Artist: Brittany Bellows
Location: Orem, UT
Website: BrittanyBellows.Etsy.com
Title: “Counting Sheep”
Dimensions: 8×10
Medium: Watercolor
Support: Kilimanjaro 140# Cold Press
Comments From the Artist: This is a painting that really clicked for me. I did it from start to finish in about 2 hours, which is way under the time it usually takes me to complete a painting. Everything went exactly right while painting this, which is also something that almost never happens. Its paintings like this that helps to encourage me for future paintings, even when many of them don’t turn out quite the way I would want.
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Ingrid on Sun, 12th Oct 2008 5:12 pm
Hi Brittany,
This is a delightful painting and really put a smile on my face! Your handling of the misty background is excellent and it helps to create a mood.
To complete this feeling of mist I would have some of the edges to the shapes of the sheep lost as you did in the background. Even though you have painted them quite well, by changing some of them to be softer and lighter in value, especially those on each side of the group, you will have added interest to the group. This also would tie them to the rest of the painting. As it is now they are all quite prominent and the same in importance. Lost edges, especially where the legs meet the wooly areas on the sheep, would give a added interest and depth to the sheep.
I LOVE the overall feeling of your painting. GOOD JOB!
Keep practicing and painting! Thanks for sharing with us!
Ingrid
Valerie Sasaki on Sun, 12th Oct 2008 5:23 pm
I think its great. Like Ingrid, it put a smile on my face. Great work!
Soroya on Sun, 12th Oct 2008 6:04 pm
I also love the overall feel of your painting I especially the strong contrast if the black faced sheep
Jayne Cummins on Sun, 12th Oct 2008 6:48 pm
Hi Brittany
My daughter married a sheep farmer and I’ve seen this scene so many times in real life and you have absolutely captured the character of the sheep – you’ve kept it lovely and simple but with such appeal. Keep painting!
Jayne
finola on Sun, 12th Oct 2008 7:23 pm
well I thought the sheep had just emerged from the mist – maybe back from a night helping us mere mortals sleep! I feel transfixed by the one who’s looking at me – I do understand your happiness with this piece – I like its lively gesture
June Smith on Sun, 12th Oct 2008 7:46 pm
oh this painting is so sweet
thanks for sharing
June
Susan on Sun, 12th Oct 2008 9:11 pm
Superior
Julie Blight on Sun, 12th Oct 2008 9:41 pm
Hi Brittany
I love your painting and yes it does bring a smile to my face as it brings back childhood memories.
I do agree with Ingrid, a few lost edges and some softer lighter values would give added interest.
Great work, thank you for showing.
John on Sun, 12th Oct 2008 10:02 pm
Pretty cool.
Bernie Rosage Jr. on Mon, 13th Oct 2008 12:58 am
Nice painting…. reminds me of a scene I saw while touring the Ring of Kerry in Ireland on a damp misty day.
Shyam Wadwankar on Mon, 13th Oct 2008 3:38 am
Hi Brittany,
The composition is very nice.
Though Ingrid has appreciated the clouds I would suggest creating the clouds using wet-in-wet technique instead of dabbing.
I do not know if you have used masking fluid to save white.
If you have used; there is no need. Watercolors are that way obedient, they do not flow where there is no water.
Again, I loved the composition, but I would have place odd number of objects (Sheep).
Thanks for sharing. Keep it up.
Shyam
Ingrid on Mon, 13th Oct 2008 2:53 pm
Hi Britanny,
Shyam is correct. An odd number of sheep would be a better composition. Maybe even have a few off in the distance that we could barely see, coming out of the mist! A composition is usually stronger if odd numbered objects are used.
Sometimes we have to adjust nature to create a better painting!
Ingrid
Lynn Marlowe on Mon, 13th Oct 2008 10:00 pm
I do like this. Did you paint from memory, picture or on site? Just wondering.
carolyn Bishop on Tue, 14th Oct 2008 7:58 pm
You really put a smile on my face! Wow!
Juma on Mon, 20th Oct 2008 12:51 am
I love your painting Brittany. Superb !! Keep on painting and painting as much as possible being an important part of artistic life.
Brittany Bellows on Mon, 20th Oct 2008 4:50 pm
Thanks for all the comments. To answer a few questions:
I painted from a photo. In the photo there were actually 15 sheep but it had a crowded feel to it so I selected the sheep I liked the looks of. Didn’t even pay attention to how many I selected just picked the ones I liked the best.
To get the mist feel I put the paint down and then used a spray bottle to allow the paint to bleed. I liked the effect this did as it left some of the darker marks while spreading the rest of the paint around in neat ways. I did this on the grass as well so that it would match the background somewhat.
I did not use any masking fluid to save the white. I used yellow and gray to shade the sheep to varying degrees and was careful to keep the paint very light in spots to keep the white appearance
Thanks again everyone for looking at my artwork.
Alana Cullen on Tue, 28th Oct 2008 12:12 pm
Counting Sheep is the first watercolor I printed for my inspiration wall. I have never painted an animal and yet my passion is walking rescued greyhounds two to three hours a day, five days a week. Your painting gives me the same feeling- warm & fuzzy! Thanks for inspiring me. Chris