The First Weeks In the 30 Days Art Challenge

 

First 9 days in the 30 days challenge

Here we go! By now September is coming to a close and I haven't updated you on this art challenge.

I've been so busy I barely scratched out these works, but I am determined to see this 30 days of artwork through to the end.

Some days I used the nupastels. They were easily accessible and available. 

The subjects? Not so much. What to paint? Where to paint? Outdoors? At the easel? 

Every session, a dilemma.

I drew with my trusty Crayola crayons, another day, drawing pencils.

On one day I had a little more time and got out the watercolor paints! Can you tell I ended up sorting through my seashell collection?

Finally, on a day with a little more time, I decided to paint in oils on canvas panel. What a thrill!

Since the challenge is to work from direct observation or even en plein aire, it was good training for the eye. What do we actually see? Where are the shadows and lights? What shapes am I making and do they make any sense? Lots of learning in these 30 days.

The last frame is special to me. These pom-pom shoes were mine when I was a child. My grandmother brought them from Greece as a souvenir. They are copies of evzone shoes called "tsarouhia," which are worn by the National Guard of Greece. They are really old, but I love them, and decided to paint them.

I gessoed sketchbook paper and drew them in with oil paints. 

Why did I do that?

Only because I would feel a weird sense of commitment if I ruined a canvas or panel on a junk oil sketch. 

Ok, so what happened with this painting?

I will leave that for next time..