Bleeding Hearts Step #4 Final painting

For the final stage of my Bleeding Hearts watercolour, I deepened the red on the hearts, and added some very light shading to the white parts of the flower along with adding seeds. Then I toned down all the lightest leaves - adding yellow-green where the light was shining on the leaves and adding more violet shades and darker blue-green shades to add variation to the leaves. 

I gave it a rest and took some photos. I noticed some leaves that were advancing too much into the foreground so I toned them down a bit and tidied up some edges - softening others. When I was happy, I signed my name, framed the painting and framed it. 

I entered it into the KWSA member's show in June and I'm thrilled to say the original has sold already!!

I will arrange to have prints that you can order online and those should be available soon.

Bleeding Hearts Step 3

Step three...

I decided on the placement of the main leaves using the colours of the background so there would be a variation of interesting colour in them. I transferred the leaves onto the paper, and started to darken some of the areas where I want lots of contrast. 

Wetting the paper in sections I dropped in paint to make darker green and green-blue and yellow-green areas around the leaves. I used the background that was already there as a starting point. Using 2 brushes, one to apply the paint and another damp brush to soften edges so I didn’t get hard lines I worked my way around the outside of leaves. I prefer a softer blended look for my watercolours. 

It was quite a fiddly job painting around the little hearts but I want to see all the areas of the painting progress at the same time. I was trying to darken the edges but keep light in the centre to draw your eye to the main object which is the flowers. 

The background hearts are there as background so I purposely make the red bleed into the green and fuzz the edges so they disappear a bit more. This step of negative painting probably took me the longest since I had to put on several layers to get some of the areas dark enough. 

Adjust this… adjust that…make some of the edges softer and some more crisp. I still want to try to keep the colours that I started with since I love this combination. Play time!  

Oh I’m so pleased with how this is going…

Can't wait to show you the finished painting tomorrow!

I hope you can make it to see the KW Society of Artists show if you live close. It's on until June 25th at the Button Factory on Regina Street in Waterloo. 

Bleeding Hearts Step 2

Here is the second step-by-step photo of my "Bleeding Hearts" painting that is entered into the KW Society of Artists show that opens at the Button Factory in Waterloo on Friday from 5 - 7pm.

After the first layer of light pink is on to show the shape and overlap of each heart, now it's time to really brighten up each flower. Using quite a bright red colour I wet each flower and touched the colour to the areas I wanted the strongest colour to be - keeping in mind that I wanted to leave some white areas to show the puffiness - and give each little heart some form and shape. 

With watercolour you can't paint two wet areas side by side or else all the colour bleeds into the wet area next to it. So I had to skip around quite a bit so so I could always be working on a flower that was beside two dry hearts.

You'll notice some hearts in front, some behind and some hanging sideways because they don't all face the same way as they hang from the stem. To show one heart was overlapping another heart, one edge was kept lighter and the one below (usually) is a bit darker - or vice versa - this way you don't have to outline each little flower with a line. The edges are kept crisp and the colour variation separates each one. I kept glazing more colour and more colour on the hearts until they were almost as dark as I wanted them. On bleeding hearts the older little hearts are lighter than the newer ones. I'm not quite done adding the layers of colour to all the hearts.

I'm loving how the hearts are turning out. Now is the time to sketch some leaves from the plant in my garden and figure out placement using tracing paper that you can see the background colours through.

Bleeding Hearts are one of my very favourite spring flowers. What spring flower is your favorite??

Watch for step 3 tomorrow.

Bleeding Hearts Watercolour KWSA show

This painting is called  "Bleeding Hearts" it's 11x14". For a few days I'm going to be sharing step-by-step photos so you will see my watercolour as it progressed. 

It's entered into the KW Society of Artists show that opens at the Button Factory in Waterloo on Friday from 5 to 7 pm.

The first step is to draw out your design onto watercolour paper. I used a combination of photos and also drawn from life using my own plant in my garden as reference material. When you are pleased with the design, you paint over all the little hearts and stems with masking fluid (thin latex) to save the white. 

When that's dry you wet the paper on both sides and drop multi colours into the water and watch the colour do its thing. It's magic! Watercolour dries much lighter than what it looks like when it's wet so you never really know what you're going to get until it's totally dry!

