Yes, now I am bringing out the puns.
Day 132 (Fri 5/12) Chicken Scratch… or Something To Crow About
Month: May 2017
Day 131 (thurs 5/11) peacock watercolors
All I did was color in my peacock! I started off with watercolor pencils, activated them, and wasn’t satisfied, so then switched to paints. I have a new palette I got for $10 on Amazon which I had previously only seen for much more. I put all my Daniel smith and m graham and Qor colors in, labeled and swatched them, and went to town (so to speak) I’m having trouble with my wordpress account… it won’t let me edit or post from my computer, only my phone! (Anyone else had this problem and figured out a solution????!) so I HOPE I’m providing a link to the palette here, but not really certain. To be honest, I almost didn’t order it because I like my metal palettes so much… but I really REALLY like it!!! And it was less than half the cost I’d ALMOST purchased it at previously. (There’s blue also for ten cents less if you can’t stand pink. I like the pink 🙂 The lid shuts and makes it airtight, and the inside cover has a clear insert, so you can either have three very generous mixing areas, or two, and keep your paint swatch paper beneath it like I’m doing. I don’t like my other plastic palettes because the paint beads up while I try to mix but this surface has been created in such a way that it doesn’t do that!!! It really works very well. If the link didn’t work properly, I will do another post just about the palette.
Mijello fuschia 18 well airtight paint palette
The gold paint I used is from that Gansai Tambi set.. very opaque and very shimmery.
Day 130 (Wed 5/10) pen & ink peacock
This is the type of thing I’ve worked on most frequently the past several years. Kind of zentangle-ish… relaxing. Â I plan to try more of these to put in my Etsy store.
I don’t usually add color, unless I’ve drawn it onto a book page, then I generally add some vague color around the edges, but I might give this one a little watercolor later today. I used the Stillman & Birns mixed media book and Staedtler waterproof pens, pictured. (And the Copic for the border, but then changed my mind.)
Day 129 (Tues 5/9) rainy sketch
We attended a cold, rainy graduation ceremony in the mountains this weekend, so while in the car on the way home I quickly sketched what I could of the scene. The sea of umbrellas was interesting although my vantage point wasn’t perfect. Human figures are definitely a weakness of mine so I’ve decided to work on them when I find simple opportunities. Â Unfinished, but there it is.
Day 128 (mon 5/8) Feline lines.
Not exactly highbrow art, but we were crammed in a tiny hotel room with a 115 pound puppy who won’t sleep with the lights on, so I was doodling in relative darkness. And then in the bathroom when I really needed light. 🙂
Day 127 (Sun 5/7): goldfish friend for the Betta
Using the same techniques I learned and followed yesterday, I tried a goldfish. I like him. (Her? Her. I like her) I think I’m missing a fin in there, but I can add that later. A good friend sharing a page with yesterday’s betta.
Day 126 Sat 5/6 watercolor betta fish
Day 125 (Fri 5/5) One stroke painting. Sort of. But… not really.
One stroke painting is when you use one stroke for the shadowing and the highlights etc, which really this isn’t. But it is kind of supposed to be, if you know what you are doing. I’m using my newest supply…Chinese watercolor/calligraphy brushes . These are so much fun to use and they were $20 for the set of three sizes. I’m crap at it but I’m thinking it just takes a little practice. I keep finding tutorials where people talk about how much water these brushes hold (and they do!!) and how nice they are for regular painting. These have shed a few hairs, but they got really good reviews, and other people said after a few uses they don’t lose any more, so I’ll give them a while and will let you know if they are bad. So far, I like them!
I also used the Gansai Tambi watercolors. I really love the large pan size, and the way they wet, and the vivid colors. They dry shiny instead of flat, it turns out. Which is weird… but not necessarily bad. Kinda cool, as long as you know it’s going to happen, I suppose. Not good for all watercolor painting, though. Shop carefully… I looked for a while till I found the set and price I wanted. (I nearly linked the wrong one… same set, different seller, which was almost $11 more.) There are smaller sets, but this one is a good value comparatively (in my opinion) at (currently) less than $30, if you want a few more colors.
I followed several tutorials for all of these. It’s such a different way for me to paint… I’m not good at it but it’s fun to try and I hope I figure it out. (It looks so easy on youtube!!) I wasn’t going to show you any but the goldfish, (which are supposed to have fins that are yellow on the bottom and red on the top, but I couldn’t get my brush loaded correctly!), but what the heck.
I enjoyed working on this khadi paper. (I’m finding 100% cotton really does feel nice, and reacts better than cheaper paper with the application of the paint and water. But I haven’t decided if I’m committed to it yet. I like the last couple of journals which AREN’T all cotton, and I suspect I’ll continue using both for a while)
I anticipate using these brushes a lot. Till I wear them out. Here is the goldfish tutorial I tried. I’ll try it again until I’m happy with it, and the herons and pandas as well.
Day 124: Thurs 5/4 Williamsburg VA
We’ve walked Duke of Gloucester Street many times, but I haven’t noticed this teensy house in the middle of these larger two before. (yes, it’s really that little, too!)
Supplies:Â Uniball micro deluxe pen, Sennelier watercolor, Stillman and Birns Beta Series Mixed Media Journal… 5.5″x3.5″.
This is my newest (very tiny!) journal. I wanted to try something small to fit inside my smallest bag when I got out. A youtube artist I follow and respect said how much he loved this brand, so I wanted to try one, but I really wanted to feel the paper myself first, since it’s “mixed media” instead of “watercolor”… I found mine  (accidentally) at Hobby Lobby. I’ll link it on Amazon for you (I paid slightly more for mine at Hobby Lobby, but just a few cents)
Day 123 (Wed May 3): watercolor, broken window
Another Peter Sheeler tutorial. Done with a free sample of Qor paints I received, and travel brushes, which are actually nail painting brushes. They work really well for this. (love the Qor paints, by the way)
ThreeSixFiveArt 