Nature Journaling in the August Heat

A hot summer's afternoon was the perfect time to take a short walk and sit on a park bench to sketch.  The very act of sitting in a quiet, shady woods is relaxing and excellent self care. 

I'm practicing simplifying the landscape in my artwork and creating pleasing compositions. 

Sitting for a few minutes on a park bench and mindfully looking is helpful in truly seeing the scene around you.  You can pick out the parts of the landscape you want to focus on.  It helped me to unwind and to compose these two vignettes.

The first scene was right before me -- a broken sapling in a grove of maples.

The second vignette had more contrasts -- late afternoon sunlight streaming through the canopy and deep shadows.

I recommend this technique of sitting still, seemingly doing nothing -- no phone scrolling, no drawing even.  Just noticing nature around you.  Soon, you will begin to see parts of the scene that you want to sketch and paint.  After a little stillness, you might use a viewfinder, a small rectangular frame cut out of cereal box cardboard, to scope through the landscape.  It will help your eye catch on an appealing composition.

Happy Creating!

The Art of Mistakes

I found the book, The Art of Mistakes, through the public library, and what an inspiring book!  

If you're looking for help in fighting your inner critic and getting back to creating after a creative block, reading this book is a wonderful encouragement.  It's a warm, real pep talk from someone who has made plenty of mistakes and discovered how to harness them in her creative career.

Author Melanie Rothschild cuts right to the heart of the fear of creating.

She helps the artist think through what's important, and her beautiful artwork is peppered throughout the book.

Today, I was thinking about the importance of playing with no expectations and no fear of making a mistake, and I simply painted my weekly planner page.  I've posted these planner pages before, but this time, I could feel Melanie Rothschild cheering me on, and I let my paintbrush be loose and experimental.  It's a lovely feeling to truly not worry about the end product! 

After the paint dried, I discovered that I loved the rose at the bottom of the page -- the shadowy phthalo blue strokes mixed with the permanent rose to create rich depth.

I hope you pick up a copy of Melanie's book and take inspiration from her words.

Happy Reading & Creating!

Summer Morning Painting

In an earlier post, I mentioned the trick of taking a walk and finding views to paint. The scene above is one of those spots found on a morning walk.

Planning ahead saves time, and you know just what to carry with you. I brought my pochade box, my Strathmore Visual Journal nature journal, paints, water and brushes. The pochade box allows me to work flat, an important trait for watercolor painting.

I took the photo above to use as a reference in case I didn't finish outdoors.

I also used the photo to help me to see the shadows in the scene more clearly.  Shadows can have nuanced lighter and darker areas.  They can vary from light shadows with dappled spots of light to deep, dark holes. Our eyes are naturally drawn to areas of high contrast, so these are good to incorporate into your paintings to draw the viewer's eye in.

It always amazes me how much I can see in a photo that I didn't see in person.  I encourage you to use a photo to help you see the values in your scene, but paint in person so you get the freshness of the landscape.

Happy Creating!

Summer Nature Journal: Nature Treasures

On walks around my farm, I notice the goings on in nature, and find myself picking up treasures.

Fallen acorns, feathers, & leaves tell the story of what's happening in nature right now, and a sketch of your collected finds makes a lovely & descriptive page.

What's happening right now in your area?

Wouldn't a handful of nature treasures be fun to sketch?

Happy Creating! 

Nature Journaling: A Morning Hike

Recently, I took a morning walk in the park before the heat of the summer day.  

After about a mile, I found this fascinating tree,

with fungi growing inside several cracks in the trunk.

I perched on a nearby mossy log and started sketching.

I have a special nature journal I keep in my electric car, Bluebird. I've always dreamed of traveling around in my electric car and having art explorations:  I plug in my car, and while she's charging up, I go make art.

You can read about my art & electric car connection in this post: https://betsyblissart.blogspot.com/2024/11/turning-my-art-into-stickers.html

What are your art dreams?  I hope they come true for you!

Happy Creating!

Book Report: Good Mail Day

As a long time letter writer and upcycler of funky paper bits, I was drawn to this book about creating your own envelopes & post cards. The book is chock full of photos for inspiration and how-to information.

Here's what I created after reading it:

Collage is one of the quickest ways I've found to fall back into the habit of creating.  Don't think too hard. Simply gather bits that fascinate you and start gluing them down.  I used Yes! paste to glue bits down, then sealed the envelopes's surface with acrylic matte medium.

I collaged bits onto an 11"x18" piece of lightweight paper. You could use anything -- an old paper bag for instance.  After everything dried, I cut out an envelope from a template I made out of a standard greeting card envelope.  The book provides a template for the smaller (polka dot) envelope design.

This is a fun way to turn trash to art.  I hope you try it!

