My apple isn’t particularly apple-y, but there we are. EEM watercolors.
Apple picking on Knotts Island, EEM watercolor
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Negative painting, leaves using EEM watercolors
Following more youtube tutorials tonight! This technique requires thinking backwards. First, tape off the edges of the paper. Paint a light wash of blue and yellow for the background, then paint in a few leaves, but only paint AROUND them. Leave them the lightest color.. (those end up being the lightest leaves) After this dries, add a few more leaves, again painting AROUND them only, and around the first set of leaves, using a slightly darker color… do this until you are really out of room for leaves, finishing up with a very dark bit of in-between-leaves. Then add a touch more color to the lightest leaves, some little veins with colored pencils, remove the tape and you have a leafy masterpiece full of depth. 🙂
I used the EEM paints here… I really like them. They rewet very easily, and the M41 is a really beautiful yellow for mixing greens. (I almost didn’t order that one!)I especially enjoyed using Cote d’azure violet and caput mortuum for the little dark accent on the tips of the leaves.
This technique is a little bit of a brain teaser. But go try it!
Azalea, using EEM watercolor paint
My azaleas outside are pretty scraggly and sad… but they do have some nice blossoms so I wanted to catch them before they are gone!
I have two new sets of paint I’m really excited to play with and share with you. The first I present today…The brand is “Eventually, Everything Mixes” or EEM. Several of her colors are unusual and surprising mixes with really fun, heavy granulation, many are single pigment, and as far as I’ve seen, all are excellent or very good lightfast ratings. (actually while I was checking tonight, I only found excellent)
You can google either EEM or Eventually, Everything Mixes and find them online. The paints are handmade in Germany, individually. The half pans I ordered came filled REALLY full…. quite a bit over the tops of the pans. Like…. Really. Generous. And the sample dots on cards were also extremely generous. If you decide to order any of those, you’ll be able to do quite a bit with them. In fact, I took some of my sample dots and pressed them into half pans as well. (bottom row, the three on the far left, as well as the one alone on the row) Pans are relatively inexpensive, around $6.50 each, so I ordered several this time around to make shipping seem less costly to me, per pan.
I don’t (yet!!) have other brands of handmade paints to compare with these, but I really like these. Most are transparent, a few are quite opaque. I was afraid of opaque colors when I first began painting, but I’m starting to like them more now, and one of these, caput mortuum, I LOVE. (I’ve found recently I seem to like all types and brands of pr101, and pr102 apparently is similar in feel, with a more purple hue) I’ve just ordered a few more colors and there are two or three I’ll eventually add, so you can look forward to future swatchings!
I was surprised by how vibrant they are while sketching this azalea today. The palette looks so muted, but the colors are strong (with the exception of a trio that are very light) without much shift in color as they dry. The colors I used today: Pollams Pink (pr122 and pg23), Bergblau (pb29: ultramarine), Mais (yellow: py150, py110), a touch of Ultramarine Green (pg24, gorgeous color!) in a couple of the shadows, a bit of Cyan (pb15:3) mixed with bergblau for the sky, Rehbraun (py43) and Caput Mortuum (pr102) for the branch and some of the shadows.
I have here THREE shades of py43, all different. Cool!
These colors are all so vibrant. I don’t have a traditional selection of colors, but I just love looking at the swatched colors! I do have a nice triad, with the Pollams Pink, Mais, and either cyan or ultramarine, so can mix any color I want.
One of the colors, Ludwig Green, even has gold mixed in (upper right corner of the swatch sheet)
The packaging is fun… four pans arrived nestled in a paper matchbox with the logo outside. And each pan had washi tape decorating the pan, and a brown parchment wrapping it. Then a dark paper sleeve with the paint name written on it. The dots are on heavy pieces of quality watercolor paper, also wrapped in brown parchment. You could easily take a sample dot card out with your painting journal for urban sketching or plain air painting.
So, I’ve done nothing with these yet except swatching them, and painting this azalea sketch, but I look forward to doing more with them. And when the rest of my colors arrive, I’ll be moving these to a new tin, perfecting the order they’re in, and making a fresh swatch card. Woo-hoo!
