Painting

Cascade Green Pumpkin Watercolor

/ Jodi / 47 Comments

Cascade Green Pumpkin Original Watercolor by Jodi McKinney – 11×14

Cascade Green Pumpkin Watercolor.

Who said pumpkins have to always be orange???!!!

And…  What watercolor artist doesn’t adore playing with
Daniel Smith’s Cascade Green?!

Mix it up with a little Quinacridone Gold and a bit of Sepia for contrast and Voila!

I love all the shades of green and blue and yellow and brown and black created with the granulation of these pigments in this combination!

It was a fun pumpkin to create!

I’m excited to be one of the artists featured at one of our local town’s Sip and Stroll events this Thursday evening in Zelienople, PA.

I have the great honor of  being invited by my friends at Boutique 16063 – an amazing women’s boutique with the sweetest owner and team that making shopping there so much fun and make you feel like a million bucks when you walk out!

I’ll have some prints of this painting there and some cards (as well as a great selection of some of my other watercolor originals and framed prints as well as copies of the two children’s books I wrote and illustrated, Klaus the Mouse and Lucas the Lucky Lion).

The original of this painting is available through our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy Shop or at Berry Vine Gifts in Bradford Woods, PA.

If you are local, I hope you will sip and stroll by on Thursday, September 19th between 6-9pm!

There will be lots of great beers and wine to choose from, food to eat, artists to explore, and great shoppes open to browse and shop in.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Red Cardinal Watercolor

/ Jodi / 62 Comments

Red Cardinal Watercolor.

I was away this past week on a wonderful “GFC” (Girlfriend Camp) trip, followed by a couple days of grandie girls and family fun.

This past Sunday afternoon, after over a week away from any ARTing, I found a bit of time in my art studio to paint.

I always fear when I’m away from it for a while, I will “forget” how to do it.

I decided to do a bird, then chose a cardinal.  I had some Simon & Garfunkel playing.  I felt completely relaxed, and just painted.  No drawing.  No warm-up.  And I got lucky and loved the result.

Just in case it turned out, and because I’ve been asked about sharing my process and “teaching,” I took a few quick iPhone photos of the steps I took along the way to share with you.

I found a cardinal photo on my ipad and then started with the eye placed where I thought was about right on a 10×16 sheet of Arches Cold Press.  I used Daniel Smith Indigo and Quinacridone Gold, leaving some white for the highlights in the eye.

When painting loose, you need to have a focal point, and when a bird or animal, a good focal point is the eye and/or beak/nose.  So from the eye, I used a wet brush to outline the beak, then added some Daniel Smith permanent deep red and water to blend the colors.

I deepened some of the colors and added the crown shape of the cardinals head and the shape of its neck.  This is pretty much all the “detail” I wanted in this painting.

From here, I added some more of the red and some cadmium yellow.

Then I just got super loose adding some violet and blue and green gold, lots of water for movement, and more indigo splashes.  I held the painting up vertically to let the drips run.

And this is what resulted.  I’m happy with how it turned out, and so glad to know I didn’t “forget” how to do it after being away for a while.

This painting – as an original, prints, and greeting cards – is available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy Shop and at Berry Vine Gifts in BradfordWoods, PA.

Have a wonderful day, and don’t be afraid to fearlessly and joyfully go for whatever it is you love to do!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A Purple Parakeet in Watercolor

/ Jodi / 48 Comments

Purple Parakeet Original Watercolor by Jodi McKinney 11×14

A Purple Parakeet in Watercolor.

On my purple kick this past weekend, I created a random splash of color and topped it with cling wrap to create an abstract design.

I often like to do this when I don’t have anything special in mind to paint, but just want to create!  Then I look at it – sometimes for days or longer – until I see something appear.

My oldest DIL and I were at a local event this past Saturday at Quality Gardens and Bloom Cafe in Valencia, PA with our McKinneyX2Designs art and signs, and a man asked me if I ever painted a parakeet.

I hadn’t ever thought to, but when I looked at my “blob” of paint the next day, a parakeet appeared!  Mind over matter??!!

So I painted this.  I don’t even know the man’s name (who sweetly purchased a copy each of Klaus the Mouse, and Lucas the Lucky Lion for his grown artist daughter), but this painting is lovingly dedicated to him wherever he is, in honor of the sweet parakeet he and his wife recently loved and lost.  May they somehow feel the love.  And if he ever sees this, I will surely gift him with a print!

