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.