Tears, Fears & Smears

[Val]

Many thanks Lynn, that means more than you can imagine. It's still early days for me and pastels, and I think once I get some proper paper (+ a few extras) I'll be off like a herd of turtles!   

[Val]

Thank you so much Susan, I feel like I'm coming to life again! 

[liz]

  Hi VAL, your title 'Tears, Fears & Smears' caught my eye today.  I love your green frog; the colors are simply luscious and your frog has lots of character!!!  Was that a tree frog; some are very small and green like yours.


MEA, I know you live near the ocean, but a nearby stream in your yard?  What color was the hoppers in your yard?  I grew up in Kaneohe and we had both toads in the yard and frogs in the creek and taro patch behind our house.  Frogs are smooth skin, slimy guys and more colorful than toads who normally are drier and bumpy skin and found on land more than in water.  My dad and I used to hunt frogs at night and my mom cooked frog legs and frog soup, but toads are poisonous-I guess you know that. ~Liz

[Val]

Hi Liz      thanks for your lovely comment. Yes it is a tree frog, the young are so tiny they can sit on your fingertip. This variety can grow to 2 - 3".  I think they're quite beautiful.

[MaryAnne Long]

Big boofa frogs (greyish brown) are what the neighbors called them, Liz.  Didn't know toads were different from frogs.

Val, love Byron's house.  No idea about the sand.

aloha

mea

[Val]

Thanks Mea. The sand actually looks like it has some colour in the photo.      On the actual painting it looks white. Very odd.

[Happychappy]

Val, Byron's house is beautifully done and I would leave the sand as it is, for it looks perfect in the photograph.


Patricia

[Val]

Thank you for that Patricia, but in the painting the sandy area shows as white, not at all like the photo. I'll have to have another think about what to do with it. Meanwhile I still have to finish the trees in the distance and bring up the palms. 

[lynn p.]

Val--Some thoughts about the sand.  I actually think it is a good color.  Maybe what is bothering you is that sand is rarely just flat and the color in sand often comes from the undulations and shadows.  You could add some movement in the sand and layer some light pinks or blues or white over each other in layers.  It is hard in pastel to have the "right color" in one stick.  Look at this artist's depiction of sand in pastel--might give you some ideas.


http://www.parduestudio.com/landscapes/oils/Slideshow/index.htm

[Val]

    Thanks Lynn! I'm thinking perhaps some footprints in the sand... yes, that's the ticket! I don't know why I didn't think of that before! 

[Annie.]

Miss all this fun post. 

I love your red-eye green-frog (is that the scientific name  ).  As well as the safety pointers.  Wonder where my spacesuit is, maybe in those unopened boxes from last move.

[Val]

Scientific name huh?     Well alrighty then..... Agalychnis callidryas.  Pretty big name for such a little fellow! 

[RebecaM]

Love your red eyed frog Val, such vibrant colors! Maybe the cast shadows could be a bit softer for a more natural look. I too plan to draw two frog portraits (one has yellow and black spots, saw it at the zoo and the other is light green with black and brown spots). How do you find the sandpaper? I would like to try such a texture, but I'm not sure if they sell it where I live.

[Val]

Hi Rebeca, I cannot buy any art supplies where I am. I was curious about working on sanded paper as it seems to be quite popular. So I used sandpaper that you can buy at the hardware store.

I used a sheet of 3M 9"x11" 400Grit Wet/Dry sandpaper. I've no idea how it will hold up as I am pretty sure it won't be acid free like the art sanded paper. If you look at the border of my painting, you will see the colour of the sandpaper is a dark slightly greenish black. Be forewarned it certainly does eat up the pastels, especially the pastel pencils which I used for some of the fine detail.

Hope to try some of the art sanded paper when I get north shortly. Curious to see what the difference is. Of course in the art sanded paper you can get much lighter colours as well. Hope this helps.

[RebecaM]

Thank you for the explanations, Val. I will look for something similar at the hardware store. Even if it's not archival, I don't think such a robust paper will degrade easily over time, so chances are nothing will happen to the paintings done on it.