Write On

 

Sketchbook page, ink and watercolor with some Inktense.  NFS.

  So if you read yesterday's entry, I went to the Mad Writers' Club at the Mad Raven bookstore yesterday and got inspired to write and make art to go with my writing.  I want to marry the two, maybe illustrate some poems and maybe write a children's book and illustrate it.  

   Our assignment for this week was to write about a color without naming the color (synonyms ok).  On my way home the moon was almost full and everything was shades of... yeah, blue, I'm sure you guessed that.  So yesterday morning I wrote this little piece to evoke the moody blue, and though the events described are fictional, I have certainly felt that way.  I love living in the country where the stars are alive.  Anyway, the whole thing went in my sketchbook today with the paragraph I wrote for the assignment and a wee watercolor painting to illustrate it.  

   Oooh! This is the first time I've broken out my fancy new Copic multiliners (I sprang for the good ones where you can replace the cartridges and the nibs both), although I only used them for writing.  They're mostly just hanging out till Inktober!

   Speaking of my sketchbook, I wrote this reminder to myself in the front of it, because I have decided that it's pretty important to me to master drawing people, my one gigantic weakness in art, and I've already got a hideous drawing in it that I'm not even brave enough to show you right now.  Maybe after I improve I'll share it to show the improvement, ha!  And, I want to do more plein air/urban sketching, which means some hasty doodles that are not going to knock anyone's socks off.  That's all okay, as long as I'm still making art.

    I hope you made something today, and if you love it, wonderful, and if you don't, I hope you make some more art tomorrow.  <3

Succulent

 Succulent

Watercolor & Inktense (blocks) on Canson Moulin du Roy 300# Cold Pressed Paper

$30 shipping included CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

My friend Marcy Bell (click on her name to go check out her beautiful jewelry) posted a picture of this gorgeous succulent that was flowering in her garden , and I immediately wanted to paint it.  It was a challenge!  I haven't done anything monochromatic in watercolor.  It makes me want to paint a pure value painting with a glaze over it, the same way I've done in oil, and watercolor would really lend itself to that.  Something to file in the try this in the future file.

This evening I went to the Mad Writers' Club at our local bookstore, The Mad Raven.  Back in the day (high school and shortly after... it was a long time ago) I assumed I'd be a writer.  It was what I did and what I was good at.   If you'd told me I'd be an artist I'd have laughed at you and said I had no talent (pay attention, people who say the same thing, it's not true!!).  

Lately -- for the last six months or so -- I've been thinking about marrying the two somehow.  Maybe illustrate some of my poems, or write a children's book.  It's an intriguing concept.  I was looking for inspiration at the Mad Writers' Club, and I found it.  More to come!

Just Wild

Trillium catesbaei

Mixed media on watercolor postcard

Will be for sale as part of a series

 The weekend looms... I have a craft show this weekend (jewelry and henna), and I'm preparing for the whirlwind of activity.  BUT!  I squeezed in my painting this morning.  Actually I didn't squeeze, it kind of took over the morning.  That's okay, it looks like I'll get my stuff done, barring any glitches.

Trilliums are easily in my top five favorite wildflowers -- some of them smell amazing, and some of them are so lovely and delicate, like this one.  They pop up in the dreary leaf-fall of an early spring forest floor and look so cheerful.  This is one of several southeastern US varieties, Catesby's trillium, which comes in white, pink, and a sort of variegated mix of the two.  

I expect there will be no squeezing in painting tomorrow unless you count henna (should I?  hmmm....), so I'll be playing catch-up next week, three paintings behind, but I should have plenty of time to do it.  

Love & Wildflowers From Tennessee

 

Cypripedium acaule

Mixed Media on Strathmore Watercolor Postcard

Will be for sale in a series as originals and prints

Last April, I had the opportunity to participate in Chuck Sutherland's "Epic Photography Weekend" where he invites photographers from near and far to come and be guided to the most amazing places in the Upper Cumberland area of Tennessee to take waterfall, sunset, wildflower and other nature photographs.  They are hard core and on day one I slogged a mile up a creek with them, climbed a waterfall, and got some very nice photos.  It was a fantastic experience to meet with other photographers and share ideas and experiences, and make a few new ones.  Here's one of my photos from the weekend.

Mertensia virginica

Eastern Bluebell

You can see more of my photography at Great & Small Photography on Facebook

One of the highlights of EPW was spending an afternoon with Don Hunter, a naturalist and photographer from Georgia.  We meandered along a back road in caravan along a place Chuck knew in Jackson County, TN, where there were wildflowers in abundance (in April).  I learned a lot about flowers, and also about photographing them.

