The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I was going to do this in reverse order, starting with the bad and the ugly. You know, the same way that when you have some good news and some bad news, most people want to start with the bad news. Finish strong. Instead, I'm going to start with the good and maybe you'll have lost interest by the time I get to the bad and ugly.

The Good

Sunday night, Morgan and I headed out to the Adams County Fair. Free admission! (Although they neglected to mention the $5 fee for parking.) We went near sunset so we could try to get some good photos of the rides. After we'd walked around for a bit, we sat on some rocks near the pony ride and I sketched the rides area. It was just a quick 5 or 10 minute sketch, but I'm pretty happy with how it captured the salient points. I got some good digital photos of the fair, too, and hopefully some interesting ones on film as well.

The Bad and the Ugly

I decided to try another watercolor, using a picture on Paint My Photo (thanks for the heads-up about this site, I'm looking forward to using more references from there and submitting some photos, too!). I'm trying to learn to loosen up with watercolors. Because "loose" is not my usual style in any media, I expect it will take some real effort to make it happen, if it can happen at all.

I'm not happy with this at all. Well, actually, there are a couple of things I like about it, but many, many more that I don't. I just remind myself that it wouldn't be practice if I were already good at it. I like the lamp, some of the shadows, and the sky is all right. Everything else, well - the less I say about it, the better.

Comments

[Nancy Tasker]

Your carnival sketch is really good! And, I think you're being just a tad harsh on yourself about your watercolor. There's much to like about this piece. You did a fine job with the sky - I love the clouds. The buildings tell you everything you need to know about them. The looseness and simplicity of your design is just right. I like the lack of fussy details. I think you've earned a cookie! lol nancy

[Whatidoisme.wordpress.com]

The good and the good: there you go, a new title for your post ;) I'm seeing two lovely sketches. I guess there's a gap between what you envisaged in the second one, and what you created. I think that's the problem for all of us who draw or paint. However, as the viewer, I don't know what you envisaged, so I just see the sketch and enjoy it.
Sue

[Sherry Massey]

Gosh, I would give a lot to be able to either of these. I think they are wonderful!

[Saint Ursula]

Thank you all for the very nice comments. I actually hated the painting a lot when I finished it, but less by the time I scanned and posted it.

Nancy: I like your way of thinking - a cookie is a fine reward!

Sue: You're exactly right that the gap is between what I saw in my head and what came out on the paper. I have to remember that everyone else isn't in my head, though, and the painting may have merits of its own. ;)

Sherry: Thank you so much. I am coming around on the painting.

[Cathy Holtom]

Both look good too me. The watercolour has some nice shadows and tones!

[Alex Tan]

Beautifully drawn both of these. =)