Last year, when central Texas was still in a drought, we had all sorts of interesting mushrooms pop up in our yard. So many varieties!
This year, with a large portion of Texas in flood stage with too much rain, all mushrooms seem to be missing. I drew these from photos I took last year.
Also missing are the dragonfly hordes who flew in, ate up all our mosquitoes, and flew on to new areas. I think they commonly breed in the vegetation along Lake Somerville, now under massive amounts of water. I miss them.
Hi, Vicky, nice sketches, love how you can simplify... are all your last sketches made on 140 lb paper? It is 300 g/m2, I always thought, that it is too heavy for sketchbook, I make my from 160 g/m2 = 98 lb. I wonder what's the difference in using them... have to find some and try.
ReplyDeleteWe are having very dry weather, the soil is hard without water...
Jana, it seems that I simplify the complexities of what I see without even realizing I'm doing so. Not a conscious decision -- it's just part of my unique "style". I'd love to paint inspiring landscapes but it seems I'm more able to do simple illustrations.
ReplyDeleteSome of my handmade books contain 140 lb. paper, some contain 90 lb. Others may have a lighter paper made for printing such as Nideggen. When binding the heavier papers, I use fewer sheets of paper in each signature. Some brands of heavy paper cannot be folded into signatures so I buy those that can.
Heavier paper allows wetter, "juicy" watercolor application but I seldom work with very wet washes. So using 90 lb. would be best for me probably --- For this journal I simply used what I had on hand, a sample pack of watercolor papers. Next time I buy paper for more journal-binding, I'll probably buy a lighter weight.