Daffodils & Tulips

It was a very difficult start to Spring this year with the unexpected loss of my beloved brother. Although I try to keep my personal life and struggles out of my art blog, this is where I am and what I’ve been going through. I just thought I should let you all know.

Today I have some pretty pictures of the daffodils in my garden and a few other paintings to share.

The daffodils this year did not disappoint. They’ve since faded but I did manage to get some nice photos when they were at their peak.

I really love this close up view.

Once again no luck with tulips this year. The critters outside have enjoyed snacking on them. I think I will just plant something else in the fall.

I painted some pretty pink and red tulips in my sketchbook. These playful loose watercolor flowers are so cheerful.

I also filled a page in my sketchbook with butterflies. I used watercolor brush pens for this and really like how it turned out.

I hope you are inspired to create art and do something you love. Creating art has always been very therapeutic for me. I shall continue to lean into my art and give myself time and space to heal.

Until next time share a smile and sprinkle kindness everywhere.

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram at pattyanneart

Silent Sunday – Peachy Floral

Peachy Floral – 9 x 12 inch Fluid Watercolor paper

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Follow me on Instagram at pattyanneart

Layering watercolor leaves

I painted some pretty leaves and have some in progress photos to share with you. The lighting is not great but it will give you an idea of how this painting came together.

Hope you have a wonderful day! 💚

9 x 12 inch Fluid watercolor paper

The first layer starts off with pale blue leaves that will become the background.

Then I added some pale green leaves after the first layer dried.

As I continue adding more leaves, I am building up with darker color. Using a large round brush (#12) and big carefree strokes I’m able to stay loose as I paint.

I continued using soft colors adding more blue and brown in the last few branches. I think it looks really nice with my gray couch in the photo above. I painted this late last year and am finally getting around to writing this post. 😊 Where does the time go?

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love. Until next time, share a smile and stay excellent!

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram at pattyanneart

Painting a little bird

I decided to paint a little bird and play around with the background. I have a few in progress photos to show you how it all came together.

Hope you are having a lovely day. 💚

I started with half a sheet of a 9 x 12 inch watercolor paper. I taped off a small border and then I outlined the shape of my bird using a pencil.

The background was first:
I wet the paper around the bird using clean water. This lively watercolor background quickly took shape as I dropped in green gold, sap green, and prussian blue on the wet paper. I used mostly lighter colors in the top area and darker colors below the bird. For some additional interest, I dragged the edge of a credit card through the wet paint in random places and it created some nice markings.

Painting the bird was next:
After the background was dry, I wet the bird with clean water. Then I painted an initial layer of color.

I had to lift off a little bit of the green that had covered the bird’s beak area when I painted the background. These things happen so I just went with it and made an adjustment. It was an easy fix. If the green wouldn’t have lifted off so easily, I would have just gone with a darker beak instead.

The next layer of paint adds more definition. I added some feathers to the body and tail and then started working on the eye and beak. Placement of the eye is very important so I took my time with it.

At this point, the bird was starting to look pretty good.

Tip:
When painting the feathers, be sure to paint them in the same direction as they would be on the bird. To soften any hard edges, you can use a damp brush with clean water.

Sweet little bird

Finally it was time for a little more color and detail. I noticed that my bird was just floating without a branch (oh my)… so that was a last minute fix. 😊

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love. Until next time, share a smile and shine on!

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

To see more of my work, follow me on Instagram at pattyanneart

Visit my shop on Society6

Silent Sunday – Lovely Leaves

Inner Light – 9 x 12 inch watercolor painting

Join me on Instagram at pattyanneart

Thoughts for a creative 2022

Happy New Year, friends! 💚

As we head into the new year I like to think about new possibilities and what I will focus on. I don’t like resolutions but I like having goals and things to reach for.

My thoughts for a creative 2022:
Keep working to improve my watercolor skills.
Have fun and explore different techniques.
Improve my watercolor backgrounds.
Allow for more playtime in my sketchbook.
Share videos and snippets of my painting process.
Remember to be gentle with myself and slow down when I need to.