When I decided to do friends' Facebook photos for 30 Paintings in 30 Days, Don was the second person (after Chuck) that I thought of.  So I'm excited to finally paint one of his wildflower photos.  The hardest part was choosing one to paint, so I thought I'd do an entire series of Southeastern US Wildflower Postcards painted from his photos, a few of my own, and maybe (hopefully, since I want to do more of this) from life.  

I'm beginning to get a rhythm in the various media I'm using... watercolor for the background, Inktense pencils for any texture in the foreground, Inktense blocks for smooth foreground areas, and highlights in  white Sakura Gelly Roll pen.  Throw in some pen and ink first if that's the style I'm using, and I expect to be using it more since I want to do Inktober in October and I just bought a fancy series of Copic technical multiliner pens for the purpose.  

This is painting #6/30.  I'll be playing catch-up next week, since this weekend will be a little nutty.

Heavyweight

 

What's New Pussycat

Mixed Media on 300 lb. heavy cold pressed paper

$25 with free shipping

CLICK HERE TO BUY

   I painted a 6x6 yesterday with no end of frustration when, once again, my paper tore where I was using the masking fluid.  The paper went straight to the trash and I headed to Hobby Lobby to buy the most expensive single piece of paper I've ever bought... a full sheet of 300 lb. Canson Moulin du Roy.  My plan is to buy Cheap Joe's sampler packs and find THE BRAND (and weight) that I love. I do love using paper that is heavy enough that I don't have to stretch it, so that's a factor.  Plus even when I cut it (with a probably fairly dull letter cutter) it gets those lovely torn-looking edges that I love on watercolor.

   But, not bad on this one.  The frisket (I am using Daniel Smith's masking fluid) pulled up the paper on a tiny spot.  I think maybe I'm getting too anxious to pull it up and doing it prematurely while there's still wet on the paper?  Anyway, this kitty's reference came from Wet Canvas and he turned out a bit orange but I still like him.  I did the base colors in Winsor Newton watercolor with inktense pencil layered over that, and then Sakura Gellyroll pen for all the white fur texture over that (which shows up better in person than it does in a photo).  Oh, and the whisker shadows are Copic fine liners.  I need more Copic fine liners in my life, my sepia set is awesome but I want black.

   I think I might be back on track, but still 2 paintings behind.  This weekend is going to be super busy -- I will be at Fall Fun Fest craft show in Cookeville TN selling jewelry and doing henna.  I'll share a couple of those with you then (does that count as a painting? .... hmmmmm).

I Gotta I Don't Wanna

Calm Evening

Original Inktense & Micron Postcard, $10

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

The muse is a flighty creature.  Yesterday I was utterly obsessed with painting, today there was this strange resistance.  I think it was because I was pressuring myself to paint things from my friends' photos rather than just whatever.  This same thing happened when I had commissions a couple of years ago (it didn't help that they were not paid commissions).  I don't know, some days it comes easy and some days it doesn't.

I'm still obsessed, but I thought I'd take it "easy" today and paint a simple silhouette scene.  I bought these nifty postcards at Jerry's Art-A-Rama.  They are Strathmore watercolor paper with the postcard stuff printed on the back so you can actually send them, and then your recipient can frame them, if they want.  I think I might like to do some original greeting cards, as well.  This particular scene was done in Inktense blocks & pencils, with the heron and grasses done in Sakura micron pens.  It's standard postcard size.

It doesn't help that I have a bad headache today, so maybe tomorrow I'll be raring to go again.  The important thing is, I showed up at the studio and I did my thing.

Hope your day is going easier. 

OBX

 

Bodie Island Light, Inktense &Watercolor, $40 (shipping included)
Done on 12x9 Arches 140# watercolor paper (painted area is 5x7, so can be framed either size)

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE ORIGINAL PAINTING

Happy September, and happy 30/30 challenge!  My month kicks off with a pic I requested from a friend traveling to NC's Outer Banks. I have a ton of awesome OBX memories, since we used to go every year when my son was little.  I'd love to go back.  Thanks to my friend Jerry Hutchinson for the inspiration!

Bodie Island lighthouse is one of only 12 operational tall lighthouses left in the US, and it still has its original Fresnel lens.  It was recently renovated and you can walk up the 112 steps to the top.  Its name is pronounced like "body" -- some sources say it's because a family named Body once owned property in the area, and others say it's because of the many shipwrecked sailors' bodies that washed up from the "graveyard of the Atlantic" (the waters near the Outer Banks are quite treacherous).

