Art and Oatmeal: Wonky Teacup Time

You know, like REALLY, how hard is it to draw a teacup? Went straight to it with my Lamy pen. The shape wasn't even close! The rim was way too narrow. Oh, well. Watercolor and ink in Jane Davenport Canvas Journal.

The matching teapot sits on the teacup. So I used the first teacup sketch as the bottom of the duo.

Plan A was to have the sketch look something like this:

Plan B was to have absolutely no composition and a wonky teacup - Success!

Dear Liz Steel, I promise to keep trying! Patty

Love-An-Inch: I do like the spout!

Watch the process here:

Art and Oatmeal: Spring Willow Buds

Art and Oatmeal: Spring Willow Buds

Peerless Watercolors, Kimberly 9XXB pencil, Sakura Black Glaze Pen in Jane Davenport Canvas Journal.

Oatmeal and sketching: see the process here:

If you plan a disaster, you may be surprised at the result...

Sketching in the Kitchen with Kay...

See "Stream of Consciousness" below to read how this page came about!

Watercolors, graphite, and Pentel Brush Pen in Jane Davenport Canvas Journal.

Close up of face showing graphite around the eyes.

Close up of roses showing Pentel Brush Pen lines.

Close up of baby elephant show the primary colors: Azo Yellow (M. Graham), Quinacridone Pink (Daniel Smith), Phthalo blue (green shade) (Daniel Smith).

Stream of Consciousness:

...  it's dark, damp, chilly, a light rain falling, right now I'm sitting at Kay's kitchen table with my Jane Davenport Canvas Journal open in front of me while I decide on what to sketch as I look through Birds and Blooms at all of the stunning flowers and vibrant hummingbirds a torn page falls to the floor, as I pick it up I see that it is a page with a picture of a baby elephant that was obviously taken from somewhere else perhaps a National Geographic and what is it doing in a bird magazine I wonder when Kay hands me a brochure from a wig company containing lots and lots of pictures of glam gals in fake hair hinting that maybe I should work on "eyes" and taking that into my hand I notice there is a vase of very old roses on the other side of the table that were probably quite beautiful when received on Valentine's Day and I think to myself that I have a hard time sketching elephants, eyes, AND roses so why not put them all on one page and limit my palette to the three primary colors because if the page is doomed from the start there can be no fear of failure so YAY, freedom! and even though others may not understand the composition... I am fond of the outcome.

Art and Oatmeal: Birthday Bloom Breakfast Doodle

Art and Oatmeal: A Primrose in the Jane Davenport Canvas Journal. Watercolors, Lamy Pen with Noodler's Bulletproof Black Ink, Gelly Roll White Pen.

The local nursery gives out free plants as birthday gifts. For February the plant is a Primrose. This is my birthday flower for 2018.

Click on the video below to watch the process!

Snarks and Grumpkins...

Are you surrounded by "Snarks and Grumpkins"? Some thoughts on the Jane Davenport Canvas Journal and

a page done with various dye-based alcohol artist markers and Acrylic Glazing Liquid. (Say what?) (Why?) (Dunno) Jane Davenport Canvas Journal.

Egads! Is this suppose to happen?

Click on the video to find out more.

Journaling Journey: Painted Turtle Pond

Come along on this beautiful warm and sunny February day as I try to paint a small landscape!

Watercolor and ink in Jane Davenport Canvas Journal.

"Love-An-Inch"

"Don't cry because you think that your sketch 

is not as good as everyone else's - 

smile because you made a sketch"  

misquoting Dr. Seuss

This was suppose to be a bit of a landscape (or a "landscapeito" as John Muir Laws calls it). 

But I had pre-wet the paper and then used a waterbrush that was not very soft and the paper was piling terribly...

Frustration led to another John Muir Laws fix: if you don't like your painting, just draw and label and write on it. He sometimes puts a small landscape beside or behind a larger nature drawing for habitat reference. In this case I drew a large species reference over the landscape. 

Always remember these 

"Rules for Sketch Happiness"

1. ANY sketch done is far superior to any sketch not done.

2. Look for your favorite square inch in the sketch. Spend time admiring it and put into words what you love about it.

Here's my favorite inch:

I just love that I freely painted the negative spaces, sketched very loosely, and then left it alone. No fussing. It takes a very long time for a perfectionist to accomplish this!

Possum Daily Socks Exchange February 13th

What's all this fuss about the Socks Exchange? I change my socks everyday. Watercolor in Jane Davenport's Canvas Journal.

Happy Birthday, Little Debbie!

February 12th is Little Debbie's Birthday!

Gouache in Jane Davenport's Canvas Journal.

Follow along as I try and try again to sketch a baby in a highchair!

From Sketchbook to Canvas: White Birches

I was inspired by a sketchbook page to work on an old canvas that was just sitting down in the basement. The canvas had gone through several transformations - all of which turned into disasters - and I was tempted to carry it out to the burn barrel one day when I was organizing "stuff"! 

Figuring I couldn't ruin it anymore than it already was, I decided to have a final go at it... 

Art Journal Flip: Rendr by Crescent

Art Journal Flip: Rendr "No Show Thru Paper" Journal by Crescent for Art Markers

Joanne Sharpe: http://joannesharpe.com/magical-marker-mystery-tour/

Art Journal Flip #2

Narrated Art Journal Flip #2

Lots of Sketchbook Skool and Liz Steel's Sketching Now Foundations course homework!

Strathmore 500 Series Mixed Media Journal. Watercolors, ink, and mixed media.

Danny Gregory: https://sketchbookskool.com/

Liz Steel: https://sketchingnow.com/

Achieving Interesting TOPOGRAPHY: 4 items I use for texture

 

Working to finish a project on canvas by rolling air drying Crayola Model Magic into "seeds". I will use Matte Medium to fix them to the canvas and then paint them with acrylics.

  

  

I used cheesecloth, white wrapping tissue paper, and corrugated cardboard to create other textures on the canvas. 

Short video to explain my  process:

Birthday Love Letter!

I painted a "love letter". 

It's not TO my husband on his birthday, but FOR my husband on his birthday! As you can see, it's for his other love interest. Acrylic on canvas board.