Happy Creating! 

Post Card Practice

I keep a stack of 4.5" x 6" postcards cut from sheets of 140# watercolor paper in a ziplock bag in my art backpack.  When I have a little time and some inspiration, I can work small. It's an easy way into creating, a warm-up.

I find the trick to making progress or even maintaining your art skills is persistent practice. Find anything that interests you and practice drawing or painting it.  Working on loose pieces of paper can reduce the fear of making a "bad painting." You can toss it if you don't like the results.

Every painting and drawing teaches you something.  You can step back and notice what you do and don't like about each creation. 

I like the loose hydrangea blossoms in the post card above.  I like the contrast and edges created by the dark shadows around the lower leaf.  I don't like the upper right area's blobby lack of definition.  Perhaps a few ink lines would add the definition I desire, but I don't want to lose the lower leaf's magic, so I'll likely leave it as is.  It's a postcard after all!

I share this to give you a sense of how you might look at your own work.  Instead of saying "It's awful!" or making some other broad statement, notice what you do and don't like about your painting or drawing.  Now you have a list of things you can work on. You have goals.

In my case, I want to make more paintings that are loose and use dark negative space shadows to create positive space shapes. I want to define the subject with high contrasts in color and value.  I'm willing to let things be abstract in places, but want to create lively lines.

I guess I'd better keep practicing!

Happy Creating!

Nature Journal: Morning Light

These late summer mornings filled with light and robust plants inspire me.  When I walk, I keep a lookout for beautiful scenes like the one above, and return with my art supplies.

I set up my pochade box one steamy summer morning. I made a quick pencil sketch to lay out the scene, then washed in Winsor lemon mixed with a touch of sap green, working around the white Queen Anne's Lace blooms and leaving those spots unpainted.  

I built up layers of different greens, using French ultramarine blue mixed with Winsor lemon for the shadowy hedge in the background, and a variety of warm & cool greens for the weeds in the foreground. 

I recommend taking a walk, scanning the landscape around you for possible compositions. Make a list of scenes or take a photo of each, and make plans to come back with your art supplies. 

When you work in a sketchbook or nature journal, you're free to create anything you like.  No pressure.  If you don't like the end result, turn the page and start fresh!

Happy Creating!

Inspiration from an Antique Photo

Recently, David and I toured the Photo Antiquities Museum of Photographic History, where I snapped this phone image of a stereoscope card. The museum has a remarkable collection of early photographs, and Bruce Klein, the owner of the museum, fascinated us with lively stories about the artifacts on our tour.  

The most amazing part was being able to hold daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, & lantern slides -- original antique photos on glass. Holding a rare piece of history like this transported me back to the 1800's in a way that reading about the subject never could.

By the 1850's, stereoscopic images like the one above, became popular. Stereoscope cards were made by photographing a scene once, then moving the camera 3.5 inches to the right or left, and taking a second photo of the same scene. Viewed in a wooden holder like the one below, the pair of images would allow you to see the scene in 3D. 

photo by By Judson McCranie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereoscope#/media/File:U&U_Stereoscope_(02).jpg

If you hold an index card between your eyes and line it up with the yellow line between the two photos, you might be able to watch the two photos merge into a single, three-dimensional view of this old ruin in Shropshire, England.

 As artists, we take inspiration from our daily lives, and the Shropshire ruin photo caught my artist's eye.  Here's a pen & ink drawing I made.

I started with a pencil sketch on 140# watercolor paper.  I inked over the pencil lines with my Lamy fountain pen (EF tip).  Initially, I thought I'd add sepia watercolor washes, but I like it as is.

 Does the past fascinate you?  Why not find an old photo to use as a reference and make a sketch! The trick to making progress with your art skills is persistent practice.  It doesn't matter what you draw or paint as long as you keep it up!

Happy Creating!

Starting A New Nature Journal

I filled nature journal volume 27, and was left in a quandary about volume 28: use a watercolor sketchbook or my favorite brown paper journal?  

I've decided to start with the watercolor and simply sketch with my brush, then add written observations of the day.  Lately, I've been practicing layering washes -- lighter washes first, & when they're dry, I add more color and detail.  It takes patience to let each layer dry before going back in with another wash.

What are you curious about experimenting with right now? I hope you give it a try.

Happy Creating!

Summer Nature Journal Update

Summer has swept me away into hikes, traveling, making art outdoors and teaching classes.  Here's a flip-through of my nature journal to catch you up!

Sometimes nature comes right to your breakfast table.  This cardinal put on a show for us every morning in July, fighting her reflection in the house window and car mirrors, a common cardinal behavior.

I hope you're having a wonderful, artful summer! 

Happy Creating!