EDM #112 Fresh

For me, there is nothing fresher than cut grass - Granted it is late March and I am longing for spring - but the EDM challenge "fresh" conjured up laundry blowing in the breeze (remember sleeping on fresh sheets?) or the smell of geraniums or fresh baked bread or GRASS. I searched for laundry blowing to sketch and found none, so this is it - Luckily I have no allergies!

Pencil/Pen sketch in moleskine with Watercolor.

Portriat Challege #Two

Portriat Challenge #2 Female- again drawn upside down which is Amazing to Just Draw What I See and not fuss about what I think things should be - I do have a problem wih lips - for some reason I just cannot draw what I see in the mouth no matter what the angle . Certainly need to work on them - These portriat challenges are so different for me and FUN!

Pencil in Moleskine journal followed by some pen and Watercolor

Portriat Challenge #One

My try at the portriat challenge Jana Bloc posed - Fun - especially as I have not really done any face sketching. Certainly did not capture him completely but I think there is a resemblence. (did most of it upside down ) pencil in moleskine, ink and watercolor wash

Hyacinths Enhanced

Hyacinths - Take Two - I am striving to be bolder and more inventive - I reworked this sketch with some closeups of blossoms, background and text entry - I like this rendition better, actually it is fun to revisit a sketch with a fresh eye and hopefully enhance and not destroy ;-(

Hyacinth = Spring

OK, these are from the store wrapped in foil, not in my garden but they smell so glorious and the purple is so deep and true I had to try to paint them. My garden hyacinths are up and almost 4" tall so they are not far off. Everything is so gray and drab as the snow recedes - I want COLOR. pencil in non WC moleskine followed with WC washes

EDM #111 Bowl

Bowl challenge ;-) I have very boring bowls, of course the most simple of bowls requires the most skill --- So I have opted away from that delima and chose my old Fiesta nesting bowl set that sits on my kitchen counter as it is a 'work of art'. They are old but still bright and full of character even with some skuffs - The inner bowls do not represent the crisp colors of the real deal but this gold one shines here and it sparkles against my dark turquoise beadboard back wall and my taupe stone counter. I chose a different approach to this post, braver perhaps and bolder, like the ones I admire most. pencil in non-wc moleskine and wc washes

Just for Fun

Just a fun sketch I did of a couple of building in town a while ago. Right now we have so much snow that has turned "ugly" I see nothing inspiring, so I decided to post this. I would like to post daily and I do Some Art Daily, usually an exercise for WC class lately, so this seemed cheerie -

EDM #110 Flame

It is cold and snowy and so this is my Flame EDM challenge - warm and cozy - even thought spring is supposedly near :)

24 Hours later. . . . .

Less than 24 hours ago it was spring - 65+ degrees and gorgeous. I was ready to work the garden - We expect up to 12" by tomorrow morning - Welcome to New England - OK , snow Is Beautiful - but .....

Spring Fever

The last 3 days have been over 60 degrees and Spring is In the Air. My thoughts turn to flowers and birds and garden work. I am Ready for Spring. This is the doodle page I enjoyed creating a mere 24 hours ago. Today it is a Blizzard- 6 to 12" predicted and I will have a post to reflect the good old new england weather, which "if you don't like it - just wait a minute." Artline pen in Moldskine with WC added

Strawberry field -Lesson 4 WC class

My Kate Johnson online Watercolor class is progressing well - I realize I will always be learning and exploring. I certainly have my frustrations but wanted to blog this sketch I just submitted today as my landscape for Lesson 4 . I chose to use only three primaries, Fr. Ultramarine Blue, Cad. Yellow and Burnt Sienna (for the red). This is a local dormant strawberry field with rows covered in straw. The yellow did not scan as true as it actually is - but overall I am pretty happy with this piece. I need to work on my sky as this is not as strong as I intended. pencil sketch on 140# WC paper and W&N watercolors

Garlic

I have been so busy with my online WC class I have had little time to just sketch for fun - so I did this just for Fun. Tried to be more daring with colors which did not scan well here, but I think I am beginning to get comfortable with sketching then adding more color.

Spring daffodils

Spring daffodils - I am so ready for spring - March is here and the warm days are mixing with the frigid days. My daffodils sprouted to 6-7" tall in late January with the unusually warm weather we had, then they froze in that state. Now it is warming and they will bloom in a couple of weeks ;-) I had to buy a bunch to warm my spirit and of course to try and sketch them in watercolor. I tried them several times and this is my best - not happy with this I certainly did not do them justice but, this is a journey and I hope to try them several more times and maybe I will capture just a bit of their god given glorious beauty - ah spring, there will be so much to view and sketch.

EDM #109 Clock

Here is our family room clock, which has been tick-tocking for decades. This is key wound and I have to admit it is nice to depend on a timepiece that does not depend on electricity. The name is Regulator but it is not an original, still rather stately. Artline pen followed by watercolor in Moleskine journal

EDM 108 Lightbulb

I wanted to find something beautiful like a chandelier (Casey!!) but do not have one, regular bulbs seemed un-inspiring so I landed on this trusty flashlight for my EDM challenge. Must admit I did not spend much time on it as Kate Johnson's online watercolor class is getting most of my undivided attention lately but this was a fun distraction. Pencil sketch followed by wax candle to save white in handle and watercolor washes in moleskine

Value study

VALUE STUDY

I thought I would post this value study I did for Kate Johnson's on-line WC class. As a total newbie to watercolor I have to admit this is all quite a challenge. With my EDM sketching I found I enjoyed adding some wc and of course I have always admired those to make it look so easy to paint only in watercolor. This medium always seemed totally unattainable to me. After a total failure, I started anew and managed this sketch. I am struggling but certainly learning big lessons. This one was fun and yes I now understand that value is really much more important than the actual color. This medium is one that never is fully accomplished, there is always more to learn and try and do and amazement awaits.

Pencil sketch on 300# Fabriano Traditional white cold press. WC values added