packing essentials

Today we have been loading the RV for another week of camping, this time heading back to a site along the shore of Lake Conroe. I drew the art tools I planned to pack but it did not turn out as I had planned. Oh, well . . .

After gathering everything together, I thought “why carry both pocket palette and demi palette when all would fit in that empty folio palette?” So I temporarily moved all the paint into the folio for this trip.

Here’s a close up of the paints from the demi palette for those curious. This is what I currently carry in my bag for tiny sketches.

revisiting another old palette

In June 2018 I took part in Marc Taro Holmes’ 30 x 30 Direct Watercolor Challenge, filling this sketchbook with 30 watercolor-only sketches. I’m thinking of re-reading his book in the near future and maybe trying the same technique. At the time, I matched the Demi Palette that Art Toolkit put together for the challenge but I no longer have some of those colors. Instead, I put together the palette shown above. Instead of Perylene Maroon, I stirred a bit of raw umber and quinacridone red in a mini pan. Instead of Pyrrol Orange, I mixed quin. coral and nickel azo yellow. Then substituted a few other colors with those I had on hand.

The following photos are three of my favorites from 2018. Several sketches were removed from the sketchbook, the sketches either sold or given away.

after baking

This mess was on my kitchen counter after baking a loaf of sourdough, so I thought I’d sketch it. The initial layout had a very wonky perspective between countertop and brick backsplash — I decided keep it wonky. That’s a “breakfast bar” extending to the right, an easy surface to work the dough.

Drawn with a Kaweco Supra fountain pen, F nib, and De Atramentis Document Grey ink.

I bake my loaves in parchment paper because it makes transferring the proofed dough to the preheated loaf pan so much easier! I have a bread lame for scoring the top but kitchen shears work easier. The actual loaf of bread is in the wax-infused cloth bread bag — it keeps so much fresher this way!

a recently read book

Sometimes as I’m reading a book a line or two stick with me — so much that I jot them down to remember them. This recent book was a quick read but very good.

taking it easy

She smiles even in her sleep. But a much bigger, wider grin when it’s time to play ball.

recent sketches

Recently I’ve been doing a lot of things other than sketching. The root beer bottle was inked in early last week . . . then just sat on my desk unfinished. Reading, baking sourdough, taking care of animals, cooking meals more often (my husband usually cooks but he has serious back issues and is facing back surgery later this summer), swimming when it isn’t pouring rain (which lately seems to be daily), replacing a refrigerator that doesn’t want to play nicely anymore — in other words, “normal life” kept me from sketching.

The tiny wildflower was seen while walking my corgi. The silly hound dog, Molokai, belongs to our granddaughter. Both sketched without fussing the details.

The bottle opener next to the bottle was once ours. When our daughter set up her first apartment during college we gave it to her, saying we could always replace it. Then never did. I ran over to her house last week to borrow it.

revisiting an old palette

Recently I pulled out a sketchbook from 5 years ago, intrigued that I had actually stayed with the same limited palette and 2 ink colors throughout the entire book. I could not replicate the colors exactly, as I no longer have a couple of them, but I put together a similar palette for this muted color chart in my current sketchbook.

The thin sketchbook of 140 lb. 100% cotton watercolor paper was a dream to work on! I began it on my birthday; including turquoise was influenced by the turquoise elastic band that came with the book. If I remember right, I even stuck with exactly the supplies shown on the first page!

back to the pool

After over two years, I have finally got back in our swimming pool.

While undergoing treatment for cancer, my medical team didn’t want me in a pool because my immunity was so low. Besides, I had an ostomy at the time and wasn’t comfortable getting in a pool with it. After the cancer and ostomy were gone, I still had a chemo port for a time — probably not a problem, but the area was sensitive. Now I can get back to swimming (it’s really good, gentle exercise) but my legs are still weak. I wasn’t too sure I could step out of the pool by myself with no handrail.

But this past weekend, Bill and our son-in-law Michael installed a handrail. I spent some time in the pool yesterday evening and it felt wonderful!

The magnolia leaf? It floated past me in the water so I brought it inside to sketch.

some really big books

Whenever I read books (a constant habit since early childhood), I find myself looking up maps, time charts, and historical data to satisfy my insatiable curiosity. I also love re-reading classics like Sherlock Holmes and books from the “Golden Age” of mysteries including Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Agatha Christie.

Months ago, I stumbled on this used set of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes — I placed a bid and won! They are much larger in size and weight than expected, definitely NOT for reading myself to sleep, lest one falls on my face as I drift off!

Today I just finished reading Laurie R. King’s new mystery, “Knave of Diamonds”, which involves the real-life theft of the so-called Irish Crown Jewels. Comments in a Facebook group, The Beekeeper’s Apprentices, led me to re-read one of the original Holmes mysteries that was written near the time of the theft. And as long as the books are out, I might as well sketch them, right?

yesterday’s musical interlude

Yesterday afternoon we drove to Needville for our youngest grandson’s piano recital — the boy is Way Talented, his fingers flying over the keys! A bit of classical, a couple of jazzy pieces, Amazing Grace, then a couple of just-fun pieces.

On the way there, I drew these two tiny sketches of Bill’s Dr. Pepper and my new purse. Just drawing what’s in front of me. My car’s passenger seat rides really smoothly, even on country roads, so drawing is easier than expected. This morning I added a bit of watercolor. (After painting the blue of my denim skirt, I left the purse lighter in color for contrast.)

A few weeks ago we were walking through downtown Fredericksburg when Bill caught a whiff of leather. He told me “let’s just go in here just to enjoy the smell!”While in high school, he liked to work with leather; later he gave me his tools when he joined the Navy. I crafted belts and purses during high school to earn some spending money.

But he ended up buying himself a cell phone holster and an ID wallet — then grabbing this soft leather bag for me. Nice souvenirs of our trip!