Tag Archives: feathers

Day three, and thee

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Thanks so much for visiting, and for commenting! Wanted to say that ahead of time, just in case. The deadline is breathing down my neck. And of course, the computer decided to act up. I kept getting the error message “scratch disk is full”. Which basically means that Photoshop is out-of-order and closed for repairs. Not a good thing.

I was up until 2:20 am. Trying to get a jump on the day by writing my post. My #3 assignment for Summer School is “somewhere in the middle” as Jonah (sleepless in Seattle) so confidently put it. Paint, scan, clean, add details, place, and post.

I painted more feathers than you see here. Watercolor washes are finicky. Several of my first attempts were not as intense, so I won’t be using them in the final design. They are good, but just don’t fit with these. I still need to add details, and I have the pattern worked out in my head. Here’s hoping it works on paper too.

Five flushed feathers. watercolor. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

Five flushed feathers. watercolor. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

 

I also completed this companion pattern with the feathers from yesterday’s post. I will make this available in my shops later this month

Feather pattern. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

Feather pattern. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

 

HaPpY PaiNtInG  and happy day to you! Take a look at what was created today.

 

 

 

Day Two – 30 in 30

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One little, two little, three little…

Feathers (Indians).

I remember that song from childhood, and Bugs Bunny. The originals mind you. I never thought it was anything other than a fun song, but now that I am an adult, I know better. Sad how some things come about. If you are interested in learning more, take a look at this Wiki page. I did not know it was Irish, or that there was an Icelandic version. The originals are really gruesome, especially when you consider they were for children.

More pieces and parts of what will be a repeating pattern. I am showing you the progression, starting with my sketches. Looking for interesting shapes… oh and an OOPS! Red got away from me. Thinking that these will be smaller elements in the design, to give a bit of depth.

Feathers sketches. Watercolor and pencil. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

Feathers sketches. Watercolor and pencil. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

Here, after a digital cleaning. They are each individual pieces. It isn’t showing in the scan, but I did add a bit of grey to give some form to the quills. After the cleaning, it just looked like dirt, so I took that out as well. The final design will be as much about the white, or negative space, as it will be about the feather shapes.

Feathers cropped and cleaned. Watercolor, approx. 2. in. tall. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

Feathers cropped and cleaned. Watercolor, approx. 2. in. tall. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

Playing with the idea of adding digital elements. If you take a look at yesterday’s feather, you can see that my white pens were not cooperating.  And while I do like the soft look, for a painting, those details will have less impact in a pattern design.

These digital lines really pop.

Digitally enhanced feathers. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

Digitally enhanced feathers. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

Another benefit of adding details digitally, is that they can easily be changed within the design. For instance, once the feathers are placed in a repeat, I may see that I have to many dots close together, or the lines may need to be thicker to show up. That is part of the fun of designing, so many options to play with!

Don’t forget to glance at Leslie’s page for all of today’s amazing artwork. I have also started a Pinterest board for the Challenge. Hoping to give a little more exposure that will maybe even lead to sales!

 

Happy painting everyone!