Young Photographers

 

The photo below is the one that gave me the idea to paint my friends' Facebook photos for the 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge.  My friend Chris posted the photo, which her son Mathias (age ten) took while they were out hunting Pokemon (Team Valor!!).  I was really impressed with his eye for framing the photograph and I instantly adored all the linear perspective, which I haven't played with in YEARS.  Looked like the perfect time to play with some "urban sketching" style painting.

I did the sky in watercolor because I was pretty sure I couldn't lift out Inktense the way I needed to, in order to get the crepuscular rays.  And I fell in love with my Daniel Smith watercolors all over again and decided I need more of those (maaaaan....).  I penciled the rest of it with my handy dandy vanishing point ruler, then inked it with Micron pens, then filled the rest of it in with Inktense blocks & pencils.  Yes, it's a lot more color than in the original, but I think I like that about it.

The really infuriating thing is that the masking fluid I put on the tops of the buildings and the brightest parts of the clouds pulled up and tore the cheap watercolor paper -- it's 140# but it's Hobby Lobby's Master's Touch brand, BLAH, it's going into the circular file and I am GETTING MYSELF SOME GOOD WATERCOLOR PAPER, help need recommendations!  I really dig the 6 x 6 size for daily painting, you can say a lot in that little space but it doesn't take an age.

 

So this is Legacy Village in Lyndhurst, Ohio, one town over from where I grew up.  This is what shopping malls turned into in the US, these little shopping towns.  Legacy Village was new when I left greater Cleveland ten years ago.  I got a tiny bit homesick painting this.

Mathias, thanks for the awesome picture and the good memories painting it brought up. Keep taking pictures, you have a good eye!

Cute Falcon is Cute

I got to play with my new Inktense pencils this morning.  I used a ref from Wet Canvas (love that site!) for it.

Mr Falcon (Falco peregrinus) says I elongated his head too much and made him look like a pigeon. It's bad for his image. Sorry Mr Falcon. 

Later that evening I snagged another ref photo from the same site and tinkered with Inktense flowers (this is an anemone).  I used gel pens for the white in the water droplets (man, I really think I got that one water droplet PERFECT... wish I felt that way about all of them), so this is technically mixed media.  I like it pretty well, though.  First time I've ever framed anything like this, with a border on a 6x6 square piece of watercolor paper.  I think some experiments with toothless hot press paper are in order.

This is art every day this week except Wednesday, and two today. Go me!  This means that I am very well on track for... *drumroll*

Yep, I'm doing it.  Even though I have a yuuuge craft show to get ready for in October, this is where my heart is right now.  Maybe longer than right now, despite my fickle artistic nature.  

Playing With Photos

I thought I'd play with one of my photos for today's Wacom/Photoshop/Digital painting experiment.  Here is the result.

This is my horse Abbey and her pasture mate, Jewel.  Every so often I get a chance to take a picture of them running (NOT Abbey's favorite activity!).  I played with the background a bit to make it abstract..  nothing terribly fancy, but I learned a bit in the process.

Going Digital

I have kicked around the idea of doing 30 paintings in 30 days again.  I think I'm in.  I got a Wacom tablet for Christmas and I bought access to Photoshop for my photography, so I thought this month I'd try some digital painting (although I may do other things too).  I'm still learning to use the Wacom, and also learning to use Photoshop for anything other than adjusting things in photos.  It's a steep learning curve but I think this is a good first attempt after not much other than some doodles to get used to the disconnect between looking at the result of your painting on a screen while your hand is elsewhere.

 

 I'm not entirely happy with it... but I did it pretty much without reference, so that's bonus (I don't generally work well without references).  And the wonderful thing about daily painting is, you can chalk any individual piece to practice, because you'll be back tomorrow.

And so I will.

I'll Draw... Wait No

Drawing turned into...

Life has a way of getting in the way.  I really need a better routine.  This year I started doing yoga/ta'i chi every day and meditating afterward, which has been awesome once I do it, but I get up and lie in bed going "Ugh... I don't wanna get up cause then I have to exercise...."   and waste a bunch of time.   Darn you, Facebook.  Plan B is get up and plan my day, journal about ideas I have or stuff I wanna do, and get myself fired up, THEN exercise.  And stay the heck away from my smart phone and tablet, cause they eat my day before it starts.  *sigh*   Please tell me I'm not the only one.

So once I got through that stuff, and breakfast, I went to the studio.  I thought I'd do some warm-up drawing, but you know what, I really don't like drawing.  I scribbled a little, said "the heck with this, I want to paint" and sketched a painting on this little canvas (5x7).  It's a little Arab mare that belongs to the same friend who owns the donkeys I drew a few weeks ago.  What can I say, I'm partial to Arabs.  One of these days I really need to get around to painting my adorable little Arab, Storm.   Pony break!

