Marshmallow Snowmen

Since it got down to a chilly 63 degrees at night, we warmed up with hot chocolate and marshmallow snowmen. I made them by stacking three large marshmallows onto a straw. Then I used tiny gold pearls for the eyes, a sliver of orange Starburst candy shaped as a carrot nose, black frosting for the smile, and pretzel sticks for arms. His cozy scarf was a sour belt wrapped around and tied.

It was such fun to make these while everyone slept and surprise them in the morning! Seems all ages love snowmen, real or marshmallow ones!

(I don't have a scanner here, so sometimes the exposure on the photos isn't the best)

Glass Fishing Float

Tropical downpour is keeping us indoors today. As I look around the house, I see something that reminds me of the beautiful ocean not too far from here.

Blown glass fishing float

Checking the Balance at the ATM

She stood there for the longest time....absolutely still. At first I thought she was checking her receipt after using the ATM, but later I wondered if she was texting on her cell phone. I never did see her face, her age or the color of her hair.

I was parked across the driveway, tidying up my checkbook in the car and when I looked up there she  was! Finally ready to leave, I quietly backed out and drove around the block in the opposite direction, heading home. As far as I know, she's still there!

The Shabby French Market with ASk

It felt so very French with 1940's jazz and pop tunes on the air. I turn a corner and there's a picture on the wall in a little alcove. It's a sepia photograph of a carriage driving down the wide dirt street of Commercial Avenue in 1910 and the Keystone Building is on the corner. That building now has a shop called The Shabby French Market, the perfect place to sketch on a rainy autumn afternoon.
I spent a wonderful day downstairs with the Anacortes Sketchers, drifting through time from one spot to another on a journey of discovery.

It's the last page of my sketchbook and I'm still working on it. 

Kids and Animals

Once I finished sketching in the sun, I retired to the shady porch for homemade soup.

You know what they say about working with, or sketching, kids and animals...... not the easiest thing in the world!! Today, at Skagit River Produce barn, it was a battle between kids and animals. These two guys invented PVC extensions to herd the last few renegade chickens back into the pen. I helped a little bit by triangulating with them and gracefully waving my sketchbook back-and-forth.

People and chickens like picking through the corn.

I stayed there in the back of the barn for a while, trying to figure out why the rooster was trying to sabotage my sketching session. He knew I needed contrast, so insisted on calling the hens into the shade. Once they were out of the sun, he promptly tucked his head under his wing and took a nap. No rooster portrait for you! Apparently, free range encourages lack of art appreciation. Never mind, I got three of them anyway.

Next, I turned my back on the chickens and did a sketch of Gary, one of the owners, and a friend, while they sorted out the flatbed full of fresh, ripe corn. 5 for $1 and we are having some for dinner tonight!

Figure Studies vs. 6-Stroke Figure

If you've been around my blog and/or website for a while, you have probably encountered my tutorial on simple silhouettes, which I call 6-stroke figures. I even have a tutorial page and video on how easy they are to do. They're great for giving scale to a cityscape or adding the human element to a composition.

A 2 page spread from my little DYI pocket sketchbook

While I am recharging my art spirit this summer, sketching all over the place with friends and colleagues, I have decided to kick it up a notch (as Emeril would say) Let's see if I can put a little personality, individuality and expression in the figures I'm adding to the scene. BAM!
I would call these more than a silhouette, but less than a portrait....so maybe "studies" would be a good term to use. I feel that I did achieve a bit beyond the generic and succeeded in trying to make them as individual as possible.

I guess the guys on the fishing boat are half stroke figures, or maybe just a dot! ;)

My Mini Watercolor system

I forgot to post this the other day. But I still plan to put more things on the page, so when I do I will post again.

I am making everything small enough to fit into my compact "urban sketch" bag. This is a section I cut off a sponge, and a tiny travel size hair spray bottle filled with clear water inside the cap from a cosmetic bottle.   (It's a lot more fun to sketch these than it is to snap a photo!)

All Green

All green.......that's what you see. And then, you realize this little ranch house is tucked away in the perfect spot off the road at Kualoa ranch.

I finally had an opportunity to sketch this for my 2014 Sketchbook Project.

It's just the left side of the 7x10" composition.

This sketchbook is currently on an international tour. Head to the official tour page for even more details. 

Trees

Original Watercolor
7"x10" center of foldout
Sketchbook Project, Limited Edition

Here's another page from my sketchbook. It's the center section of an accordion foldout. It has another section either side of it, each 7"x5".

We had a long winter and the transition was almost immediate into spring. Another day in early April, and I don't think I would have caught the change.

I'll post more about this series of three sketches soon.

Free Watercolor Lesson

Original watercolors by Michele Cooper.

Two examples of tulip fields, using the principles of gradation and alternation with reference photo.

For those who are curious about what goes on in my watercolor classes, here is an excerpt from a recent session, with visual aids, demonstrations and sample assignments.

Using Walnut Ink or Liquid Pencil, study lights and darks of your subject.

Select one of your reference photos or sketches. Make one or two eighth sheet watercolor sketches to work out the composition, then use the sketch to make a larger painting.

Have fun, all you Sunday painters!

The Sketchbook Project, Limited Edition

Original Sketches from my Sketchbook Project, Limited Edition
7"x18" Accordion Fold Section

Now that this has been sent in, and the deadline has passed, I thought you might like to get a peek inside my sketchbook. Visit here for more information on the whole project.

I removed the thin paper from the original Moleskine sketchbook provided by the project and replaced it with 140 lb. CP Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper. Directions on how to rebind your sketchbook here.

Every contributor to the Sketchbook Project Limited Edition Vol. 1 will be included in a series of art books documenting the project. Together, the series will provide insight into the imagination and process of each artist participating in the project. Bound by the Brooklyn Art Library Press and hand-finished in our Brooklyn workshop, the book series will be published in the fall of 2012.

Red Roof Progression

Red House on the Bluff
8x10" Original Watercolor, Line and Wash


First, I used a photo reference and micron pen....no preliminary drawing, no eraser!

Next I painted a pattern of light and shadow.



Finally, I worked on the variations of light and dark tones, warm and cool colors and textures, while trying to keep it fresh and "sketchy".

 This one's not in the show at Gallery by the Bay. I just finished it in the studio yesterday.

How to Rebind Your Moleskine Sketchbook

I'm participating in the 2012 Sketchbook Project. The paper that came with the official sketchbook is too thin for me to use with watercolor, so I replaced it with Fabriano Artistico and used a simple binding method to make sure it holds up to many (I hope) page turnings.

Here's the method I used to bind my sketchbook with watercolor paper. Watch on YouTube if you want to see it full screen.

If you think you'd like to try this project, see my other posts regarding the Sketchbook Project. Please let me know if you have any questions....or send me a link to your sketchbook. I'd love to see how it's coming along so far.