Sketching from a Canoe

Out on the lake in Raccoon Creek State Park, David and I enjoyed a quiet afternoon paddle.  The autumn colors were warm and rich.  We hadn't gone far before I saw a pumpkin-colored tree to sketch in my nature journal.

A white-barked tree next to the dark-trunked maple created a beautiful set of contrasts.  You can see the pair of trees in the distance on the right side of the photo above.

 Floating, lost in the process of recording the beauty I saw put me in a tranquil mood.  Whenever I draw a tree, I connect with that tree's beauty and energy.   Like a meditation, following the lines in the branches with my pencil slows me down and makes me feel peaceful.  It's one of my favorite anti-anxiety practices.  

Doesn't matter how the final drawing turns out, the process of making it is good self-care for me.  Maybe it's good for you, too?  

Find something in nature you are fascinated with.  Then let your eyes lavish attention on the parts you love while your pencil slowly follows along.  

You can take glimpses at your paper to help your marks line up in the right places, but keep your eyes mostly on what you're drawing.  Remember, it's the process not the drawing that's important for this activity.  

This technique will slow you down and connect you with nature.  And delightfully, it connects your eye and hand, building your drawing skills.  I invite you to give it a try!

Happy Creating! 

Inkcap Mushroom

Inside this hollow tree, I spotted the most charming inkcap mushroom.  Can you see it?

 

Here's a close-up.

I couldn't resist painting both the tree trunk and the little mushroom in my concertina nature journal (original blog post on that journal here).  

Here's the process on painting the mushroom, starting with a pencil sketch.

Next, I started laying in washes.

I worked in the background first, using burnt Sienna, raw umber, burnt umber and burnt umber mixed with ultramarine blue.  The yellow is Winsor lemon mixed with raw umber.

After laying in the background, I used a mix of ultramarine blue and burnt umber to make light gray. It was fun to make wiggly brush strokes for the shaggy texture of the mushroom cap.

Here's a look at the palette I was using. 

I touched up some details in the mushroom and darkened the background on the right with a wash of burnt umber and ultramarine blue.

I toned down the yellow leaf on the bottom left with a wash of burnt Sienna and raw umber to keep it from distracting from the focal point of the mushroom.

Finally, I added a bit of writing.  Here's the finished page in my concertina sketchbook.

If you feel inspired by these reference photos, I hope you will draw or paint your own version!

Happy Creating!

A Tiny Autumn Landscape

Out on a hike recently, I snapped this photo of a favorite woodland stream. 

Just the sort of scene that captures the beauty of Autumn, I decided it fit right into my new watercolor nature journal. 

The page spread began with a simple pencil sketch, then a wet-in-wet ultramarine blue sky, and the reflection of the sky in the water.

Azo yellow formed the midground of golden beech leaves, and I touched in burnt Sienna and ultramarine blue while the paint was wet for the oak leaves and shadowy hills in the background.

I slowly added more detail, leaving the two white sycamore trees & their reflections for last.

A few final details along the shoreline and the woodland tree trunks, and it was done.

I love the way that a small watercolor painting helps the artist to simplify the scene and captures the day.

Wishing you Happy Creating!

Starting a New Autumn Nature Journal

I made a new concertina sketchbook out of 300# Stonehenge watercolor paper and set of hiking on a gorgeous autumn day.  It wasn't long before I found this lovely scene.

A quick pencil sketch was the start.

A few washes of color -- Azo yellow, Burnt Sienna, a Phthalo blue sky -- expressed the gist of the scene.  I discovered that mixing Azo yellow and permanent rose creates a gorgeous vermilion color, perfect for maple foliage.

Burnt Sienna mixed with French ultramarine blue made a cool gray for the oak tree trunk and limbs.

Working from general to specific, larger blocks of color to leaf and twig shapes, the scene takes shape.  Always let each watercolor wash dry before adding another layer, or it will simply diffuse into the wet paint.

