Beach painting – then and now

I’ve been working on more landscape paintings lately. I thought it might be good to look back and remind myself just how far I’ve come. Today I have a recent beach painting to share and a few to look back on.

So here we go back to 2017

Beach watercolor – 2017

and then 2018

Beach watercolor 2018

Below is a recent beach painting before final details were added. I really like the color palette and the simplicity of the sky.

Beach watercolor 2022

I decided to add a few birds and some grasses in the foreground. I think that really completes the scene.

Beach watercolor 2022

I can definitely see the progress I’ve made over the years and that makes me really happy. As they say, practice makes progress! 😊

I am enjoying the journey and trying to remember that not every painting will be a success. When I am unhappy with a painting I find that taking time to step back and reflect on what worked and didn’t work helps me with the next painting.

I hope you are inspired to create art and do something you love. Until next time, keep playing and having fun!

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram @pattyanneart

Reworking an older painting

I had an old painting on my desk that I’ve wanted to do something with for a long time. I planned on adding some ink sketching to it but that never happened.

Floral watercolor base from 2020

Recently I decided to just dive in and play. I used a large brush and lots of bold color. I played with expressive brush strokes and didn’t worry about what “should be”.

Here’s a close up view of the floral

and a full view … I love all the little buds and flowers everywhere. This happy painting makes me smile. I also love that years later I turned this painting into something that I really like now.

I hope you are inspired to create art and have fun. Until next time, share a smile and stay excellent!

🌸 Patty Anne 🌸

Join me on Instagram at pattyanneart

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

Long lost landscapes

I’ve been working on cleaning up my art/painting area this week. I’m trying to pack away some older work and tidy things up. I found a few simple landscapes from 2018 that I wanted to share with you today.

Happy Sunday, friends! 💗

I love the mood and the soft blue trees in this one. They look a bit frosty to me. This is painting #669. As of today I have painted close to 1500 pieces.

Even though the horizon is not straight (something I would fix today), I love the color of the distant trees. This is painting #671.

This final landscape was painted on 9 x 12 inch Arches watercolor paper. I love the blue green trees and the pretty sky. The placement and separation of trees created a nice depth that really draws me in. This is painting #668.

It’s fun to look back at my older work. I’m kind of amazed at how much painting and learning I’ve done over the last few years. I still have more cleaning to do, I wonder if I will find any more long lost paintings that will be saved from the packing box.

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 new shop at Society6

I’m Just getting started on Society6 (an online marketplace that allows artists to sell their work on a variety of products). More details to come. 😊

Watercolor fun – then and now

A little fun today with a watercolor from last year and a few more recent paintings.

Happy Sunday, friends! 💚

Looking back to a tree that I painted last November. 😀

This happy tree was painted on 7 x 10 inch Arches cold pressed watercolor paper. This paper has a nice texture and can handle a lot of water. It was fun to let the colors mix and mingle on the paper to create some nice shades and soft blending.

Tip:
Leave some white space in the tree foliage and let the color of the sky peek through here and there.

 

A more recent watercolor floral – simple and delicate

This was painted on 7 x 10 inch Canson mixed media paper.

I considered adding some ink sketching but later decided to just stop here and leave this one as is.

 

Fuschia – 9 x 12 inch Canson Mixed Media

I’ve gone back and forth about whether to share this painting or not. The flowers could use more work but I decided that the leaves and buds are worth sharing. Their soft colors and lovely shapes just pull me in and are a nice contrast to the bold blooms.

I hope your are inspired to create art and do more of what you love. Thank you for stopping by and following me on this creative journey.

Until next time, share a smile and shine on!

🌸 Patty Anne  🌸

I’m on Instagram at pattyanneart

Patty Anne Art

Looking back

Looking through some of my earlier work, I ran across this watercolor and ink painting. A sweet little scene of a family enjoying time at the beach.

Happy Thursday friends! 😊

I hope you are inspired to create art and do what you love.

Until next time, share a smile and shine on.

Happy Painting!

Patty Anne

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Patty Anne Art

Pink Daisy watercolor

I’ve always had a special place in my heart for daisies or any flower that resembles a daisy. 🙂

A happy little flower that just makes me smile. I hope it makes you smile as well.

Pink Daisy – painted on 6 x 9 inch bee watercolor paper (painting #748)

I  snapped a photo part way through the painting process. Adding more darks and a bright background really wakes up this painting.

