An Acrylic Painting…. Finished!

Murph, 16″ x 20″ acrylics on stretched canvas. www.theslumberingherd.com

I have not finished many paintings! But I actually feel like this one is finished. His nose is a little crooked and I could fool with the hair for ages longer but I’m calling this one done. The original image was a black and white photo, I believe a Spinone Italiano dog.

And here is his evolution starting as a sketch on a lightly painted canvas in February 2018, and then finally got his undercoat in January 2019. (I thought he might be finished, but he wasn’t!)

It’s been ages since posting, again. But I’m painting more and also working with another artist to put together an art auction in support of reproductive rights! I’ve put together a website here; No Apologies, and you can see the more than 20 works of art already posted. We expect at least 30 by the auction date of Sept 8 – Sept 15. More info at the link.

Belated hello to Paint Party Friday!

Acrylic Portrait Still in Progress

I did not paint every day in February, but I did work on this portrait for a lot more days than any other painting. And I took a lot of pics (and also included all the pics from the last post).

Bianca, 11″ x 14″ acrylics in progress. www.theslumberingherd.com

It’s weird how so many of these look like entirely different people. It’s also hard to see what changed in some cases. And sometimes it got worse before it got better. Also, still not done with this!

Thanks for stopping in. Hello to Paint Party Friday!

Acrylic Painting, Trying to Finish a Portrait!

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!

Hello to Paint Party Friday!

Acrylic Painting in 2019, Early February

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!

January 2019, Painting in Acrylics

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!

Acrylic Painting, January 11 to 17, 2019

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.com
January 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.com
Side-by-side 12″ x 16″ sketch to acrylic painting, Murphy, www.theslumberingherd.com
January 16 and 17, 2019, 12″ x 16″ acrylics on canvas, Murphy, www.theslumberingherd.com

Thanks for everyone for dropping by! Hello to Paint Party Friday!

Acrylic Painting January 2019, Continued

Painting every day in January, days four through ten.

January 4 and 5 2019. 8″ x 10″ acrylic on canvas board (unfinished) , www.theslumberingherd.com

January 7, 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylic on canvas board, in progress, www.theslumberingherd.com
Jan 8 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress, www.theslumberingherd.com
Jan 9 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress, www.theslumberingherd.com
Jan 10(1) 2019, 9″ x 12″ acrylics in progress, www.theslumberingherd.com
Jan 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!

January 2019, Painting Every Day

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.

Still Painting in Acrylics, Haltingly, Dec 2018

Ok, so apparently WordPress has changed quite a bit since my last post three months ago and/or the WordPress update I just did this morning. Dangit. I liked it the way it was. Isn’t this always the case? I am just now, begrudgingly, used to the new Gmail. Grrr.

Here is a painting of fish bones!

Fishbones, 8″ x 10″ acrylics on canvas board. www.theslumberingherd.com

I can tell you these fish bones were painted under some duress. Already days late for a Secret Santa at illustratedatcs.com, the themes I had to work with included Corgi dogs, skulls or other anatomical type bone studies, famous artists, cityscapes. I found some nice reference photos for Corgis and these fish bones. And while some of you reading this thing may be able to produce art on a tight deadline, that is not a thing I have ever had much success with.

Perhaps as a result of completing these fish bones – at the fifty-second hour, til the wee hours of the morning  (and including the mini Corgis in ink, below)  – I should start considering myself someone who can, in fact, finish pretty decent work on a tight deadline. The stress though. Dang. 

Here’s progress pics! And like every painting I have ever painted to date, I almost gave up several times. I actually started a new canvas, thinking I’d try a Corgi. But since I was already a couple hours in, I decided to try to finish it. Always try to finish it! That is important. ;)

Oh! And here are the corgis! Three ATCs (2.5″ x 3.5″ miniature art)

Three Corgies, each 2.5″ x 3.5″ Copics, ink, gel pen on smooth Bristol paper

Ahed Tamimi, Acrylic Portrait Practice

Ahed Tamimi, 22″ x 28″ acrylics in progress, Sept 2018

Ahed Tamimi, photo by Getty Images Dec 2017

Ahed Tamimi, teenaged Palestinian Independence activist, 22″ x 28″ acrylics in progress. Because no child deserves to grow up in an occupied State.

Just a reminder, more than 90% of people are just like you. They want to live peacefully and with the ability to provide for their families. Hatred toward a particular group is stoked by those in power in order to keep their power.

Tons of progress pics. Of course this is a larger canvas and I have also spent more days on it. More time = better! So far, in my experience.

Thanks for stopping in! Hello to Paint Party Friday.