1 abstract art.

I've been trying lots of different styles of painting during our weekly paint class.  A few weeks ago I was feeling stressed while trying to meet a bunch of deadlines, and didn't have much time to plan a project before class.  I figured it was the perfect time to try something a little more abstract.  I just wanted to paint without really thinking about it.

Abstract paintings are a lot more difficult than they seem, at least to me!  How do you decide when you're finished?  I knew I wanted to start and finish this one within one class (which usually lasts about 4 hours), so I decided on a design that was relatively simple.  Pink, yellow, gray, black, and triangles.  That was all I had in mind for this one.

 I layered the colors on the background, mixing them with white to tone down the neon brightness a little!

I freehand painted the triangles because I wanted them to look imperfect.  They looked a little too imperfect when I was finished so I ended up outlining them in white at the end!

The outlines really made them pop out from the background.

I used metallic gray paint for the larger triangles, and opted to make smaller triangle shapes within the middle one.

 A few little dots in the top triangle and more white outlines, and it was finished.

  

Overall I was pretty happy with how this turned out!  It's now living in our master bathroom and adds some much needed color in there!  

I will definitely be trying more abstract paintings in the future, this was fun!  I'm going to take Lisa Congdon's line drawing class that starts tomorrow on Creativebug , which I think will help while making art like this!  I am terrible at drawing and I really love Lisa's work, so it seems like a win win to me!

4 I might be obsessed.

With painting that is.  Technically I used watercolor pencils for this, so it's more of a drawing/painting combo. 

These Supracolor pencils are really fun.  My sister bought them for me for Christmas, and I might have a larger set in my cart on Amazon because I want all the colors!

I really love feathers.  This one is inspired by this print by Satchel & Sage.  Their painting is much cooler than mine (and their shop is adorable!), but it's fun to practice.

I'll be starting a new painting project tomorrow at paint class, I still can't decide what to make.  Maybe another linens & lace pattern using my own design this time.

I need to put the brushes away and finish up my dresden quilt tonight.  It's almost finished!

11 A new love.

I have a confession to make!  I've been cheating on sewing lately with another artistic endeavor.  Painting!  Mostly acrylics, and a little watercolor so far.  I'm pretty much in love.

My mom and I have been going to paint class on Wednesday nights for a few months now.  It was just the two of us for awhile, and recently another lady joined as well.  Our teacher is a family friend Barb, and she runs the class in her home.  I really look forward to Wednesdays now!

This is the first painting that I finished after we were done with the beginner exercises that Barb had put together for us.  I painted it based off of a botanical print by Pierre Redoute, which I found on Pinterest.

I am pretty happy with how it turned out, although I don't love the centers of my flowers.  The dots kind of look like measles to me close up, but whatever.  I keep trying to remind myself that I am just starting out!  "Never compare your beginning to someone else's middle."  That is a quote I come back to all the time when it comes to photography, painting, and everything else!  It is easy to forget sometimes though, isn't it?

I just finished my second project last night and I really love it.  It's a lace inspired design from a Linens & Lace pattern book.  I traced the outlines from the book, and then filled in the shapes with my own design (triangles, of course).  This was really fun, I think I'm going to try to design my own lace pattern to make another one.

It's really hard to photograph since the background has a slight sheen to it, but the lace really pops off the background and looks 3D.  

I have been experimenting a bit with watercolor pencils the last few days too, but I'm not ready to share the results just yet. Hopefully soon though!

Painting has become an amazing outlet for me, it's just so relaxing!  The most stressful part is figuring out what I should paint next.  I am hoping to try my hand at some more abstract paintings soon, as those always seem to be my favorites.  Who are your favorite painters?  I've been following a few artists on IG lately, but I'd love to hear who your favorites are!