painting #2... Owls

I am currently working on my second painting. When my son was born, I wanted to decorate his room with cute owl stuff. It didn't work out that way but I like how his room turned out anyway. I have other plans now since he is getting older. Soon the weather will change to warm in Central Utah and I will be able to post about home decor stuff. It's hard to spray paint when it is cold, things don't dry very well.

So far all I have to show for my new painting is a sketch I came up with a few days ago.


The sketch only took me a few minutes. What's taking a long time is coming up with the colors that I want to use. So that's what's been taking me days. I am trying to find my muse, the colors that will give the right atmosphere, I need to feel like its right. For those who appreciate what a painting brings into a room, know what I am talking about.
Color plays a huge role. I would like for this painting to go in a nursery or a child's room and it needs to have a calming effect. I plan on posting some of my different color schemes soon. Please let me know which one looks best.

Finally, finished sea turtle painting!

OH MY HECK! This painting was so much fun. First time I paint ocean water in oils and I lOOOVVVEEED it!


Can you tell I am super excited about this painting? Now, I know I say that about every painting or illustration I make but I guess that just shows how much I love art. It feels so good to make something that gives you a big smile because you know it is awesome. Maybe not everyone will agree with me but that's the beauty of art, you make it your own.

I started by painting the edges with a dark almost navy blue. Gradually I added lighter blues and turquoise.

Then I added the ripples in the water. It looks cool just like that. I wanted to hang it on my wall already.

Last part was to add my turtles. As you can tell, the paint is still wet so it is reflecting a lot of light back to the camera but it's suppose to be a solid black. The last detail is to add little sun rays by the foot of the mommy turtle, since that is where the light is more intense.

As soon as I finish 9 other paintings, I will be selling this on Etsy. I hope it goes to a home that will love it as much as I do.

New Painting!

I'm excited for my new painting. It is not finished yet but once it's done, it will be my first to sell. My plan is to come up with 10 paintings and then open an Etsy Shop. I will continue to add to my shop as I come up with more illustrations. There will soon be a link to my shop, plus I will be posting the steps, materials, colors used, and other details.

I always like to sketch out the image before I get into painting. So I did a quick photoshop rendition of what I want my painting to look like. This is what I came up with.

hmmmm... I think the colors might be a little too dark and the baby sea turtle is hard to see. This is just a guide for now. What do you think? Any advice on what might look a little better?