Nice to finally get this finished.

So lovely! The textures are incredible, especially in the leaves. What kind of flower bud is it? The leaves look like a rose?

Thanks Grace. I do believe it is a rose. I am the worst for finding a reference picture and not remembering where I found it, and the names of flowers. All I know is I like the picture and I go with it. LOL I wanted to add lots more drops but my drops need lots of work. Glad you like this one.

Getting warmed up with flowers.

It's lovely, Kute. So nice to see something from you again. More! More! please.

Nice work KD. There's something about a yellow flower - my favorite!

Thanks again you two! Hopefully I will get out of the flower mood I am in soon and draw a real serious draw. So glad you both like this.

Hi, Kute! Pretty background, and lovely focus on the flower. Very nice light on the leaves, too. Is it a real one, or from your imagination? good to see you, btw! :)

Hey Suntan! Long time no see! I think the last time I seen you was at Muzy. That's a funny little website, for some reason I really can't get into it. Actually I had a reference picture for this that I got off google images but lost it before I finished. Glad you like it. Thanks for your comment too!

…

Jp, you are kicking out the drawings. This looks like a photograph it is so good. I love the snowball with all the pieces all over his hands, it looks so darn real. The fur is amazing also with that face, but I love the snowball. Very stunning drawing, love this.

Amazing.

I thought it was a photo .... wonderful face.

"Wow"!! This is awesome!! The little monkey looks so alive!!! The snowball looks so real!! Great draw!! :)

jpjp, such a realistic draw. Beautifully done.

i do love this one. he looks like an old soul that has much wisdom. He seems to be contemplating what to do wiht that snowball...lets hope he chooses well!

Amazing, haha I love his soft coat and cold looking snowball, what a fantastic picture.

awww, I look at the ears - I love this more each time I see it, the fur, the composition, and most of all that FACE!

Aww what a cute little guy! He looks like he is waiting for the right second to pop someone upside the head with that huge snowball. Really cute!

This is a portrait I did of my best friend. I've always loved this picture of her, she's got such a vulnerable look in her eyes but at the same time she looks like she could kill someone =P Oh I just noticed some adjustments I need to make.. oh I'll fix them later. Edit: Ok done. wait... no lol jk. DONE.

Lovely portrait, that jacket looks so real too -

This is really very good. You have captured a personality very well and I don't think you needed to tell us what she was like, we can see it. So much detail in this. The eyes are perfect, the hair and fur, even down to the zipper, great work.
Two questions;
What do you feel you need to change?
Do you not think this worthy of studio three?
I cannot answer either as I am not an accomplished artist like many here and I also do not know just how good something has to be for studio three.

This is an awesome draw....everything about it is perfect, I love her hair, the jacket, her face.....I just love it!

This is an incrediable portrait. You are a very talanted person. I echo everyones comments before me.

I think this is your best work ever!! Remember when you said you couldn't do people? Well, now..look what happened!

Everything gorgeous, subject, work, textures, palette! This is a fabulous piece of work. Bravo.

It's gorgeous. Love all the earth tones together. She has a wonderful face!

OMG...this is amazing! The emotion, the colours, the blending and the shading and that look! She looks so unhappy. Is there a story behind this?

Wonderful job! The fur on her coat is done so well, and the shine on the zipper is great. Her hair is very realistic, and well the whole portrait is really really good!

Wow! this is your finest work! incredible, the best I have seen in a long time, just beautiful. Take a bow, young lady, this is superb! I love everything about it. This could easily have been a commissioned oil painting, for which you would have been well compensated! I know you are proud, and your girlfriend should be honored! amazing work!

That is so beautiful, I love the look in her eyes and the color of her lips, so perfect.

I love the eyes, the shape and the way they are looking to the corner. They really have an attitude to them. Love the way you did her hair and the jacket fur. Great zipper too! Looks like a jacket my daughter has, won't mention the teenager brand. The golden browns are wonderful, wow.

So very beautiful and extremely well done! I agree with all the comments before mine. I would have been very proud to call this my own work. Excellent!

