World watercolor month is a wrap

I’ve been working on both series of prompts for July

For the final day of World Watercolor Month and the Firefly Watercolor Challenge I want an image that will help cool us down from the current heat wave we're experiencing.

I remember fishing in the Tumwater River near Wenatchee with my parents, cooling down by walking barefoot in the cold water. You had to watch your step because the round rocks were slippery. My sister and I were always disappointed when we took our pretty rocks out of our pockets at home and they had changed from shiny jewels to dull grey stones.

"River Rocks" I learned a lot from books and videos by Tony Couch

FireflyWatercolorChallenge Day 31: You Did It!

“Watercolor: you can do it!” — Tony Couch. Congratulations! You’ve done it! Our 31-day watercolor challenge is complete, and you’ve proven your creative skill and dedication to your craft. Let us know what you plan to paint next.

What’s next? I think I’ll take the little peg man for a walk with my sketchbook around Portugal and extend my virtual vacation. They have tuktuks there now, an added convenience since we were there last. 

Worldwatercolormonth - Celebration of color on Doodlewash.com prompts

I’m celebrating complimentary color, value and chroma. This time a real watercolor, not an illustration or a sketch. 

Stay tuned for all 31 watercolors in one post. 

Did Somebody Say Collage?

The prompt for today's daily watercolor challenge from #fireflywatercolorchallenge is "paper collage." Say no more! I have a few drawers full of exotic papers and panels on which I've already collaged with "rice paper" and painted with abstract watercolor washes. (At one time, I was the president of the National Collage Society.)

A few of my watercolor and Asian paper collage panels from the studio hoard.

Serendipity! The daily prompt from Doodlewash for #worldwatercolormonth is "nature hike". I am still reminiscing about my recent Watercolor Nature Journal Workshop last month. I tore out a few pages of my little sketches from our nature hike on Saturday and collaged them into a mountain scene. I scored and two for one this time!

Nature Hike. A collage of memories and sketches.

Shells drawn with a Mapping Pen

I'm still having so much fun making my daily drawings on DIY postcards! I like the Fabriano Studio 140lb CP paper for the surface that takes pen and watercolor perfectly for this illustrative style.

I'm trying out my new dip pen and Dr. P.H. Martins Bombay Sepia ink. The ink dries relatively quickly in this 82°F weather we're having. (That's the cooler part of the late morning this week!) So right away I can start painting layers of watercolor washes from my DIY Altoids Mini Kit. No smearing!

I found my new "rare" pen on Ebay

Now about the pen. I saw Ohn Mar Win using it a year or two ago, but lately she mentioned that it was her favorite and I can see why. I wanted a dip pen that I could take sketching and not get too inky all over. Look! the nib stores in the pen just like my travel watercolor brushes do! I also wanted a flexible niib. Voila! Thanks, Ohn Mar!

William Mitchell Joseph Gillott Reversible Mapping Dip Pen Holder with 659 Mapping Nib. The 659 Gillott Mapping is a delicate and flexible nib which can create fine and wide lines depending on the pressure applied. Suitable for most mapping and drawing requirements.

The Gillott 659 Crow Quill nib can be stored inside the holder to preserve the point. The nib can be replaced when worn.

A Virtual day in Lisbon

Okay, I decided to visit Lisbon via Google Earth. That means I can't claim this as an official urban sketch. You have to draw on location for that. But the little peg man and I went there via our virtual feet and I relived some past times in that amazing city. Thinking of friends in Portugal now. 

My Virtual Paint out in Lisbon thanks to Google Earth

Firefly Watercolor Challenge Rainy Day?

I have moved out onto the “patio studio” where the forecast is sunny and warm for the next ten days! This is my virtual Porto location where I pretend to be at the USK 2018 symposium. So I am having my virtual pastéis de nata with real espresso as if in a cafe in Portugal. 

For my sketching buddies at the symposium: I miss you! You will need these natas to fortify you to climb all over Porto. (We know. We have been to all the cities you have mentioned before.)

Insider Tip: Check for the words “Fabrico Próprio” when choosing a destination to eat your tarts. This means that the location makes their own pastries in-house, a guarantee that they are fresh and that care has been taken in their production. There are a lot of pretenders out there, keep your eyes open – as The Who so eloquently put it, “Don’t get fooled again!”  More info on natas in Lisbon

Looking over the day's challenge prompts for World Watercolor Month

Day 17 for Doodlewash prompt list is "city life". I can do that either on location or virtually through Google Earth. Hmm. Maybe I'll visit Porto or Lisbon.

Day 17 for FireflyWatercolorChallenge is "rainy day". I've been trying to do as many of these as possible on location. Aaack! What am I to do? Here in the Seattle area we finally have a real summer with sunny days in a row! I'm not about to mess with that! Is anybody getting rained on in Portugal right now? Send me a street scene.

