Welcome, Summer!

Yesterday was the Summer Solstice, and I celebrated with a painting of a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (Pterourus glaucus) on Blue Spire Larkspur from my garden.

I started with a pencil sketch, then began adding in the black markings on the butterfly with an India ink brush pen.

I sketched in the Larkspur in waterproof ink.

Then I began painting the scene, starting with the butterfly first, and moving on to the Larkspur.

I found that I would have been better off painting the yellow of the butterfly first, then adding the black markings in India ink.  The yellows I used: Winsor Lemon and Azo yellow showed on the black ink, so I had to dab those areas with a paper towel while they were wet.

I began adding in greens and shadows made from the purple I was using -- Permanent Blue Violet mixed with Phthalo blue -- and cool Hooker's Green.  I love the dark, shadowy colors that result.

If you mix violet with a yellowy green like Sap Green, you get a muddier shadow color.  But cool greens and cool violets create a luscious, dark, purple-indigo shadow color.

I love the bits on the top left where the cool greens, violet and dark indigo interact.

Butterflies are fiddly little things to paint and draw.  They have so many details, and those details are mirrored in their symmetrical wings.  I remind myself that my goal is to celebrate what I see in nature with my art.  It's okay not to get everything perfectly accurate.  That's what field guides and photographs are for!

If you love butterflies, I hope you'll use these reference photos of the Tiger Swallowtail to make art!

Happy Creating!

Charmed by a Vintage Tea Kettle

A recent thrifting adventure turned up this adorable aluminum tea kettle.  I bought it to use in my drawing classes for still life setups, and was so charmed by it, I made a watercolor study of it myself.

I started with a simple pen and ink sketch using my Lamy fountain pen and waterproof ink.

After the ink was dry, I laid in washes of ultramarine blue mixed with burnt sienna to make a steely grey. The wet-in-wet approach worked well to merge contrasting areas and soften the edges. 

I began laying in burnt sienna and yellow ochre to make the brown craft paper and wooden box in the background.

I got excited about creating the wood grain by laying in stripes of burnt umber mixed with burnt sienna to lighten it or ultramarine to darken it.

I found that my first attempt at the wood grain was too detailed and drew the eye away from the tea kettle, so I softened the wood grain with light washes.  

I like the final level of detail in the background.

If you are captured by this little vintage tea kettle, I hope you'll make a painting or drawing from the photo at the top of this post.

Happy Creating!

Winter Nature Journal: A Deer Friend

Last autumn, we noticed a particularly friendly young deer who was unafraid of us.  As I hiked our farm, I'd often encounter this guy.  When the other deer ran off, he lingered. I always kept my distance, but was charmed by his curiosity.

Hunger brought him up close to the house to eat where other critters didn't dare, giving me good photo opportunities.

This winter, he's been visiting my birdfeeding station and dining on sunflower seeds, so I decided to include him in my nature journal.

Here's the reference photo I used for my drawing.

I started with a graphite pencil sketch, then inked in the lines and added color with my Derwent Drawing Pencils.  I touched in some spots --his ears & around his eyes -- with a Posca paint marker that I wanted to be bold white.

 

I hope you'll use these reference photos to make drawings and paintings.

Happy Creating!

The Love of Tiny Things in Nature

I find myself drawn to the tiny things in nature like small flowers, acorns, insects, & fungi. 

I spotted these beautiful shelf fungi on a recent walk through the Widlflower Reserve at Raccoon Creek State Park and snapped photos with my phone.

Back in the studio, I made a light pencil sketch on a piece of watercolor paper, using the photo above for a reference.  I added layers of washes.  After the first washes were dry, I added some pen and ink marks with my fountain pen

I added more watercolor details using a small round brush.  And, I used a bit of white gouache for highlights here and there.

I finished the 5"x 7" painting with a few colored pencil details.

Realizing that tiny things inspire me helps me to focus my art on the things I love.  

I enjoy hiking in the park, snapping reference photos.  The paintings I make back at home feel like a celebration of my time in nature.  They capture a memory of a place I love.

