Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 30, 2009, 6:17 pm
. Well my dears, indecision still grips me in some ways, even with your help at hand.  A couple of weeks ago I posted a number of paintings that I wanted to turn into greeting cards and have...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 29, 2009, 6:19 pm
A Christmas parade prevented me from getting back to the churchyard to get more photos today, so I'll save that for another time. Meanwhile I've been experimenting with an image for anoth...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 28, 2009, 9:00 pm
I've done a little sketching lately, mostly while sitting in the car as either wind or rain prevents me from venturing out. Scenes constantly flash before me as I drive from place to place, wishin...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 27, 2009, 7:03 pm
. Lately my oil painting skills just aren't working for me.   I started a portrait last week and seem to scrub and paint and scrub and paint til finally I think I'm going to let it...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 25, 2009, 6:56 pm
I'm flitting between several projects at once as is my usual style.  Ideas jump in and out of my head and I like to have the option of working on alternate pieces.  When one starts to fr...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 24, 2009, 8:49 pm
I have been considering creating a Christmas card and various ideas float around in sketchbooks.  I wanted it to be round, part reality, part fantasy.  A late night sketch of a Newfoundland ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 23, 2009, 6:46 pm
I just put in an order for some paper from my regular mail order company.  While I can get a lot of basic supplies here, pricing tends to be more expensive here and bargains can be had along with...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 21, 2009, 9:52 pm
I've been doing some marketing with my art over the last few months and its starting to pay off now. I have one of my pieces accepted into the Provincial Art Bank which I'm very pleased a...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 20, 2009, 8:24 pm
Its interesting how non-artistic people view the world and need to be coaxed into seeing what we see. I'm doing some commissions and find that individuals rarely have a vision of the final pi...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 18, 2009, 7:49 pm
I'm in my usual multi-tasking mode and have several paintings that I'm working on simultaneously. I'm nearing completion of one portrait with another in the wings and a commission hot on...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 17, 2009, 8:54 pm
  Drawing from memory has advantages and disadvantages.  We all have an internal Utopia where nothing is true to reality and that comes out when we draw from memory.  We know shape...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 16, 2009, 6:19 pm
Its good to be back home after a hectic few days in Toronto. I took today off to catch up on some work (and sleep) and made a concentrated effort on progressing with a couple of portraits. I adde...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 12, 2009, 12:40 pm
I thought I'd quickly put this piece up online before I head out the door.  This is a quick watercolour sketch of the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia.  The viewpoint is fro...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 11, 2009, 7:25 pm
I've been fighting with a portrait for a couple of days, but hope that I'm conquering it now.  I decided on a fresh start and hope that will work wonders.  We too often second guess ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 9, 2009, 8:04 pm
Decision making always leaves me second guessing when it comes to art.  Its true that gut reactions are often the best ones.  There is some intuitive sense that seems to know best, whether i...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 8, 2009, 6:26 pm
I worked a little more on the watercolour of the candy and am calling it done for the moment in terms of showing work in progress.  I still have to firm up the lettering and deepen folds in spots...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 7, 2009, 8:08 pm
I look at creating a study before a major painting purely as practice and a way of working out colours, values, composition, and background.  Its no different than a pianist practicing a piece be...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Nov 6, 2009, 8:25 pm
When ever I clean out my studio I find things that I have forgotten about.  This time it was some hand made paper. Occasionally in the summer I get the urge to make paper.  Its time con...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 30, 2009, 8:32 pm
The last couple of days have been quite hectic and I haven't had much drawing or painting time, so early mornings and late nights I played a bit more with this portrait and am calling it done for ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 28, 2009, 6:05 pm
I'm pushing my way through this, taking the good with the bad and trying to both anticipate and resolve problems as they arise. I've reworked the mouth endless times and in the end the pa...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 26, 2009, 6:45 pm
Yep, its officially making me crazy. I know its early stages, and I know its the ugly phase, and I know I can do this, but I keep going over and over the same sections.  Scrubbing, repaintin...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 25, 2009, 7:46 pm
I'm still working in watercolour and with another self portrait. that I set up today.  This piece is 15  x 22 on 300lb Arches paper.  The skin tone is very pale in this and I'm ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 24, 2009, 8:17 pm
Work and life have taken up my time over the last few days and there has been little time for painting or drawing.  Spare moments seem to have been spent catching up on sleep more than anything. ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 22, 2009, 7:05 pm
I've tinkered with the portrait and added mroe layers and am calling it done for now.  I'll let it sit for a week or so then have another look and see if any needs tweaking.  Th...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 21, 2009, 6:58 pm
  I have been thinking lately about the artistic direction I want to move in.  I have worked on many subjects for the last few years and while they all appeal to me at various times, what...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 20, 2009, 8:33 pm
