Category Archives: Mixed Media

Day Eleven And A Snowy Drive

Day 11, FEB C.G., 8 x 8, watercolor on Arches cold-pressed 140 lb. paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

We got snow! Overnight, so I didn’t get to see it falling. I woke up at 6 am, looked outside. It was a winter wonderland. So nice!

I had to go out at about 11 am. The roads were clear thank goodness. On the way, I took photos of all the snow-covered trees. There was no one on the road in our subdivision. My creative for yesterday could technically be all the photo editing I did. It took most of the afternoon and evening. But you know me. I want my collage to have 30 pieces. So I will catch up.

While in Phoenix this weekend, I saw a couple of cacti fences. I love them. I just think they are practical, as well as pretty. Sculpture. Sometimes they are in planters next to a building. Sometimes they act as an actual fence.

This painting was inspired by what I saw. I had fun with this. Building the layers. It looked sort of flat, and I realized I needed to add shadows. But I think I may have botched that. I used a Pitt pen with a brush tip. Thought it was a grey, but OOPS! It was black. I was able to soften it a bit with a damp brush.

“Kindness is like snow—it beautifies everything it covers.”
Kahlil Gibran

So that was Tuesday morning. By 2 pm most of the fields were gold again. The roads were dry and the sky was clear. Perfect.

I tried to capture the snow falling from the tree in our front yard. No such luck. The large pine (Oh, Christmas tree) has a blur in the center, that was falling snow. If you should feel inspired to paint one of these snowy trees, feel free. 🙂

Day 10 Of The 30-Day Creative Gathering

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Day 10, FEB C.G., 4 x 6, on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

All kinds of wonky going on her. The table is uneven, (and I used a guide, how did that happen?). The pot is the leaning tower of turquoise. But I didn’t say so. Haha! I tried to capture how the leaves twist and turn. I didn’t quite get it this time, but I can always try again.

The table is slightly darker in life. I like it here, It has a bit of a sheen to it. I’m so in love with my snake plant. Mostly because it is STILL ALIVE. I haven’t killed it. And every time I look, there is a new leaf or two. Sweet!

This was a quick little postcard. I have a busy two days, so I wanted to get ahead. Whew! I got ‘er done! I put down the background color first. Covered the entire piece. I left some white areas and some blooms. That provided interesting textures in some of the leaves. I went one layer too many though and lost those details. Lesson learned. Instead of trying to glaze to “mix” colors, I should have painted with the color mixed in the palette.

I was having fun, and working fast, next time I will be more thoughtful. Still, I am happy with how this turned out. The varying greens. But I think I would like a warm “wall” behind it.

You know me, I had to do it. I did a digital edit. I copied part of day 9’s background and pasted it here. Let me know which you prefer.

Day 10 revised, FEB C.G., 4 x 6, on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

OH YEAH! That feels right. Haha 😉

I begin with an idea
and then it becomes something else.
Pablo Picasso

Doubt is part of the creative process.
Danielle LaPorte

Day 9 Of 30 And Mingus Moonrise

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Day 9, FEB C.G., 8 x 8, watercolor on paper. © 2020 Sheila Delgado.

For Day 9, a small barrel cactus. I love the round form of this cactus. A little thorny ball. They are pretty when you see them in groupings. Some look yellow because they have so many thorns.

I used Master’s Touch regular watercolor paper. I think the paper texture is less noticeable with this than it is on the premium paper. In the close-up, you can just barely see a horizontal pattern. More noticeable is the vertical texture. It is very visible in person, on the darker colors. But I don’t mind it.