Painting in the Woods with a Daddy Longlegs

Caution:

If photos of spiders frighten you, don't scroll down past the 4th photo.

On a recent Friday afternoon, David and I took a walk through the state park woods, he with a camera and I with a nature journal and travel kit of supplies.

The brightest flush of colors had washed out of the woods, flamed and gone, but a mellow richness remained.

As usual, a splash of colorful leaves against bending boughs caught my eye, and I began sketching, first with a mechanical pencil, then with watercolors.

I was engrossed in painting this section of the woods when I noticed a tiny visitor wobbling up to my watercolor palette -- a Harvestman, or daddy longlegs.

Even though some spiders give me the heebee jeebees, this spider relative has always seemed friendly to me. They are harmless, have no venom, and eat garden pests like aphids, so this little friend didn't disturb my painting, but added a tiny welcomed feeling of being trusted by a forest denizen.

The woods are dry after the summer's drought stretches into the fall, and I think this fragile creature needed the moisture in my paints.  Maybe it was seeking some mineral, too. It selected a mixture of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber, both nontoxic pigments, and you can see the swath it lapped up from my palette.  That little mixing well is about 1.5" by 1.75".

As someone who relies on a well, the drought has been concerning, anxiety inducing, and completely out of my control.  In situations like that, I look for small ways I can help.

This gentle creature gave me a tiny way to feel helpful.

A blessing.

Wishing you the blessing of happy hours creating in nature.

Another week, another weekly planner page!  I had just bought a pile of pumpkins for my Pencil Drawing students at CCBC to draw, and had all these beautiful pumpkins in different shades and colors in my studio.  It was so much fun to sketch, ink and paint these little characters, with each one holding a day's summary of activities.

Do you have a favorite collection of objects in your home?  Why not draw them together?  You don't even have to make them part of a planner page!

Happy Creating!

Paddle and Paint in a New Nature Journal

A new nature journal brings the energy of beginnings.  Anything is possible, and there are pages and pages waiting to be filled.  

I brought my new nature journal along for a paddle and picnic date with my husband, and he kindly agreed to spend some extra time after lunch so I could sketch and paint this hickory leaf and nut on the picnic table.

I started with a pen and ink sketch with brown ink in a Lamy Safari fountain pen.  Then, I added color with my Winsor & Newton travel watercolor kit.

The paper in this new journal is not made for watercolor, but I still use it.  The paper warps and wrinkles, and the colors don't flow and move the way they would on real watercolor paper, but I can still lay in color to my sketches as if I'm using markers.  

That's what I love about nature journals and sketchbooks. You can do anything in them. No rules.  If you find you don't like the end result, just turn the page and start again.  

What would you like to sketch in a nature journal or sketchbook? I hope you make that sketch!

Happy Creating!

Nature Journaling: White Tailed Deer

One autumn morning, I looked out the window to see this White Tailed Deer down the hill from my home.  Her gray winter pelt attracted my eye, and I grabbed my cell phone, and captured this photo of her.

The gorgeous morning light and autumn colors inspired me to make a quick sketch in pencil in my new nature journal, then splash in watercolors.

I focused on the bright colors and contrasting values that caught my eye, and didn't get everything in exact proportion.  I am happy with that decision, as it expresses the morning and the scene.  I always tell my students: You're not a camera! Don't feel like you must get everything "perfect."

I hope you find something in nature that inspires you.  If you'd like to create using this photo as a reference, please do!

Happy Creating! 

Aurora Borealis!

I have always wanted to witness the aurora borealis with my own eyes, and chance brought this phenomenon right over my home.  

My husband and I went outside and watched right after sunset, as the sky dimmed and the stars began to pop out.  We noticed a pink "cloud" to the northeast.  It looked vague and unlike any photo I've ever seen of the Northern Lights, yet, the sky was pink where it normally would be midnight blue, and we could see the stars right through it.

David took a photo with his Nikon D5, and the photo looked just like the photos

 I had seen by other Aurora watchers, with streamers of bright color and more diffuse areas.