This is "AWESOME"!!! She looks like somebody that I know. It's that cute little "elf" nose....."LOL"!!

Simply amazing, so realistic your friend is going to love having this wonderful picture of herself .

O.O Wow... I am humbled by all of your comments. I think this is a whole new level of happy! George, in answer to your questions; There are just a few irregularities here and there that I know will haunt my in my sleep if I don't change them, and also there are some minor adjustments needed so the likeness is better. As for not being in Studio 3... I wasn't anticipating to put so much effort into this ;) Thankyou everyone, your comments are so uplifiting! =D

Love what you did here! The lady and the draw are both beautiful!

Pfffffffffffft irregularities. Ok, I do understand that you have to be happy with it but it sure as heck looks good to the rest of us.

Excellent work on her face, feelings and coat and hair wow :) i wana draw hair like that !

This is most impressive....excellent work here!

Excellent work!!!

OOo Jo, how beautiful your friend is, does she like this as we all do? Beautiful pallet yet you kept it 'real' too. The hair texture along the smooth soft skin with such vibrant alive colours, and those wonderfully formed lips really give this some serious ZING..Lovely work!! :D

To Elly, I saw a picture of Axil's over on 2draw this am. It was phenominal with just blocks of color to create the shapes. That is what I wanted to do here but as you can see...I kept working it so it looked very close to the photo....arggg. I am simply a great copier but not a creator of great art.....:(

qt, if you were copying this from a photo, then BRAVO because you achieved a beautiful "painting"! A work of art! I get so bogged down by detail after detail but you, here you've expressed the over all image with a painterly style! That, my dear, is a great artist! I don't know many artists that don't use some sort of reference to look at when creating their own unique pieces in their own style. That's what you did here! So, I can surely say that you are a ''creator of great art''! Wonderful work here! You should be proud =)

This is beautiful.
I love all the colours and textures of these things.
I love this time of year.

Excellent draw. Your style is great for this pic.

I knew this had to be yours! Very pretty!!!

By the thumbnail I knew this was yours, beautiful fall image here. What I really like is how you toned down your lines so that everything blends so nicely, almost like a water color. Just beautiful!

"Wow"!! This is absolutely beautiful.....perfect picture for "Fall". Love it!! :)

Where do I start? There is so much beauty here to comment on. So lovely, your style really shows here. Very classy and extremely well done.

Mmmmm, yummy this drawing is. So many different textures of objects here. All these fall items and colors makes this so beautiful. It makes me think more of Thanksgiving day for some reason. It really gives off that season of Fall nicely. Very lovely this is.

Love how you drew the pinecones, especially ... looking at this pic I can almost feel the cool, crisp air and smell leaves burning ... nice and refreshing!

Fall is perhaps the most beautiful of all the seasons QT and you have captured this one spectacularly! Amazing work!

gorgeous

…

ahhhh gillie how adorable. Do you know this couple?

This is great, it looks so much like a photograph. They sure look comfortable. Lovely QT!

They look so comfy. Great draw.

No, they are not known to me. I can't even remember where I got the pic from. Just looked fun to do.

"WOW"!! This picture is just so beautiful.....I love everything about it!! Life without "dogs" would be so boring....they are truly "man's best friend". This is a fantastic painting "qtgillie"!! :)

This is just darling. There's nothing like cuddling with our best friend. I love the light, the way it is coming through on to the floor and top of couch. This is such a wonderful drawing, love this one of yours.

:D - I love it! Home from school sick, maybe, watching tv from the couch...

Home sweet home and just the way it should be QT. This reminds us of our younger years and when life was simpler. I especially love the way the lights illuminate the whole scene. Fantastic job!

They love each other! Gillie, this is perfect ... how the doggie is happily melted into the blankie-covered sofa, and his BFF nestled against him ... wonderful tilt of the head and the chin cupped just so; and the arm, with the crooked wrist, nestled in the covers ... perfection!

What a lovely picture. The skin tones and the way the light hits the upper arm is are just great. They both look like they wouldn't move all day.