The Circle of Life….
Admit it, you’re singing the song in your head right now… Well, I am anyway. I have been listening to this cicada for days and was kind of sad to find her (him?) on my driveway. Dead. But she/he seems to have died of natural causes, so that’s good. Nothing violent.
Just a quick simple sketch. The green highlights on the wings were more luminescent than this, and quite surprising. That raised x on the back was a surprise, too. I used a new (cheap! But fun!) paint set for this, which I will reveal in a day or two!
Is it weird to paint dead bugs? It didn’t seem weird at the time but now that I’m posting it, seems a bit creepy.
A nice, rusty bike.
Two from Peter Sheeler’s tutorials, and one of my own, by special order. 🙂
(Mine isn’t positioned well on the page, but I like my flowers here better than his!)
I’m pleased with the bike… I’m going to try another, though, to clean it up a bit.
(Schmincke watercolor, on Fabriano Artistico cotton cold press watercolor paper, 140 lb, 5″x7″)
Gouache: M Graham vs Arteza vs Caran D’Ache
After watching Mira Byler paint with gouache on youtube last night, I thought this morning I’d give it a try. Gouache paint is kind of a cross between acrylic and watercolor, at least in performance. It rewets after drying, like watercolor, so can be put into a palette to dry and easily be carried somewhere to paint. You can thin it as much as desired, but like acrylic it is opaque, and can layer light on top of dark. It’s almost backwards painting compared to watercolor, where you have to think ahead and leave any light or white spaces colorless while you fill in darks. In some ways it is simpler than painting with watercolor (at my skill level). It feels chalky after drying, and reminded me of poster paints and tempera paints we used as kids in school. Gouache can be a bit harder on brushes than watercolor, so I don’t use my very expensive brushes with it. And actually I think the slightly firmer brushes perform great with the medium.
You may (or probably DON’T) recall that last year towards the beginning of my 365 challenge, I tried Caran d’Ache’s pan gouache set… the only gouache set I could find not in tubes. Here is what I painted at the time, following a tutorial:
I was new to gouache, and to painting at all, and set them aside.
Fast forward to February of this year, I found an Amazon lightning deal on a 24 color Arteza gouache set, thinking maybe I’d like tubes better. And I also bought 4 M Graham tubes from a local art supply shop. So finally (only 6 months later, right?) I decided today I’d give them a shot.
Arteza result:
The lightning deal on Amazon in February was under $15. The regular price for this set is currently still $18.98, and I’ve linked them here if you want to look at them.
And HERE is a link to a set of 5 M Graham primary gouache tubes for $24.88.
And HERE is the Caran d’Ache set linked , 15 colors including a small white tube for $33 on Amazon right now, in a tin, with a paintbrush.
M Graham result (ignore the blob, user error!):
Caran d’Ache result:
(I can tell you pretty positively, no matter what set you get, you’ll also want a nice big tube of white to add to it. Gouache doesn’t lighten with water the way watercolor does. White needs to be added to get any lighter values.)
Here I have compared two paints from each brand which use the same pigments: PY 3 (yellow) and PB29 (blue). Caran d’Ache doesn’t give me pigment numbers, but I chose the two that matched. To my not-very-trained-eye, the M Grahams, in the middle, seem slightly more vivid than Arteza, and they went on more smoothly. They also don’t feel as dry and chalky. There is a difference, but it is not significant. (to me) They are all three VERY CLOSE. I doubt I could label one accurately in a ‘blind’ test. The Caran d’Ache was very easy to wet down to a watercolor like consistency. I think I may be able to get heavier opaque results with the tubes, and thinner wet washes (maybe) with the pan set.
Honestly, my paintings in the end seem about the same. This is very likely because I’m a complete gouache novice and they were all fairly crappy 🙂 I’ve read in reviews of the M Graham gouache paints that they dry very nicely in pans, and don’t crumble like most other dried gouache brands, due to the honey added. And I can tell you Caran d’Ache has figured out how to pan them up without cracking.