After it's dry you can remove the masking and you can start to put some pale colour on the hearts to define the shape of each one.

I'll share the next step tomorrow. I LOVE the colours in the background. I hope to keep some of that bright green to show the dappled light falling on the leaves. What do you think? 

Loons in Killarney... in progress and Joseph Schneider House

This is what is on my easel this week! My husband took the photo that I'm working from a few years ago and I knew I HAD to paint it when I found it again recently. I'm using the methods I learned from the recent Terry Isaacs workshop I took. I definitely would have given up on the rocks and water in the background without a method of breaking down the details into manageable parts.

I'll post another pic after I work on it today and tomorrow. Can't wait to see how it turns out :-)

This week we also went to a local historical home in Kitchener with the Sketch Club. Joseph Schneider House shows what life was like in the 1840's.

 I didn't sketch this week...there was just too much to choose from! I will be sketching for weeks and I have quite a few photos that have inspired me to paint. 

 

 Fraktur art was one of the earliest forms of Folk Art in this area since it was originally settled by men and women of German descent. This sampler was made by a young girl around 1840. There were samplers and copybooks that children had used in school to learn their alphabet. The Artist in Residence this year is a lady from the calligraphy guild I belong to. She does illuminated art and uses gold leaf in her miniature art.

That's the fun of meeting with a group of other artists regularly. Sketch club makes me get out and see things in my own community. Local places, things, and people that inspire my art journey. AND you get to learn some history while you're at it.

Sharon (the interpreter) was making bean soup for Culture Days that are happening this weekend in a lot of the historical cultural sites in KW. She will be at McDougall house for the weekend though since she'd rather put up with the sound of bagpipes instead of the guns of reinactors who are reinacting the War of 1812 at Joseph Schneider house!! Our local Painter's Guild will be participating on Saturday by having a demonstration at Schneider House. It's a great day to get out and catch up on a bit of history and culture in our region.

Lots to inspire!

Learn to paint a mottled background with Acrylics

This is my first attempt to upload a video I made where I show how to create a mottled background using Traditions Acrylics. (It works with any other brand also) I will be teaching at the Waterloo County Painter's Guild later on this month and I made the videos as a demonstration showing the preparation that they need to complete before the class on Thurs Sept 20th at Albert McCormick Arena on Park St. in Waterloo. If you've never painted before, this project isn't too hard for a beginner!!

Eventually I want to offer this class as an online course on my website. It will be offered free of charge since I'm just getting my feet wet and working out the kinks in my video technique!

Watch the videos and email me if you have any questions.

Painting a Mottled Background in Acrylics Part 1

Painting a Mottled Background in Acrylics Part 2

Painting a Mottled Background in Acrylics Part 3


Here's a picture of the background step finished.

My Cougar is finished!

This "cat"  has been on my easel off and on since November at least! I finally am declaring it finished! It's been sitting in my livingroom and many people have admired it for quite a few weeks now - but I kept looking at it to see if I was really happy with it. I put it back on the easel tonight and punched up a few spots - toned down a few more. I think I'm happy with it now.

This painting was part of an online course I'm taking at Art Apprentice Online with Neadeen Masters. She's a great teacher and I'm learning so much from her online video classes.

A painting teacher never stops learning!!

 One thing I learned (again) is that painting fur is a process. (Sometimes a long one LOL) A layer of lights, a layer of darks, more lights, more darks etc etc until you are happy with how it has turned out. The other thing I learned is to make sure you take some time away from your painting, and look at it for a while to see what you're not happy with. After a break you'll be able to figure out how you want to fix what you're not happy with. Just give it some space and time and the solution will come to you!!

Painted in Acrylics by Debbie Eckmier in an online class

with Neadeen Masters at Art Apprentice Online

16x20 acrylics on masonite

If you love this painting, and just have to have it - make me an offer so good I can't refuse!
All proceeds from this painting are going to Villages of Hope - a home and school for orphans in Malawi. My son's in-laws (and our friends) are the Directors of this growing! ministry in Lilongwe, Malawi.   http://vohmalawi.org/
You will have a striking painting for your home and you'll be helping out some wonderful kids at the same time!