In fact yesterday's prompt had me flummoxed as well. See? Here are the last two suggestions:
Day 16: Paint Night
You’re halfway through the challenge! Why not celebrate with friends by attending a Paint Nite or hosting your own at home.

Day 17: Rainy Day
Sometimes the rain is just as inspiring as the sunshine. Follow John Lovett’s lead and paint a rainy, abstract landscape scene.

I'm drinking my lemonade and thinking. Back in a little while

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It's a Sign! Firefly Day 15 and WWM Day 16 "Casting Shadows"

The Firefly prompt for today is;

Day 15: It’s a Sign
They might have a bad reputation for blocking out the scenery, but signs can also be a great source of inspiration. Get up close and recreate a colorful sign.

I know just the thing! I've been wanting to sketch this little barbershop forever. Now the long time owner has sold it and the new owner's paint job really sets off all the signs. Is there any doubt as to what business is going on here?

Watercolor tip: When I have a building with a mid tone or dark overall value, instead of painting the entire building the local color, I just paint the shadows. Doing that in the local color is enough to suggest that the whole building is, in this case, red.

The red stripe on the old retro barber pole on the south side of the building had faded, so I refreshed the color. 

The Day 16 prompt for World Watercolor Month on Doodlewash is "casting shadows" which dovetails nicely with this subject as well. Watch a Hyperlapse video of the first part of my watercolor shadow wash on my Instagram feed.

Side Note:
Ha! I was sketching in the shady part of the off street driveway when I realized that I was in the wrong way. Although I moved over to the proper parking section, now all the angles were different and the shadows, too. As you see, I've taken a bit of artistic license to make a better composition while still getting the idea across.

Oops! I just realized that I'm parked the wrong way  in a one way driveway. 

Day 12 Firefly Challenge #TBT A. J. Casson and World Watercolor DayChallenge--Fast and Loose

I am hoping that the spirit of the challenge today is what is important. We have an appointment to take my husband's iPhone in for battery replacement at the University Village Apple computer store today;

Since my personal goal is to do all the Firefly challenges that I can from life or on location, it would not work for us to take a side trip to Lime Kiln Lighthouse on the same day. (I have sketched it on location in the past, but can't find the artwork now. Possibly it was sold.)

"Fast and Loose" and a "lighthouse" shape near the Apple Store, with customer

I did, however, find a metaphor for the lighthouse; the Information Post at the mall. It has a "lighthouse" like shape and I could sit and sketch it at a nearby shady table while waiting for our iPhone battery. So this is my result on a hot day in Seattle.

Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook, Altoids DIY travel palette, Sharpie pen

Even though I was standing on the shady side of Ravenna Gardens, it truly was necessary to paint the hanging petunias and purple stocks as fast and loose as possible. The good thing is that it takes no time at all for the washes to dry! That satisfies the challenge for today on WorldWatercolorMonth as well! What a relief to slip into the cool, air conditioned shop from the 85°F heat outside.

The beautiful flowers at Ravenna Gardens Shop

Since I painted the flowers with no preliminary drawing, I can check off another of my missing days for the 30x30DirectWatercolor2018 challenge as well!

Shapes and Colors Revised

I had time to look at the composition with fresh eyes this morning after uploading the video demonstration of this scene yesterday.

Diablo Lake View

Compare the revised version of the lower left hand corner of the composition (above) to the initial one (below) as I left it on yesterday's YouTube demonstration.

While I think either one can work in the sense of a sketch on location, I enjoyed working with alternating simplified shapes, colors and values to develop that corner a bit more. The danger is knowing when to stop. The purpose of the sketch is to gather the shapes and colors into a unified whole while retaining the immediacy of a fresh experience with nature.

How would you have done it?

Initial shapes ready for watercolor. See my demonstration on YouTube

Day 9: Shapes and Colors
Creating an impression is all about the shapes you use. With a few circles and some horizontal and vertical lines, you can create a stunning beach scene. I was inspired to paint an alpine scene instead.

Day 9 Climbing Mountains

Climbing Mountains and New YouTube Demonstration

Day 9 of World Watercolor Month
The prompt for today is climbing mountains. I think this phrase fits both metaphorically and realistically because it seems like you’re climbing a mountain sometimes while trying to develop your watercolor skills doesn’t it?

After our sketching session we looked over the results.

A whole group of us climbed to the outlook past Buster Brown field during my recent Watercolor Nature Journal Workshop at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. Along with the demonstration and my sketch of Rita already on the page, I added another little vignette showing the view below. I managed to indicate the bridge across the distant edge of the lake.

