Paddleboard Picnic

On a recent sunny day, David & I took our paddleboards & a picnic to our local state park lake.  We paddled around the lake and down to a boater's picnic area.

The day was lovely and sunny, perfect weather for floating, picnicking and sketching in my nature journal.

The way the sunshine shot through a patch of wildflowers just unfurling caught my eye, and I sketched with Inktense colored pencils, then added touches of Neocolor II crayons. Touching in a water brush pen brought the colors to life.

We returned a few days later and I painted the sunlight in the trees across the lake from the picnic table using my QM2 Winsor & Newton travel watercolor kit.

I love the colors in this kit! At 5" x 2.5" and about half of an inch thick, it's my tiniest watercolor palette. And it comes with a compact travel brush. 

A small art kit can hold an incredible array of colors.  For a look at the colors I mixed from the Winsor & Newton kit, see my blog post on color swatching.  

Color mixing may seem boring or technical, but it teaches you so much!  I found the experience relaxing with no pressure to make anything "pretty."  By simply experimenting, I discovered an abundance of bright, useful colors I could mix with this tiny set.  I find myself way more likely to put my watercolors to use now that I am familiar with what they can do.

I hope you play with your art supplies this week and discover what they can do.  Take them for a spin around the block, and experiment to discover the possibilities they hold for you.  You'll be surprised by how much more likely you'll be to use what you already have to make art!

Self Portrait in Watercolor

 

The other day, my photographer husband and I did a photo shoot by window light.  I liked one of the resulting photos so much that I decided to paint a watercolor self portrait from it.

I decided to use  purple hues of the fabric for the cool shadow colors.  I find that repeating a color throughout a painting unifies the composition.  Of course, I happen to love this particular purple -- Permanent Blue Violet by Van Gogh Paints.

Painting a self portrait is a great way to practice your art skills, whether you're drawing or painting.  And, it's a great form of self-expression. If you don't have a selfie you like, a small mirror is a great help in capturing a live image of yourself.  I hope you give it a try!

Morning Light

An early morning trip to the state park lake provided beautiful light to paint from.

I've been reading copies of the magazine Watercolor Magic from the early 2000's. I find the articles instructive and inspiring.  They help me to improve my paintings and have a clearer focus when I sit down to paint.

For instance, an article by Mark E. Mehaffey in the Dec 2005 issue taught readers how to create more powerful focal points through using contrasts in value, color, size and soft versus hard edges.  

I tested his ideas out in this sketch, and really like the way the bright, backlit trees contrast against the shadows.  The tiny, dark branches caught my eye in real life, and including them catches my eye in the finished sketch.

I kept most of the edges in the forest soft, blending into each other, so the harder edges of the backlit trees down along the water's edge catch the viewer's eye. I also put details in the places that were most interesting to me.

The part of the scene that is most interesting to you, the part that catches your eye, is the focal point of the painting.  You are the artist, and it is your vision that we want to see.

I recommend taking the time to learn more about whatever art form you're interested in pursuing.  Whether you take a class, read a book, or even pick up an old magazine, the new knowledge and inspiration can light up your art practice.

If you'd like to take an art class with me, you can find my latest courses listed here:

https://betsyblissart.blogspot.com/p/online-art-classes.html

Happy Creating!

Experimental Painting

I've had the opportunity to read some great books & magazines lately, and, inspired by my reading, I decided to try to paint more freely & expressively.

The only way to achieve this is to experiment.  Not every experiment works, and even those that I feel are successful, like the one above, have parts I like (the loose yellowy-green fronds against the dark blue shadows) and parts I don't (some parts just got mushy).

I painted this frothy fern as I sat at the breakfast table, as the morning sun spilled in and backlit the foliage.  I was taken by the glowing yellow green fronds right next to deep shadows.  I painted quickly, without a pencil sketch underneath, looking at the fern as much as possible.

In the moment, I felt like I was painting haphazardly, wildly out of control!  When I stepped back, I liked the result of picking out the part that fascinated me and trying to express that.

It was incredibly freeing to remind myself that I didn't have to make a photo-realistic "likeness" of the fern, and that precision is not better than expression. My goal was to just express the sense of light pouring through greenery. 

Every time we experiment with our art-making, we learn and grow.  We make discoveries.  It may feel risky, wild, and unkempt, but even if the results are wonky and imperfect, they are worth trying just for the possibilities they hold.

