Friday, February 27, 2015

Morning Paintings (completing the first sketchbook)

When I started my morning painting ritual my only goal was to fill this small sketchbook that I had dedicated to them. It's a Seawhite of Brighton Eco Sketchbook and it only has 32 pages, but still I found it rather ambitious of myself. And now it is full!

If these morning paintings have taught me anything it's that a painting a day goes a long long way. ;-) It really shows me that if you do a little bit on a regular basis something gets built up and it's a very different experience to know this by actually living it than just thinking it.

Here are the last nine painting of my first daily painting sketchbook:

9 + 10 February

#24 - whimsical town

#25 - folklore heart

11 + 12 February

#26 - triangles

#27 - tea party

13 + 14 February

#28 - ornaments

#29 - house with cat

15 + 16 February

#30 - chevron

#31 - mandala

17 February

#32 - tulips

As you can see I've been playing a lot with whimsy. And I also have started using acrylic paint markers to go over the gouache painting to spruce them up a little.

I have to admit that some of these (the last one for instance and also the triangles) were simply not finished to me by the time I had to stop. I don't know how some of those other daily painters do it, but I'm seriously starting to doubt their claim that they can do a full on painting in 30 minutes! At least I know that I can't. The ones I like that are a bit more elaborate take about 45 to 60 minutes, but on my work days I just don't have that time. I am not going back into those later to finish them, because I want this book to be about process and not product and this unfinished business tells me I did the best I could with the time given.

Now that this book is finished I have moved on to another sketchbook, because quite frankly I think I have become a little addicted to this morning practice. ;-)

But that's for another morning paintings post. May there be many of them. ;-)

Have a good day all!