Introducing my first painting of the new year – “Snowy Egret”. I’ve been wanting to paint a snowy egret for a few months now, as I view them as one of the most regal-looking birds. My son actually spotted one of these birds in a nearby neighborhood fishing for a delicious pond snack. He noticed that this egret had a black bill and yellow feet – opposite of our common great egret. Snowy egrets are rare here in Minnesota, so spotting this beauty was a treat! I went into this painting intending to change up my painting style a little by attempting a looser watercolor style. I’ve always been drawn to detail, but I’ve recently been inspired by some local watercolorists to try loose watercolor (see demonstration below), and I thought the snowy egret would be a good subject to test this style out. Here is one demonstration by fellow Minnesotan, Andy Evansen: I love the freedom of the brush and paint when I watch artists perform loose watercolor painting. I was sure I could let loose and finish one of these paintings. I was wrong. Halfway through my painting of the snowy egret, I stopped. I wasn’t happy with the colors, wasn’t happy with the tones, and wasn’t quite sure how I could make the painting work. So, the painting sat on my painting table day-after-day, for about a week. I’d walk into the room, stare at the painting from a distance, study the tones and colors, and try to work out exactly how I’d save the painting. Then, I’d walk back out. Finally, I decided that I would trying painting the eyes and the beak, and then see how I felt about the painting. After all, the eyes tend to make a portrait painting. Well, it worked. But, my loose watercolor painting went out the window. After I saw the realistic eye, and finely faded beak, I regressed into my realism comfort mode once again. Within 24 hours, I had finished “Snowy Egret”. I stepped back once again, stared at the painting from across the room, and was finally happy with the colors, details, and tones. In fact, “Snowy Egret” has turned into one of my favorite bird paintings. I’ll have to give loose watercolor painting another go in the near future. Prints of “Snowy Egret” are now available in the Unbound Roots Shop! For information on original paintings, please contact me here.
animals
Greeting Card Giveaway
Yes, you read it correctly! I’m hosting a greeting card giveaway right here on Unbound Roots. Last winter, my friend Angela, from You Are Awesome, suggested that I give away a pack of watercolor greeting cards. Angela has many great ideas (you need to check them out on her blog link above), so I thought I better follow her suggestion. Aside from Angela’s awesome suggestion, the timing is right. Let me explain: Unbound Roots is getting a make-over in the next month. I am still going to be writing stories about topics that inspire me – hiking, animals, thoughts that grab my attention, gardening, the family farm, and painting (to name a few) – but my blog will be just one portion of the website. I will also be adding a gallery to showcase my watercolor paintings, and an online shop where people can purchase watercolor originals, limited prints of paintings, and packs of greeting cards. Shoppers will also have the option to request original paintings – personal paintings that can be treasured for centuries. As many of you know, I have been doing a lot of painting throughout the past month. My kids and I came up with a list of animals that are common here in the Upper Midwest, and then I painted them into snow scenes. Five paintings have been completed, and will now be printed onto greeting cards. Silent Night Winter Treasure First Snow Christmas Spirit Late for my Winter Slumber I had so much fun painting these wild cuties! Okay, okay, I’m sure you’re waiting for the details, so… Here are the greeting card giveaway details: On Friday, December 21st, I will be randomly drawing the names of two recipients. Each recipient will receive one pack of five greeting cards – one card of each of the paintings above. How Do I Enter the Free Giveaway? It’s simple! All you have to do is enter a comment below. Any winter-related comment will do. You can tell me about your favorite winter activity, favorite tradition, favorite winter recipes, or you can suggest a painting you’d like to see me complete – it’s up to you! I will write down the names of all the people who comment, and randomly draw the names on December 21st. The winners will be announced right here on Unbound Roots, so be sure to check back! If a recipient fails to respond within 48 hours, a new recipient will be chosen. I am excited to send off my very first greeting cards! Good luck to everyone, and enjoy the holiday season! Warmly, Erin
Wild Spirits: Watercolor Wednesday
Since the day my daughter was able to walk, she ran. When she was able to run, she flew. In her day-to-day world she is a hawk, mountain lion, tiger, jaguar, snow leopard, or a bull. Her imagination soars, and whichever animal suits her mood on that particular day, wins. But, on most days, she is a horse. Going by names of Apple, Pepper, or Candy, she gallops down the side of the dirt road as fast as she can while giving out a few whinnies, neighs, or snorts while kicking up dust in her wake. I wonder if my daughter ever catches me looking at her with extreme love or admiration – I hope so. She is full of wonder – she is a wild spirit. My family is fortunate to live just four doors up from a horse boarding stable, so when we moved to our current house in 2012, we started visiting the horses on our daily walks. We bring baby carrots or apples from our apple trees to feed the horses. If we don’t have any snacks at home, the kids love to pick the long grass just outside of the horses reach by the weathered wooden fence. When we leave to continue on our walks, my daughter always chooses a horse to hug – her love for them evident. For my daughter’s 8th birthday I told her I’d paint her a picture of anything she wanted. Without hesitation, she picked a photo I had taken of her and one of her favorite horses. A horse that she had affectionately named Taffy. Taffy is a beautiful buckskin mare with a sweet disposition. I had taken the photo with my phone on one of our walks about a month before her birthday, and without her knowledge. I loved that my daughter had Taffy in her arms as she closed her eyes to enjoy the moment. I loved that Taffy stood still for as long as my daughter wanted to hold her. I loved that their hair was blowing in the warm summer breeze. I loved that my daughter’s brows were furrowed with strong feeling. I loved that Taffy’s ears were alert and happy, while her eyes were content and warm. I loved that they seemed connected for the moment – wild spirits. How on Earth could I paint this special photo? Could I do it justice? I needed to try. It took me a few weeks after her birthday party to start the actual painting – I was nervous. I had never painted a person, and horses are not easy to draw or paint. I wanted the painting to convey the feelings that I knew were behind this moment. In preparation for the painting, I read books on painting portraits and figures, I watched YouTube videos of artists painting skin, hair, and horses, and I studied my photo. My first step was to sketch out the photo on my watercolor paper. A simple background was the first paint to be laid on the paper. I didn’t use any detail in the background because I wanted the viewer’s eye to be drawn to the detailed figures only. From there, I painted the face because I figured that if the face didn’t turn out right, I could easily start over without wasting too much time or paint. Satisfied with the face, I continued on to the hair and the horse. My daughter had snapped the picture above while I painted the horse. I must have been zoned in on my painting as I found a surprise on my phone a few days later. My favorite part of painting animals is painting their eyes. I feel that if a good eye can be painted – the rest of the animal will fall into place. After a few days of painting, I was happy with the look of the sunshine on my daughter’s hair, the shine on Taffy’s coat, the way the highlights and shadows made the facial curves just right, the soft look of the muzzle, the sparkle in Taffy’s eye, the windswept hair, the course-looking texture of the mane, and the wrinkles in my daughter’s shirt. My daughter’s 8th birthday painting was finished – it’s one of my favorites. Wild Spirits is the name that came to mind when I looked at this painting. My daughter wholeheartedly approved. My daughter said that she loved the horse’s eye, how their hair was flowing in the wind, and all the details of the painting. I love that my daughter’s feelings of love, passion, connection, and yearning are evident. Happy 8th birthday, my dear daughter! May your wild spirit live on forever.