for the birds

These pages have been experimental, trying various methods of using watercolor and colored pencils. The background of the pigeon didn’t contrast enough so I added colored pencil. That still didn’t work, so I tried another wash of watercolor over the pencil — major failure! Giving up and moving on . . .

The quotes were jotted down after drawing the heron in colored pencil. Bill and I have been reading the Chief Inspector Gamache mysteries by Louise Penny.

hangin’ on the vine

 

Years ago I was commissioned by a small church to do some sketches to be used as backgrounds for an overhead projector. Placed over these images were prayer prompts that would be up during a noon voluntary time of prayer. I recently came across four of these original images that I particularly liked. Especially the grapes.

The very first thing I ever tried to paint in watercolor was a bunch of grapes (a sketch that was never even finished because I niggled it too much!) in an informal group of friends in Wichita, Kansas. We called ourselves the Riverside Watercolor Society.

“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.”  — John 15:5, The Message

how my mind works

On Monday I wrote a blog post about putting together this almost neutrals only palette after seeing a similar selection of colors on a previous post on Suhita Shirodkar’s Instagram feed. I played around with this palette a bit, exchanging one primary color for another. Currently this one has pyrrol scarlet instead of Suhita’s transparent pyrrol orange and cerulean blue chromium instead of her cobalt blue. I often use the back pages of my journal to test pens and paints. But I missed my wee Demi Palette!

And I was once again distracted by another artist’s limited palette. Róisín Cure recently posted what she calls her “Extreme Limited Palette” of only 4 colors: indigo or Payne’s grey, burnt umber, yellow ochre, and Venetian red or transparent red oxide. I copied the above sketch from Róisín’s blog but can’t find the direct link to it any more.

So I combined the basic ideas of both palettes, tweaked my color choices once more, and switched them to my Demi Palette. The lower row has my version of Róisín’s colors — instead of burnt umber, I mixed transparent red oxide and indigo; this can be tweaked by either to be more brown or more gray. My red is now lunar red rock and my 2nd blue is cobalt turquoise, an unusual choice but it’s made of the same pigment as cerulean blue chromium and I just love it! I added 2 pans of titanium white gouache — one for mixing and one to stay clean for highlights. This set will definitely be fun in a toned paper sketchbook!

and finally . . . seashells!

For the final spread in this small sketch journal, our visit to the gulf coast and Galveston Island isn’t complete unless I sketch some of the shells I picked up. I strolled along the beach and waded through the surf a bit before stopping to pick some up . . . and Bill still laughed, knowing I couldn’t resist them for long.

In this journal, I recorded planning an unexpected trip to Kansas followed by unsuccessfully trying to find an alternate flight when mine was canceled. I missed the funeral but later wrote this note to myself in the front of this journal.

I believe that a) I wasn’t meant to go to my stepmother’s funeral (I was only going for my dad who I do not have a close relationship with), and b) God wanted me to go through the frustrating day because He knows I learn best through experience.

I have forgiven my dad for the past and have done all I can to try to establish a relationship with him. I realize now that I was trying to get to the funeral to earn his approval — God tells me that I’ve done all I need to do; the rest is up to my dad. I already have God’s approval and that is enough.

new iPod . . . stuff to learn yet

Last week I upgraded to a new iPod after my original one (generation 2) was no longer able to run some programs. It didn't sinc with my computer anymore either . . . not since an upgrade to iTunes on my computer.

This one has a camera and I am determined to learn to use it for posting pictures of my sketches instead of taking a separate camera along with me. I already posted a picture of this sketch on Facebook --- that was easy. But I have not yet learned how to post a picture straight to my blog from the iPod camera.

I tried but just the words posted, not the photo. Surely there is a way; I just haven't figured it out yet.

knitting bag . . .

. . . full of Someone's Christmas sweater. After finishing up on knitting one evening, I sketched the bag while waiting for a program to end.

Later, I measured how it was coming and ended up starting all over. The pattern I'm using is for a 12 mo. toddler and uses a bulkier yarn. I'm making this to fit a 3 - 6 month old (I hope) and using a lighter yarn. I have a perfectionistic nature and often start all over on projects. Good thing that this is very small --- I've already nearly caught up with where I was before. The shape is much better too.

Speaking of perfectionism, I also added to the above sketch . . . then wish I hadn't added the background color. When will I ever learn to stop with a sketch before I "ruin" it?

birthday card for Shirley

Recently someone commented on my Flickr site that they would like to learn to draw and asked if I could tell them my experience. I thought what I wrote might help someone else . . . .

In 2005, I was afraid to even try to draw again. While growing up, I drew all the time, but had not done so since and now I was 51. But a friend asked me to come with her to a small watercolor class. I had never tried watercolor but felt this was actually from the Lord --- that He was gently leading me back into art. Otherwise, how would this friend have ever known I was once interested in it?

I played around for a couple of years but without much direction. Then I found so many sketchers and painters on Flickr . . . . and then found the Everyday Matters (EDM) group and their weekly drawing challenge. One day in May 2007, I bought a sketchbook and did my first sketch. Then a second one. For a long time, I simply did the EDM challenge list, one drawing at a time. Eventually that gave me confidence and I began to post them on-line (shaking in my boots as I did so!)

This is like learning to play an instrument or driving a car or even learning to write your own name (which is just a line drawn) . . . . the more you DO IT, the more confidence you gain and the more comfortable you become. I never think I'm as good as I want to be, but I think that is a universal feeling. Just keep striving to be better. As you do, your own personal style just sort of "happens" and you grow.