Art at the Beach, Part 2

The beauty of a travel journal is that you can quickly capture the scenes and mood of a place to lock it into your memory.

On our recent Florida beach trip, the gorgeous turquoise and cobalt blue of the Atlantic Ocean caught my eye and inspired this quick watercolor sketch of a fishing boat motoring down the beach.

A friendly beach-goer wearing an Army sunhat sat for me to sketch him in my journal.

A first sketch - like this one of the dune - may not look "pretty" or perfect.  It's helping you to see the scene before you and figure out how to draw it.

Here's the second attempt.

And below is a study of the Sea Oats at the front of the beach dune.

As easy as it is to snap a cell phone picture, research shows that making a sketch instead will help you recall more details about your experience -- the people, the colors, the conversations, your feelings, etc. 

Each of these sketches were made at the beach, in the moment, and each one carries with it memories of those moments. 

All you need to lock in memories like this is a small journal -- mine is 6" x 8" -- and a drawing implement -- a pencil, a marker or even a ballpoint pen. Keep these items handy for a quiet visit to a coffee shop, while you're talking on the phone, or to take with you on a short "art date" by yourself. 

Happy Sketching & Memory Making!

Art at the Beach

 

Over last weekend, David and I vacationed in Florida on a gorgeous natural beach.  The beauty of the dunes, the plants, and the wildlife inspired and relaxed me.  

Between dunks in the Atlantic Ocean, I sketched, snapped photos of nature, and painted.  I used the photos I took to create more pages in my travel journal after we had left the beach.  

Above is a painting I made of Sea Grapes while waiting for our flight home.  Here's my reference photo:

My travel art supplies fit into a makeup bag I bought at the Goodwill.

Less is more!

I find that having fewer supplies makes me more likely to draw and create, and that filling a 6"x 8" journal page is less daunting than a larger space. 

Why not give yourself the gift of a mini art vacation to sketch, relax and play with your art supplies?

Even if travel isn't in your plans, you can still set up a travel art kit.  Pick out a few of your favorite supplies and tuck them into a pocket, a pack or a zippered case, then visit someplace interesting to you.  It could be a coffee shop, a park or a greenhouse in your area.  

Any sketch, even one you see as imperfect, is far more interesting than a blank page.  

And every time you create, you build your skills & practice self care.

Create. You're worth it!

Flower Power!

I bought carnations for my drawing students at the Community College of Beaver County to practice on last week, and had some leftovers after class.  

The flowers have brightened up my studio, and inspired me to play with India ink in a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen. I focus on making marks that feel freeing & expressive.

 After the ink dries, I add watercolor washes.

Because India ink is waterproof, you can add watercolor washes over the top as soon as the ink has dried, creating bold contrasts.  

I hope you can have a play with colorful art supplies and a bouquet of flowers.  

The flowers will lift your spirits twice - as you enjoy the blossoms decorating your home, and as you create artworks based on them.  Remember, you're not a camera.  You don't have to create a super-realistic artwork.  Just play with lines & colors inspired by the flowers! 

Nature Journal Update

 The beauty of a nature journal is that you can pick it up and make a quick sketch -- whether in watercolor while floating around in a canoe on a lake as above, or with a Micron pen while hiking the Appalachian woods as below.

These quick watercolor sketches of spring wildflowers allowed me to experiment, connect with nature, and make a quick sketch when a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird appeared briefly.  These sketches capture the memory of the moment.

I hope you can find a moment to steal away with a journal and connect with the calming power of nature & art!

Spring Color & Art Classes!

I've been teaching Watercolor Flowers at the Community College of Beaver County the last few weeks, and have noticed how the spring sunshine has been spilling into my paintings. I love the way that a class can focus my art-making so that I build my proficiency and grow as an artist.

Taking a class can help you to create in a series and get your artistic practice rolling along, too!

I invite you to join me for art classes at CCBC this spring!  I'll be teaching Nature Art for Self Care starting April 23rd, Art Journaling starting March 26th, and Make Your Own Rubber Stamp starting March 23rd.  

All classes are designed for beginners. Everyone is welcome!

You can find more information here under the "Arts" tab: https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/

I hope to see you in class!

I've been preparing for my upcoming class "Watercolor Flowers" by gathering supplies, filling palettes with watercolors, and playing with ways to paint flowers with watercolor.  The class begins this Saturday morning at the Community College of Beaver County, and is full, but there are lots of other artful classes at CCBC.  

You can check them out here: https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/

At this monochromatic time of year, the simple act of squeezing out tubes of watercolor paint into little wells lifts my spirits. 

The invigorating presence of fresh flowers in my studio feels like Spring -- nourishing for this artist's soul!

Why not buy yourself a bouquet of fresh flowers, and explore the colors within these jewels?

Wishing you many happy hours painting!

