My 12-year old daughter equipped herself with small canvasses and set out to paint Christmas presents for the family. These were mostly variations on mountains, pine trees and rivers, with one picture of am imagined solar system for her next brother up. However, her second biggest brother commissioned a larger painting which was to include trees, a river, a bear and a greyhound.
She worked on a background full of tree shapes in greens and muted violets and greys. She painted and repainted a large area of brown in the fore and mid-ground and then got stuck. I tried helping but was stuck myself: I don’t paint in acrylics like this myself so needed to experiment before I could show her. Eventually I was sub-contracted to finish the painting while she went out shopping with her friend. I used opaque paint to darken her trees. With hindsight, I wish I had photographed her version first, and then used transparent glazes to have kept her original trees more visible.
Sorry, the greyhound is too much I think for this composition!
kestrelart 
I love this especially the water on the stones but a greyhound is always a happy addition:)
Has Jon seen it? If not maybe not show him till he’s seen original
Well, I really like it. It makes me think of a place I went hiking with the Girl Scouts about one million years ago (we did not see a bear, though). Don’t know why, but as I looked at it, that memory came up.
Cool
I’m glad it has that quality
Looks like you should be giving acrylics a go more often.
Mmm, maybe, but not pictures like this I think (a mishmash of copied stock photos). Still, I relearned a number of tricks on the way.
I’m looking at the individual renderings – the rocks and reflecting water – suits what you are drawn to when you are out and about
Wonderful textures – yes I’d have loved to have seen the pre-version. Next time….
Very good. Maybe the greyhound went running when it saw the bear.
Great that your daughter trusts you to work on her painting. Lovely work.
I’m not sure about trust. She’s 12 so quickly tired of something she could not work out how to do. Completing it for her solved a problem but was not good teaching. I’d have done better to start my own picture and paint it alongside her. Live and learn.
Love it!! 👍🏼