Hi Sonia.
You are making great progress and this is an incredible drawing. Keep going.
Terri with 2R’s
This is my first post, thank you Terri, for encouraging me.
This is a 12 x 16 oil paints on a canvas sheet. I haven’t oil painted in awhile and didn’t want to waste a canvas. I became a caregiver for my adult daughter 14 years ago which keeps me left brain mode for much of my time. However, I’ve enjoyed everyone’s style of art posted here. I’ve learned pastels and colored pencils from the Virtual Instructor which are easier for me to drop when I need to stop.
I chose this subject because I love the sunsets, especially on the ocean, grey color to remember changing the values which I have trouble with when working with color and oils are still my favorite medium.
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Thank you, Bill. I used graphite H, F, & B on Master’s Touch (Hobby Lobby) Bristol Vellum 100lb acid free 9x12
Jim
Linda, this is excellent. Please keep posting your work. Excellent!
Jim
Terri, fantabulous.
Jim
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Hello Linda @LindaE
I am so glad you posted and am quite impressed. Before I go on, I strongly suggest that you send this to Matt for the Members Minute. Few people here work in oil paints and we would learn from hearing what Matt has to say.
The other thing I wanted to respond to is the comment that you are a care giver for your adult daughter. One of the things that is so special about the environment here at the Forum is that we have an opportunity to make new friends, and find things we have in common (without it being as public as Facebook and other social media sites). You are not the only one here that is caring for an adult child. Many know that just a couple of years ago I became my sisters legal guardian. While she does not live with me, I am very involved in her life. She has Down Syndrome, early-onset Alzheimer’s, and epilepsy. Others here are caring for aging parents. We all understand how beneficial creating artwork can be in adding balance to our lives, even if it is for limited amounts of time. Thanks for posting and for sharing some personal information with the rest of us.
Terri Robichon
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Thanks for sharing !
I’ve used Bristol from 3 different suppliers and I can’t tell a difference…except on the price when Hobby Lobby offers 40% off. Then it’s an exceptional deal! Same with their frames at 50% off every other week.
Bill
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Wow Linda!
Thank you so much for sharing! What a beautiful piece of art! I’m looking at it on my phone…can’t wait to see it later on my desktop on a larger screen And all grey scale…very cool. I agree with Terri, please submit it to Matt on the Members Minute.
Bill Potts
Hi Bill @pottsie
Yup - Those 50% off frames at Hobby Lobby every other week are pretty much the only things I buy, and I buy a lot of frames. Our Hobby Lobby will also custom cut a matt for $10 which is nice if you have artwork you really like and want to select your matt color. It is also what Sonia @Meme5 should know about because she could buy a standard frame and then have the matt opening cut to whatever obscure size Sonia has for her art (because we know how much she doesn’t like to measure or use “standard sizes”). 
Sonia, do you have a Hobby Lobby by where you live?
Terri Robichon
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Terri W2R,
We do have a hobby lobby, where I also buy lots of frames 50% off just like you 
. However, I have a mat cutter, thank you very much, that I got at michaels ( in another town) with my teacher 15% discount plus $5 to $10 vouchers that we earn after spending so much; which also they also have a frame sale every so often . Being a teacher assistant takes me to hobby lobby and michaels quite often throughout the school year….#allforthekids
I’ve learned to cut the mats with lots of practice 
P.S If I could only cut tablecloths with the mat cutter haha
P.S 2, You and Bill are killing me
Sonia 0r
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Terri,
Hahaha! Well I’m right there with Sonia. It’s just been recently that I’m trying to pay attention to the size paper I’m using and how it fits in a standard frame and hopefully a standard precut mat. I must not be smart enough to balance out a frame size, mat size, paper size and border width (if I leave a border) 
. So most of the time I end up helping keep Hobby Lobby’s mat cutters employed.
I was recently ordering something I needed online and I needed $10-12 to get free shipping. So they had PastelMat on sale. I went with the smaller size thinking this will work well with my pet portraits. The size is 7x9.5. Well that didn’t help me at all. I gotta have a mat cut no matter what 
.
Also, Terri and Sonia: I started over a week ago with my watercolor pencils. I was a small 4x6. Then, I thought….Bill, you should move up to an 8x10, and maybe it’s something you could enter in the fair. Terri, you warned me that bigger isn’t easier. I’m sticking it in the corner (with Sonia’s duck) until I can address it again. I should show it to you, but I’m kinda embarrassed about it. At this point, my talent hasn’t extended to watercolor
Bill Potts
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What a beautiful, peaceful sunset painting.
I’m so glad you decided to share it with us.
Please keep posting your art! And I hope you follow Terri’s suggestion and send it for the members minute…
Sonia
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I’m on a roll with watercolor pencils right now, almost done with the 4th one. Remember this is new for me too, but having a background for watercolor painting has been helpful. Liking colored pencils has been useful as well. So post what you have and maybe I can help out. That’s what the forum is for.
Regarding Matt sizes and frame sizes, memorize these:
- 5 x 7 is standard, and if matted it will go in 8 x 10 frame
- 8 x 10 is standard, and if matted it will go in a 11 x 14 frame
- 11 x 14 is standard, and if matted it will go in a 16 x 20 frame
95 % of what I do, are one of those sizes.
One more CRITICAL piece of information. The opening size of all precut matts is actually 1/2" less than the stated size (so that it overlaps your drawing 1/4" per side).
That means a 5 x 7 matt has a 4-1/2 x 6-1/2" opening. You need to consider this when drawing to keep the important content away from the edge.
An 8 x 10 matt actually has an opening that is 7-1/2 x 9-1/2"
A 11 x 14 matt actually has an opening that is 10-1/2 x 13-1/2"
I always have an extra matt in each of these 3 sizes available, so that I can check composition before starting any piece of artwork. Hope this helps.
Terri Robichon
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Terri!
Thank you for all that wonderful info. I’m going to print it off to have it at my fingertips!
Bill
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Terri W2R,
Thank you for taking the time to type all that up! I will never be able to memorize all that so I copied and saved it to my notes in my phone for quick reference. Wish me luck from now on. Thank you again friend!!
Sonia 0r
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Thank you everyone for your encouragement.
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I would call it finished. Great composition. Love the play with the shadow.
Patricia
Patricia, thank you for chiming in. I respect your opinion, so thank you again.
Teri
My 4th watercolor pencil drawing is now done. This is my youngest sister. Drawing or painting family members has always been difficult for me.
Terri Robichon
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That is a nice portrait. I love the clothes, they look like a photo.
Which colours did you use for the hair? Also: What brand of pencils did you use?
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