I'd love to hear your comments about my kitty :-)

PLEASE share this with all your friends.
And I'd love it if you would like my FB page! Debbie Eckmier - Keepsakes Art Studio

Sketchclub - Waterloo Train Station

What do you do when it's REALLY REALLY hot and sunny but there's no shade? You sit in your car and sketch from the front seat. Sketchclub last week went to the Waterloo train station. The train makes trips from Waterloo to Elmira. Why is it when you live in a city that you leave all the fun touristy things to do - to the tourists!? I've never taken this train trip. It might be a fun thing to do with the grandkids some day.

Most everyone else opted to sit on the other side of the station and sketch (and paint) the train engine. I liked the flowers and the building itself - with just  a hint of train peeking through under the awning.

Here's some of my photos :-)
(Taken through the windshield of course!)
The building was too long to get in one shot unless I backed WAY up. So I took sections so if I decide to work on this more, I will have all the details I need.

I get to teach at Coast 2 Coast !!

I'm so excited! I just found out I get to teach this watercolour painting at Coast to Coast in Mississauga  in May 2013! Called Waterlily, it's based on the yummy techniques I learned at my recent workshop with Karlyn Holman. This class will be great for Intermediate and Advanced watercolour painters. It includes the paper and paint as well as all the texturizing materials. Just bring your brushes!!

Another wonderful teacher!! Karlyn Holman!

Well, here we go… Day 1 of the Karlyn Holman seminar I'm attending in Toronto this week.

We painted grapes and leaves all day today. Karlyn is SUCH a wonderfully encouraging teacher. She makes sure she compliments and encourages each person. Such a bubbly entertaining personality too! We’re all loving this class. I think it would be a little intimidating if you had never painted with watercolor before, but everyone did wonderfully well and every painting was definitely different! Definitely not a "cookie cutter" kind of class! Different colours and different compositions all based on the same theme. 

This is Karlyn's painting that she is demonstrating on. Her style is all about adding lots of background texture to our underpaintings. Her teaching is full of tips and tricks to try. You can see we used real leaves!

This is the first photo of mine after the big reveal when we pulled the leaves off!  I'm loving the softer colours. I'm STILL not used to watercolour paint drying 3 or more shades lighter LOL!

This is after I've worked on some of the grapes a little bit more. You'll have to take a workshop with her (or ME!!) to find out the nifty trick to get the shading in the grapes!!  

I'm not so happy with my composition, but when you're in a workshop you are trying out so many new things - in a hurry - and sometimes you end up putting things where you might not have put them if you had been able to think things through a little bit more. And sometimes you try things that just don't work the first time the right way... But that's what a workshop is for - to try new techniques which you can then take home and practice again and again.Those paintings you do at home are the paintings you will be happier with.  I'm not unhappy with how this looks so far, but I would definitely move one of those lower bunches of grapes somewhere else!! I have  a lot of work to do on this still. I want to add some branches, add more darks and see if I can balance those grapes out a bit more before I'm done. 

Tomorrow we will be working on abstracts. I hope I can get more than one done.

Yumm-i-licious Colours!!!

Yumm-i-licious!

(this was supposed to be posted last week!! Better late than never... My palette doesn't look this clean any more :-/  A messy palette is the sign of a happy happy painter!)

That's what this newpaint palette looks like now that I've squeezed out every last drop of luscious colour into it. It's all ready for my next art adventure! An upcoming 5 day workshop in a week with watercolour artist,  Karlyn Holman

Can't wait!!! 

Sore fingers....   :-/

Sketch Club goes to the Farm

Our local sketch club was outdoors again this week - we went to a farm.I thought I'd share some of my photos. It was such a lovely day for an outing in the country :-)

At first I wandered around wondering what to draw. Good, modern looking barns aren't everyone's cup of tea you know...

 I took some photos of the sheep. Farmer Bob fed them for us so we could get some good photos and so they would "sort of stay still" HA! No such thing for a sheep! This one's name is Lambchop and he is a family pet. He came over to each of us to see if we had something to eat!

