#450 CHANGING BLOG LOCATION & 'Snowdrops x 2'

I have decided to move my blog to my website to encourage visitors onto it, help search engines find me and to look more professional. I think the new blog looks better than this google blogspot version - I hope you agree! All 450+ posts and comments are on there and you can still sign up to have my posts delivered to your email. 
My website is: www.clarebowen.co.uk the blog is on there. Let me know what you think.
If you go onto the www.clarebowen.blogspot address in the future it will be redirected to my website blog. 

I painted these flowers a couple of weeks ago and have been waiting for my new blog to be live....

'Snowdrops', I have been itching to paint these little beauties for a couple of weeks watching them grow and panicking that they will start to wilt before I get to them! Thankfully they are tucked under a tree so last longer than the norm. 
I scoured the internet for milk jugs - the perfect size for snowdrops and loved this little one not 'Cornishware' but looks like it.

'Just picked Snowdrops' 8x8"

I painted this one first when the heads were still quite closed. Beautiful and delicate.

#313 'Snowdrops in Ceramic Jug' 8x8" & Viewfinders

Last of the spring flowers for now especially with the snow falling outside! 
These little snowdrops were still good after the previous day painting. I didn't want to repeat the painting so changed from glass to a jug. 
I use a viewfinder for just about all my paintings still life and plein air.
Heres a pic of it:

It helps me to see what's important in my subject, to decide on format - I have a landscape viewfinder too. I also coloured the front and back with different ground colours, see the grey one below:

The colour helps me compare with the subject to my board colour e.g How does the shadow petals of the snowdrop compare to the grey board colour?  

I also check the tones by looking through the little hole and match them to the white and black. Still looking through the hole - compare the colours to different areas of the subject.

Viewfinders are easy to make I used foam board as it's light for carrying around, they are so helpful!

I asked on social media what people thought of the two snowdrops paintings - and the glass vase first one I did came out top which one do you prefer?

#312 'Snowdrops' 8x8"

Carrying on with the spring flowers theme this week. I chose a dark background to show them up. It needed to be darker than the darkest tone of the white petals as I didn't want them disappearing too much. 
The little glass vase seamed to mimic their fragility I enjoyed painting it too.

I started as I do in landscape putting the dark shapes in:

It was nice to have the subject close up unlike the landscape which is spread out, so you can really see what's there. 

I will post my last spring flowers tomorrow.

I've heard snow is coming again....how exciting! Although we are just off to Emsworth, Hampshire for a seaside painting/photo weekend, will have to come back if it does snow to paint it!!