Month: July 2019

Thirty Days of Everyday Life, Day 11: Meet Joe.

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This is Joe, my husband’s new best friend.

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These are the ribs that Joe made. “Please, Joe, please… please do not make so many yummy ribs.”

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I have included a picture of the REAL miniature watercolor tin, so you can see how adorable it is. I popped out the children’s paint tablets with the intention of filling it with my own, but only have two colors in there right now. I tried to find it online to link it for you, but all I succeeded in doing is finding a DIFFERENT small travel palette which I don’t need, but did purchase, because it is relatively inexpensive and looks like EXACTLY what I want. So… I stopped looking after that initial fiasco. It wasn’t going to go any better, I’d just find something else cool to buy, and not the $2.50 children’s paint tin. (But… HERE is the link to that supercool box available on Etsy…. )

Thirty Days of Everyday Life, Day 10: Work and Watercolors

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Today I started prepping supplies for Monday’s Pre Cow Day Story time craft, cow headbands the kids can wear for Chick-fil-A’s Cow Appreciation Day event Tuesday. (Free food!)

Pardon my strange looking kid. That’s what I get for quick sketching without a pencil. The reference photo was pretty adorable…

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I also received some more paints in the mail from Marlette Art on Etsy… Hunter Marlette makes lovely paints, bold and easy to rewet. (look how dark that dioxazine violet is?!!) I talked about these paints a week or two ago… if you like shimmery colors, I highly recommend his Mica Set,  if you can get your hands on it. They are very sparkly, much more than my others, even my finetec set. Large bits of mica in them, it seems to me. I’m having a lot of fun with them!

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Hunter is in North Carolina and makes his own paints. You have to catch them as they are available, but I don’t think you will regret the purchase. In fact, he offers quin gold made from the original pigment quinacridone gold, not available any more for purchase, and THE most gorgeous sap green I’ve seen, made with that pigment as well. His quin gold is an ‘earthier’ version of quin gold when compared to Daniel Smith’s, which is a brighter yellow, but I like it very much. I don’t know if you can really see the colors here, but I’ll try to show you what I mean.

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I have several brands of handmade watercolor paints I love, and occasionally recommend here, but I think these are my favorite. ( SO FAR. I do love them ALL, and have favorite colors in each which I can’t find elsewhere.)

Any day I open my mailbox and find a parcel of paint inside is a good day, as far as I’m concerned.

Thirty Days of Everyday Life, Day 9: the Fourth of July!

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I miss the way we celebrated July Fourth 20 years ago. But things have to change. In twenty years, I’ll miss the way we celebrate now, I guess!

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A lovely day, really. 🙂

Thirty Days of Everyday Life: Day 8

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I was lucky enough to accompany a friend to her citizenship test and interview in Norfolk. Then we relaxed at the restaurant (and ate!), and later spent some time sketching at MacArthur Center. MacArthur has brought in some giant games: chess, checkers, connect 4, a litebrite-like thing… all the kids seemed drawn to them. (Can’t blame them, I was too!) But I focused on the mermaid again, and she does seem improved, except perhaps a slightly shortened torso causing one arm to be shorter. Or maybe just a slightly too long arm? Either way, the GoDiva mermaid is one of my favorites in Norfolk, a city full of mermaids.

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Thirty Days of Everyday Life: Day 7 (grocery shopping!)

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Grocery shopping at Kroger has turned into a video game. It’s pretty cool. I hope all grocery stores try this. It saves loading the cart, unloading onto the belt, loading into bags (generally yucky plastic bags), loading into the car. At least, saves PART of it. Just load items into reusable bags in the cart after scanning, pay at the kiosk (without unloading. It’s already scanned), and load into the car. Ok, mostly it’s just fun.

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Thirty Days of Everyday Life: Day 6 (watercolor practice)

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No, I did not go up in three beautiful hot air balloons. Not in my REAL life, anyway. I watched several youtube videos. The Mind of Watercolor  explained how to create simple clouds, just painting a wet wash and lifting with a crumpled paper towel, smoothing a bit with a clean wet round brush:

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I am already comfortable with this technique, but to be honest am still learning which pigments stain and which lift (lifting being crucial to the success of this technique) so tried it with both A. Gallo’s Lapis Lazuli and Daniel Smith’s Cerulean. (both non staining, very liftable) The Lapis Lazuli is basically ultramarine, but a very light, fragile color. Cerulean is also light, although can be laid down a little heavier than the Lapis. They both worked fine, just slightly different colors. Then I watched several videos by CreationsCeecee  … Her art is fun and her videos inspire me to play.

I tried a fun prickly flower, on the left, using colored pencil and watercolor. Colored pencils can provide a very nice accent:

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and balloons on the right, with watercolor and ink:

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I love artists showing me HOW to do what they do, and not minding if I copy to learn. Go try some!

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I wasn’t trying to make the full page a picture, but was working in 4 quadrants. However, the right side kinda turned into one cohesive sketch, so I should have done that on the left as well!

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A tiny acrylic landscape FOR BEGINNERS 7/2/19

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I followed Ray Grimes’ Youtube tutorial for this one, “Simple Landscape from a dot”… and yep, you basically start with a dot. (See video here) Here it is as simply as I can explain it.

First: cover the canvas in white.

Then: add a tiny dot of color (he used purple, I used burnt sienna, because I don’t have a pretty purple) Use a stiff brush (apparently any, because I didn’t have any of the tools he used) to tap the dot in and around (see my land on the left side.)  Add a tiny (sienna) dot on the right, tap it around.

Use a dry flat brush to drag down through the bottom of the color, then a swipe horizontally (for the reflection for both pieces of land).

Add a third (sienna) dot at the bottom right, tap tap tap with the brush, repeat the dry flat brush draggy thing a bit. Don’t overwork it.

Apply a thin line of white to the flat edge of a palette knife, drag it beneath where the “land” should be, and maybe a stripe or two in the “water” (see my image) Sign your name… you are done!!! A 5 inch, 5 minute masterpiece. Incredible.

I REALLY love the sienna color. I will try more single color paintings, I think!

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The supplies I used. (That long brush is actually a stiff flat brush, it just rolled itself sideways)

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I’d love to know if you try this!!

 

Thirty Days of Everyday Life: Day 5, Blueberry pancakes

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Sundays rock. The scent of maple syrup and bacon spreading through the house is just The Best AM gift. It lured me out of the studio and began a day of both work and relaxation. We spent the day at a team meeting, dinner with some of our kids, then home, and I forgot to journal until just before bed! So, a quick pancake sketch.

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