Watercolor, my nighttime therapy . . .

June has been a rough month.  Consequently, my creativity has been waning.  So yesterday, I tried something new--at least new to my routine.  I went back to my art--watercolor!  Was inspired by our recent trip to the beach and attempted a painting.  I left it to dry over night . . . .

Then . . . I couldn't sleep at 4 am this morning, so I finished it.

Now I need to get it framed . . . . and I feel better!!!!

Art in Nature

I recently read an article by Shelly Esaak called, "What is Art?" She had a lot to say, but I liked her final description:

"Art is form and content."  

And . . . she had sub points:

"Form is the actual physical materials used by the artist in some principle of design."

My actual materials in the piece above, obviously were pencil, pen, and watercolor.

"Content is idea-based and consists of what the artist meant to portray, how he actually did portray it and how it  is perceived by the beholder."

Much of my own art content has to do with nature--God's creation!  I am enamored of His creativity and some of the best content is found in our natural surroundings. I love to portray what I see there!

"For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky.  Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature." Rom. 1:20 NLT

How do you perceive all the creativity in nature? 

Practicing . . .

Just practicing sketching and watercolor . . . taking the challenge to do a little sketching every day. Sketch is of a motif on a notepad on my desk!  Linking with the 10 Minute Warm Up over at Diana's blog.  Just splashing color on the page in preparation for painting my stairs sketch.  Marking down notes, to remember what I want to do and not do.  Come on over and take the challenge!

Thumbelina

Hi! 
I've been away, waiting for the birth of a grandchild!  No posts for over three weeks! BTW, it's a boy!

So, back to art!

My favorite Etsy team, the Blogging Business Artisans, has a challenge every month.  I usually do something for my Etsy shops but this time, I was challenged to do something different.  Something for just me, just for the enjoyment of it!  Fairytale Inspirations was this month's challenge.  Instructions were to "let your imagination roam into the worlds that you dream of and the stories you heard as a child."

So I began thinking of the fairy tales I heard as a child. I decided to paint a picture of one of them.  And, being who I am, a sewer/quilter/embroiderer--"thimble girl",  I chose this pose of Thumbelina, a story by Hans Christian Andersen that he wrote in 1835.  Hope you enjoy it!

I have linked with my team blog here.  Please visit and see what others have done!  Thanks!

In Between

Still working on my techniques in watercolor, in between my book illustrations.  Here's the latest practice painting:

This was done with several color washes upon each other, then waiting in between each for them to dry, finally adding a light sprinkling of salt for a tiny bit of interruption of color.  I am quite please with the outcome!

Negative Painting

This particular practice painting uses several techniques, which I will not go into detail about, but I did want to tell you about one of them--negative painting.  I have already tried this in a previous exercise and you saw it in a previous post--here--the white leaf. 

Basically you leave a particular item shape white and paint the color around the object.  Here, I have left the farm house, water tank and a couple of other items white--actually white all around the sketch marks.  Then I have painted the background tree cover leaving the house and items white.   Then a little bit of shading is required for the finish. BTW--I am still not pleased with my wet on wet!

P.S. This was also a lesson from Hilary Page's book, Watercolor Right from the Start -- Lesson on One point perspective

P.S.S.  If you are following along, I'm going thru a watercolor crash course for my own review in preparation for illustrating my Grandma Books.  If you are interested in watercolor or children's literature you can begin following the process here!  From there check each newer post to the present.

Wet on Wet

Still practicing wet on wet techniques.  Another lesson from Hilary Page (see a previous post.) This turned out much better, I think.  I wish I would have taken pictures all along the way, but I didn't think of it in time. I first clear water wet the space for a particular color. I then dropped in the color and let it spread at will.  I did this for each separate color.  This left the flowers and leaves undefined. After it was dry , the finish was to define the petals and stems with a dry brush technique.  hmmm  . . . . I wonder if hubby thinks this one is unfinished, since I didn't use a wash on the background???

Practice for Autumn

 

Studying watercolor techniques this week: Review

These two little paintings are an exercise from the book Watercolor Right from the Start by Hilary Page. 

 This was lesson two on Understanding the Color Wheel. I really wasn't that interested in the color wheel discussion, mostly the technique of wet on wet.  Although my finish pieces are not exactly like the authors, I did learn a thing or two.  My pieces turned out with water marks more than I would have liked, instead of a blending of the colors in soft lines. I had the most trouble with the purple background.  Although I like the finished product on the right, my hubby liked the one on the left.  He was not used to the concept of the white space.  He's a kind of "Love the finished product" kinda guy, and felt that one was unfinished.  I think the one on the left looks "muddy" because of an allover wash that I used and didn't like, whereas the one on the right has more contrast and is different.  I like different!

Love to hear your opinion, especially since this is just practice!

Process Document and Final Product

I have worked on the scary stairs page until I was satisfied that I have the image that I wanted.  I started work on the final watercolor using a 140 pound acid free 11 by 15 inch watercolor paper. 