Storm, running up the hill to see me

*snuggle snuggle snuggle carrot*               Okay, back on topic.

Anyway, after I sketched that one I worked on the Tufty painting and got that huuuge dress and the pony and a little bit of skin (crap!  Just noticed I missed her feet...) roughed in. 

I'm gonna have to break up all that blue.  Hmm.

Today's work on Tufty

More Tufty videos for you tomorrow, and a little more detail on the painting.  Have a beautiful Tuesday, and stay warm!

Poniesdevon Rufty Tufty

Sketched in on the canvas

 Buoyed by the awesome experience I had this morning with dropping off the painting for Georgie's mom, I headed back to the studio today to start painting another beloved critter... this is Poniesdevon Rufty Tufty ("Tufty"), whose owner Philippa has spent bunches of time working with.  He's awesome!

Background roughed in

And, he's on Facebook and Youtube if you'd like to follow the antics of him, his cohort pony Blue, Arab friend Satin (whom I'd love to paint, too!), and his mom Philippa.  Check him out... naughty ponies make me laugh so much!  :) 

The Rainbow Bridge

Georgie - A commission.  For a custom portrait of your pet/horse, click the photo

Yay, I got Ms. Georgie done in time for the anniversary of her crossing.  I really enjoyed painting her, when I finally got my butt in gear and made myself do get into the studio and paint.  Hopefully I can keep the momentum going this week (and forever, but I know that's not realistic.

  Honestly, it's really too gorgeous a day to be inside.  It's 50 something degrees and look at that sky... after the cold spell we've had, what I'd really like to do is go play with my horses, but I really don't have time today.  Figures, the same thing happened the last warm day we had, and the weather man says cold again tomorrow.  Ah well, spring soon.  Maybe some plein air painting in my future.

 

So instead, I got out my pencils and did a rough sketch  (very rough... sketching is not my thing, something I'd like to change...) of superpony Poniesdevon Rufty Tufty ("Tufty") and his rider/trainer Philippa Davies, whose adventures you can follow on Facebook (click his name).  Not only does he rear on command, but he's learning capriole and other cool stuff.  I'll share  more as I work on his painting.  Here's the sketch:

I'm hoping to make this as magical as I think it has the potential to be.. we'll see how it goes!  The background in the photo is a beach.  Really a gorgeous photo, I'm so lucky that my Kate's Horse Edits contest winners had such awesome stuff to work with!

The BEST news is that maybe I have my mojo back, or at least my work ethic.  I'm hoping that I can get into the studio at least =almost= every day this week, even if I do nothing more than a henna design or a few scribbly sketches for practice.  Or a little altar painting. 

Where Inspiration Lives

Saturdays aren't always delicious, but this one was.  I got up (lateish for me), I exercised (this is a new daily thing), I spent a few hours editing my jewelry photos while my hubby hung out with me and read stuff from the news site he was browsing.  He had a union meeting to go to this evening, so I headed to the farm by myself to feed the horses.  Yesterday I had to break ice off the pond, which is something I truly hate doing, so today, instead, I just brought water.

"V" is a big, gorgeous black mare my friend owns, whom no one has been able to touch for years.  Every day, when I feed her, I'd do a little more.  Pause so she had to stand near me.  Then, offer the bucket I was carrying so she could eat out of it while I was holding it.  Then, I'd offer for her to sniff my hand (no way!).  The other day I offered feed in my gloved hand but she spooked.  Tonight was the first time she took grain out of my hand and acted like it was no big deal.  It was a BIG DEAL to me, but I didn't tell her that.

"V" this summer, running with Abbey & Storm behind

 

 

My horses and I do something I call "no agenda time" which means I just hang out with them... no riding, no training (well, technically it's part of training, but they don't know).  They followed me to this gigantic, ancient pear tree in their pasture, which has huge roots for me to sit on.  Abbey, my mustang, came to me and nuzzled my hands. Everything was colored in shades of pink and purple, even my dirty horse.  But oh, the sky.

January Sunset

The landscape is pretty drab in January and I eat up every bit of beauty I can find.  Might have to paint this.  With a horse in it :)  (they were behind me).

Anyway, after the sun had set I stood to go, but lingered a while.  A huge shape floated into the treetops of the big pear tree (the one whose branches are in the top of this photo) -- a great horned owl.  I sat and watched him for several minutes before he spotted what he was looking for and swooped away.  The painting of an owl is in my future, too.  Couldn't get a picture in the dusk.

Then, I came home and painted.  I am not normally an evening painter, so it felt a little weird, painting by entirely artificial light.  But, I made some good progress on Georgie, whom I think I will have done tomorrow.

