What's on my mind? August 18 and 19 Sea Shells, Starfish, and Susans

Daily observations.

August 18th: journaling about ocean ecology at the North Museum, Franklin and Marshall Collage, Lancaster, PA.

Sea Stars love Bivalves for lunch.

August 19th: A cool grey day - but the black-eyed Susans are the color of sunshine.

Watercolor and black Micron pen in Jane Davenport Canvas Journal. 

Yesterday's post:

What's on my mind? Yellow Goslings and Red Tulips

What's on my mind?

On the way to Walmart this morning, I saw a white goose with 3 yellow goslings and a garden with beautiful red tulips.

This page in my Strathmore 400 Series Field Watercolor Journal was done on one of the "sketch" sheets and not on one of the 140 lbs watercolor paper pages. This journal alternates between the two kinds. There are 15 sheets of each. 

I wanted to see how the 60 lbs sketch paper held up to watercolors, so after pencil and pen I added a light wash of color.

I didn't want to saturate the paper so I kept it light. The resulting page just didn't have enough color, so I did some colored pencil scribbling over it with Derwent ColourSoft Pencils.

The water did curl and wrinkle the paper, but it was okay for a quick daily sketch!

What's on my mind? August 16 and 17 Chestnuts and Cobblecats

Remembering daily observations with quick sketches in a new Jane Davenport Canvas Journal. Here are the entries from August 16th and 17th.

The full page spread:

Cobblecat  is a white and black spotted barn kitten.

First chestnuts spotted on the trees we planted a few years ago! American X Chinese chestnut trees from Dunstan.

Watercolors and black Micron pen.

Yesterday's post:

Pinus saxicalcis commonly known as the Rip-rap Rocky Limestone Pine

Rip-rap Rocky Limestone Pine

Pinus saxicalcis is similar to Pinus granum except it lacks the deep blue hue of the Rip-rap Rocky Granite Pine as shown below.

Process

Step 1: Two layers of watercolor.

Step 2: Possum Patty Lithification Process completed with black Sharpie Ultra-fine pen.

Strathmore 400 Series Wirebound Watercolor Art Journal.

Pinus granum commonly known as the Rip-rap Rocky Granite Pine

A stand of pines in the Stone Forest. There are several species of the Rip-rap Rocky Pine. The Pinus granum are easily recognized by their deep blue hue. 

Pinus saxicalcis (Rip-rap Rocky Limestone Pine)

Other Stone Forest Trees:

Betula lithos (Stone Birch)

Ulmus lapidis jaspidis (Jasper Elm Tree)

Quercus quarrii (Blue Marble Oak)

Process

Step 1: First layer of watercolor.

Step 2: Second layer of watercolor.

Step 3: Possum Patty Lithification Process completed with black Sharpie Ultra-fine pen.

Strathmore 400 Series Wirebound Watercolor Art Journal.

Quercus quarrii commonly known as the Blue Marble Oak

The rare Blue Marble Oak, Quercus quarrii, not to be confused with the Stone Oak, Lithocarpus, which is in the same family as oaks, Fagaceae, but is a separate genus.

Found only in the Stone Forest, location not disclosed for the protection of the number of rare plants found there, this tree was named for its distinct white marbling pattern.

This tree has a gnarly pinkish, sometimes tinted orange, bark.

Process

Step 1: First watercolor layer.

Step 2: Second watercolor layer.

Step 3: "Possum Patty Lithification Process" completed with a black Sharpie Ultra-fine pen.

Step 4: White marbling completed with a dippy pen and Ph Martin's Bleedproof White ink.

Love when watercolor does it's thing.

Strathmore 400 Series Wirebound Watercolor Art Journal.

Other Stone Forest Trees:

Betula lithos (Stone Birch)

Ulmus lapidis jaspidis (Jasper Elm Tree)

Pinus granum (Rip-rap Rocky Granite Pine)

Opuntia callais commonly known as the Turquoise Prickly Stone Cactus

This species is found in the Stoney Desert which you can only reach after a long walk through the Stone Forest.

Opuntia callais commonly called the Turquoise Prickly Stone Cactus, is so named due to its rich green-blue hues though some individuals also sport areas of a coral orange. 

Process

Step 1: First layer of watercolor.

Step 2: Second layer of watercolor.

Step 3: "Possum Patty Lithification Process" using black Sharpie Ultra-fine pen.

Step 4: Watercolor background and highlights using Ph Martin's Bleed Proof White Ink and an old dippy pen.

Strathmore 400 Series Wirebound Watercolor Art Journal

Dirty watercolor palettes.

Betula lithos commonly known as the Stone Birches

Found in the Stone Forest, these birches have vertical markings that are not at all like the horizontal markings of the common birches. Scientists are studying the theory that the vertical ridges lend strength to the tree to support the heavy weight of the stones.

Process

Step 1: First layer of watercolors.

Step 2: Second layer of watercolor.

Step 3: Sharpie Ultrafine Black Pen to complete the "Possum Patty Lithification Process."

Strathmore 400 Series Wirebound Watercolor Art Journal.

What's on my mind? August 15, 2018 Canary Melons

Wednesday is Farmer's Market Day.

Today I tried a Canary Melon for the first time. On the outside, it's yellow like a canary and the skin is very smooth, not at all like the tough fibrous outside of a cantaloupe. 

It's green on the inside like a honeydew. The locals call it a "honey-loupe."  It was very tasty!

Yesterday's post: