Saturday, November 27, 2010

Friday, November 26, 2010

At the Farm

 A study of a cockerel ...I  have been watching Jean Haines paint so many of them and I used to think, what's so special about these cockerels? But painting one myself was a revelation! I did  this one and then went on to paint another set immediately afterwards....there's something about them-I loved splashing color all around ( In case you are squinting to find some here,wait for my next post!)
BTW, I took this one after a photo of Sandy, another blogger friend. But for the second, I didn't need  a reference.I guess that's what I loved about this subject!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Waves

A fun painting of  my nephew. I took this photo on the Lido beach at HongKong,as the little one watched the waves rush to his feet.
I have been away from my colors for  long time, so I did this painting just to get my brushes wet again-- but I guess it turned out well enough to share with all of you!
Watercolor on paper, 12"x16"

Friday, October 15, 2010

Autumn- The sketch of mom

 This is my mom...the sketch was sitting on my drawing board when I left for my vacation. I can say my hands were itching to complete it - and that's what I did last night! Although the 'finishing up' took more than five hours....I am generally happy with it.What do you think?
Pencil on paper 30cm  X40 cm

Friday, September 24, 2010

The Sketch

A practice sketch - I have used a light weight paper for this one and completed it in about half an hour.
I was trying to see if the quality / thickness of the paper made any difference...My conclusion? Once you master your trade, paper will cease to matter - till then, its practice, practice, practice!
 14"X10" 110 lb watercolor paper

Monday, September 13, 2010

Little Girl and the Butterfly


This is my niece, a chirpy ten year old. She has a shy smile that I love to bring out on paper.I have tried working in layers on her face this time, hoping to achieve the right skin tone-but  the choice of colors for the butterfly went wrong, as it now seems merged with the wall...should have used lighter colors on it :(

watercolor on paper, 16"x12"

Saturday, September 4, 2010

The Smiling face

Experimenting with darks here- I have been avoiding darker values in past, due to the unwanted muddy effect I get when I use more than two washes. This paper is different from what I have been using so far, and it held the washes well; more than I expected.So I used the washes quite liberally here, and was generally happy with the results.
Still, it could have been better if I was patient enough to let the painting dry completely in between! I finished it in one sitting, as I always do with my watercolors..in about an hour.
It was sketched freehand and the child looks a bit older than I intended her to be!
In future, I am going to try to give these paintings more time, and see if it makes any difference :)

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Faith 2- Old Man Offering Prayers


Its the same old man whose sketch appeared on my blog sometime ago.This is another image, here he is offering sacred water to the SunGod, standing on the steps of the Ganga river. This ritual is observed by many devotees in Hindu religion.It comprises worshipping the rising sun with water from the Ganga, flowers and other holy items like kumkum, chandan and dhoop.One can See hundreds of people going through this ritual in the spiritual towns like Haridwar, Rishikesh and Varanasi.

This drawing was done on full sheet, my first in this size.Thus it took a bit of time- I couldn't calculate the hours ; I would say it took me about 7-8 days to finish. ..And lots of work:)
The photo is not very good as the paper I used had a yellowish tinge, it was to big, and there is very little sunlight today.Sorry about that!

Graphic pencil on paper, 30"x22"

Monday, August 9, 2010

The Brown Horse in watercolors



I painted big this time...30"x20" to be precise.My elbow is hurting again and I am not spending much time on my computer these days.I have seen some very beautiful posts by you all in last few days but am yet to comment on them.My apologies.

Thank you all for responding so positively on this horse painting;I have decided to add some more to this post...Recently I visited a renowned artist of Delhi and asked his advise and opinion on my work.I have started thinking about putting up an exhibition in near future- and I need all the help I can get!...He liked my work but he also advised me to paint on a bigger canvas.As I have been mostly painting on 16"x12" or lesser sizes, I decided to paint this one on a full sheet. And judging by your response, it was a good move!
His other advise was to pay more attention to my pencil art, he liked the pencil artwork very much. I am thinking about it- an exhibition of my pencil artwork...sounds great!Lets see how things evolve.

I like horses, they make such fine subjects.White, black, brown..they are all so beautiful.I am thinking of drawing one in pencil, too.

watercolor on paper, 30"X 20"

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Koi


Always wanted to paint Koi fish someday!I enjoyed this painting immensely.It was created using 'wet on wet' technique and I was happy with the results.Took me about an hour to concieve, draw and paint it.No reference photo here.
Hope you like it too.
20"x14", on 140 lb cold pressed watercolor paper

Monday, July 19, 2010

The Couple


This watercolor is based on a photo by my friend Fred Walsh who is a brilliant wildlife photographer and an avid bird enthusiast. Those are Great Egrets and you can see the original picture here. I loved this photo very much and tried to give it another dimension. Thanks Fred, for letting me use this image.
Watercolor 16"x12"

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

From my Balcony

'The world looks beautiful from here'--This painting is based on my son's photo while he looked down happily at something from the balcony -though I cropped it too close, and lost a portion of the railing in the process! Still, the mood is happy and I love painting happy faces :)
Watercolors on paper 14"x10"