Awww this is what my daughter always does with her doggie, they are the best of friends. I love how snuggled and warm they look laying there, very sweet picture.

Love the burnt sienna and cobalt together. Wonderful position of head in hand and sense of girlhood dreaming. Such a sweet, cozy scene.

Awesome....just awesome.

great work here Laura! one of your best, you are learning the subtle paint techniques of a wash, and this is stunning work.

Fantastic..I love the magic of this moment. The light also softens the image...perfectly drawn.

Awwwww how precious! Both of them look so content, this is wonderful!

A rusty old plane. I think there is use still in it, though.

Awww I have my grandfathers old planers from when he used to do a lot of woodworking, this looks just like one of them. You captured the detail so well, awesome drawing...who'd a thunk something so old and normal could bring back such memories.

We still have my grandfather's also. This is amazing swms. The technique is amazing. The perspective is right on.

Beautiful, isn't it wonderful how a simple object as this plane has such artistic value, not to mention how it brings to light memories of a time past, into a place that we may never see again, The plane..a craftsman's tool that in today's world has found itself in antique shops displaying itself as a memory of a time fogotten, when, building was truly an art, because the master craftsman did things by hand, carving away with tools with out power, what a loss, gone are the days of exquisite woodworking except for a precious few...my grandfather was a carpenter, this was a tool of his trade, he created beautiful works of art with his tools. This is a beautiful work too, well done.

Such beautiful work. I love how you have taken an everyday object and made it into such a piece of art. That, it was your grandfathers, puts the icing on the cake. It brings to mind, images of my own. Mine wasn't a carpenter, but a logger. My mother has shared with me, stories of her going with him to the woods for cutting. She riding the horse, Grandpa Dillon leading. Our grandson Dillon carries his name. Such special people are grandparents. Thanks for the memory awakenings. I cherish memories of all four of my grandparents. All beautiful people as is your draw.

Ah! I adore this brill draw. I work with a lot of these old, beautifully crafted tools, made in a way that nothing is today, and often wish I had what it takes to translate them onto paper or the web as the works they are - here, I can almost feel the smooth heft of this plane and how satisfying it would be to work with it.

My dad had these kinds of beautiful tools for working wood by hand. What a great drawing this is. May I suggest using the copy tool to move your image up a little bit on the canvas?

This is a great drawing. I like the way you have aged it. Very nice. I recently bought a very large, old, carpenter's tool box that weighs a ton empty. I can't imagine the men who used it, filled with tools like this. If it could only talk, right? :)

Very nice draw. Great use of the textures.

This is really awesome! I've seen these type of old planes before....my Dad had one in his old tool chest. But...I've never seen one that is quite as old as this one that you drew here. This is really a beautiful work of art!! Great draw!! :)

Amazingly done. I especially love the subject and its simplicity (my kind of style). Excellent work!

I swear I just heard Fuzzy grunt cos she saw a tool. That girl and her tools, I tell ya.
This is fantastic. I love everything about it. I have some old tools too, saws and a couple of planes. You just don't get a craftsmans tool these days, all that electric stuff. No charm, little skill to use it.

Beautiful, graceful, wonderfully textured :)

This has so much character to it. Love the metal, silver and rust effect all over it. There's so much interest to this....love that about it.

So nostalgic and wonderful. Nice details and incredible work here!

OH a museum tool :D nah ! i have some here too ;)
Very good observation and very nice textures ! :)

GOLDEN GINKGO AWARD for the week ending November 8, 2008. Congratulations! Oh, Oh, did qt have too much wine to do tis one properly? Be honest now. Oh my, I was so surprised to come home and see this today. I totally appreciate this Sunny but was not at all expecting it. I was quite looped when I did this one. Also...was criticesed for some of my draws over at 2draw for not looking finished. I argued that not all art needs to be photo perfect, but did not get anywhere with the argument. Thank you so very much, it is quite an honor!!