New Watercolor Demo on YouTube

I’m also using this sketch to fit the prompt of “shapes and colors” for day 9 of the FireflyWatercolor Challenge. The idea of the challenges sparked my creative  muse. I had just visited the North Cascades National Park and wanted to do something about that rather than a beach scene. (saving that for later, though). I concentrated on interlocking the mountains, lake and surrounding forest shapes in the composition and distinguishing them in atmospheric perspective through color.

If you would like to see a video demonstration of my process please visit my YouTube channel here. Give me a thumbs up if you like it!

After recording and uploading the video, I looked at the sketch with critical eyes and decided to develop the lower left c orner a bit more. See tomorrow's post.

TA DA! I actually kept up with my daily sketches!

Here are all 30 of my daily sketches for DoodlewashApril2018. Despite a truly hectic teaching and personal schedule, I have managed to keep up through the last day! Actually, this has been my daily respite from all the other stuff I do, including a commission with a time crunch.

My accordion fold DIY sketchbook on Canson XL 140lb watercolor paper with front page folded over.

Day 2-14

This easy to make maze book was from an 18x24" sheet of Canson XL 140lb watercolor paper. I am using this opportunity to test out ink, watercolor pencil, Caran D'ache watercolor crayons and traditional watercolor on this paper. I am thinking about recommending it as an economical paper for beginning watercolor students. Nothing is as wonderful as professional quality Arches or Fabriano or Saunders Waterford, though.

I add each daily sketch where it seems to fit best.

Each day I look forward to adding the next prompt about childhood pastimes and favorite things. Tree climbing, tether ball (I ruled the playground on tether ball!) and bike riding were my sports.

Day 15-25

We made hundreds of oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies, but Oreos were the absolute best on a camping trip!
Day 23-29

With six kids and sometimes a dog or cat, my mom needed an aquarium like a hole in the head. (That was a phrase we heard from time to time.) So goldfish were cheap and we had them as long as we maintained the feeding and cleaning ourselves. We had funerals for departed goldfish in the Great Bowl of Porcelain. My favorite doll was a rubber baby doll with a china head and soft cuddly body, not Barbie.

Two things are missing on the TV because they were used as needed: aluminum foil for better reception on the "rabbit ears" antennae and the kid who was designated as remote control, getting up  to change channels and adjust the volume.

I see a lot of other people have their sketches in chronological order, date stamped and labeled, but after the first day, which I used as a teaching exercise, I just felt like letting the process flow along with the warm memories. It was fun, being like a kid again. I realize that I now have something even better than an old photo album to view and talk about with my children and grandchildren. I can't wait to see theirs.

Here are the daily prompts for April 2018. If you're wondering where the unicorn is, it's on the carousel. Even I knew there was no such thing as a real unicorn!

April Doodlewash up to Now

Day One-Rainbow

Here's what I have for the first two weeks of #DoodlewashApril2018 and #WorldWatercolorGroup. I'm not sure how to categorize watercolor pencils. 

Bunny rabbit, iced treats, dandelions, french fries, birds, zoo animals, bubble gum, partial Monopoly

I'm not that linear when it comes to the calendar, so a daily prompt helps but then I see the whole page as something to compose and things get juggled around a bit. See the sidebar for the daily prompts.

Olive Oyl, daughter of Coal Oyl, I believe

When we played Monopoly, my Dad was always the top hat and I tried for the sports car. Hated the thimble. The Scotty dog got lost. I think my sister took it.

Birds, Olive Oyl again, the rest of Monopoly, Shredded Wheat breakfast cereal, my favorite toy, pets and cake

I always wanted to know if anybody really did like their Shredded Wheat hot? Why???!! And I always crumbled it up before pouring on the milk because it's way too awkward to eat it whole like they showed on the box. These are things people don't know if they only read the box and never try the cereal. Now I just get the Mini Wheats with sugar already on it. And I saw this most beautiful cake on Instagram a while back and couldn't forget it. *mouth watering. heading for the pantry right now!*

Snow, trees and the Stillaguamish River

I'm putting my dagger brush to good use in the studio today. Now that most of the residual snow has washed away, I want to preserve some of the winter beauty while the memory is still fresh in my mind. It just so happens that I haven’t done my “trees “ or “river” prompts for February World Watercolor Group Challenge yet. I’m almost all caught up!

The dagger works as a watercolor wash brush, yet has a fine tip for details and fine lines. I let the brush do most of the work. This is about all the preliminary drawing I did. I scanned it darker so it would show up but actually the pencil is very light.

"Is this a dagger which I see before me?"

I doubt that Macbeth had to feel guilty about killing a good sketch, but that quote came to mind as I prepared to use my "dagger."

The brush with the shorter tuft is called a dagger, a longer one (also made for watercolor) is called a sword and the very long tuft but shorter handle seen above is a dagger striper. I have had the latter for decades. It's usually used by sign painters and car paint detailers for long, thin lines.