Friday, July 9, 2010

Grace

Head study of a woman with a beautifully weathered face...I saw the image somewhere on the net and it stayed with me.
watercolor, 8"x6"

Friday, July 2, 2010

sunflower

June has been a lousy month as far as my painting is concerned! Only one post in entire month- that's pathetic, I know! Reasons have been many..most prominent being my health. I had developed a nagging pain in my right arm and when I went to see a doc ( after ignoring it for more than two weeks) he told me I had ' Tennis Elbow'! -Never played a game of tennis in my life, ha ha! May be I bumped my elbow somewhere...(I have a poor balance- keep bumping into things :D ) Well , it was quite painful and the doc advised me to rest the hand as much as I could; not to put strain on wrist or elbow.But it was my right hand, remember? I had to do the housework-cooking and cleaning! So the painting and typing took a backseat in the days to come.
Feeling a bit better today, I spent a good hour posting comments on my friends' blogs and so far I've covered only half on my list! Meanwhile, this sunflower was my attempt at negative painting..posting it as it is, would have to see when I finish it!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Heron

I am back after a considerably long absence. Missed you all!
This is a watercolor on a postcard , the heron captured in soft sunlight of mid-morning.
I have been reading a lot about the oil spill in Gulf of Mexico. I have always hated man's interference with nature and this is a glaring example of what this could result into!

I am adding this painting to Suzanne McDermot's spirit-of-gulf-challenge. as suggested by some blogger friends.

Friday, May 28, 2010

I am So Happy!

This is Honey, the bubbly daughter of a friend...two sittings, four hours. It was an outdoor photo with direct sunlight falling over her head.The shades on her face were quite tough to capture-but I have tried my best!
Watercolor on 16"x12" paper

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Flying Colors

A butterfly for James! This is my submission for James' Windows to the Words' art blog's May theme. For me, these tiny insects can be more tough to paint than a human face ! What you see is my second attempt...threw the first one away:D
Watercolor on postcard

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Cherry Blossoms

Another Alla-prima in oils. It took about 40 minutes to complete. I think the only way that I can stop myself from overdoing a piece in oils is to finish it in one go!...
I always wanted to paint white flowers...these cherry blossoms were an obvious choice!I have used a bit of knife on petals, for creating light.
Oil on canvas board, 8"x10"

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Back to Aquarelle

I have tried to achieve the vibrancy of oils through watercolors in this painting.
watercolor on paper, 16"x12"

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Amused

Started out as a portrait of my nephew, but I hurried up the drawing and he ended up looking like someone else! I am treating it as a practice drawing now.Experimented with darker background.
watercolor on paper, 12"x9"

Friday, April 16, 2010

Happy and Carefree

A little girl happily throwing pebbles in the sea- one from my archive. It was having this image for a long time, about a year, since I last visited Brighton's pebble beach in UK. It was a cloudy day, no sunshine at all! But this little girl was thoroughly enjoying her day out, oblivious to the weather - while we adults fretted and complained about how bad it was! Teaches us something?!
waterclor on paper 22"x15"

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Red, Green and Violet

In my opinion, its some variety of coleus plant.The one that I am having at my home is red with narrow green edges.This one is more green.But one thing is for sure, I love this plant! It has most beautiful leaves I have ever seen.
This is perhaps my first serious attempt at leaves, and it was intimidating..Leaves are tough creatures to handle and I am yet to be friends wih them:)
I was contemplating whether it was good enough to post, than I decided to leave the judgement to you!
Leaves, Watercolor on paper 22"x15"

Thursday, April 8, 2010

White Rose in Pencil


The rose is beautiful in any form, so I though it would look good in pencil drawing,too! Started this drawing about two months ago, than abandoned it halfway (too much work, and my patience was thinning!) But finally decided to push it - and here it is!The background has multiple layers of grapic pencils, so that the flower stands out.Pencil art is a lot of hard work and I am finding it more and more tough to handle since I started watercolors--as watercolors are instantly gratifying .
.....Anyway, pencil drawing has its own charm, and like a mother of two, I can't really say which one is my favourite:) I can't recall how many hours were spent on this piece- may be 20 or more!
16"x12" Graphic pencil on cartrige paper

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Sun and Surf

Trying out different paper...it has been quite sometime since  I painted and I am finding it hard to get a grip!Just a quick sketch.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Daddy's Day Out

Based on a photo of a friend enjoying a sunny day with his daughter, at Lake District, UK.
Watercolors 15"x22"

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

A Day's Wait

I am not sure if this one qualifies as 'self portrait', but its me!The photo was taken by my husband when I wasn't looking- but  liked it when I saw it later.I have tried my hand at bigger workspace this time and it wasn't so hard, after all!
Watercolors on waterford coldpressed 300 gsm  22"x15"

Monday, March 15, 2010

Blazing

These Poppies were swaying majestically in our neighbourhood park...couldn't resist them, even though I am not a natural with flowers.
Watercolor on cold pressed paper 16"x12"

Friday, March 12, 2010

Trying to get back into the groove...this is a quick sketch of a mother with a baby on her hip and a toddler alongside...looked kind of sweet trio!
lewatercolor on hot pressed paper 9"x12"

Friday, February 26, 2010

Sea Turtle

After yellow, I have turned to blue.I was trying to find new subjects, and a sea turtle in its aqua habitat looked like a good subject!..I have used white oil pastel to keep all those lines on his skin..it also gives some texture to it.
Due to some family obligations, I haven't been painting much lately...and the trend will continue for some more time; but I sure miss you all, and will be back as soon as I can manage!Till then , Happy Painting!

