Author: -N-

WWM #14: Furry Things

WWM #14: Furry Things – A “Wooley Bear” Caterpillar

Furry things – what could that be?  A weird bit of fabric, fuzzy socks, your husband’s bewhiskered face.  For me, caterpillars!  When I was a kid in the middle of nowhere, furry caterpillars were our playmates.  They were so beautiful and soft, and you couldn’t tell which end was the front until it moved.  We used to race them.

WWM #14: Furry Things – From a Video by Maria Raczynska

Besides caterpillars, cats are wonderfully soft and fuzzy.  I really like cats, but with a household more inclined to dogs at present, I admire them from afar.  Cats are such characters – nutty, languid, predatory.  A cat’s personality is unique and their expressions priceless.

When I was thinking of the prompt for today’s prompt for #WorldWatercolorMonth2019, I realized I could use a bit of thought about how to paint fur.  For the caterpillar, it was clear in my mind – I just referred to some photos to see how they might look.  On YouTube, of course I looked up “fur watercolor” – so many came up.  The one I thought was best was the one below, by Maria Raczynska.  One reason it is a good video is that the final painting is well executed, and she also shows you the reference photo at the beginning.  Watching this video – which is rather longish – was worthwhile.  I actually learned a lot from it while still doing my own thing.  Resources like videos make learning anything so much better.

For “Furry Things” I have two items this time.  Both worked out really well and I felt really confident while I painted.  Some days it just comes together – and today was one of them.

WWM #13: Glassy

I am drawn to water – maybe because when I was young, there was always a lake or river nearby.  As an adult, I live in a rather dry land where creeks are rare, but the vast Pacific is not far, with wetlands and marshes.  Fresh water lakes, though, are what I really love – the ones where the sky passes by beneath your feet on the glassy calm of the water.

This is from a photograph of a lake somewhere in the world – from Pixabay – and the clouds in the foreground were crystal clear and smooth.  I sort of messed that glassiness up, but came fairly close to what I was trying to express.  Obviously, this is a rather lonely view, but what better place than to sit, enjoy the breeze , and perhaps listen to the babbling of water fowl and the hum of insects on a warm summer day?