Douglas Fir Pine Cones

See my Instagram feed for a quick video of how I use the dagger brush for creating soft edges for snow shadows,

Trying out a new bleed proof disposable fountain pen.

I think my ink started to freeze while sketching out in the cold today, but it was the only viewpoint that I wanted for my pine cone sketch for WorldWatercolorGroup prompts. I'm all out of sinc with the calender now, so I'm just having fun catching up. Three more days to finish the February daily drawing challenge!

How's it going for you?

Abandoned Art #2 in Hawai’i

Not always, but sometimes I take along a little extra surprise in my sketchbag when I’m on my way to meet up with fellow urban sketchers. Today I decided to abandon this original 5x7” watercolor at the Honolulu Fire Museum while spending the early afternoon sketching with USK O’ahu and my two granddaughters.

Here’s what happened: A visiting sketcher from Australia was working on her sketch of Engine #6 when she spied something on the driver seat!

Averill from Australia found it while sketching the fire engine!

Here’s phow I do it:

1. Choose a piece of art, original or print, to abandon. Tag it and wrap it.
2. Post a photo and details of where this will happen on my Instagram feed (follow me to get the latest notifications)
3. Post a photo on FB Art Abandonment Group page.
4. Place the free artwork for someone to find, but don’t get caught!
5. Post a photo of the abandoned art as a hint for the finder, whoever they may be. (Sometimes if a fellow sketcher finds it, they will surprise me by letting me know of their find! Three times the fun!)

More about Art Abandonment here.
More about my process while painting Kawainui Marsh here.
Please read more about our wonderful day with USK O’ahu here.

Kawainui Marsh

Had a wonderful afternoon stroll at Kawainui Marsh. Inspired!

I made a value study and 5x7" greeting card preliminary sketch in watercolor. I plan to abandon this art at the Urban Sketchers O'ahu meeting on Saturday.

Just before sunset on the marsh.

I think the pigeon is trying to blend in

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Sketching a Banana Plant

My finished two page visual journal spread about banana plants. 

I’ve been working on this off and on for a few days, interrupted by life, weather, etc. See my Flickr account for high resolution and zoom able scan. (In case you want to read all the commentary.)

A pause while sketching. Work in progress.

Notes from the South Pacific Studio:

At first I thought I heard the pattering sound of raindrops on the windows. In actuality it was the sound of palm leaves rustling in the Tradewinds. As I watched the wind ruffling the palms, my attention was drawn to the variation among the banana leaves.

Comparing neighborhood banana leaves

I love learning new things and the best way for me to "see" something better is to sketch it. Since there are banana plants literally all around our son’s house, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to compare the living specimens in detail.

I started out with the plant next door with a new crop of bananas growing from the flower. Although the flower I sketched from this plant was wonderful to draw and paint, it was too far gone to eat. The next sketch was of a section of the stalk. I was amazed at the variety of colors and textures to be explored.

A wild banana plant lives at the back corner of the house. After I looked these fresh green leaves over, I realized that they have a red stripe down the back. Many of the older leaves were shredded into fringe in the wind and rain storm last week. You can tell how windy it has been by the amount of “fringe” there is on the leaves. (Note to self: If I  ever buy a banana plant from the nursery, don’t bring it home in the open back of a pick up truck)

I learned that besides the fruit, you can also eat the inside core of the stalk and the banana flower. More research on the internet revealed that there is quite a cleaning process as well as an acidic soak required to get rid of the bitter taste of the stalk and flower.

A diagram of the edible parts of a banana flower

A Nod to Wyeth

A nod to Wyeth.

Sometimes as a way of doing preliminary studies I will make several versions of a painting as greeting card sketches. Often, that's all they will ever be, just explorations.

This 5x7 gives me an opportunity to play around with a bit of Wyeth metaphor in the imagery. Here's a list in case you haven't caught the implications on your own:

1. A colonial wrought iron candle stick holder. Something that would have been common at Chad's Ford during the Revolutionary War.
2. The candle is colonial style, too. 
3. Eggs, as in egg tempera, the medium for which Wyeth became known.
4. The jagged edges of the broken egg shells remind me of the jagged edges on a log of fire wood outside one of Wyeth's window compositions.
5. There is the window, of course, with the windows of the building outside peering in as Andrew might have done.
6. The autumn season was one of Wyeth's favorites as was the same limited palette I'm using here.
7. Andrew used a bit of underlying drama to create a certain amount of unease in his compositions. I have alternated symmetry and asymmetry to leave the viewer slightly off balance. The candle flame, almost but not quite touching the window handle causes a bit of visual tension.
8. And then there are the shadows reminiscent of the shadows on the ceiling at Kuerner's. This time they're on the tablecloth.