Elegant writer calligraphy marker

 

 

My newest past time is to watch you tube videos.  You can learn just about anything on you tube.  This week I learned how to dye a midori cover, add a pencil loop to my midori, make dash boards for my midori, and the list goes on.

 

So last night I found a video that showed How To Use the Elegant Writer Calligraphy Marker with Artist Karlyn Holman.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBe6bG6ouZo

 

This 24 minute video is packed with a lot of useful information.  So I pulled out my black 2.0mm fine elegant writer, Caran d'Ache crayons, and my Daniel Smith watercolor.  I did a quick sketch of tulips and then misted my paper to activate the ink in the elegant writer. I moved the paper around as the water explored all the ink lines.  Once the ink was dry I went in and added color.   I really like this techniques and plan to use it often.

 

Green eyed cat

  Shhh...don't tell my dogs my secret or they'll get jealous.  Long time ago I owned cats.   One had piercing green eyes and the other had greenish brown eyes.  Recently I came across photos of Misty who had the piercing green eyes.  Since I didn't have any paintings of Misty, I thought it was time I did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blood orange flowers

Just dropping color and sprinkles of color.  I really like vermillion which reminds me of blood orange.

 

 

Tulips

I don't do still life's very often, but when they were in bloom in my yard I had to have some in the house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Border Collie puppy

Quick watercolor of a border collie puppy.

 

 

 

Tulips the final 4 of 4

Several years ago I started a series of 4 watercolors of tulips.  Up until today only 3 of the 4 were complete and hanging up on my wall.  The watercolors were grouped together with the 4th fame empty.  Well today that 4th frame is no longer empty.

 

I used Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors to paint this impression of tulips on Fabriano watercolor paper.

 

 

Throwing paint

I discovered that I like throwing watercolor paint.  It's such a freeing way to drop paint.

 

 

 

Lions

 

 

 

I've always have loved lion since I was five years old.  It started with my father winning a large pink lion at the county fair,who I named Sammy.  Sammy went everywhere with me.  When I was upset I would seek comfort in my pink lion.  He's never far from my mind and I always wonder what happened too him.  I thought I'd find him in my parents storage when we cleaned out the house to sell, but he was no where to be found.

 

Gouache painting  9.5 x 11 on watercolor paper.

 

Boxer pup...Happy Birthday Rosebud

In celebration of my dear friend Rosemary...the lovely lady who loves boxers!

Happy Birthday Rosebud!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drawing outside the lines

I'm trying to get away from painting that is too controlled.  So doing these 15 minute studies of drawing with ink, adding splashes of color, and finishing with sprinkles makes my heart happy.

 

 

 

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!!! 

 

I thought it was time to resurface again.    How have you all been?? I've been busy drawing, painting, and traveling.  I have a ton of drawing and paintings to scan, which I'll do a few a day.  In between traveling I came down with a nasty sinus infection that finally has gone away.

 

As for traveling...went to Las Vegas to celebrate my sister's 65th birthday.  Came home for two weeks and then I was off to Seattle, Washington for my 2-day Jean Haines workshop.  Did a lot of  day trips, most recently to Ventura Harbor to take pictures and have lunch.  While at the harbor discovered I could taking sailing lessons.  So come August, my husband and I will be taking 21 lessons on a 30ft sailboat...can hardly wait.  Learning how to sail has always been a dream, but never had the time or in the right place to take lessons.  So no more excuses!  In a couple of weeks we leave to go up north for a family wedding, maybe stop to see some cousins in Sacramento on the way home.

 

As the temperature has started to climb...can get over 100 to 115 degrees, I'll be doing a lot of studio painting with the AC on high.

 

Remember when you were a kid learning how to color with the idea of staying inside the lines, while

 I've been experimenting with painting outside the lines, which has been a bit different for me, but rather freeing.   I was looking for a way to shake things up and I'm really enjoying the process.

 

I also have taken some online class with sketchbook skool.  Some of the instructors were inspiring, sharing their tools and techniques.  Even though I love the idea of going to workshops, I've decided that taking online classes for me is the better way to really absorb new ideas and techniques.  There are still a couple of artist's that I'd like to take classes from like Charles Reid, Hazel Soan, but for now learning from their books and DVD's will have to do for now.

 

I'm still in love with bookbinding and have binding small books 3.5" x  5.5" which I use to do my pinterest sketches and paintings.  I love the access to all sorts of topics on pinterest and try my hand at attempting to draw and paint images that I like...so in a sense I'm copying, but using that only as a learning tool...kind of like what the great masters would do to learn a subject until they could refine it and make it their own.

 

So that's what I've been up too...what about you???