 The sheep all wear bells because a herd of sheep running, with bells clanging will scare any wiley coyotes away! 

And talk about a noisy barnyard! These little fellows were bleating away all morning as we sat on the dirt road beside the meadow and drew.  

This lovely lady was peeking out through a hole in the barn to see what the commotion was...

After we finished drawing, while we were talking to each other and admiring each other's efforts and talking about recent art workshops we have attended, the cows snuck over to get a better look too - we turned around and there the were - gawking over the fence at us!

 The barnyard cat had to come for a look too, but she didn't stick around too long!









I spent a wonderfully relaxing hour or so drawing this weatherbeaten birdhouse and then adding some watercolour to it. After everyone was done, we lined our sketchbooks up on a bench on the old veranda and enjoyed lemonade and cookies courtesy of Farmer Bob!  What a treat!

 "That's just the farm way!"

Thanks to Farmer Bob Miller for a wonderful sketching day!!

My first Fine Art Show

I've done a lot of craft shows to display my Decorative Painting in the past, but this is the very first Fine Art show I have entered my paintings in. The KW Society of Artists is having their annual show at the Button Factory in Waterloo starting this weekend. It runs for the whole month of June. I have entered two of my paintings this year.
The first one called 'Garden Gate' is a painting of a lovely gate just covered with gorgeous climbing roses. It was down by the Avon River in Stratford (my hometown).This painting is done in Pen and Ink with acrylic washes.  Framed $250.00

The second painting I called "Living on the Ledge." This sweet robin built her nest on the window ledge at my husband's parents house. Paul (my hubby) caught her feeding her babies one morning. I couldn't resist painting her!  

Painted in Acrylic washes on watercolour paper. Framed $250.00

The show starts on Friday June 8 at 7 pm. through to the end of the month at the Button Factory on Regina St. Waterloo, ON. The KWSA artists have filled two floors with their creations. Drop in if you live in the area and have a chance to see our annual show.

Best birthday ever! Painting with Terry Isaac

Last week I had a wonderful experience! I gave myself a PRESENT for my birthday this year and I took a 4 day workshop in Mississauga with Terry Isaac who is a wildlife painter from Penticton B.C. I learned SO much. He taught 11 of us a lot about composition, what makes a good painting and his own method of getting the paint on the board. He has a very different way of approaching the initial painting stages that helps the artist avoid the dreaded ugly-stage of a painting. If you ever get a chance to paint with him - take it! He also has DVDs that show his process which are very good too.

Terry has been painting for 25 years. His career took off when Robert Bateman "discovered" him at a workshop and suggested that Mill Pond press should promote his work. Terry Isaac is a very well known wildlife artist. Here's Terry's website so you can see the quality of his work! I was SO excited to get to study with him!

I won this original Terry Isaac demo of a Red winged blackbird :-)

Terry is such a friendly, down-to-earth, generous person - it was a joy to listen to him teach, watch him demonstrate his painting method and I just SOAKED in everything I could. He critiqued paintings that some of the students brought, he did several "mini-demos" to show how he paints various things -like eyes, fur, water, rocks and reflections etc. I won the Red Winged Blackbird demo :-)  He was showing how he scumbles the background in this demo.

The best thing about the four day workshop I must say was the delicious dessert that Terry "helped" put together at the BBQ on Thursday night! A fruit custard flan -The fruit was Expertly arranged by a Professional Artist!

After one of the classes we went on a photo shoot with Terry to the Rattray Conservation Area - a marshland area on Lake Ontario. I got some good photos of a Trumpeter Swan family. My camera was MUCH smaller than his. Still got some good photos with my little point and shoot.

Terry Isaac and me! :-)

(what a great birthday present this year!)

Birdhouses Pen and Ink with Oil Rouging

Just finished!!! And now for sale. It would be a perfect gift for the gardener or nature lover in your life!

This is a beautiful pen and ink with oil rouging. (Design by Mary Owens - handpainted by me)

 It's an 11x14 picture on Arches watercolour paper with a grey-green double mat (16x20 finished size) Spray varnished so it can be displayed with or without glass in the frame you choose. 

$75.00 with double mat. (shipping extra)