Start to Finish

January 6, 2012

January 14, 2012

January 23, 2012

January 29, 2012.

And...

Drum roll please!

The FINISHED PRODUCT!

February 2, 2012

My favorite parts of the painting are the fire engine, and the little dog I snuck in beside the fire station. The dog is Baxter, my sister's dog. I also made sure to label the Fire Station with the number 23, the station my brother-in-law has worked at for the last five years.

Baxter circa 2006. Hiding under the bed was fun.

I'm so happy with the finished product! And for the first time in a month, our kitchen table is clear and functional again.

Traffic Buildup

Progress is slow, but I think it's looking really good!

My favourite is the truck hauling hay in the top left corner.

Hopefully I'll be able to finish this up in the next couple of weeks, because the canvas has become a permanent fixture on our kitchen table.

The Devil is in the Details

Two weeks into the new year, and most of my spare time has been dedicated to painting a mural for my nephew, Dylan.

Dylan loves cars, trucks and construction equipment, so this Edward Miller mural is the basis for my painting.

Beep Street Mural

It has been a long time since I've pulled out all my painting supplies. About a year and a half ago we ran out of room on our condo walls, so the only things I've been painting are for other people. I'd forgotten how time consuming painting can be. One week ago, after about 8-9 hours of painting, I had finished the backdrop.

Layering paint and waiting for it to dry was the main problem. Also, the painting has a lot of straight edges on it, so I've been using the edge of a piece of cardboard to keep my hand steady.

Today I discovered how handy the edge of masking tape could be. I expect to start work on some actual cars tomorrow. So far, I'm loving how it's looking!

My plan is to add a few more construction vehicles than the original designe, and also a Firehall Station 23, the same number as the firehall my brother-in-law is currently stationed at.

Stay tuned for updates!

Paint and Repeat

A few months ago I spent the afternoon painting some pottery at the Clayground . I wanted to make a plate to commemorate the birth of my niece, Madelynn. My mother-in-law, Barb, was making a birthday present for her husband, Dave.

These types of places have a huge selection of pottery to choose from. Plates, mugs, bowls, vases, platters, pet dishes, piggy banks-- pretty much anything you could want, they have it. After you select your piece of pottery, the staff washes it off and you select your bottles of glaze.

You can squeeze your glazes into a little painting tray, and then you get to work!

The table gets a little crowded with all the bottles, paint brushes and pottery laying around.

The most tedious part is putting on the multiple coats of glaze. To get a solid coloured plate, you need to put at least three coats of paint on it. This takes quite a while because you have to wait for each layer to dry as you go. I didn't get a good shot of Ashley's plate. But it was a lovely green with a pretty little dragonfly on the front.

Barb's "Morning Joe" mugs turned out quite well and made an excellent birthday present. She made two matching mugs and wrote "Barb" and "Dave" on the handles to personalize them.

I was happy with Madelynn's plate when I left for the day. But I'm always a little worried about how my pieces will turn out after going through the kiln.

But it turned out just as I'd hoped! Perfect for a beautiful baby girl.

Madelynn-- approximately 4 months old.