This week will be a busy one for me as I am going to be going back and forth between my home in Williams Lake, and Sun Peaks.  So I have decided to do one of my most comfortable types of art, watercolour and ink.  As I write this I realize that what I really mean is ink.  I am far away from mastering watercolour painting, but I like to play with it and then add ink to create something I love.  

I'm excited about this week so I decided to write about it now rather than wait until the end of the week.  It is hard for me to stop painting each day as I could honestly draw and play with ink for hours!!

This week's challenge I found somewhere on line.  The challenge is to paint one object for 10 minutes only..... then repeat 4-6 times.  I did this each day with a different object and I noticed immediately that my painting improved from the first attempt to the 4th attempt.  This is a GREAT exercise.  I think this really improves your ability to  observe.  

The picture I'm posting is of a perrier bottle.  I was struggling with the shape and the funny bottom of the bottle.  I think I finally got it by the 4th try.  I LOVED this challenge.  I think I may have to repeat it again during the year.  

Next week I'm going to do some drawing and watercolours as I will be travelling back to Williams Lake for my show.  

Speaking of shows.... the Kamloops show has concluded and when I went to pick up my paintings, I was pleased to see that I had sold both paintings.  One had sold prior to the show and the second one sold during the show.  The one that sold at the show was called "Stillness".  It is one of my favourites, and I will miss it, but I'm glad it is going to make someone else happy.  I am adding a picture of it below.  

This was a fun week.  I like cats, especially orange tabbies.  This week involved a lot of sketching prior to the painting.  I had to remember what cat legs look like and I had to practice to get their bodies the way I wanted.  As a result, I have 2 pages packed full of cat sketches..... it might make a nice painting some day.  

This has been my most challenging week so far.  Some of the portraits I did, I really liked, and others..... not so much.  I found that I enjoyed doing the ones with only one colour.  I struggled with the flesh tones.  I think my favourite one has to be the first one I did (see above).  There are definite flaws in this girl's face but she really appeals to me somehow.   Someone joked that she is probably the girl who owns the red stilettos I painted last week, and is right now wondering where she left them the night before.  :)

Someone asked me to do a self portrait and to your left is the best I could do this week.  I've tried self portraits a few times and find they are very difficult.  I end up painting a very stressed out and crazy person who looks sort of like me but with all my flaws highlighted.  Heaven forbid I paint myself beautiful.  :)

Anyways.... I think I am going to paint cats next week.  Whimsical cats.  Should be fun.

Final day of "Shoe Week".  This was an interesting challenge.  I find that at times I have a picture in my head but it is not always easy putting it on a canvas... it doesn't always look like it did in my head.  

So what did I learn this week?  I think I learnt a bit more about shading and perspective.  I learnt that I like to keep things up-beat and fun... although I think I already knew that.  I also enjoyed using red... it is in each painting in some form or shade... red is a good colour.

Tomorrow I am going to do portraits.  I seem to say this at the beginning of every week, but I am a bit fearful of portraits.... lots of shading, skin tones, and getting the symmetry of the face right.  I will use celebrity faces from magazines so my paintings won't be what I would consider.... originals.... but it will be a good practice week for me.... who knows what I will come up with.