I've added more layers to the watercolour to define shapes and started adding pastels to block in the hair on top of the watercolour.   This seems to work well over the layer and gives d...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 19, 2009, 8:19 pm
I figured I'd better make a start on the second portrait piece to go with the original child.  This time her older brother.  I wanted to make them using similar techniques as they would ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 18, 2009, 7:37 pm
. I've been putting my technical skills in watercolour to the test today with this little piece. It started as a demo for the workshop on Saturday.  I was creating a wild abstract ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 17, 2009, 6:12 pm
Today I delivered a workshop in gyotaku for a local art association.  My ability and interest in the subject has grown over time since I first learned about the technique and started in earnest p...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 16, 2009, 8:27 pm
My challenge to draw and paint apples finished yesterday and I am delighted with the response.  Twenty-two apples have appeared in addition to my own contribution of ten.   If I have missed ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 15, 2009, 7:47 pm
Its been nearly two years since Tripod decided he would befriend me and I thought its about time for another portrait of him. I like to do a study first at times as a warm up to the portrait.&nbs...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 14, 2009, 7:43 pm
This is a final reminder to all the procrastinators out there that the Apple Challenge ends tomorrow, October 15th.  Has it really been a month?  Too long?  Too short? I started it...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 13, 2009, 7:35 pm
 Gower Street Church sketch In downtown St. John's, nestled among old buildings and within a stone's throw distance of the harbour lies a little part of my heritage.  George St...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 12, 2009, 6:22 pm
. Last year I bought a beautiful Italian sketchbook.  It's 9 x 12 and covered in soft red leather, filled with cream smooth paper, each page interleaved with a what seems to be a type of gl...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 11, 2009, 9:57 pm
It is the Thanksgiving weekend in Canada and I thought it would be interesting to look back at posts done on this date (or close to) over the last four years of my blog and leave you with a view of a ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 10, 2009, 6:56 pm
I started this small ( 8 x 10) oil portrait a week or so ago and got sidetracked.  I wasn't feeling well all day - well all week - some viral thing that's going around no doubt so didn...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 9, 2009, 7:39 pm
I'm calling this portrait finished.  At least I'm letting it sit on the easel for a few days and then see if there's anything else to add. This started as a 12 x 16 watercolour w...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 8, 2009, 6:07 pm
I am still in apple mode and have a few more to get out of my system before the middle of the month. This one is in graphite.  I recalled Jennifer saying that she was taking on a Monthly Ske...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 7, 2009, 5:59 pm
Ah yes, you didn't think you'd get away that easily did you?  Yes, Virginia, there are more apples... In fact there are more apples than I could possibly have time to draw or paint i...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 6, 2009, 8:05 pm
I did some more work on the portrait I started last night but am not sure if I like how its going or not.  I think it may still be in that ugly phase and I need to work through it.  I don...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 5, 2009, 7:02 pm
I'm doing a little experimentation with this portrait. Its a watercolour on 11 x 14 arches paper. I want to go loose and a little abstract with it as well and see what happens.  The first lay...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 4, 2009, 5:41 pm
I've had a lazy day today. It was cool and damp and very fall like, so I lazed on the sofa and napped then after supper came to the studio to push paint around. My notebook was sitting close by ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 3, 2009, 6:14 pm
I've made a start on a new portrait and its very early stages at this point. My preliminary drawing is done with a brush straight onto a toned canvas panel. The likeness has moved away a little ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 2, 2009, 8:08 pm
Listeen Road, Castlereagh, Northern Ireland October's Virtual Paintout is in and around Belfast in Northern Ireland. I did a quick oil painting of a field in Castlereagh, outside Belfast. Comp...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Oct 1, 2009, 6:01 pm
I usually resize images by gridding but its a task that I truly dislike. All that measuring, all those lines, all that transferring of squares. So I decided that I'd invest in an art projector. ...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Sep 30, 2009, 5:58 pm
I sat down to watch the news when I got home today and there was a box of various art supplies at my feet that I had been sorting the night before. I took out some oil pastels and played around with...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Sep 29, 2009, 8:15 pm
About 14 percent of artists rely on solely on their creativity and art sales to pay the bills. The other 86 percent have alternate jobs that bring in the bulk of their revenue and use their spare time...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Sep 28, 2009, 5:27 pm
Afternoon Shadows 6 x 12 oils After yesterdays unheaval with the ducks and the owl, I wanted to do something that I didn't have to think about too much. This little oil painting is a 'plein...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Sep 27, 2009, 8:53 am
Many people see a superficial view of life on a small farm and think its idyllic. They buy vegetables or fruit or pick up their chickens or turkey and wax lyrical about how wonderful it is to live he...
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Jeanette J. posted an article on Illustrated Life - Sep 26, 2009, 6:04 pm
On my continuing exploration of apples, I dug around in my stash of supports and found a piece of translucent yupo. My next apple was going to be on a traditional watercolour support, but I thought I...
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