The Lineart on a Canvas Panel for My Spider Painting...

Here is the lineart on the canvas panel for my spider painting.  It has diverged a bit from my initial sketch, Alex at The Strange Art of Ledante suggested that I make the limbs a bit different and gave me some help.  He says there's a point at which you may want to move away from the reference to make a stronger painting and as he tends to be right with great frequency about art related matters, I went with his suggestions...

Edit: I am also participating in Sunday Sketches.  To view more Sunday Sketches, please visit:
http://www.bluechairdiary.com/blog/

Sketches of Four Spiders: Please Vote for which to paint!

Edit:  Combined between facebook and my blog, number 4 was the winning spider that I will strive to paint between today and Tuesday next, athough I may need more time then that.  Thanks very much for your input!

Here are four of my spider sketches from this week.  I would like to do a small painting of one of these four this week.  If you'd like to vote on which one, just leave a comment as to which you'd prefer and I'll tally the votes on Tuesday at around four, adding up the votes of my blog and facebook page together.  In the event of a tie, or no votes, I'll just draw one out of a hat.  I might do this weekly with different sketches.  I also may use the sketches and paintings based on the sketches posted in other art at different times.  This painting will be a small 5"x7", with some cropping to fit the format, that I will try to complete between Tuesday and the Tuesday next (although I seem to go over on amount of time needed to complete the painting pretty regularly...).

The ones Alex thought were my best options for the group ended up being three from yesterday and one from the first day...  Thank you Diane for the wonderful reference selection!


To view more Sunday Sketches, please visit:
http://www.bluechairdiary.com/lbog/

Four More Spider Sketches...

Here are four more spiders for my spider themed sketches of the week.  These are the last of them.  One is a mecha steampunk spider and I think the one below it is a steampunk spider too!  For tomorrow, I'll choose which to submit to vote upon and which one to select for my Little Miss Muffet painting that's still in the early concept stage right now.  I sketched so many of them because my spider loving friend Diane kindly selected most of these and she has a much better eye for spiders than I do...  Starting on Monday or Wednesday at the latest, I intend to be sketching bunnies, although there still will likely be a work in progress post and the final version post that will feature spiders.

Calla Lily in My Garden Photo & Two More Spider Sketches...

Here is a photograph of the first calla lily to bloom in my garden.  My aunt and uncle gave us calla lilies to plant.  I took this photograph during a lull in the rain during the storm last week, I was a bit worried about them, I definitely do not have a green thumb...  This week the skies have been clear and the plants seem to be doing okay!

Here are two more spiders for my spider themed sketches of the week.  Usually I'm not fond of anything with more than 4 legs, but spiders are very important at keeping the other bugs at bay.  This week spiders, next week bunnies...

My Mermaid Painting Work in Progress & Two More Spider Sketches...

Here is my work in progress view of one of the faces voted upon.  I've done the background, but I am not completely finished with the tail, I may not do much more with it but I will definitely add some spray to it in the foreground.  I am hoping to have her done by tomorrow, but I'm not 100% sure about that.  If I don't finish her today, I'll try to post another wip tomorrow.

Here are two more spiders for my spider themed sketches of the week.  This week spiders, next week bunnies...

Two Spider Sketches & Thoughts on What's Upcoming...

This week my sketching theme is spiders.  I know it's an unusual subject matter for me, but I think it's important to mix things up a bit once in a while.  Also, I promised my spider loving friend I would do this theme at some point and while I'll paint the one voted upon, I also want to select one for Little Miss Muffet...  Next week my theme will most likely be bunnies (I probably would have done bunnies this week and spiders next week, but I don't have my reference materials together for rabbits this week and my friend Diane kindly selected an assortment of spiders to use as reference quite a while back).

I'm very behind on my little 5"x7" for this week.  As much as I'd like to have her done for tomorrow, I think it's unlikely.  I know I say that every week but while I'd like to be optimistic, I'd greatly surprise myself if I do get her done in time for tomorrow.  Her eyes are closed so it's possible, but I've also decided to make her a mermaid (I feel like it has been too long since I've painted a mermaid) so there's a tail involved...  I will do a listing theme of mermaids and strive to get the new one done, but I think it's more likely she'll be done by Thursday.

Also, it's very much my intention to return to sharing some of the things which inspire me on Mondays, but my schedule has been a bit off lately.  I saw a very interesting film that I'd love to ramble upon, but the little painting of the mermaid is beseeching me to paint her...