With all the previous practice pages, I had developed a sequence that I wanted to use on the final piece.  It went something like this:

First step: Sketching

Next, use a water resist medium for all the white areas of teeth and stairs

3.  Then do a wash for the stairs

4.  Do the lion wash

5.  Paint in the stair railings

6.  Paint the lines of the stairs

7.  Remove the resist medium

Then, the final details of the lion face and stair details.  Of course there were periods of rest between some of the steps for surface drying. 
(You may not be interesed in my sequence of process, but it's here for my documentation and future use.)

Here's how it turned out:

I'm not sure this is my best rendering of this subject but it is done now and I will have to stick with it.  It turned out a bit light, but the entire book illustrations are on the light side, so it is OK. 

Now, onto the next illustration!

Thought scape???

I’m working on some particularly difficult illustration ideas today.   One is for the ‘Scary Stairs’ page. With today’s exercise, I remember, now, why I left this project for so long.  I was not confident that I could complete the required illustrations. As I remember, I had not been pleased with a couple of the prototypes and how they were turning out. I had finished most of the ideas on a story board and actually completed the art for five of them in their finished watercolor form. Where I ran into a creative snag was on the more imaginary pieces.  It’s one thing to recreate an actual scene, but another to artistically record an imagined thought or dream.    I had been stumped. 

Three ideas for the Scary Stairs page

So today’s images are of the process from my first ideas of this page and on to the finished idea for it.  The final watercolor is not done.  I will try to give you a preview later on.  For now, you’ll get the idea of the process . . . . 



Sketch, trial wash, and prototype sample



Final sketch with Frisket to preserve white spaces



This last picture was kinda fun, since the window light was shinning off the wash.  Just added it for fun! Not showing the final painting--wait for the book!

What are you up to lately?



Practice Makes Perfect!

"Practice makes perfect", my mommie used to tell me!  So since I am not as accomplished as I would like to be as an illustrator, I practice how I will draw a particular page.  I suppose professional illustrators do this too :)  First, I sketch the idea:

Then I try out some color:

I add a few more details.

And finally work out the page.  (Just a snippet of it, of course!)

Grandma just doesn't like the stairs!

Practice Pieces

(Ongoing series on the Grandma Books)

The box I pulled from the closet had some practice pieces for the first book in the series.

The book is called, Grandma Doesn't Like the Stairs!  My granddaughter, Taylor, had asked me one time when I was visiting her house, why I was slow on the stairs in her house.  I guess she was used to everyone in her family running up and down the stairs.  It gave me an idea for a book and then a series of "Grandma Books".  (I should be an expert on that subject, since I have so many grandchildren!!!! You can look at my profile--About Me tab--for a peek at my family life! )  This first book is obviously dedicated to Taylor! She is now 13 years old and in junior high school.

Thanks Taylor!

The Journey Begins . . .

Yesterday's post showed some pictures of my watercolor paint roll up--Yes, Sarah, I made the roll-up some years ago. I have always loved watercolor, I guess since I was in the sixth grade!  I remember sitting at my desk with my paper and brush, those small paints pots, and little water jars--one for clean water rinsing and one for cleaning my brush.



I always liked art.  My parents spent money for art supplies, over the years seems like, every Christmas. When I got to junior high school we had to pick an elective, and don't ya know that I always picked art. I even had a few art classes in high school.  Other than those classes, I am a self taught artist and I consider myself a sort of "grandma Moses".  Why?  Because my style is a bit more juvenile than others.  But that is OK, art is art!

Art books I found in my closet

When I pulled out my old children's book project from the closet, I found quite a few books on watercolor. I will need to brush up on some techniques before starting my next book page.  More practice pieces are needed so  I'll do a few and see you tomorrow! 

 (Kathleen, I might need some help!)

New Adventure!

I am currently in the process of changing my focus for creativity.  For the last few years, I have been concentrating on my Etsy businesses of hand crafted jewelry and hand sewn products and not my art or writing.  Oh, I have had two blogs to keep my hand in writing practice and I have participated in Blue Chair Diary's Sunday Sketches but mostly this blog has been an 'on again, off again' project as far as any writing is concerned--not consistent nor concentrated.   My other blog  has been my focus, including my Etsy businesses, my BBA team, my handcrafted business friends and acquaintances.

Since recently re-thinking my outlay of time in regard to blogging and writing, I have decided to take August thru October to rest from my other endeavours and return to my writing and illustration in this blog.  I will concentrate on a couple of writing projects that were left on a back burner in my brain.  One project is actually a part of this blog, called Abby's story.  There is a tab on my home page to find this project.  But, alas, it is unfinished.  Another project is a children's book series that I started about eight years ago.  Then my breast cancer tragedy struck, my life changed a bit, and I just let my book writing plans go.

So if you are up for it, I will pull out one of these latent projects and take it up again.  I hope you will go on this journey with me to see if I can complete it. I will try to post about three times per week plus posting on Sunday's with my illustration progress on Sunday Sketches.  Your participation with me may be the boost that I need to keep plugging along toward the finish line. 

And, just as a taste of the future, these pictures show what I pulled out of a closet of that old project.  (I will explain in subsequent posts.)



Some old practice pieces

What have you dreamed about completing?

Join me, won't you?