I hope you'll make a list of art experiments you'd like to try and then recklessly pursue them!

Create Depth with Cool & Warm Colors

The tree canopy around my home has transitioned out of the golden greens of spring and into mature summer hues.  I've been experimenting with painting one particular tree when the morning light slants in low, for the most dramatic effect.

At this time, the sun's warm yellow rays light one side of the tree, and cool shadows lay deep within the tree's core and on the far side.

By mixing warm yellowy-greens for the brightly sunlit, outer portion of the tree and contrasting these with darker, cooler blue-greens in the shadowed portion of the tree, the viewer's eye naturally sees depth.

Holding the painting back a bit  helps to see the illusion.

It doesn't matter whether I use Neocolor II watercolor crayons (first drawing) or watercolor paint (lower two photos) -- you could even use colored pencils -- the effect remains the same.  Our eyes see cooler, colors as distant, and warmer colors as nearer. 

Give this effect a try in your next sketch or painting.  What do you notice?

Discover New Possibilities with Color Swatching!

I have been reading a wonderful book on the power of watercolor sketching to bring you joy & liven up your art practice.

One of the first activities author Jen Russell-Smith outlines is making a color chart.  She recommends it as a way to fill the first blank page in a sketch journal.

I had a small travel set of Winsor & Newton watercolors I had gotten while on board the Queen Mary 2 last summer.  I wanted to test this little travel palette out, so I created a grid of squares using a waterproof, black pen, and then put a dot of each color across the top and down the left side of the grid.  

I also filled in each pure color in the diagonal where the color meets up with itself from the top and the left side.

I mixed every color with every other color as they met up on the grid.  

A surprisingly useful bunch of colors resulted!  For instance, when I mixed Sap Green and Chinese White, I discovered the color I've been seeking to paint the silvery green foliage of Autumn Olive bushes.

And, did you know that when you mix  Pthalo Green and Burnt Sienna, you get a lovely deep forest green?  I discovered these colors and more!

At the bottom of the page, I tested out 8 of my 12 colors, painting a concentrated swatch at the top, then watering down each color towards the bottom.

Watercolors look different in the pan than they do after they dry on the paper, so this swatching page will come in handy as I paint and sketch with this travel kit.  It's amazing to me the amount and variety of colors I can create from this tiny, 2 1/2" by 5" kit.

Get to know the potential in your watercolor palette with this great swatching project!

Painting with Spirit

One recent morning, I took my nature journal and art supplies out to our nearby park.  

The morning sun caught the spring foliage in an ancient maple tree, and I was struck by the beauty of backlit maple foliage against dark branches.  The new maple leaves were still golden green, and hadn't yet matured into the deeper sap green hues of summer. They vibrated with life to my artist's eye.

I am thrilled by high contrast scenes like this one.

That's the feeling I seek when painting or sketching.  I find the part of the larger scene that fascinates me, that draws me in & inspires me.  Sometimes it takes a little time walking around and looking, but once I find the inspiration, I sit down and start sketching.

I began with a Pentel India ink brush pen to sketch in the tree trunk and limbs.  After the ink was dry, I began laying in areas of color with a Sakura Koi watercolor set.

I ran out of time before I had finished my artwork, but luckily got a reference photo so I could finish at home.  Using the photo above, I added more details with Inktense colored pencils and Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons.

As I created, I thought about the painting philosophy that I have been reading in the book, Painting Water in Watercolor by Christian Wharton:

What we paint is life itself, ... it is ourselves we are painting. It is our spirit recognizing ourselves in the spirit of the object we are looking at.

Art is there to inspire by giving the essence of the subject, and it does this from the level of feeling.

Very few paint with the same degree of truth as Van Gogh. This quality of truth does not result from careful modelling, details, or brilliant alla prima technique. It is something that is more than the sum of the parts. And it is best to aim for that level of truth, without worrying too much about whether we can achieve it or not . It's just more rewarding and fun that way. Technique by itself is nothing without the feeling level.

 

The feeling of the painting or artwork is far more important to me than technical precision.  I am not a camera making an exact replica. I am an artist, a human being, expressing for other human beings how I see the world.  

I feel inspired by Christian Wharton's philosophy (and her technical instructions), and when I began working on this maple tree, I focused simply on the part of the scene that made me feel alive.

