Pen Envelope and lunch with a Friend

A friend from urban sketchers wanted some pens like the ones I use in my sketchbooks. So we arranged to meet for lunch, sketch, chat and then I could hand off the pens to her.
Here’s the sketch I did during lunch.

And here’s the little surprise I made for her to keep the pens. She liked it so much that she said she’s using it on her next trip to India.

The envelope was made of heavy decorative card stock. I sewed all around the liner with my sewing machine.
 I attached a sari silk ruffle and button closure with elastic wrap.
The button was attached with two decorative brads. 

 I included a postcard and notepad inside the envelope

I made a curly paper clip dangle with an elephant and three silver bells. 

inktober 2019, Day 22-31

Dark, coat, ride

I wanted to play with three values: dark, medium and light. For dark, I have Noodlers ink “Dark Matter”. The eggplant is often darkest in a still life, but this time it’s the middle value with the lemon being lighter.

Rolling on a second coat of paint.

Toys R Us used to carry this vintage wooden Radio Flyer Scooter but the lettering was more like children’s printing.

Injured, Catch, Ripe

I just had to draw one of the fishmongers at Pike Place Market catching a “flying” fish.

I don’t know about you but I have the hardest time judging the right time to open an avocado.

Yay! Finished!

My personal time has been very limited this month. Although I knew that I would probably have to play a game of catch up this time and post late for much of this year’s Inktober, I love the challenge of daily sketching and the way Inktober generates involvement around the world. How could I resist? So here I am posting my last six drawings with one page left at the back of my sketchbook.

Thanks again, Jake, for another set of inspirational prompts.

Inktober 2019, Day 21-25

Day 21-25
Treasure. Ghost, Ancient, Dizzy, Tasty

treasure, ancient, dizzy, tasty

Ancient Greek columns were made to flare out slightly at the top so that at human eye level they would appear straight as the receded upwards.

I love fresh strawberries. 🍓🍓🍓


So where’s the ghost, you may ask? I have something in mind but I’m waiting for delivery of some white ink that I ordered. 😁

Inktober 2019, Day 18-20

Day 18, 19, 20
Misfit, Sling, Tread

 Misfit, Sling, Tread

 When my father wanted to express the idea of someone being a misfit he would say “It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.“

My Sling style backpack holds a lot of my favorite sketching materials.

 This time of year proves to be an irresistible opportunity for children to stomp around in muddy puddles and then leave their boot treads and muddy footprints all over the floor when they come indoors!

Inktober 2019, Day 14-17

When I read the prompt for Day

Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies photographed in 2012

Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies (also known as the Wild Horse Monument) is a public artsculpture created by David Govedare in 1989–1990 and situated near Vantage, Washington. It consists of 15 life-size steel horses which appear to be galloping across a ridge above the Columbia River. Presented as a gift for the centenary of Washington's statehood, the sculpture was conceived as a memorial to the wild horses which once roamed the region. According to the Seattle Times, it is one of the most-seen public artworks in Washington state.

Overgrown  legend, wild, ornament 

John Singer Sargent is the legendary painter who is my art hero. As I looked over my ink wash portrait of him, I couldn’t resist tweaking it a bit. Here’s the result.

Inktober 2019 - Day 8 - 13

Day 8, 9, 10
 Frail, swing, pattern

A frail broken butterfly wing, a golf swing and a sewing pattern

The air is like a butterfly
With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky
And sings. - Author: Joyce Kilmer

Day 11, 12, 13

Snow, Dragon, Ash

A snowy mountain, Seattle International District dragon, cigarette ash

Inktober 2019

Having fun with Inktober again.  

Fall Schedule for Weekly Watercolor Classes, 2019

After enjoying a summer full of family and art adventures of my own, I am excited to share more new watercolor adventures with students in my weekly classes.

Fall Schedule 2019:

Stanwood/Camano Island: Watercolor, All Levels
A Guilded Gallery
10/24 - 11/21---------5 weeks
Thursdays, 10am - 1:00pm
Register online or Call to register:  (360) 629-2787

Kirkland, WA: Intermediate Watercolor

Kirkland Arts Center
9/27 - 11/15-------8 weeks
Fridays: 10am - 1:00pm
Register online or Call to register: (425) 822-7161
Email: info@kirklandartscenter.org

Kirkland, WA: Introduction to Watercolor Workshop - Beginning Level

Kirkland Arts Center
11/16 - 11/17------2 days
Saturday and Sunday: 10am - 4pm
Register online or Call to register: (425) 822-7161
Email: info@kirklandartscenter.org 

Skagit Valley College - Mt. Vernon, WA

Watercolor Painting - All Levels
9/25 - 11/13 -------8 weeks
Wednesday Evenings: 6pm - 9pm
Register online or Call to register: 360.416.7638
Info:  email Courianne.Williams@skagit.edu

Palette Layout and Colors
(Please email michelec12@gmail.com for current layout and colors)

Materials List

It’s back! World Watercolor Month 2019

Charlie O’Shields, the creator of Doodlewash®, is the founder of World Watercolor Month. His own love of the medium led to the creation of a blog and social artist movement dedicated to promoting and connecting the vast community of watercolor artists all over the world. The blog has featured hundreds of artists sketching and painting with watercolor on all seven continents. According to Charlie, “There’s something magical about watercolor, and it’s my passion to bring all types of watercolor artists together to celebrate each other’s work and the medium we all love!”

Find out more at www.worldwatercolor.com.

Multitasking the May 2019 Prompts

On this first day of the Every Day in May challenge, I realize my schedule for the coming days is going to be more than full. Aside from classes to teach today through Friday, we have our daughter, granddaughter and new great grandson coming to visit on Friday! As soon as family comes over, all other plans take a backseat!

With that in mind, I am going to try to get a little ahead on this year's commitment to sketching, drawing and painting on a daily basis. I'll do my best to go with the prompts, but daily sketching, no matter what the subject, is priority. So here goes:

“Some fruit, blueberries”—-“True Blue”

Many of these prompts overlap, so I can post to EDiM, Doodlewash and this weekend, to Moment sketchers. Check them all out and see which list appeals to you!