Nature Journal Update: Shaggy Mane Mushroom

 

It's mushroom season! Recent rains have brought mushrooms popping up in the woods along our favorite trails.  Here's a pair of Shaggy Mane Inkcap mushrooms a fellow hiker pointed out to us last Friday.  What a delight to sit and sketch this gorgeous mushroom!

Inktober in an Enchanted Woods

I spent a few hours sitting in an enchanting pine forest at Raccoon Creek State Park with my nature journal.  I used Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils and a Micron pen, touching some of the drawings up with a wet brush to create washes of color.  I love the intense colors of the Inktense pencils against the bold black of the Micron pen.

Here are the pages from my nature journal. 

I felt the cares of daily life wash away as I sank into the pine straw and connected with nature.

Here's a sketch of the cozy spot where I tucked away, sitting against a massive pine tree among the ferns.

I hope you get a nature break today!

Nature Journal Update for August

 August found me all over the map, but I took my nature journal along for my travels and captured quick sketches along the way.  

Here's a walk through the pages of my journal, starting with the clouds out my father's study window:

And some lovely woods on a day trip with David:

Back at home, sitting in my backyard garden with my kitty, Miss Boo, admiring the blooming marigolds and a curvy Tromboncino squash growing on a trellis in my yard.

Imagine burying your face in the soft, sweet petals of a flower and nodding off to sleep!  For the bumblebee, it has nectar awaiting it for breakfast when it awakes.  Even bumblebees practice self care!

Butterflies & a stone wall in Raccoon Creek State Park's Doak Field:

The Tromboncino Zucchini plants in my garden have been growing lush on the recent rains:

And just yesterday, David and I went on a 5-mile hike & later a canoe ride at Raccoon Creek State Park.  The mosquitoes were biting, so we kept our water break short.  But, I managed to sketch this fabulous mushroom.

Our afternoon canoe paddle was interrupted by a brief thunderstorm.  We paddled over to the dock at the beach and tied up our canoe, spending the rainstorm under the cover of one of the buildings.  

The quickest of gesture drawings captures the memory of that hot summer afternoon on the lake.  I can return to the heat of August any time of year just by flipping through the pages of my journal.

 I recently hopped a plane to visit family, and took my nature journal along for the adventure.

I stayed at a charming Airbnb, and in the mornings, I drank tea on a screened in porch and sketched the lovely flowers on the grounds.   

Sketching in my journal is a way for me to slow down and ground myself.  And, I can record moments and experiences that otherwise would slip from my memory.  

When traveling, I find this moment of stillness and connection a valuable self-care practice.

Watercolor Sketching on a Summer Day

 

One lovely summer morning, I found myself with some time to create. Sitting on my front porch, I was drawn to the lush treeline where it met the sky, and simply started "sketching" with my paints and brush.  I followed the forest canopy down the hill with my brush, and included the single-wide trailer down the hill, the place where we lived while we built our solar home.  Tucked in between the hills, the trees and the tall pasture grasses, it charmed me.W

With all the green-on-green, I felt like the scene needed a bit more contrast to come to life, so I used a Micron pen to add contour lines.

Sometimes, it's a pleasure to let the scene lead you in your painting, to experiment and make discoveries.  

Watercolor Explorations: Still Life with Veggies

My Osher Zoom Watercolor Explorations class has begun.  Each week, we practice watercolor techniques & discuss background information, and then each person sets up their own still life. We paint together via Zoom.  You can see my students' work here.

This week, I selected fruits and vegetables as the subject for our still life.  

I placed the red pepper, onion and eggplant in a roughly triangular composition, then literally tossed the three yellow peppers into the scene to keep the layout looking lively.  

I was drawn to the lusciousness of the bright red pepper against the deep purple eggplant.  After class, I added a little fine Micron pen to define forms & shadows further. 

Why not set up a still life with delectable produce and paint or sketch it?  When you're done, you can always cook your subject up into a tasty stew!

Grandmother Hickory Tree in the Mist

The recent warm weather allowed me the ability to sit outside in comfort and draw a favorite hickory tree on a rainy morning.  I'm fascinated by the twisting branches of Grandmother Hickory tree, and the negative spaces created between each curvy limb.  As I finished up my drawing, a crow sailed in to land on the top of Grandmother Hickory tree and cleaved the misty morning with his loud caws. 

Nature puts on a show for me every time I sit still and pay attention.   

 

A Relaxing Evening with a Fistful of Micron Pens

Often in the evenings, I want to do something artistic, & relaxing.  I saw this idea online, and was inspired to fill several pages with pen & ink textures.  The power of working within a tiny grid block and having lots of rectangles to fill -- 35 per page in this instance -- is that there's no risk in trying some new pattern or design.  You fall into a playful mindset as you experiment with varying line widths, shapes, and mark-making approaches.