Red Checkerboard - redone

I wasn't happy with the results of the first attempt of the red/heart checkerboard ... here's the updated version:

YOR Swirl

I thought I was going to start a Mandala next, but I think I need to do just one more checkerboard. I'm waiting on da mahn to cover the hearts canvas. I'm planning on revisiting that same hearts background and either using circles (like this one) or hearts in the checkerboard ... the main difference is that the checkerboard will cover the entire painting rather than be quartered.

In Progress - 12"x12" - YOR Swirl

Here's the background for the final checkerboard painting. I forgot to snap a shot of the last one after I layed the spiderweb (as my daughter calls the checkerboard outline) down, but will try to remember this time.

Blue Green Purple - 12"x12" on Canvas

It's not as refined as I would have liked (the cover-up wasn't as smooth as it should have been), but I think I'm ok with the results. I have one more checkerboard that I'd like to do and then I have an itch to do another mandala ...

In Progress - 12"x12" - Blue Green Purple

Here's a background that I started the night before last:

The original version was very similar, but when I put the lines down for the checkerboard I had an epiphany and had to cover up the original last night. I used Liquatex acrylic paints in Emerald Green, Cobalt Blue and Titanium White, plus M. Graham and Co. in Dioxazine Purple. I'll lay down the checkerboard outline in Sharpie at some point today and will take a snap prior to filling in the squares. I wasn't very happy with the way the hearts version turned out, (uber-spouse will be "erasing" that canvas for me to use again) so I am hopeful that I have a better result with this one ... guess we'll see.

On a side note ... our anti virus program expired and we won't be able to renew it till next week. I won't be able to visit anyone's blogs till we get it updated, but I'm looking forward to visiting again soon.

Hearts - 12"x12" on canvas

I'm calling this one done. I can't say that I am thrilled with the results. Doing the checkerboard freehand was a lot more difficult than I had anticipated ... there's an obvious area where the design got off and I wasn't able to correct it. Ah well. Good for practice, I suppose. I do plan on doing another one similar to this. I'll definitely use a finer brush to lay out the grid lines ... I think I'll try a crazy more colorful background ... maybe I'll even take a shot at it tonight. :) ... or maybe I'll entertain myself by doing that list-o-things ...

In Progress - Hearts - 12"X12" Acrylic on Canvas

I started another painting last night. I completed the background and feel pretty good about it:

I have been trying my hand at playing with color a little more (I have a tendency to stick to black and whites, but the spouse has been working on me - for a long time - to get a little experimental. I'm still afraid of color, but am really trying to give myself a break.) :) I wanted to do a background using Cadmium Red and Titanium White - red, white, shades of pink ... my mind naturally went to hearts. Next I'll be adding a morphy checkerboard (in Mars Black, of course - hey, I can't stray too far all at once!). I'm nearly certain the checkerboard will obliterate the hearts, but if it works out the way I imagine, the effect should be a pretty cool ... I guess we'll have to wait and see.