I think that's where the healing comes in with this type of art-making.  By tuning in to what really thrills me and makes me feel alive, I connect with my true self, while connecting with nature.  I relax into the bliss of creating, following what I see before me and trying to express it.

The artwork connects me to nature and to myself.

Flower Studies

The nasturtium and zinnia seeds that I planted in pots in my kitchen 2 months ago have grown to the point of blooming.  I thought I'd celebrate their blossoms with an entry in my art journal.

I also included flowers from a small bouquet from Trader Joe's.

I enjoyed laying out the pages in boxes and rectangles, & fitting each flower into its own space.

Each began as a sketch with a permanent felt-tipped pen, then I added color with  Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons. I used a water brush pen to blend the pigments.

Watercolor Sketches

A sunny May day gave me the opportunity to sit on the front porch and explore the colors of spring by making watercolor sketches.  

I call these watercolor sketches because I didn't create a full painting, I started with a quick pen drawing, and added loose areas of watercolor paint.

Each different species of tree in the woodland canopy has its own shade of green or gold right now as each tree's buds open and new foliage unfurls.  By June, the hilltops will become a uniform summer green.

As I painted flowers and trees, a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird zipped in to sip sugar water from the hummingbird feeder.   I sketched quickly with my paintbrush.

Watercolor sketching lets you experiment with color mixing while you explore the subjects you find interesting.

You can quickly fill pages in a journal with your experiments.

The more you paint, the more you discover, and the more skills you build. So I hope you'll make some watercolor sketches of your own!

Spring Color in the Nature Journal

Everywhere I turn outdoors, color greets my artist's eye.  The lavish abundance of spring spills out over the canopies onto the forest floor and across every meadow.  

The songbirds who seemed just to eke out an existence all winter, hunched at the feeder, now whistle to each other, perk up tall and have sparkle.

Migrant songbirds add their color and variety of song.  A Rose Breasted Grosbeak has the most unassuming call, yet causes my heart to race whenever he drops into the tree where my bird feeders hang.

I sat outside yesterday, with my Caran D'Ache Neocolor II crayons and a Pitt Artist's pen, and soaked up the colors and fresh growth around me. 

 At my feet sat my battered copy of The Peterson Field Guide to the Birds given to me by my grandparents when I was 17. I flicked through the pages to help me identify birds and to fill in the details of those who flashed in and left before I finished drawing them.

Each day, each hour, nature is putting on a show, and if we simply sit and watch, we get to see amazing things like Rose Breasted Grosbeaks and blooming pansies, or even subtle things like the tiniest spider spinning a web on my spearmint plant. 

In my nature journal, I can record these amazing sights, and wonder on paper what that tiny spider, whose body is a quarter the size of a peppercorn, might eat -- gnats? aphids??

All the while, I find the experience grounding, relaxing, & restorative. 

And all the while I am practicing my drawing and observation skills.

I hope you get 20 minutes this week to sit and observe nature, and make sketches in your nature journal. I think you'll be glad you did.

Spring Watercolors with The Unexpected Gypsy

The woods canopy is beginning to fill in with every shade of green and gold.  

I love this time of year, when it feels like I can watch the leaves unfurl and expand hourly.  Awash in colors after the grayness of winter, I revel in the yang after the yin.

I recently enjoyed a "Sketch Date" with Wendy Robinson, The Unexpected Gypsy. As a Patreon supporter, I get to join Wendy and other patrons in a monthly live Zoom session.  We chat and sip tea as we create, a delightful group creative session.

Each person picks a project to work on.  Inspired by the beauty of nature outside my studio window, I painted a cherry tree decked in spring foliage.

I began this painting with an India ink Pentel brush pen to lay out the trunk and branches.  

After the ink dried, I sketched in the major shapes with Sakura Koi watercolors and a water brush pen. Details were added with Prismacolor colored pencils and Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons.

Making art with friends is a lovely way to energize your practice.  You can support each other, admire each others' creations and feel inspired by each other.  

Why not get together with a few friends and have a creativity session together?  If you'd like to join The Unexpected Gypsy for her next session, you can find her here:

Wendy's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theunexpectedgypsy/posts

You can also find her on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@theunexpectedgypsy

Happy Spring Creating!