Love it! Very impressionistic and the colors are wow! I also think the lighting is great. Pour some more Pinot and do another!! =D

Hey Sunny, usually Merlot or Shiraz here.....LOL ON second bottle already between hubby and I. Had a little dificulty ascending the stairs already. Pretty sure there will be some left fo the second bottle for tomorrow eve. Been busy lately and have not been home on a Fri night to mess around like this. Thanks, Sun.

Ahhh, pas de deux Merlot! Sounds good to me. Enjoy it, gillie. Nite! :D

This is beautiful.....I love the way you painted this, and I love the colors! This is really awesome!! I wish I could paint like this!! :)

Thanks a bunch Sparky and Sunny.

*whispers* Pssst... Laura. I had two small glasses to. I find it loosens up my mind just enough to draw and feel comfortable about it.
I love the impressionistic softness to this. The light, the feel you give us of the fabric, all just beautiful.
I know the feeling of busy. I'm manic at the moment. Weekends don't seem to be too bad at the moment.
Cheers. Keep enjoying the wine.

I really love the colours you have used. This is a wonderful draw looks so free and naturel , I bet you enjoyed doing this one. A fantastic result :)

Beautiful colours and light gillie. You were a little "lit"
yourself it seems. Hope the head is okay this morning.:D

A little more won't hurt you - this is great!:)

Dang! Drink more often, Gillie ... this is FANTASTIC!!!

Shes very pretty QT! Lovely pastel colors and great lighting in this. Another one of your beautiful ballerinas, if I had a ballerina room this would be on my wall. Drink some more wine, and create more materpieces! You'd be a regular wino if it were up to me. LOL Sorry, bad joke.

Kute...not bad, made me chuckle...tee hee Everyone else, thanks so much for your kind comments.

So beautiful QT. Your ballerina series have been most amazing and my girls just love them all! Excellent work.

(Edited on November 9, 2008, 8:14 am)

So luminous! Such lively strokes. This is wonderful. I think you've unlocked a braver artist within. I love seeing this deft use of colour, light and shadow from you, Gillie. More! More! Just don't draw and drive, okay...lol!

LOL Grace, Oh never...heaven forbid I would EVER do that!!

Very lovely, impressionistic as people have said, and wonderful use of color... I love that spot of orange on the dress especially! Very nice.

Oh my, this is soooooooo beautiful. I really like the way you've done this, the techinque of it, the lighting and colors....wow! This style is gorgeous for this.

I just love this one, it is so beautiful. Congrats on the Ginkgo award, well deserved. I'd have this hangin on a wall....no doubt, it is that beautiful. Ok, I'd buy it if I saw it...let's just put it that way. Gorgeous, I love the style on it and the coloring. Beautiful work! Love it!

Now don't take this as meaning that drinking and drawing is going to get you a GGA every time. Hehe.
Well done Gille. There is alot to like about this picture. You did it in a lovely loose style with bold and broad strokes through alot of it. It works well. Good show.

Congratulations QT on this week's GGA for such a wonderful picture! Well done.

Congrats fair gillie. Well done!

'Grats, Gillie!

Congratulations "gillie"!! Your picture is really beautiful, and very deserving of the "GGA" award!! :)

Oh, I'm glad this won, Gillie ... I love it! Let's have a drinking-and-drawing challenge! w00t!;D

hehehe miss tortured soul artiste` who is lit with spirits and manages to do a wonderful painting..lol tip back another and celebrate! lol, j.k. of course. It is always fun to have a glass of vino or two when doing a fine painting, I have been known to indulge myself occasionally too, wink, wink, nudge nudge, wtg Laura, beautiful pastels in this just lovely. congrats on your GGA!

OK QT, this is how it all starts...a glass or two of wine to get your draw flowing, then just a couple more to celebrate the win of a fabulous drawing, then we wake up in the morning with a headache and have to have a couple more for that then is is Intervention time! Oh, sorry that was a show I was watching last night. LOL That was a bad joke...but I just had to. A big CONGRATULATIONS on this beautiful ballerina!

Congratulations! This is a beautiful ballerina!

This is tooo beautiful! Exvellent work QT! and congratulations!