What do you love?  What inspires you? 

I hope you paint or sketch it to deepen your enjoyment of it.

Happy Creating!

Finishing Unfinished Art

In August of 2024, I visited the loveliest historic site: Old Economy Village in Ambridge, PA, where I started a pen and ink drawing.  I drew on an Arches watercolor block with waterproof ink, planning to finish the drawing with watercolors. 

If you've never used one, a block of watercolor paper allows you to paint on 140# paper without taping the edges as the paper is glued around all 4 sides.  When you're done, you simply slide a palette knife (or a butter knife) into a little slot that's been left unglued, and run it around the edges to free the paper from the stack.

This drawing sat in my studio for over a year,and every time I wanted to use that watercolor block to create something new, I'd mutter to myself about finishing the artwork some day.

I finally pushed myself to finish the painting, using this reference photo.

I simplified the scene in my drawing, omitting the fence with the grapevines and a few other details.  The brick house against the shadowy hills was the focal point, so I wanted to reduce clutter in other areas.  I had fun with the shadows in the apple tree on the right.

 What a good feeling to free up that watercolor block!  

There's often a fear of ruining an unfinished work that you like.  I recommend that you warm up with other art play, then make a plan and start in.  In this case, I played with abstract watercolors, then worked from the background to the foreground, from general to specific, and from larger washes to finer details.

As hard as it might seem to reignite the energy to finish a piece, I like to think that until it's finished, my art isn't what I want it to be.  If I leave it to gather dust, it hasn't developed its full potential.  By taking the risk and finishing the painting, I give the artwork a chance to be complete.  

My art never turns out exactly as I'd imagined it.  It's more a process of discovery and exploration focused on a scene that inspires me rather than the pursuit of a specific outcome.  

When you finish your artwork, even if it takes a turn you didn't see coming, you have the peace of completing the artwork.  That can boost you to move on to something new.

Every painting can teach you something.  This painting shows me how cool greens appear to recede and warm greens look closer. It gave me a place to play with contrasting colors: the orangey red of the brick house against the blue green trees and hill.  And it reminds me to always simplify the landscape -- pick out the focal point and delve into detail there, omitting other details.

What an uplifting feeling to put the final brush stroke on something that's been nagging you to be finished!

I'm looking forward to using my watercolor block for the next spark of inspiration that sweeps through.

Happy Creating!

Signs of Autumn in my Nature Journal

My daily walks find me collecting a late summer harvest.  The weather feels more like autumn than summer, and colorful leaves brighten the pathway.  

I collected some ripe apples on a recent walk, and sketched them in my nature journal, using pen and ink with watercolor crayons layered on top.

The change in the weather to cooler days and crisp nights invigorates me and makes me excited to make entries in my new nature journal.

What type of weather inspires you?  What do you like to sketch and record in your journal? I hope you find inspiration out in nature.

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!

A Watercolor Bouquet

A friend gave me a bouquet of flowers & herbs from her garden.  What a gift of beauty for an artist!

The next morning at breakfast, I made a sketch of the lovely blooms with my Lamy fountain pen.

When the ink was dry, I added color with my Winsor & Newton watercolors.  

It was a delightful way to start the morning.

I invite you to make your own sketch or painting of these lovely flowers.

Happy Creating!

Spring Details in my Nature Journal

I love to hike and pick up natural treasures along the way, then sketch them in my nature journal. I find that it's the details in the landscape, like those above, that appeal to my artist's eye and tell the story of what's happening.

I sketched with my Lamy Safari fountain pen, then added watercolors from my travel kit.

What stories is the land telling you right now?

I hope you get a chance to record them in your nature journal!

Happy Creating! 

Weekly Planner: Geraniums in Bloom!

I have a potted geranium on my studio desk thatI saved from the first frost last fall, and the blooms lift my spirits.  Why not incorporate them into this week's planner?

I began with an ink sketch with my Lamy fountain pen.  After the ink had dried, I added watercolor washes.  This notebook isn't made for watercolor painting, but it's still fun to decorate the ink drawing with some color, even if the paper crinkles.