Finally, a few touches with an ink pen, and the cover is finished.

I like the way looking up from below the oak tree's roots gives the feeling of being a small creature in nature.   That's a theme I'm interested in exploring -- being tiny in nature.  I find it comforting.

What catches your eye outdoors right now?

What would you like to draw or paint? 

What if you kept a list tucked within easy reach so that when you get the time for a quick sketch, you know what to focus on?

Happy Creating!

A Mountain Bluebird

My good friend Brad Silberberg sent me this photo he took of a Mountain Bluebird in Colorado.  Oh the iridescent blues!  I knew I had to paint this lovely bird.

I began with a simple pencil sketch.

And then began adding in washes of color -- cobalt blue & Winsor Blue for the back, and cobalt blue mixed with Burnt Sienna for the gray tones.

When the first washes were dry, I began adding in more details -- the eye, the beak, the little shadows on the feathers, and the bright orange stake the little bird was perching on.

I also used colored pencils to lighten the top of his head and make feather markings on his breast and head.

Part of me wanted to stop here -- the bird looked done.  But why not give him an environment to live in, even if it was just washes of color?

One big wet-in-wet background with Raw Umber, Burnt Sienna, and Payne's Gray, and he's done.  I'm glad I painted the negative space.  It makes him look more alive against the earth tones in the background.

I invite you to make your own drawing, painting, or poem from my friend Brad's photo of the Mountain Bluebird above.  

Happy Creating!

Sketching an Eastern Bluebird

My friend Brad Silberberg shared this photo of an Eastern Bluebird with me for my Pencil Drawing Workshop for Beginners class at CCBC.  It was so lovely, I used it as a demonstration piece in class.

I limited myself to the graphite pencils we are using in class, and started with a loose gesture sketch to lay out the structure of the drawing.

Then I slowly built up more details, focusing on the bluebird, and adding loose tones in the background.  I used a tortillon or blending stump (the little rolled paper tool that looks like a pencil without the graphite) to blur and unify areas of tone in the background.

Not having color to separate the bluebird from his background, I focused on using contrasting values and mark-making.  I used sharper, more defined marks for the bluebird and his perch, and softened my marks for the background. 

Of course, in the reference photo, the background is quite blurred, bringing our attention right to the bluebird.  As I attempted to create the same effect with my graphite pencils, I felt a bit frustrated, wanting to draw the leafy shrubs behind him.

I'm not wild about this drawing, but I'm happy with the way the little bluebird turned out, and the fuzzy background that frustrated me reminds me to keep my backgrounds simple so they don't compete with the subject -- an excellent tip for me to remember for future drawings!

Quick tips on making your subject stand out:

1. Give your subject a prominent place in the composition.  Check out my post on composition here for more on this topic.

2. Create contrasts in value or color between your subject and the elements around it. 

3. Lavish time on your subject to bring it to life.  Put more details into your subject than the areas around and behind it.  

4. As always, step back often to see the whole composition.  Five seconds of looking from arm's length will show you areas that are successful, and areas you'll want to work on.

And always remember, that whatever you draw, whether you love the final drawing or not, you are building what naturalist John Muir Laws calls "Pencil Miles."  You are gaining experience.  You learn from every drawing you make, so just keep drawing!

Happy Creating!

Weekly Planner: Portrait of an Oak Leaf

My studio worktable is covered in autumn leaves!  

Putting my weekly planner together on Monday, I chose a leaf that caught my eye and painted a sketch of it directly with watercolors.  

I like the way one leaf tells the larger story of the place and season.  

This oak leaf weathered summer thunderstorms, insect attacks, and diseases that left little black spots behind. Part of the leaf's beauty in my eyes is its parchment-like texture, the varying colors from ochre to buff to Burnt Sienna, and the little black spots. Those are the facets that made painting it fun for me.  And the fact that I love oak trees.

What do you love in this season?  I hope you find some time to sketch, paint, or creatively record the things that draw your artist's eye.

Happy Creating!