, I have spent three days so far on it, and that my be the longest I have spent on one painting. So that’s something. The multi-day paintings have been frustrating but I’ve tried to push on rather than give up, and that almost always leads to improved results. Which helps as a reminder for the next time. Because it’s every time, that thing where a painting is ugly for a long long time before it starts looking at least a bit like you hoped. :D
Hello again to Paint Party Friday! And if anyone knows of any other daily painting groups please let me know. Thanks for stopping in!
Dangit I forgot making a blog post looks different. I want the other way back.
Fluffy Dog! January 1, 2019, 11″ x 14″ acrylics in progress on canvas (close-up), www.theslumberingherd.com
January 2, 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress on canvas board, Letitia Wright (Shuri from Black Panther), www.theslumberingherd.com
Fluffy Donkey! January 3, 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress on canvas board, www.theslumberingherd.com
January paintings one, two, and three. None are finished! I’m not sure how many acrylic paintings I have actually like, finished. I think maybe none. So hello January 2019! I think you may be the month I actually finish an acrylic painting (or two) in addition to starting many.
Jan 3, 2019 9″ x 12″ acrylics on canvas board in progress. www.theslumberingherd.com
Hello once again to Paint Party Friday! And thank you kindly to my visitors for visiting. Also, sorry for the terrible photos, yikes. Perhaps i will try to take some in daylight.