One more thing to consider… as far as I can tell, I can’t purchase Arteza gouache tubes or Caran d’Ache pans individually, to replace a color, only in sets. M Grahams are sold in sets and individually. Which do I prefer? I see benefits to using the tubes over pans, especially if you will be doing large areas of color. It’s tricky mixing large amounts with the dried pans… good to remember if I do pan up my M Grahams. AND I have trouble keeping the pans clean when mixing them. But honestly I enjoyed the Caran d’Ache paints best… they are super creamy and a dream to use. They don’t give me pigment information on the pans, however, and both tube sets do. Pigment numbers and lightfast ratings. I have to assume for that reason that the Caran d’Ache probably aren’t “artist grade”. Still these are the ones I’m more likely to use, I think.
But remember… $25 for 5 tubes vs $19 for 24 tubes vs the $33 Caran d’Ache pan set, 15 colors… this set also has a metal palette box AND a paint brush… I think it really depends on what you’ll be doing with them, how frequently you’ll use them, etc. Are you a crafter? A part time artist wannabe? A professional artist? A gouache newbie, just interested in checking out the medium? Do you prefer using your paint from tubes or from dried pans? Will you be doing very large areas of color? I fully expected to love the M Grahams and hate the Arteza… but I kinda love them all. In the end, for me… all three gave similar results, but the pan set is my favorite.
A Perfect Porcelain Paint Palette?? (for me, anyway!)
(This is NOT a palette BOX… but a palette dish… plate… thingy you mix paint on. The kind that doesn’t store paint.) I LOVE it.
I’ve used my metal and plastic palette tins so long (which I also love), that I’d forgotten how amazing porcelain feels!
This is actually a divided sushi dish. I saw someone using a pretty square plate in a video… turned out it was a fondue plate… genius. I have a white deviled egg platter which is big, and fun, but sort of TOO big sometimes for my messy table. And right now I like a large flat area instead of so many separate ones, so I can blend all the colors with each other a bit when I want to.
I started looking around and found this style that I loved.
I FINALLY found it AFFORDABLY here on Amazon, after looking all over the internet. Amazon does it again. (If you don’t have Amazon Prime yet, consider it. I do nearly all of my shopping there, and I find some great art supplies. And everyday life supplies.) Under $15, delivered in two days, and they hooked me. It is 13″ long, 6″ wide at its widest (well, 4 1/2″, kind of… look at the pictures and you will understand… 6″ total width) There’s lots of room for mixing, and two separate cups, too. They have a wider one, as well, if you need more mixing space. I love the narrow one and have placed it above my journal while I’m working… between my paints and my journal.
Look how pretty the paint mixes in it… I’d like to just hang it on the wall!
When I have a bit more cash to spend on it, (or when I find it cheaper) I’ll get the larger dish, linked here… it isn’t SO much bigger, 13″ long and 9″ at its widest, so only 3″ wider than my (cool) dish. But to use that, I have to commit to keeping my table clearer…
By the way, that pink color is Daniel Smith’s Rose of Ultramarine , with a touch of plain ultramarine blue mixed in at the end there… Rose of Ultramarine is Quinacridone Rose and Ultramarine mixed, and they separate and granulate in an interesting way (all blue and pink, of course. I think you can see it a bit in the galaxies here) … and the dark blue is Schmincke’s “payne’s grey bluish” … bluer when wet. Another interesting mix.
Let us know if you have a palette you love!!