Georgie - getting close to done :)

And now it's dark, and the house is quiet.  I'm counting blessings, and there are a lot of them... some curled at my feet or in my lap, some out in the pasture in the dark, some that come and go, and one on his way home.  Life is good.

Georgie (rough)

This painting was a prize to benefit White County Friends of Animals.  The winner, Iris, asked me to paint her beloved Georgie, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge last year, with angel wings, and a turtle friend (she loved turtles).  Here's the sketch.

I got her roughed in (very rough... she looks like a body builder!) with acrylic, and I will do the next layer in oils in a day or two.  

Where the Magic Is

This is something I started for my sister-in-law for her birthday, then decided to do something else for her.  I had all but the calligraphy done and finally finished it today.  I just love the quote... although I would maybe suggest that whatever it is we have inside ourselves IS magic.  Just something for you to chew on this morning :)

This is around 8x10 (I think?) watercolor and ink on 140 lb. paper and might be for sale at some point; I haven't decided.

Then I thought I'd work on a new acrylic henna impasto... I was dreaming about dragonflies last night so I decided that's what I'd do.

 I got the grass lines filled in but didn't feel like mixing a couple more cones of paint for the other colors I want to use.  The gel medium I'm using is opaque; I think I'd prefer a clear one for mixing with my Pearl-Ex powders.  This will have high-flow washes done over it when I'm finished with the lines.

Revisiting Old Friends

I started this painting a month or two ago as the first in a series of alphabet paintings I was doing with Crystal Cook.  She did "Apple."  I did "Apple-oosa."  Ha.

Only I was never totally satisfied with it.  I thought the little munchkin needed more detail and that the background needed something.  Think so?

Actually comparing the two the few little changes I made seem to make all the difference.  I gave his eyes a little more expression, darkened shadows, defined muzzle and ears, brightened whites.  Not a lot of time, but a lot of difference, in my opinion.

Then, I wanted to take the swirly background I envisioned one step further and give him a henna impasto background... in case this is your first visit here, I thicken paint and put it in the same kind of cellophane cone I use to apply henna body art, then pipe it onto the canvas basically like cake frosting.

The result is this kind of nifty texture.  I was worried that texturing the background would make the subject not stand out but I think it really has the opposite effect.  Opinions welcome on that, though.

A is for Apple-oosa!   6x6 oil on canvas - click to purchase

And here he is, all done (except I forgot to sign him, oops!  I fixed that.)  This little guy is 6x6 oil on canvas, and for sale in my Etsy shop.  Just click the picture or the link to take you there.

Patterns... not my forte

When I got my pans of iridescent watercolor I did the background for this in my watercolor sketchbook, just playing with the colors and splotching them around (I'm not sure you can see them very clearly in the pictures).  Then I used a compass and pencil and made a circle, and it basically sat that way for a couple of months.  

The plan was to make a mandala over it.  What's a mandala?  The word is Sanskrit for "circle."  It's a meditative ritual in Hinduism and that's basically my use for it here.... they're very relaxing to create once you get into a pattern, somewhat like Zentangles but better because of the meaning and symbolism involved in creating them.  I plan on making more.  Here's my Mandalas Board on Pinterest.

The other day I had an idea to use the compass some more, so I traced these circles in pencil, then retraced them without the compass in ink (fountain pen).

Then I filled it in with dip pen and India ink.  Except I messed up that one line... darnit.  Good thing this is in my sketchbook.  

And then... as I picked up my dip pen to clean it I flicked a blob of ink on it.  Grrr... note to self.  Put the artwork safely away before you clean up.

 But, it was a fun exercise that I may revisit either in watercolor again (larger this time), or maybe, if I'm brave, henna impasto.  Wouldn't that be wild looking, with a tie-dye background... or maybe tie-dye impasto paint, a concept I've wanted to try out for some time.

I have a bunch of typing to do today and I really have to get the jump on jewelry for my huge show coming up in October, but I'm hoping to sneak back into the studio later today if I can manage it.

Henna!

Is this cheating on my 30 paintings?  I don't know but it needs to count or I'll have a five-day catch-up :)

Yesterday and today I'm at Cookeville Fall FunFest selling my chainmaille and wire jewelry and doing henna body art (also known as mehndi).  I've been doing henna about as long as I've been painting and I've discovered that I really have a talent for it.  As a result, the techniques I use in mehndi have sneaked into my art in a lot of ways, and probably will sneak in more ways.

So there's no way I'm going to get a painting done these two days, so here you have it:  the art I'm doing.  

There's a henna page on my website if you'd like to check out more.

\

Wish I'd gotten a better picture of this one.