Evergreens' serenity

Fir trees have a magic all their own. They are the symbol and promise of the return of spring - everlasting life through their continued greeness all year long. People have included them in their winter celebrations from Yule to Christmas. And their magic of sparkling lights and exciting surprises fill many homes in December.

SO I tried to capture their essence in my three evergreens in my forest today.

Magical sunlit forest

Walking in the afternoon sunshine, the forest seems alive with magic! There are so many layers and depth, who knows what hides behind the trees, just beyond you vision. Sunlight fairies dancing in the autumn leaves?

I have begun this wonderful forest. I did some drawings in the Hopkins Demonstration Forest near our home, and now am beginning this painting.

Gammin

Jilly Peppercorn's character believes - everything magical! Gammin are often mistaken for human, but they have something unworldly in their eyes.

Here is a gammin and a scene where they are barbequing in the trunk of a car in the tombs. Ah, Charles De Lint - what a storyteller!

curls!

I finished the underpainting of "Dreamer" today! Her curls are amazing and add a softness to her features. Now I have to let it dry before doing the colors. Sigh.

Daydreamer under painting

My daydreaming girl painting has begun. She has a Mona Lisa smile and dreamy eyes. I decided to paint an underpainting in warm browns. This will be a base for the transparent hues for the top. It allows me to play with her features and the composition one more time.

Tomorrow I will do her hair in slightly darker hues and let it dry over the weekend to begin to enrich it in fuller colors. Part of me likes it just in these subtle browns.

Daydreaming Girl

I have started my painting of my daydreaming girl. She has a little softness around her eyes and a far off gaze. This is my charcoal drawing on my canvas. I have decided to do an underpainting in warm browns.

(Don't worry about the smudge on her cheek - I didn't realize it was there when I took the photo.)

It may seem funny to do a charcoal drawing just to wipe it almost entirely off before painting, but it gives me a change to change features and placements before committing to paint. SO, turn in tomorrow for the underpainting!

Portraits in pencil

I am playing around with doing a portrait so was drawing some of my favorite people. They are so much fun to do, that it is difficult to choose. I like drawing several of the some person to see her from different angles and in different moods. It is amazing how different the same person can look at different times!

So now I chose this one in the middle to paint!

I like her dreammy look. so, look for her soon.