Happy #WorldWatercolorMonth!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Original, prints, and cards available at McKinneyX2Designs and Berry Vine Gifts!

A Patch of Purple Delphiniums

/ Jodi / 36 Comments

A Patch of Purple Delphiniums Original Watercolor 11×14 by Jodi McKinney

A Patch of Purple Delphiniums.

Splashing some green and purple this past weekend –
very loosely for an initial wash,
then adding additional loose detail
to somewhat resemble a patch of purple delphiniums!

This watercolor was inspired by Mary at HeartandSoul974‘s flowery blog post last week.  We are not even sure if they are delphiniums in her photo, but that is what I am calling my watercolor, because….
well….
because I can!

Happy #WorldWatercolorMonth!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Original, prints, and cards available at McKinneyX2Designs and Berry Vine Gifts!

 

Babysitting our Grandpuppy

/ Jodi / 26 Comments
Trevor McKinney Original Watercolor – 8×10 by Jodi McKinney

Babysitting our Grandpuppy.

As most of you know that have been hanging around here for any length of time, I am the fortunate grandma of two beautiful granddaughters to my oldest son and daughter-in-law.  You may not know, however, that I have an adorable grandpuppy to my youngest son and daughter-in-law, and we had the pleasure of having him over for a weekend vacation when his Dad and Mom went away on a little trip recently.

Charlie was such a good uncle to his young nephew, Trevor.

He got a bit annoyed at times with Trevor’s puppy energy and enthusiasm, but he properly warned and then gently taught him when “enough was enough!”

It was so fun having sweet Trevor around.  He never left my side, and I was told he may have missed us as much as we missed him when he went home.  He often comes to visit, however, so we are sure lucky!

I just had to paint a little portrait of his sweet puppy face and eyes for his Dad and Mom.  I cropped and used a bit of artistic license from the photo above I took from his recent stay.

Love you Trevy!

Happy #WorldWatercolorMonth!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Orange you Glad-iolus?

/ Jodi / 59 Comments

Orange Gladiolus Original Watercolor 11×14 by Jodi McKinney

Orange you Glad-iolus?

My Dad recently texted me an image of an orange gladiolus stem in a vase a neighbor had placed on their porch.

He thought it might make a good painting subject.

So I painted it.

And this is my loose “impressionistic” version.

I hope it makes him and Mom II smile.

Hey Dad, “Orange you Glad-iolus I did?” 🙂

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Happy #WorldWatercolorMonth

 

Watercolor Painting: Bicycle with Flower Basket

/ Jodi / 49 Comments

Bicycle with Basket of Flowers in Galway Watercolor – 11×14

Watercolor Painting:  Bicycle with Flower Basket.

I have been wanting to paint a bicycle with a basket full of flowers for a while, but I hadn’t found the right inspiration.

Then I came upon “it”  (the inspiration) at a quaint little shop in Galway on our recent trip to Ireland.

I took artistic license in changing the black bike to turquoise that was on the sidewalk outside of Judy Greene’s Gift Shop on Kirwan Lane.

It brings back sweet memories of a great trip and gave me a painting I love!

Happy #WorldWatercolorMonth!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

There once was…

/ Jodi / 46 Comments

LJM One Year Old Portrait Watercolor 11×14

There once was a little girl
whose Grandma loved her so dearly

she wanted to paint her portrait
to honor her first birthday.

Though the painting didn’t nearly capture
the little girl’s character and charm and beauty,

hopefully she will
someday realize

there once was a Grandma
who wanted her to remember

how much she meant to her
and how much she was loved

that she tried to paint her portrait
and it was done with lots of love.

 

My second granddaughter recently celebrated her first  birthday.  This painting is not meant to be framed or hung, and it surely doesn’t come close to depicting her beauty. But it was painted to be tucked in a memory box as a little keepsake and token of love.  I am going to try to paint a portrait every year of each of my grandchildren for the sole purpose of tucking it away to save.  I like to think that perhaps one day when I am gone, they will occasionally look at them and cherish them as keepsakes of a Grandma that loved them with her whole heart and soul and bring back sweet memories of happy times spent together.  Love you Sweet Baby Girl!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

#WorldWatercolorMonth