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!

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!

British Isles Tour: Meeting a European Robin

We ate lunch at the Dunollie Castle Cafe, enjoying their outdoor seating.  This friendly robin and his mate patrolled the picnic tables for crumbs.

European Robins enchant me with their curious, friendly nature. I asked David to take the photo above so I could create this sketch from it.

I hope you'll create a sketch from this photo, too!

Happy Creating!

British Isles: Scotland and Dunollie Castle!

I finally got to visit and paint a castle as I'd always wanted!

Dunollie Castle was about a mile walk from the port of Oban along the coastline.  

We climbed the hill to the castle ruins and enjoyed the views.  I took loads of photos like this one, and later painted this spread in my travel journal.

I began with a pencil sketch, then added fine ink lines with a Faber Castell India ink pen.

I added washes of stone colors once the ink was dry. The stone is made from mixtures of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna with touches of yellow Ochre and sap green to create the mossy bits.

The sky came next -- a wet wash of phthalo blue with ultramarine blue mixed in here and there.  While the paint was wet, I dabbed out areas of clouds with dry paper towel.

Next came the greenery -- mixtures of sap green with various yellows, and Hooker's green with ultramarine blue.  Also, phthalo blue mixed with burnt Sienna created the deep, foresty greens of the ivy-covered wall on the right.  The vivid, almost cartoon green grass was a mixture of phthalo blue and lemon yellow.

A few more details were added to the hedge on the left with various shadowy greens to give it depth.  Also, the grasses growing on the top of the castle keep walls were dabbed in with sap green and yellow Ochre.

Finally, the white grout between some of the stones was added in with a white Prismacolor colored pencil.

It was a joy to visit Dunollie Castle, and a joy to paint it!

 To learn more about Dunollie Castle, check out their website here: https://www.dunollie.org/

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!

Summer Nature Journal: Watercolor Sketching

I snapped this photo of my neighbor's cow pasture on a morning walk.  I love this vista in any season.  This particular day, the blues and greens caught my eye.

I made a loose watercolor sketch of the scene using the photo above for reference.

When the paint was dry, I added a few lines with my Lamy fountain pen.  The combination of black lines and bold colors has always been a favorite of mine.

When winter comes, I will have a record of the summer's heat and growth in my nature journal.

If you'd like to nature journal with me, there are still a few spots left in my Nature Journaling class at CCBC.

Nature Journaling

Course dates: Mondays, July 7,14 & 21, 6-9 pm

Community College of Beaver County, Monaca, PA

Cost: $89

All materials are provided.

You'll receive a sketchbook, colored pencils, pencils, an eraser & a pencil sharpener.

For more information and to register, follow this link:

https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/category/arts

Happy Creating & I hope to see you there!

Baltimore Orioles & Mixing Greens in My Nature Journal

A hike down to the state park lake on a quiet Monday afternoon felt magical with the sunlight streaming through the new leaves.  Birdsong everywhere brightened my spirits.

Reaching the lake, I immersed myself in sketching the bushes on the far side of the lake.  The late afternoon sun lit their foliage, picking them out from the shadowy hillside background.

I first drew with a permanent Faber Castell Pitt pen.  When the ink had dried, I painted in washes of sap green and a cooler green made from Hooker's green and French ultramarine blue.  I mixed up a few different greens:

• Yellow Ochre added to the blue green mixture dulled it a bit.
• Winsor lemon mixed with sap green brightened it for the weeds along the shoreline on the right.
• Phthalo blue mixed with burnt Sienna created the deep forest green in the hillside behind the bushes
• I occasionally added some sap green to the phthalo blue-burnt Sienna mix to alter the hue in the background
• The ripples in the water were made with the phthalo blue & burnt Sienna mixture. I used more burnt Sienna to make brown-green lake water.  

After I had finished painting the lake scene, I noticed a male Baltimore Oriole perched in a sapling just 12 feet away! I sketched him in pen as he sat in different positions.

His plumage was so intensely orange, I used a technique called glazing to recreate the glowing orange color of his feathers in the sunshine.  With glazing, you layer in a bright, often light color underneath another wash.  Painting in layers and letting each layer dry, creates a bolder effect than simply mixing all the colors together at once. 

Here, I painted a wash of warm azo yellow and let it dry.  Then I brushed in a mix of azo yellow and warm Pyrrol red. Yellow is often the color I use in glazing beneath other layers for bright leaves, bold birds, or colorful flowers. Yellow adds a sunny effect, and the finished painting seems to glow.

I hope you take some time to play with your art supplies this week and try out these techniques!

Happy Creating!

Spring Sassafras Leaves in Watercolor

Out on a walk around my farm, I was stopped in my tracks by the beauty of sunlight pouring through these sassafras leaves lighting them up like stained glass windows.

Back in my studio, I sketched the leaves in ink, then added color with watercolors. 

 Isn't it beautiful how each of us is attracted to something different to draw or paint out in the world?

What do you love to look at?  That's the thing to draw or paint!

Happy Creating!

Line & Wash: Apple Blossoms

Spring has been springing abundantly around here!  My favorite apple tree bloomed recently, and I snapped this photo with a Sony RX-10 IV.

I created this watercolor sketch from the photo above.

And finished up by adding textural lines and definition with a Faber Castell Pitt pen.  Sometimes when I create with the line & wash technique, I draw with the permanent pen first, then add splashes of color.  

If you feel inspired by the photo above, I hope you'll use it to create a drawing or painting!

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!