Herons
I was out walking with Rick and some friends, trying to sketch as quickly as possible. Our group stopped whenever we saw a beautiful bird or an alligator, but there was no time to make a really considered drawing.
Rick
I can usually get a sketch of Rick done if he is at his computer or dozing. In this case he was watching animal shows on PBS.
Rick (acrylic on paper) 10.5″ X 14.5″
It took me a long time, but I finally finished this portrait of Rick. I started it about a year ago, but we were so busy I couldn’t work on it consistently until last summer. Then, for some reason, it took me longer than usual to capture Rick. Hopefully, the painting I’m working on now won’t take nearly as long. Now that I have a dedicated studio, and I am no longer farming or teaching, I paint for several hours almost every day. I should have a better chance of finishing my next paintings in a more reasonable timeframe.
As you can see from the above picture, I have a few paint brands mixed up in my box, but Golden is my favorite brand and their Open Acrylics are my favorite paints of all. I love them because their drying time is much slower. They feel like painting with oils.
If you paint with acrylics I highly recommend Golden Open Acrylics. I painted with oils for many years, and I loved their “plasticity”, but I stopped using them because the solvents required are toxic and hard on septic systems. Golden Open Acrylics feel a lot like oils, but frankly, I like them better.