I am a big fan of pink and green together so I decided to splash on a bright green background.

 

As I was gathering my thoughts for this post, I remembered a little pink daisy that I painted back in 2015.  I was just getting started painting on a regular basis, this was painting number #19. ❤

It is important for me to keep moving forward but it feels good to look back and see how far I’ve come. I hope it also provides inspiration for others that might want to give watercolor painting a try.

Thank you for stopping by and following along. I hope you have a great week and find time to do something you love.

Happy Painting!

Patty Anne

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Coneflower watercolor

A few years ago I painted a Coneflower after watching this Deb Watson youtube video, How to Paint a Coneflower in Watercolor for Beginners. I decided to watch the video again but this time decided to paint a larger flower.

I painted this first Coneflower in 2015 shortly after I started documenting my journey.  This was painting number 35.

Coneflower painting 2015

I’m really pleased with this early work, I think it was a nice exercise.

In the video, I love that Deb walks through painting the wet on wet background by dropping in lots of color and letting the colors mix and mingle. I remember when I was just a beginner, she made me feel like I could do this and gave me the confidence to give it a try.  This video is packed full of great tips and advice that has stayed with me.

My recent Coneflower painting on 9×12 inch Saunders watercolor paper.

Coneflower painting 2018

This is painting number 651.  Wow, I am so amazed by that number! 🙂

The salt technique worked out much better in the new painting. I have more experience using salt now and have a better feel for when to sprinkle it on the wet paint.

Salt technique – things that can affect your results
How wet is the paint. If too dry,  the salt will not work very well.
How much salt is applied.
How you apply the salt. Sprinkle or Toss like”Bam” 🙂
Applying the salt from directly above or at an angle.
The type of salt used. Kosher salt or a finer table salt.

I hope you are inspired to create some art and do something fun.
Thanks for stopping by and following along. Until next time, enjoy yourself and stay warm.

Happy Painting!

Patty Anne

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PattyAnneArt

 

 

 

Watercolor Animals – Then & Now

I’ve been having fun painting animals lately. It seems like a good time for a then and now post on watercolor animals.

In January I painted this Elephant in my 8×10 inch watercolor sketchbook. I looked back through my notes to find that my Elephant below is painting number 289.

Elephant watercolor

I recently painted this Giraffe on 9×12 inch Saunders watercolor paper. I’m so in love with this paper! I worked on a few giraffe sketches before I started painting and I think that made a difference. I am amazed that this is painting number 498! I’ve really been cruising along along this year, that makes me so happy.

Giraffe watercolor

I tried to work with the water and allow the color to mix and mingle as much as possible. The painting came together rather quickly and without much fuss. My second giraffe is the featured image on this post, she is more playful and is peeking out with those big eyes and long lovely lashes.

I hope you enjoy seeing my work and are inspired to keep painting, creating, and having fun. If you would like to receive notifications of new posts by email, simply click the follow button on the right. I would love to have you follow me on this journey.

You can see more of my work on Instagram and my website, PattyAnneArt.
I hope you have a great week.

Happy Painting!

Patty Anne

 

Watercolor Cats – Then & Now

Looking back, it has been a while since I painted cats.  I decided to give it a try again this weekend.

“Sweet Kitty” I painted in February 2017 (#301 in my 5×8 inch watercolor sketchbook)

Sweet Kitty

Today I painted, “Gray & White Kitty”  (#385 on 8×10 inch Fabriano Watercolor paper)

Gray & White Kitty

I am not sure how much I have improved painting cats since February but hopefully things are getting better. One thing for sure is that the big colorful cat eyes are a lot of fun to paint!

To start, I sketch the eyes first, their placement and size is key. Then just a light sketch of the rest of the body. I paint the eyes first and then move out from there.  The rigger and liner brush were used quite a bit on this painting.

If you have any tips on painting animal fur, please share them in the comment section. I would love to hear from you.

Watercolor tips:

• Color mixing light gray – I used a mix of cobalt blue and burnt sienna light.
• Color mixing dark gray/black – I used a mix of indigo and burnt sienna light.
• For a lighter shade,  just add a drop or two of water to your puddle of color on your palette.

If you would like to keep up with my watercolor journey, just click on the follow button.

Happy Painting!

Patty Anne