Oh boy! I just read your comments about 'THE DARK SIDE'. I am glad that people here do not have their heads stuck that far up their own butts that they cannot appreciate ALL forms of art. I feel my blood boiling at their narrow-mindedness.
You should't be surprised at getting the GGA. In fact I mentioned to Fuzzy that I thought this would get it. Hehe.

Congratulations, Laura - haven't been around the last few days and precious little time available now but you know I love you - and this!

I have been wanting to do this forever and I finally had the chance to give it a try. Thank you Guy for posting such wonderful pictures.

Blimey Crikey O'Reilly! That's flippin' amazing Kute. It looks better than my photo and I'm not kidding. Your reflection in the water, trees, buildings, everything looks great. I hope you're happy with it. What a great honour again to have one of my photo's drawn. Thank you.

I'm so glad you like it Guy. I have never been really good at landscapes but your photo just inspired me so much I really had to try it. Yes...I actually think it turned out much better than I expected it would. Thank you so much!!!

Kutie, You aced this It is beautiful. I was wondering last night when You would draw this. It is just lovely .BRAVO!

Lovely, particularly the water. The building looks interesting, like one of those sprawling old houses with a million rooms.

"Wow"!! I love this!! It's really very beautiful!! :)

This is so well drawn Kute. Good to see something from you. I love everything here. Guy is the bomb photographer!!

Really beautiful Kute. This is an exceptional landscape.

Dohhh! Behave will you Gillie. Bomb photographer indeed. Kute did an amazing job.
For information, this is the gatehouse to an old Victorian water pump station. The architecture inside would rival most churches. It is unused but fully restored and has 'steam days' when they stoke up the coal fires and crank up the most huge and impressive steam powered beam engines. It used to supply water to Nottingham until electric pumps took over.
Tell you what, I will visit monday if its open and take hundreds of photo's.

Oh my! What a great reception for this, it makes me wish I would have done it ages ago when I first seen it. I really did have to work up my courage to do it though. Then I cropped it slightly just so there wouldn't be more landscape to tackle I hope you don't mind Guy. Thanks everyone for your very lovely and thoughtful comments. I can't wait to see the inside of this place, if I lived closer I would go with you Guy so I would get a really good look for myself.

Wow, well done Kute, I loved this photo of his and now to see it in paint its just as beautiful.

Just in case I don't get.
http://www.papplewickpumpingstation.co.uk/
Go to the bottom photo on this pagehttp://www.papplewickpumpingstation.co.uk/site_photos.htm and it shows better the house that you drew, on the left of pic. The big building over the cooling pond has gone and that is now the pond that you drew. It is a nature reserve, teeming with wildlife. Yet another photographic project for myself and a possible summertime visitor *winks at Fuzzy*

Well we are forecast snow this weekend and just a half inch will bring our nation to it's knees! Haha.
Its ok, I pass by this place every day on my way to work.

Susie, this is absolutely stunning. As always, your sense of colour is perfect; I love the way you've mirrored the browns of the foreground reeds with the tones for the architectural elements. The texture and reflection in the water is lovely...I can almost see the current moving. Wonderful work.

Outstanding and you have done such a nice job. I really love the water here, wow. You've really captured his photo here so nicely....beautiful work. And for not doing landscaping drawings, this I'd say proved you wrong about that.

Wow. Very nice. Great colors. You have captured the peaceful setting.

Hey Kute, this is really pretty! I love how you did the water and the reflections, nice job! I would love to go in that big old building, I'll bet it's really something.

Oh my! Wonderfully done, KD!

I really have to thank all of you again. It was a stretch for me to do this. I am glad I did and now want to do another one, mainly because of the support of you all here at Ginkgo. It never ceases to amaze me the friendliness of this site and the people that belong to it. Thanks each and every one of you.

I posted this so the program wouldn't delete it after 60 days. Just in case you wanted to work on it again.

~grace

Thank you Grace. I spent way too much time on such a simple draw that I did not want to publish. A bit of a perfectionist, I guess. I would love to be able to draw quickly and more impressionistic, as well.