Watercolor Backgrounds
I plan on putting more thought into backgrounds this year. Hopefully playing more with backgrounds will improve my paintings and make them more interesting.

As an example, I recently painted this lively background above with the wet on wet technique. I used a damp brush to lift off paint in some places for placement of bigger flowers.

I think playing and experimenting with backgrounds will be a lot of fun.

Here’s a photo of the final painting taken with better lighting. 😊 I added some flowers and bumped up the color. It think it looks a bit dreamy… I love that.

I hope you are inspired to create art and do what you love. What are you planning on focusing on in 2022?

Until next time, share a smile and shine on!

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram at pattyanneart

Visit my Society6 shop

Updating a Winter Cardinal

While sorting through some paintings I came across a Cardinal that I painted three years ago. I liked the painting but something just wasn’t right so I never posted it. Today I’ll share with you how the update turned out.

Happy Sunday! 💚

This was the painting from 2018 before I made any updates.

Where I decided to make a few changes:
-the far side of the head should have a partial view of the other eye
-cleaning up the claws a little and maybe adding one that I noticed was missing
– a few darker areas on the tail and body
– bumping up some of the red color

9 x 12 inch Winter Cardinal – after the update

Rounding out the far side of the head and making the hidden eye slightly visible was exactly what this painting needed. That little change alone made a big difference. Now I can finally say this one is finished and I really like it. 🙂

I will be taking a blogging break for a few weeks and returning after the new year. I’m looking forward to spending time with family and making new cherished memories.

Wishing you peace and joy this holiday season,

Patty Anne

Join me on Instagram at pattyanneart

Visit my shop at Society6

Landscape Painting Series -2

Today I have another landscape to share with you.

I hope you are doing well and enjoying your day. 💙

12 x 16 inch – Saved by Grace

Materials used:
Arches hot press watercolor paper
Brushes: Round #14, Flat 1 inch, and Liner #1
Daniel Smith Watercolors

This painting was inspired by artist Scott Swinson on youtube. As with most landscapes I started with the sky area first and then worked my way down the page. Most of my time was spent on the middle section where the focal point is. I love how the distant trees turned out. The snowy path leads your eye into the painting (hopefully 😊).

One minor issue I had while painting the trees was that a little paint spattered into the finished sky. I was able to go with it and carefully turned them into distant birds. yay!

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love. Until next time, share a smile and shine on!

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram at pattyanneart

Visit my shop on Society6.com

Landscape Painting Series -1

I’ve been painting more landscapes lately and am having a lot of fun.I feel like I am making progress. I’m finding that decision making is getting easier and feels more natural. I’m trusting myself more when things don’t go as expected and am able to work with it instead of against it.

Today I’m sharing the first in a series of recent landscapes.

Happy Thursday!

On and On – 9 x 12 inch watercolor

This painting was a simple practice in my sketchbook using a limited palette. There’s something very peaceful about this painting. I love how the distant land goes on and on.

Lately I’ve been very inspired by Steve Swinson and have been enjoying his watercolor tutorials on youtube. I love his work and teaching style. I painted the trees in this painting using a fan brush, just one of the many tips I learned watching Steve.

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love. Until next time, share a smile and stay excellent.

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram at pattyanneart

Visit my shop at Society6

Flowers in my sketchbook

Today I have some pretty Cosmos flowers to share with you.

This is an in progress view of my watercolor painting. At this point I had stopped painting thinking that it was finished. After looking at my photo I could see that it needed a little more work. It’s always good to step back and take another look.

I decided to strengthen the color of the flowers and add more detail in the center.

I think those changes made quite a difference without overworking the painting. It seemed to really wake up these happy flowers. yay!

One interesting note that I wanted to share about this painting is that I used only a small flat brush (1/2 inch) and small liner brush (#1). I’m always amazed what is possible with a flat brush the more I use it.

I hope you are inspired to create art and do more of what you love. Jump in and let the magic happen. Until next time, share a smile and shine on!

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram at pattyanneart

Visit my shop on Society6