This particular shade of green reminded me of the color that alien beings from other galaxies are painted in cartoons.  I wondered if the aurora borealis, such an otherworldly experience is why.

The magical streaks of color -- though not as bold to our eyes as the camera saw them -- inspired me to draw the experience and write about it in my nature journal.

That way, I can return to the experience to remind myself of how lucky I was to witness it.

Happy Creating! 

Stormy Barn Scene

On a late afternoon walk, I snapped this barn and stormy sky photo with my cell phone.

The long drought has made me grateful for every storm cloud and every drop of rain.

I began with a pencil sketch that I added pen and ink to with my Lamy Safari fountain pen. The indelible ink allowed me to paint right over top of the ink once it was dry.

Using French Ultramarine Blue and a touch of Burnt Umber, I made the blue gray tints for the barn, the sky and the shadows.  French Ultramarine Blue and Winsor Yellow created the green grass wash, and I added New Gamboge Yellow with touches of Cadmium Red to create the yellow and orange foliage.  Phthalo Blue and Burnt Sienna mixed to make the darker piney greens, and the dead grasses were made with a touch of Yellow Ochre or Burnt Sienna here and there.

It felt good to celebrate the stormy weather.

What would you like to celebrate with a drawing or painting?  What brings you joy?  I hope you paint or draw it this week!

Happy Creating!

Nature Journaling in the Garden

The last blooms in the garden add their splash of color to the larger autumnal celebration.  The Foxgloves, who have raised their bright flowery faces all summer long, go on blooming even through light frosts.

Apparently spared from the frost because it grows so close to the house, Blue Salvia blooms vibrantly, too.

I sat on my porch stoop one recent afternoon and soaked up the sunshine while sketching with my Lamy fountain pen and a travel set of watercolor paints.

It's amazing to me how calming a few sketches can be, as I tune into the twists and turns down each branching stem.  Following the shapes of flowers and leaves with my pen, and spilling in color, the rest of the world recedes, troubles recede, and I am mindful of just the present moment.

Focusing on drawing a scene just for the sake of the experience takes away any pressure to make a "pretty" drawing, and lets you experiment with different marks, fainter or bolder lines, and new color combinations.  

I love to draw and paint flowers, and find the process relaxing.  You will find your own magic in your  favorite thing to draw, your favorite materials to use. Of course, it takes practice. The trick is to experiment with subjects you think you'd like to draw, trying different techniques, and filling up sketchbook pages. With each page, you make connections and discoveries and build your skills.  

The more often you sketch and create, the easier it comes to you. 

Happy Creating!

Fall Color Hike

A sunny autumn day found me hiking in the state park with a pack of art supplies.  Combining nature time, exercise and creativity is a favorite self care activity of mine.  I sketched this scene using a small travel watercolor kit and a water brush pen, allowing the scene to be messy and playful.

This photo of the scene shows that I left out lots of details, and wasn't accurate.

I always remind my students, 

You are not a camera; you're an artist! 

A log alongside the trail made a comfy seat.

I made a pencil sketch to get the proportions and details in the right places on this beech leaf.

Here are some photos I took along my hike.  I invite you to sketch, paint, draw or create with them in your own way.

Happy Creating!

Painting an Autumn Leaf Step-by-Step in Watercolor

The cooler weather of autumn brings brilliant foliage to inspire us artists.  These are the days I can't help but pick up a fist full of colorful leaves on my walks.

A great way to start sketching or painting a leaf is by finding the vein structure. It maps out the shape of the leaf from the inside out.

Beginning with a wash of cool yellow brightens the colors to come.  When the yellow layer is dry, you can add reds, like this Alizarin Crimson mixed with a little Burnt Sienna.

Taking each section of the leaf and working wet-in-wet allows the many hues within each leaf to merge gracefully, and prevents hard edges.