Watercolor on paper, 16"x12"

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Spring is Here!

The most cherished season of all, The Spring is here finally.Its also the shortest- it will last till April only.The flowers are blooming everywhere, so a sunflower looked like an appropriate subject.I haven't painted a sunflower before...it used to look so intimidating with its  double row of petals and almost perfect looks!I am still in awe of this particular flower.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Leisure

I have been studying some great watercolorists in past few days...Nick Simmons , Thomas Schaller and Anders Andersson being few of them .There is a long list still pending, I have so much to learn!
I was impressed by the big, bold and imaginative watercolors by Nick, while Anders dazzled me with his control over his wide brushes even on tiny pieces of paper! Thomas is considered the 'architect of watercolors' - he paints the building beautifully. Even if I find myself lacking in this department, I will continue to study..someday I might be able to paint whatever I want, not just be a portrait painter!
I tried this wet on wet- all wet -style myself, ( disastrous results!But its a beginning at least)...I am beginning to believe that waterolors should lose some inhibitions and fly free!They are meant to be.
This street dog was sprawled leisurely on the stoned floor of Ganga Ghat ( Banks of Ganges).Looked like a good subject.I spoiled the water and the bridge in background ,though!Couldn't get the desired results. There is always 'next time'!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Portrait of a Friend

This is a watercolor portrait of a dear friend Fred Walsh, a resident of Canada; whom I met on blogosphere last year.Fred is a talented guy - he sings very well, and is a great guitarist as well as a wonderful wild life photographer! You an see his photos on his blog --http://www.fredwalshphotos.blogspot.com/

Saturday, February 13, 2010

The Secret is Out!

For all those who participated in this ' secret challenge', here is my take on Karin Jurick's portrait.For those who didn't, this was the brainwave of Jill Polsby, to have Karin's portrait painted by more than a hundred artists ...you can read more about it on her blog http://jillpolsby.blogspot.com/ I am not very good at writing lengthy reviews!
All I can say is that its a real treat for eyes to watch so many portraits, so many styles, so many visions of different artist of a single subject; on the same page.
Click on this link to have a look- Picasa Album

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Kids and Pets

You can see this on James Parker's blog 'Windows to the Words Art', too. Its a submission for the current month's theme- 'Kids and their pets- matching sets'! It was tough painting the dog in watercolors , as it had very rich and dark chocolate hue...so I used dry brush technique on him...dry on wet, dry on dry, whatever worked!Little girl had a clean, fair skin so I didn't put too many washes on her.In fact she now looks a bit pale in comparison to her pet!
James liked it :) and I hope you do the same!
Thank you for you good wishes, I am still sore but hope to be alright soon. ( I did this painting in bed!)

Friday, February 5, 2010

Just Colors

I am painting the flute player in oils now, started it today only. It will be a bit different from the watercolor one I presume. Meanwhile, posting this small work. I was testing the fluidity of various pigments and their merging pattern, and this image took shape. I added hookers green to create some negative shapes and it looks like a flower bush now:)

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Flute Player


One thing or another has been keeping me away from my art since last week...Did this painting today, determined to set the ball rolling again! Took me about one and half hour. I have used a little amount of white oil pastel color in his hair and beard to create texture.
Watercolor /mixed media on cold pressed 140 lb paper.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Praying

As everone of you is of opinion that I shouldn't meddle with this anymore, I respect your wishes and posting it again after just adding some darker shades to her!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Happy Days!

Watercolor study of a nine year old- my niece, actually- but I changed the color of hair and eyes to make her look..well; .global! She could be any child from any place on this planet. Just a happy child!
I am trying to minimise the use of pencil in my watercolors.This one had no drawing at all.
I just started with a brush.And my usual palette!
watercolor, 7"x 5"

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

DSDF Update- my portrait

This is my portrait painted by a fellow artist Linda Edwards , for the face off on Karin Jurick's blog 'Different Strokes from Different Folks'.That means, she is the bubbly lady I had painted earlier.I found it only yesterday on Karin's blog.I tried to contact Linda to thank her for this beautiful portrait, but couldn't do that as she hasn't updated her blog since 12 months ;neither was there any email address. But I want to say that she is an amazing artist and she has captured me so well , even without knowing me at all! I hope I find a way to reach her.