Tag: sketching

ARTING again!! Finally. :) And making tiny watercolor palettes, too!

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I apologize for my lack of posts… Where have I been??!! At home, just staying busy with work, and everything EXCEPT art. But finally, my dry spell has ended! (I hope) Thanks to a friend kindly inviting me to her painting party Thursday, where we all painted the same thing,

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and the Hampton Roads Urban Sketchers September outing in Hampton this morning… thanks for the push, friends!

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Everybody’s art from today:

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Yeah, it’s a boat.

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This is the little sketch someone else did… great, huh?? She hasn’t drawn in forever and is still so good!

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A dog joined us for a few minutes while we sketched. He was cuter than his sketch. The weather was perfect. I’m surprised more people weren’t out!

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A sketch of some sketchers, before lunch, discussing some sketching moments. I hope they aren’t offended by the sketch… they look better in real life, too. 🙂

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(This is actually from last month, finding Clara and a toad sitting side by side on the back steps. I just used the rest of the page today at the outing.) There’s not much to this one… I just wanted to remember the moment.

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We went to Baked Cafe for lunch. Got my lunch in the sketchbook, too. Sort of. 🙂

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I couldn’t find my little travel paints. Well, I found LOTS of my travel paint sets but not The One I wanted. So I made this one from a business card holder. I hope to list some of these in my Etsy store soon, maybe before Christmas? What do you get the urban sketcher who has everything?? A personalized mini paint palette, maybe?

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I thought I had every color I needed, and some extras,  but at lunch I did miss quinacridone gold. I think I might remove schmincke’s helio turquoise to add daniel smith’s quin gold. I love love these teensy slim lightweight sets!!

This spring I purchased a stack of mats at a great price… I thought… but I finally used some and now I see why they were such a deal… they are not 5×7, but 6×8! A hard size to purchase ready made frames for. I found a set of inexpensive frames and got it, but they aren’t very pretty, and the cost of the pieces will be so much higher for the buyer with the added shipping cost! I don’t want to sell an unusual size without a frame, I also would rather not ship frames… I dunno… we’ll see. Kinda bummed about the little setback. Maybe I will just go purchase new mats.

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So… what have you been doing??

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thirty Days of Everyday Life, Day 12: a morning swim

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As you are probably aware, my husband and I are owned by two newfoundland dogs… this morning when the dogs woke us up (as early as every other day), instead of an early morning walk, we took them out to the beach for a quick swim. (and a good rinse off at home after)

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(That’s my attempt at Emmett swimming.) Emmett loved it, Clara tolerated it and DIDN’T SINK, which is a pretty good end result. And the rest of the day we mostly just goofed off. In fact, in the evening we were going to go out but some strong storms rolled through and we decided to chill with Emmett, because he’s afraid of thunder. I guess what I should have sketched was Emmett in his thunder shirt!

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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 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 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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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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Thirty Days of Everyday Life (Day 1)

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The challenge: to fill 30 days of art journal. (one full book)

Using this watercolor journal:

(I have spoiled myself recently using heavy 100% cotton paper. I gotta admit it does make a huge difference. The paper in this journal is fine for the way I sketch, and the journal is quality… but I’m finding I have to readjust the way I’m painting because the paint dries so quickly, and I’ve gotten used to the cotton paper, which stays wet and can take so much water.) If you haven’t tried cotton paper… do.

The title page:

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*That interesting light blue background is lapis lazuli from A. Gallo in Italy. A really soft gorgeous color. She sells out almost immediately when she posts colors, but I love all of them. If you can find some available I do recommend you grab them.

PS Those are lightning bugs (fireflies!) and pussy willows in the “f” and “e”… you just can’t really tell.

What fun sketches will my boring life inspire over the next month???

Tues 2/20/18 Starbucks

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(For some reason this post was in the draft section of my blog, unpublished! So I’m posting it now,  6 weeks later)

My first attempt at “urban sketching”. It was so much harder for me to do on site than I expected! AND these ladies were much cuter in person.

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Look how adorable this tiny little watercolor journal is. It has a nice leather-ish cover, a ribbon bookmark, an elastic band that holds it shut, and even a long fold out panoramic page in back.
This is the link to this 4″x4″ watercolor journal by Field Artist…

It is so nice, really heavy paper, under $15. ($12.99 right now) There’s a 5″x5″ one as well HERE, for $1 more, if the first is too small for you (The 4″ is VERY tiny… but also very portable!) And then this 4″x6.5″ watercolor journal from the same company… Right now it’s $14.95, and I do love this shape and size. Very useful. All of these are nice travel books. (although honestly I don’t take them anywhere often, I love working in them here and having them available IN CASE I want to go OUT and paint. 🙂

AND all of them will fit right inside the front pocket of the tiny purse I’m using as a travel art bag. (individually, I mean) … (The purse is a cute mini crossbody made by Vera Bradley, something from years ago that I really never got into. It is PERFECT)

 

Go paint something!