Yesterday was my first sketch out with my art group since the before times. I traveled light with only my sketchbook and two pencils since I knew I’d be socializing, even if it was at a distance.
5.6 mm Koh-i-noor Magic pencil lead in clutch lead holder.
0.7 mm HB mechanical pencil.
Many thanks to Honey Field Farm, Norwich, Vermont for generously hosting our group.
It’s been two weeks since you saw the first images of the daily documentation of my little Paperwhite’s growth. It’s been growing gangbusters now that it has its roots firmly entwined among the glass beads.
These daily ink and watercolor sketches just prove that art can be made in the briefest of time. These rarely take more than a half hour of my time but give me immense enjoyment.
That’s a good trade off any day!
After my first very uncomfortable 5 days of the Direct Watercolor challenge (see the previous post) I started to find my balance and decided to relax and just see what I could achieve without needing to create something “finished”.
The white iris is my first attempt at negative painting.
People! Thank goodness for Anne-Laure Jacquart’s YouTube video.
Yet more people practice… this time watching Trevor Waugh’s YouTube videos.
I have a few toys to model for me when I don’t know what else to paint or when it’s late as it was this night.
More negative and positive painting practice. I love this little jar, and yes… the jar has no e in saccharine, and no… saccharine is not better for me.
Committing to daily practice was key… and understanding that it was truly “practice” allowed me to start enjoying my painting time.
I hope you’ll come back Wednesday when the adventure continues.
#30x30DirectWatercolor2018
Still finding stuff I haven’t posted… one year ago today.
Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivanti ‘Goldsturm’, most commonly known as Black-eyed Susan. Even though I pulled up two-thirds of them this spring, they’re still threatening to take over the bed between the house and the drive!
I always have a bittersweet feeling when I see them blooming since they’re really the last big hurrah in the garden… a sea of golden blooms.
Tradescantia virginiana. Isn’t that a mouthful!
They just hang out in the back border just doing they’re thing for months… only a few are still putting out blossoms, each bloom lasting only a day.
Their common name is Spiderwort. I never thought it was a lovely name but I guess it’s apropos……
Who’s there?
We’re in that betwixt and between season… only the daylilies are blooming here.
Hemerocallis ‘Catherine Woodbury’.
Originally I planned to use only peach and pink daylilies but as the years pass I see other colors sneaking in. If you look closely at the upper right you can see a yellow bloom… hmmmm… who are you?
It’s time for Photo Friday… ooops! I mean Saturday! Here’s part of what’s blooming in my garden today.
This is Hemerocallis Rosy Returns… a lovey reblooming daylily that lives just outside my front stoop. Fragrant too!
I am a victim of poor record-keeping, self-inflicted of course… I think this is Hemerocallis Heidi Eidelweiss. She’s a tall girl and looks fabulous against my dark brown house!
I should have pulled this volunteer parsley plant when it first appeared but I have a weakness for their Queen Anne’s Lace-like blooms… shown here arching over the Hakonechloa.
So… I’m sorry I’m late but I was out and about yesterday, sketching and painting with two delightful artists… now friends… I met through Sketchbook Skool! More on that later!
Have a great weekend!
I came to watercolors 3 years ago when I took an online class with the fabulous Jane LaFazio. Her work is fresh and fun and she’s a marvelous teacher, generous with her time, knowledge and especially her gentle encouragement. I’m still a frequent visitor to her website and blog.
As I looked through her class offerings I saw her sketch of a Matilija Poppy blossom. Jane had captured this beauty with a minimalist line and a few splashes of watercolor… I was inspired! My garden has been calling to me… “paint me, paint me.” But where to start? I snipped and floated one of my favorite peony blooms to be my first model!
You can see I copied… yes, copied! … Jane’s sketch of her poppy. I knew that as I drew the lines she drew I would absorb the loose feeling she captured before trying to replicate that feeling in my peony. (Don’t fret, I gave her credit on my page.)
I’ve been experimenting with various pens but for this I returned to my tried and true favorites… my TWSBI fountain pen filled with Platinum Carbon Black ink. To get the cool, icy pink of the petals I used multiple dilute glazes of Quinacridone Rose and deepened the shadows with Indanthrone Blue.
Since the forecasted wind and rain would doom the last of my poppies, this was my only chance. They’re so ephemeral. I stood in the driveway painting as the rain started to fall. Whew! Finished just in time!
They’re gone now, petals scattered on the ground, just a bunch of seedpods ripening for next year.
Saturday, April 19th was the date of World Wide SketchCrawl #43! Coincidentally, I went to an artist demonstration at Long River Studios, a gallery in Lyme, NH that specializes in works by local artists. Hmmmm… two birds, one stone?
Stephanie Reininger, a watercolorist, demonstrated her loose and expressive style for a group of avid admirers. I did a quick gesture sketch to document my day and then settled in to absorb her fluid watercolor technique and try to grasp as much technical information as possible.
Thank you David and Lisa Chelone for bringing this unique experience to your gallery! We all were blown away by your open and welcoming friendship, and of course, the awesome blueberry buckle!
And special thanks to Stephanie Reininger! You’ve inspired me to work larger and outside my beloved sketchbook!
One last thank you… to Michelle Goldsmith, who spied the advertisement and gave me a quick email! You’re the best!
Dana Burrell... Art 