Sienna Hare

Sienna hare 10x14

Another hare in sienna tones.Somehow they are real fun to paint!

A Happy Day

9x12

I painted this cute donkey after a few days of inactivity. I have spent these days doubting my skills and way of working; as well as my choice of subjects. (is painting animals a lesser form of art?..was my basic question. Do people take you seriously if you paint animals?) Of course nothing good came out of it.At least painting this donkey made me happy!

Sketch in Charcoal

12x16

Picked up charcoal after a long time and did this sketch in the morning session.I have missed doing portraits and would love to do some more..This sketch reminded me how much I loved drawing- without the pressure of thinking of converting it into a painting!May be I should keep them separate.

Teal Tusker _Watercolor Elephant

16x20

Having recently acquired a couple of sheets of Two River NOT paper, today was the day to put them to test. I was stalling this for quite some time- the paper being pricey and I have not really been in my element lately.But  the 'test'  went well, after all.I chose a subject that was close to my heart; which I can paint without even thinking(though you can see- I went a bit too wild!)

This paper has a lot of texture and tooth- more towards 'rough' than a "NOT"; but it responded very well to my 'fast and furious' approach. The weight was 300 lb so there was no need to stretch.I am definitely going to use it again.Try out various styles and techniques.Lovely paper.

Portrait Study in watercolor

Page from my sketchbook 10"x 8"

I am thinking about converting this into a bigger painting.. maybe with some dramatic background.

This little sketch was based on a photo that I took on one of my trips to countryside in Hampshire.This elderly gentleman was admiring the garden while I admired his white hat and large sunglasses.The sunlight bouncing off his face makes him a good subject. It has been a long time since I have done a proper portrait and it kind of feels scary! 

watercolor sketch _ man

Study from sketchbook 10x8

Going back to faces, a study in my new sketchbook.Thinking about adding some more character to it but here it is, as of now.I really enjoyed it and may be I will do a few more.

Also working on a large elephant portrait.I have taken a few work-in-progress shots,so that  if I mess it up, at least I would know where things started to go wrong! I am using this old paper, don't even remember which one is it.But it is acting rather dry.Not very encouraging...

Well I think I will post more shots tomorrow.Even if the outcome is not all that exciting.Its a learning curve..earlier I used to work on the whole painting at the same time.With this one I did an initial wash over the whole thing but then divided the work to specific areas; for better control. 

Here is the first shot, the scary stage!( I swear, I did stretch the paper!)