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Day 130 (Wed 5/10) pen & ink peacock

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This is the type of thing I’ve worked on most frequently the past several years. Kind of zentangle-ish… relaxing.  I plan to try more of these to put in my Etsy store.

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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

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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.  Unfinished, but there it is.

Day 125 (Fri 5/5) One stroke painting. Sort of. But… not really.

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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

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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!)

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Supplies: 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

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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)FullSizeRender

Peter Sheeler tutorial

Day 122 (Tues May 2) Watercolor Markers: Tree

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Jerry’s Artarama had a clearance sale in April, and it drew me in several times. This weekend I could get my 10% off for having their “card”, plus an extra 20% off the last couple days of their clearance. So I picked up these Zig Clean Color watercolor markers. I doodled a tree while waiting for my husband, and enjoyed using them. (They are actually BRUSH tip, like a paint brush, not felt tip markers!) The result was ok for a first attempt. I was outside painting with a little tin of travel paints (to be discussed later in a separate post) and while my brush was wet anyway, I drew a wash across the tree… and liked the results much better! I only have greens, two browns, a red (which I’d previously received in an Artsnacks subscription package!) but I do lots of plants, so this is sufficient for now. I can find more on Amazon if I decide I need them.