Art Journal and Planner
In a youtube video by Pearfleur about her art journal/planner, she said her studies don’t permit her to paint every day, so she has incorporated a little sketching and doodling into her day planner. I have been wanting to create a bullet journal or planner for some time now… but with any organizational system I’m best at setting them up but never using them. This art idea hooked me, though, so I copied a few of her ideas. Then I got on several other youtube journal sites and used their page ideas as well. (AmandaRachLee was one… she has beautiful, simple ideas… JannPlansThings was another. Very artsy and fun) So, yes, the past few days I haven’t posted art, but I have done a little doodling and painting, as you’ll see, and I thought I’d share my pages here before I muss them all up. (hoping I do) If you are new to bullet journaling, you may find some ideas. (If you are experienced, this will probably seem very basic to you)
Cover page and first page (taken directly from Pearfleur):
Month at a glance… Pearfleur’s idea here is to do a tiny doodle or sketch in each day’s block, something that kind of represents the day:
Tracking interviews held at work, and current or future work projects/Developing a new habit for the month:
(I added little cute things to the other pages… ideas from those three tutorials. Sunflowers, leaves, fireflies… just noticed I skipped this page! A psychological block I suppose, because this page represents some work. I’ll add to it tonight!)
Habit Tracker/keeping track of my mail art swaps:
Movies watched, books read (or listened to)/and new recipes tried. On the right page, Pearfleur’s idea was to do a tiny painting each day. Seven blocks. That was my original plan, then I decided I need to try cooking something more interesting, and decided two new recipes a week:
(I also later used a colored pencil to shadow the boxes on those pages… a couple lines really makes a difference in making it feel complete! I didn’t think it was worth double posting here, though.)
Weekly calendar… each the same, just different colors. (see the shadows around the boxes? That’s what I added to the book and recipe pages ) Tried several ways of doing Saturday and Sunday. The blocks will hold important things I want to see immediately, the sides can be an hourly breakdown or list of errands and tasks:
Doing a dream page was pearfleur’s idea… I’ve had really vivid crazy dreams for a while so I thought I’d leave space to doodle or describe anything that particularly strikes me. (Last week I dreamed my deodorant was alive. Seriously. And that wasn’t even the strangest thing, that just really struck me when I woke up) My dreams have lots of color and images, so this could be interesting. The starry cloudy theme came from JannPlansThings.
I think this page should be first in September, but I just saw the idea in JannPlansThings’ tutorial last night, so it’s at the back for August. I wasn’t planning on doing an all out month. I was just going to do some art. But I got caught up in it and this seemed helpful, too.
Things to try to do before summer ends/August goals: (I used my shiny gold and silver Finetec paints for the fireflies and the stars. Really cute in person. And I sprinkled a few fireflies throughout the other pages, too. I may add more, and some more glory sparkly stars.) The idea on the left came from AmandaRachLee’s post, although hers was a mason jar of lemonade and straw. I really wanted fireflies in mine. The idea on the right came from JannPlansThings. Both with some alterations.
Birthday Girl
Only six years old, and already she’s a comic book character.
A few errors, but she’s pretty cute. Maybe I’ll thicken up the lines a bit.
I’m using a new ‘faux squirrel’ paintbrush. PLEASANTLY CHEAP. Through an online sale at http://www.wetpaintart.com… an art supply store in Minnesota. I don’t know if the sale is still going on, but they are worth keeping an eye on. I’ve gotten both of my ‘limited edition’ Schmincke watercolor sets there, and my QoR mini pan set, some good brushes on sale and a miniature paint set which is super adorable. Good sales, good products, and great customer service) I like it. I still get most of my supplies other places but some of my favorites from there. I’m a fan. (If you happen to live near them, it sounds like they offer a bunch of cool classes as well!)
I thought maybe in this journal I’d add a little swatch area for the palette choices on each page. It will show me what I’m usually using, in the future it will show me what colors I used (because I definitely won’t remember) and also I can learn a bit about choosing a palette for a piece, maybe.
I guess tomorrow I’d better add the pigment numbers as well.
Following a Rose Tutorial by Jay Lee
Here is the rose I painted during the livestream session today (and what could be nicer than painting on a rainy summer day?) :
It isn’t bad, but if I showed you Jay Lee’s rose that I was copying, you’d see why I wasn’t happy with this. I see what he did. I just didn’t do it. I was trying to paint what he painted as he painted it, and I couldn’t keep up… So afterwards, I pulled up my own reference photo, and came up with this:
Still not perfect, but I do think it is better than it would have been in early 2017. So I will keep moving!!
ThreeSixFiveArt 