Quick-n-easy acrylic painting

So I decided to go out and buy some acrylic paints for myself. The faster drying time was a clincher, but not having to use turpentine helped too. I am sure I will use the oils too, but I think I am leaning more towards acrylics right now.

I came across this painting of two love birds silhouetted against the evening sky on Pinterest, and loved the simplicity of it. It was a perfect painting to try in acrylics too - the entire painting just took a few hours to finish.

"The fat one looks like me" said my husband. I couldn't agree more.

Lovebirds (Acrylic on canvas)

A new abstract oil on canvas

This is my latest creation. I wanted to paint a cheerful looking piece for a long time and this one caught my eye. I loved the way the colors, shades and shadows come into play and most of all love the music instrument theme.  I used an unframed canvas sheet so it could be some time before it goes on the wall. I'd love to get some feedback on this - actually thought of asking my husband but what does he know about music :P

An abstract (Oil on canvas)

The unforgiving medium: My first watercolour

I finally tried the Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils  on this painting of an Italian cafe. Not too bad for a first attempt, right? I loved the cafe, and the interiors, and the flowers, and the orange bike (I got restless to finish the painting towards the end, and you can see the impact on the background wall. Oh well, that will teach me to be more patient in the future.)

The cafe (Watercolour)

Watercolor can be a difficult medium. It doesn't forgive mistakes very easily, unlike graphite/charcoal where you can erase or like acrylics where you can paint over. These pencils were easier than the watercolour tubes I tried before, since they give a better control over the painting. On the negative side, Inktense pencils are permanent. Once you mix them with water and let it dry, it is permanent and can't be undone with water. Another thing about the Inktense pencils is that they are really intense and brighten up any painting. Might not have been the best choice of medium for this particular painting given the light shades it required. I am sure it is possible to use the Inktense pencils for a more subtle color palette too, but I will need to work on that. 

The green eyed monster

I knew he had loved her before I became a part of his life. I knew she took up a large portion of his past. But like most brides, I hoped that getting married to me would change everything. That he would gradually forget her. Alas, it didn't happen. Whenever he is with me, I see it in his eyes that he misses her. He wants her. Don't get me wrong, he loves me. But he loves her too. He feels such a connection with her, that he cant let go of her even for a single day. They understand each other without a single word being spoken. Maybe he likes the fact that he has total control over her. Maybe it is their shared interest in soccer. Maybe something else, I don't know. But I have come to accept the fact that she will be a part of our lives and he will continue to love her.

Damn you, Xbox One!

My new toy and a trip down the memory lane

I recently saw a Spirograph at a store, and was immediately transported back to my childhood days. 

My new Spirograph kit

This was one of the many fun geeky things my brothers taught me (among other things such as an introduction to the big bang theory and the fact that you can locate the centre of a circle using just a compass.) Those were the days when I didn't even know what the Spirograph was called, and could barely coordinate my hands to get a decent design. But I do remember requesting my brothers to draw a bunch of spirographs for some greeting card or bookmark that I might have been working on at that time.

So when I saw this Spirograph at the store, I was hit by a wave of nostalgia. Of course, I had to buy it again - no matter that it said in bold letters on the cover "Ages: 8+". I am 8+, aint I?!

Check out those curves!

A brush with acrylics

My husband recently signed me up for a 2 hour painting class, to help me kickstart my painting projects again (and also to give himself 2 uninterrupted hours playing video games). When it comes to art, I have always been a Jill of all media, and this class was the perfect opportunity for me to dabble in a new media - acrylics!

Berger daisies - Acrylic on canvas

I had heard of all the pros of acrylics before and always wanted to try. But I had also heard of how quickly it dries up, and wondered if this was a media for me. I am pleased to report that I did indeed enjoy working with acrylics. It dries up faster than oils, but not so fast that you cant work with it. While an oil painting would take weeks to completely dry and progress layer by layer, acrylics reduce that process to a matter of days. And the fact that you don't have to put up with smelly paint thinners (acrylics are water based) is a huge plus!

I will definitely try acrylics again. That is, once I am through all the watercolour and oil painting projects I promised my husband ;)