Working wet-in-wet with complimentary colors Alizarin Crimson and Sap Green can become a playful dance. Keeping the two colors from touching prevents muddy browns, and the bold contrast of red against green catches the viewer's eye.

Mixing Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue created rich dark brown and black to add the crumpled, bruised bits in.  The little details of bug-chewed, spotted and damaged bits is one of my favorite parts.  And those details brings the leaf to life.

Ultramarine Blue mixed with a touch of Burnt Umber created a wonderful shadow color to land the leaf on a flat surface.

If you like, you can add more details on top of your watercolor leaf with colored pencils once the watercolor is dry.

If you love details, a single fall leaf provides a limited subject to dive into, letting yourself explore every splotch of color, every bug bite and every nuance.

Happy Creating!

Pencil Drawing Class: Your Eyes are Your Most Important Tool!

We had a wonderful first session in Beginner's Pencil Drawing class, testing out our supplies and trying out techniques.

I asked everyone to bring in a small object they loved, and we tried drawing it from memory first (my demo is below), then drawing it from observation (above).

What a huge difference using our eyes made in seeing the real form and details!

This was my object - a piece of wood that looks like an award a fairy might give a child for swiftly racing down a woodland trail.

We also played with blind contour drawing to connect our eyes and hands.  We only looked at the object we were drawing, and never at our papers.  The result?  Weird drawings, yet within the chaos were real, alive lines describing part of what we drew. Below is my blind drawing of a feather.

After the blind drawing, we were all practiced up, and allowed ourselves to steal quick glances at our papers so that we could align everything in a more organized way.

Many thanks to my students for their willingness to try new things and for their enthusiasm!

Looking forward to our next class!

Happy Creating!

Stories in an Autumn Nature Journal

The beauty of a nature journal is that you can tuck it into a bag and tote it with you on a hike or picnic.  You can make sketches that tell a story, even if you don't feel that they're great drawings.

I was sketching this leaf on a hike with my husband, enjoying sitting at a picnic table under a forest of tall oak trees, when we started to notice large acorns dropping all around us.  Each nut hit with a sharp Thwack!

Concerned that the next acorn might clock us on the noggin, we resumed our hike, backtracking to an open field we had passed.  We found a bench at the edge of the field, where we sat and I sketched and jotted down the story of our hike.

The next morning, I took hot tea outside on a cool morning and watched the sun rise over the neighbor's pasture.  I made notes of the sounds I heard and sketched a small part of the sunrise scene.

I don't consider any of these drawings to be great drawings, but I love them because each one tells the story of a moment in nature. I can return to them and remember my hike with my husband, or the bold contrasts of backlit apple trees in an October sunrise.

This stillness in nature feeds my soul, and adding color and words to the experience only deepens it.

I hope you get a chance to sketch a bit of nature this week and add the words of your own story.

Happy Creating!

Make "Bad" Art!

I recently watched this inspiring YouTube video by Marie-Noëlle Wurm on making "Ugly Art:"  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kngc8LXYdkc

She invites us to intentionally make art we expect to be ugly, and in doing so, releasing ourselves from the expectation that we'll make something pretty, acceptable, worthy, or popular. 

I tried it & had fun!  When I meant to make my bird drawings ugly, I stopped judging every line and nuance as I made it.  The first one (top) I feel is truly ugly.  I don't really like it, but it opened the way for me to experiment & quickly draw these other 3 birds.

Each one has its own personality. This one seems like a mashup of Foghorn Leghorn and a magpie.

This one feels childlike and hopeful sailing through the sky like a character from a Roald Dahl story.

The last one seems like a Robin/Bluebird combination ... with a worm.

After I made these, aside from laughing a bit, I realized that each had qualities I liked.

I recommend watching Marie-Noëlle Wurm's video and trying it yourself.  It's a playful way to start an art session.  It could be a warm-up for more drawing or just an art break for self care & laughter.

After you make your drawings, step back and notice little things you like about your creations. Because you created freely without expectation, you might make discoveries.

I hope you try your hand at making "bad" art.

Happy Creating!