I love the colors I see in this plant.  They create a beautiful color palette.

What do you see in your everyday life that inspires you? A quick sketch is a lovely way to celebrate the subjects and colors you enjoy.

Happy Creating!

Armchair Traveling

Several years ago, David and I flew to England to board the Queen Mary 2 for a Transatlantic Crossing.  You can find that story here:

https://betsyblissart.blogspot.com/2023/08/embarking-on-transatlantic-crossing.html

We had a day to walk around the port city of Southampton, England before boarding our ocean liner, and I snapped lots of photos.

It's a delight to go back to those photos and paint from them.  We saw this little cart of herbs near the historic town walls (built in the 14th century!).

I began with a pencil sketch, then added watercolor washes and finished with some line work in India ink with my Lamy Safari fountain pen.  Towards the very end of painting this scene, my Intuition suggested that I add a bit of purple to the shadows around the cart.  The mint plants had lavender flowers, and using a touch of the same lavender tied the scene together.

Do you have old vacation photos that you'd like to revisit?  Sketches of beautiful scenes can be uplifting on wintry, gray February days.

Happy Creating!

Gray Day Hike & Sketch

A hike down to Raccoon Lake seemed routine until a flock of Canada Geese soared overhead, bugling.  I snapped a photo to use as a reference, and then sketched the scene with a waterproof black pen.

I touched in a few washes with watercolor, glad that the temperature was in the 40's and the paint didn't freeze on the paper.

Here's the reference photo.  I zoomed in on the birds to see the details in the birds' flying postures.

It's amazing to me how wild animals can make a dull scene instantly alive and beautiful.

I hope you get a chance to sketch in nature.  It's a beautiful way to connect with our wild relations.

Happy Creating!

Winter Nature Journaling

Turning the page on my new mini watercolor nature journal (begun here), David and I took a hike in the state park lake on a bitterly cold afternoon.  The fresh air was exhilarating, and time in nature is always uplifting to me, no matter what the weather.

We dropped down off the ridge into the shadows along the water, where I made an ink sketch of this lovely, shadowy scene. Bundling up and hiking had kept us warm.

But, my watercolors froze right on the page.  The little dark clumps are where the watercolor iced up into flat crystals in the 27 degree weather.

Back in the studio, I finished the painting from a reference photo. 

I used a white Crayola crayon before painting to create the white-limbed sycamore trees in the background.  The wax acts as a resist, so you can paint right over the area with a light wash and keep the white of the paper.  After the paint dried, I added finer limbs with a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen.

I hope you get a chance to go out into nature and revel in the fresh air and the peace of the wild things.

Happy Creating!

Working Small to Make Discoveries

When you're drawing or painting the landscape, the vast amount of details can overwhelm a person.  Working small forces you to simplify, and can help you make discoveries about values and composition.

This little painting was done on a postcard 3.5" x 6".

I took a reference photo with my cell phone towards sunset one evening on a walk.  The buttery light of sunset peeking through the rain clouds caught my eye.

I began with a pencil sketch, and added waterproof ink with my Lamy fountain pen.

After erasing the pencil marks, this is the pen and ink sketch.

I began painting the sky, using a white wax crayon as a resist where the sun poked through the clouds.   Azo yellow mixed with yellow ochre created the buttery yellow sky light.  Ultramarine blue with a touch of burnt umber created a lovely cloud color and worked well in the distant hills.

A light wash of yellow ochre for the field grasses and yellow ochre & burnt sienna for the weeds echoed the warm yellow around the sun.

The dark green of the background spruces & pines were mixed with burnt sienna & phthalo blue.

I could have simplified this scene further, but I'm happy with the end result.

I lightened the scene and pumped up the value contrasts a bit compared to the photo, and if I were to paint it again, I might lighten the value of the distant hills a bit to see what effect that had.

After painting the scene in miniature, you can always take what you've learned and create a larger painting using this small work as a guide.

Even if you only create the smaller studies, you learn how to simplify the scene with every little painting.

Happy Creating!