waiting & sketching

We left very early today for my CT scan, knowing Houston’s morning rush hour traffic would be bad. And it was! Yet we were still too early so I sketched the waiting room. Several people left before I finished but I managed to capture a few of them.

This visit was just routine as they prepare to finish the ostomy reversal begun three months ago. Then I will continue to have CT scans and bloodwork for 5 years to make sure that the cancer does not return.

yesterday’s sketch, updated

After returning home yesterday, I was wondering what I should add to my depot sketch — today I added a sketch of one of the historical reenactors from a photo I had snapped. She seemed to add to the page in a way that the nearby caboose or other building did not.

Our granddaughter Jayna sometimes works as a reenactor at George Ranch. Like the lady in the sketch, Jayna loves to play dress-up and sharing historical facts with the many visitors.

today’s sketchcrawl

Today I finally made it to another sketch crawl, this time in nearby Tomball. It must be over 8 years since I last met with the Urban Sketchers Houston group! Several of us avoided the Farmers’ Market crowds and chose to draw the 1906 train depot in its peaceful park setting instead. After adding the USk stamps, we headed home before the rain began — Bill had some wood in the back of the truck for a new building project and we didn’t want it to get wet. Later on, I’ll decide what else I want to add to this 2-page spread.

playing with color, again

Recently, a comment was made on a blog entry I wrote in November of 2011 after reading a past issue of Watercolor Artist magazine about pigments used by artists in the late 19th century. At the time I came up with my own version of similar colors using quinacridone gold as my yellow — the original single pigment quin. gold that is no longer available. (The new version, while close in color, does not work the same in mixes!)

So this week I’ve played with my current paints, putting together an updated version of this limited palette, sketching it in my tiny sketchbook. Then I tried it on completely different paper (a blank refill for my passport size Traveler’s Company notebook). And then I painted a swatch card to see what mixes can be made.

Playing with my watercolors and pocket palettes makes me happy! 😊 

(And yes, I managed to sneak in a turquoise! It’s my favorite color and I figured it can substitute for the greens and cooler blue that were originally used. The original pigments artists used are listed on the left-side page of the Traveler’s refill.)

Indian paintbrush and bluebonnets

This year the Texas bluebonnets have been a bit sparse, at least in our immediate area. But the Indian paintbrush have been abundant — even colors of coral and yellow have bloomed among the usual orange-red.

This photo was taken in the same area as the above were sketched from by my friend A. just one year ago:

sketching wildflowers

This past Friday, a friend and I got together to sketch and chat. She lives on land currently covered with windflowers — I drew some bluebonnets, a primrose, and false dandelion in a glass yogurt container that were sitting in front of me. 

This crazy jumping spider kept coming near me so I added him (her?) to the page.

The local bluebonnets have been outdone by Indian paintbrush this year. Oceans of orange have overtaken the usual blue. A. and I both took photos (her iPhone camera is newer and much better than mine!) — I plan on trying to sketch a landscape of wildflowers later this week.

This is a photo I took looking towards a neighboring farm . . .

And this is a photo A. took recently. I absolutely love Texas wildflowers!

a bit of lantana

Today we drove to south of Tomball to buy new lantana plants, which the hummingbirds and butterflies love. Afterwards, we ate at Goodson’s Cafe — their pot roast is wonderful! (and so is the pie 😋)

On some of the walls are art items for sale. I liked how this Texas star seemed to be made of old car tags — then Bill looked at the small price tag hanging from it: “Made in China”. 😳 

aloe vera, Texas sized

Two years ago, we bought a small aloe vera to place in this special terra cotta pot. Mikala, our granddaughter, had decorated the pot with shells from Galveston. When we lived in Kansas, I kept an aloe vera in it but it was an indoor plant.

Here in the warmer climate of Texas, we planned on putting it outdoors. On a whim, I planted it directly in the soil instead of the pot. When winter nights might get too cold we wrap the plant in a protective sheet and it seems to be surviving. In fact, it’s thriving with new patches of growth added each year. The pot would have been too small.

Today I planted a small succulent in the pot instead.

two sketch kits

Today I cleaned out and reloaded my two sketch kits, both purchased years ago from Art Toolkit. The larger one was bought as a “second” during an annual spring cleaning sale but I cannot find any defect in it at all. For those curious, I’ve listed the contents below:

The small Pocket Kit holds my 2” sketchbook, a Demi Palette, a small spray bottle to refresh paint, small cut pieces of watercolor paper to test colors on, a travel waterbrush with medium brush tip, a size 03 Pigma Micron pen in sepia (with skinny masking tape around the upper barrel in case I wish to tape off a border), a thin line brush pen in muted green, a well-used Blackwing pencil, and a size 2 travel brush. The large pockets hold a 3.5 x 5” Traveler’s Notebook refill, a flat viewfinder, a folded paper towel, and a small clip to attach the palette to my sketchbook as I work. I have a silver Kaweco Liliput fountain pen with gray ink that I’d like to add to this kit but I’m having trouble with it’s ink feed.

The larger A5 Kit holds my current 5 x 7.5” sketchbook, a terry wrist band for wiping brushes, a paper towel, a 2.0 Molotow masking pen (this is a new tool for me), a stick eraser (to remove the masking fluid), a Kaweco Supra fountain pen with black ink, a mechanical pencil, a white Gelly Roll pen, two waterbrushes (one large tip, one small), two small clips, a Pocket Palette, some small cut pieces of watercolor paper, 2 Kaweco Liliput fountain pens (with brown and muted green inks), 2 travel brushes (a squirrel mop and a 1/4” dagger), and a small spray bottle.

All inks are De Atramentis Document or Noodler’s, chosen for their water resistance so watercolor can be painted over the ink lines. I don’t like carrying a purse — keys can clip to the zipper pull and my ID wallet is flat enough to slip into an inside pocket.

tiny pink mushrooms

This morning as I walked the south pasture with my corgi, I came upon these pink mushrooms. I’ve never seen any pink or red ones before — so I sketched them in my tiny sketchbook.

The palette is a Baby Cactus Demi Palette, a limited edition from Art Toolkit.