Ellis's Animals

Somebody new will be joining our family in a few weeks!  She'll need something to go on her walls, of course!

We love her already!

Original Acrylic Triptych on 16"x20, 16"x20, 16"x20
[GIFT]

Mask Mandate

Whether you're the thief or his lookout, you're probably wearing a mask!
At least if you're a raccoon...

A few years ago my friends and I spent a weekend painting at Welcome Home Retreat in Weatherford, Texas.  We came out of our painting room and into the courtyard for a late night dip in the hot tub to discover these babies who thought they were sneaky enough to help themselves to the bird food. 

Here at home I am less delighted with our raccoons.  As long as they go about their raccoon business at night and keep to the woods, I'm happy to have them as neighbors.  When they are unkind (translate to break in the coop and kill) to my chickens, we generally need to have a daytime discussion.  That meeting ends with a long car ride and a new home for the bad guy.

It's one thing to have a talk while he's in the cage.  It's another when I'm face to face with him on the porch.  You'll have to read about that one here as we didn't stop for a photo op in the middle of the night.

Raccoon Story Part 1

Raccoon Story Part 2

I've always known I wanted to paint these little raccoons one day.  Sara's Inspiration Image for March's Inspiration Collaboration was a furry brown dog on a black background.   It was a reminder that these raccoons were still waiting their turn to be put on canvas.

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10 Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Animals in Silhouette at Sunset (Kid Project)

If you ever need a great painting project to do with kids, here's a good one.
Last week I did it with 23 5th & 6th graders during our church's Bible school week.  They came to me for 30 minutes for 4 days.  The final products... Well, see for yourself...

Every single one of them was a work of art to be proud of.

Before I put all the supplies away, I had my two sweet great nieces over so that they could each make one.  They're going to be in kindergarten and second grade.  How do you suppose theirs turned out?  Beautiful, of course.

Here are the steps if you're doing it all in one sitting:

• With a 50 cent chip brush, paint the yellow strip then blend the orange on either side of that then blend the red on either side of that. 
• Use a dry brush.
• All strokes horizontal.
• Don't wash the brush in between colors.
• Turn the canvas upside down if it's hard to reach the top.
• Don't forget the sides.
• 

• With the same brush wiped clean (or a new brush if you want), use black to paint the grass.
• Use a dry brush.
• All strokes punched upward or dabbed.
• Go into the red.
• Turn the canvas upside down if the lip of the easel gets in the way, then dab down instead of up.
• Don't forget the sides.
• Use a blow drier to make sure it's dry. (Then go outside and check the chicken coop for eggs, pick tomatoes and cucumbers out of the garden, and give it just a little more time.)

• Mix some white and yellow to paint the sun in the yellow strip.
• A sponge brush is great. (A chip brush will work fine, or a piece of sponge will work fine... just messier.)
• Tape a circle stencil into the yellow strip.
• Just a circle cut out of a piece of cardboard or paper
• Masking tape, painter's tape, clear tape... whatever you have
• Press, press, press the paint on to the area. 
• Do not bounce it on the canvas. 
• Do not stroke it on the canvas. 
• Use plenty of paint.
• Remove the stencil 
• Dry again if your next stencil will touch the wet part.

• With a clean, dry sponge brush (or brush or sponge), paint the animal.
• It's easier if you take the easel away and do this step flat on the table.
• Tape the stencil as above.
• Use a Cricut if you have one to cut the stencils.  If not... good old fashioned scissors will work.
• Take off the stencil and say, "Wow!"

I did it a little differently when I did it with a large group and over four sessions.  

• Day 1
• Yellow and Red
• Day 2
• Orange and Black Grass
• Day 3
• Yellow-White Sun
• Day 4
• Black Animal

Original Acrylic Paintings on 16"x 20" Wrapped Canvas.

Giraffe - For Sale on Etsy - Click Here

Wolf - For Sale on Etsy - Click Here

Moose - For Sale on Etsy - Click Here

Elephant [SOLD]