Painting for the Fun of It

I was pretty sure I'd enjoy the Acrylic Exploration class or I wouldn't have registered for it, but it's turned out to be even more fun than I expected. I'm learning from the explanations and examples provided by our instructor, enjoying the company of the other ladies (yep, it's all women), and having a ball with the painting itself. My favorite part? Mixing the colors.

There's something very relaxing about taking a dollop of paint from one tube, a squirt from another, and a touch from a third--possibly even a fourth--and mixing them together a little at a time to try to get an exact shade. I believe I could mix paint all afternoon, even if I didn't put any of it on the canvas.

I've already shown you the sketch that was our homework assignment from the first class. During the second class we started painting in the areas with the lightest and darkest color values. (Does that sound like I know what I'm talking about? Heh. Just barely.) This is how far I got:

We put a lot more paint on the canvas in the third class:

Right now the painting has a blotchy appearance. It's a little intimidating to realize how many different, subtle shades of color it's going to take to get rid of that paint-by-numbers look. Also, I'm getting a little lost, having trouble figuring out which lines belong to which little background tree, but that should get easier with every color that's added. Nevertheless, I'm beginning to see some depth in the picture, which gives me hope for the finished product.

For most of my life I've been bad about giving up on things that didn't come easily to me. Not this time. When the journey is as much fun as this is, why worry about the destination? Besides, I've made enough mistakes in my time (and recovered from them) that they don't scare me so much anymore.

In related good news, I'm finally learning to keep my arms out of the paint. I've worn Mother's shirt to class twice now without getting a speck on it.