Sketchbook Pages: May-June, 2019
Sketches from summer 2017 with a twist
Recent sketches
These are recent sketches from my sketchbook:

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.
Finally finished: Portrait of Rick

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.
Golden Open Acrylics
I love Golden Open Acrylics
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.
Here are a few reasons why I love these paints:
- The colors are beautiful.
- They dry slowly.
- You can use a palette knife with them if you want. I use one to move paint around on my palette or to scrape the canvas the way I would with oil paints.
- Like all acrylics, Golden Open Acrylics don’t smell like anything, and they clean up with water.
- You can cover your palette and the paints will still be wet the next day. They stay wet for a few days when they are covered. I use plastic wrap which sticks well to my glass palette.
- This one is weird, but I like the caps Golden uses. They don’t get gunky and are easy to get on and off.
- Another thing I like about Golden is their website. They have information pages and a newsletter that are excellent. Take a look at the page for Open Acrylics: https://www.goldenpaints.com/products/colors/open.
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.