The Finished Mini Nature Journal

In my last post, I shared how I've been taking an online course from Cathy Johnson called Quick Sketching in Color.  

Cathy explains that one of the tricks to doing a lot of sketching is keeping your journal and supplies simple.  She's right! Her techniques inspired me to fill this concertina journal in less than a week.

My simplified art kit includes: 

a travel watercolor palette, two water brush pens, a pen with waterproof ink, a mechanical pencil, an indigo colored pencil, a jar lid for extra mixing space, a water spray bottle, a tiny container to rinse brushes in, a small water bottle,my journal, and some paper towel.

And, here's a tour of my journal, start to finish.

When the page spreads are this small ( 9"x 6"), it takes very little time to fill them.

The size forces you to simplify complex landscapes.

A single 4.5" x 6" page gives just enough space to explore one facet of the natural world around you,

like a sleepy flock of geese or a tiny newt underwater.

Whenever I flip through this journal, I remember each of the experiences that inspired a sketch.  This last one was made on a beautiful, chilly afternoon hike with David.  The sinking sun lit up the woods along the creek, making the last bits of color seem electric against the shadowy trees. 

I hope you give this approach a try!

If you'd like to learn more about Cathy's online, self-directed classes, follow this link: https://cathyjohnson.info/art-classes/

Happy Creating!

A Mini Watercolor Nature Journal

I've been taking an online class from Cathy Johnson called "Quick Sketching in Color," and am thoroughly enjoying it.  In the class, she gives instructions to make your own mini watercolor journal out of a single piece of paper.

I made mine from an 12" x 18" piece of cold press watercolor paper that I cut in half lengthwise, then folded each piece accordion-style, and glued the two pieces together to make a concertina sketchbook.

Here's a link to an Instructable on making your own concertina sketchbook.

This is my mini-sketching kit, and you can see the accordion-fold mini journal on the left.

Simplifying my kit makes it lightweight and easy to carry, and I love taking it on nature walks!  I can stuff my art supplies, plus my car keys into the little bag and go on sketch-adventures.

 

Focusing on quickly sketching takes the precious-ness out of drawing and makes it a game.

You can learn more about Cathy's Self-directed mini-classes here:https://cathyjohnson.info/art-classes/

Happy Creating!

SpaceX Iteration & A Mossy Oak

Out hiking on a chilly, sunny day, I snapped photos of this terrific tree trunk with gnarly old roots clasping mossy rocks down by a stream.  I prefer to paint right outdoors while sitting on a rock, but the weather has been too cold for that. So, I painted this oak trunk from the photo I took.

After making a light pencil sketch, I applied masking fluid to the areas I wanted to keep white on the sunny side of the tree, and in the little lichen-covered spots.  Masking fluid protects areas of your painting from taking up paint, keeping the underlying paper white.  Masking fluid goes on a liquid, dries into a rubbery solid, and is easily removed by rubbing it off with a gum eraser or your finger. When your painting is done & dry, you remove the masking fluid so you can add any last touches.

After reading Cathy Johnson's book, Creating Textures in Watercolors, I was inspired to try mixing Burnt Sienna with Ultramarine Blue to create a gray trunk color.  I dropped in more Ultramarine Blue here and there to create shadows and a more varied wash. 

As I explore watercolor painting, I remind myself to take the approach of Elon Musk in creating new rockets. In his early stages of development, Elon loses a bunch of rockets in fiery disasters, but he & his team learn from each "rapid unscheduled disassembly."  In fact, Elon expects failures, stating, “If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”

As a result of his design iteration process, SpaceX successfully launches more rockets than any other company in the world, and, in 2020, became the first private company ever to carry U.S. astronauts to the space station. 

I don't plan to make history, just to improve my painting skills.  I don't fail as spectacularly as a rocket, but I have ruined some paper learning.  

I recommend taking the SpaceX approach of trial and error and learning.  And don't forget to find some inspiration from other artists ... or rocketeers!

A Simple Winter Watercolor Landscape

I'm currently reading Cathy Johnson's book First Steps: Watercolor Painting (North Light Books, 1995).  She shares her step-by-step approach for beginners to simplifying a landscape.  I tend to get lost in details, wanting to include every knobby tree trunk and bowing weed stalk in a scene.  I am happiest when I can fall into the tiniest features of some bit of nature -- an acorn or autumn leaf, for instance.  

But with an entire landscape, I am learning to see & paint the larger forms first.  What a relief not to expect myself to trace every bramble and bough in the landscape, but just to capture the spirit of the moment.

Saturday morning, I sat down with my paints at the kitchen counter and looked out the sliding glass door to the image above.  The morning mists made the distant trees look hazy, and I focused mainly on Grandmother Sugar Maple -- the bushy looking tree on the left.  

In years past, Grandmother Sugar Maple has provided us with gallons of sap to boil down into delicious, golden maple syrup. I have a special reverence for her, which deepened my painting experience.

Each painting is a learning opportunity. A chance to connect with nature.  A chance to slow down. A chance to express ourselves.  

I hope you will keep painting -- it leads to delightful discoveries!

Art for Self-Care Update

I've been enjoying reading Cathy Johnson's book Painting Watercolors, North Light Books 1995. Her playful approach to building skills with watercolor painting makes picking up a brush and experimenting easy. Sunday morning I wanted to do a bit of painting, but didn't want to do anything complex, so I flipped through Cathy's book and found a simple landscape to copy.

Copying another artist might seem like "cheating," but it's a time-honored method used to train art students in the techniques used by more skilled artisans.  Every time you copy another artist's work, you gain insights that don't come simply from looking at the artist's work.  You get to play with your art supplies, to learn, and get a burst of inspiration all at once. 

And, you're left with something lovely to prop on your desk and admire as you pass by in your daily routine.  This little painting will likely become a post-card and get dropped in the mail after I've enjoyed looking at it for a few days.  Small art has the benefit of feeling like less of an undertaking, and more of a game. Isn't playfulness the best type of self-care?  

I used a palette of Prussian blue, Cobalt Green, Indigo, Burnt Sienna, and Chromium Yellow Hue Deep. The feathery snow effect resulted from table salt sprinkled on the snowy Prussian blue hill. I let it dry a bit, then used a blow-dryer on low to make sure it was crisp-dry before sweeping the salt off and adding the cabin and trees. 

I hope you find time this December for some artful self-care!

Here's a link to Cathy's book in case you'd like to explore self-care with a watercolor brush:

 https://cathyjohnson.info/bookpages/paintingwatercolors.html

And, here's a link to her blog:

https://cathyjohnson.info/tips.html

Cathy also has provided her e-book Keeping an Artist's Journal  free for a limited time in response to  Covid-19.  Here's the link:

https://cathyjohnson.info/ebooks/artistsjournal.html