British Isles Tour: Dolphins!

Sailing near Oban, Scotland, David photographed these dolphins riding in our bow wake.  How exciting to see the dolphins racing through the water right alongside our ship! It was as if they wanted to play with the great ocean liner.

I took a quiet afternoon in our stateroom as we sailed on and used his photo to create this watercolor sketch.

I was taken by the way the wind caught the tops of the waves and blew the spray, so I played with wet-in-wet techniques to express that motion.

I hope you'll make your own sketch of these dolphins!

Happy Creating!

British Isles Tour: The Coast of Northern Ireland

As we sailed from Cobh, Ireland to Liverpool, England, I was inspired by the shoreline that passed by just outside the ship.  I made a very quick pencil sketch in my landscape-oriented watercolor journal, and snapped a murky photo with my cell phone to help me remember the colors in the shoreline.  Later, I finished the sketch with watercolors.

As we traveled north along the coast of Northern Ireland, we passed Mews Lighthouse near Bangor.  I sketched quickly with a pencil, and wrote notes on the colors I saw.  

Later, I added pen lines with a Faber Castell black waterproof marker, and finished the sketch with watercolors.

In the moment, as I sketched the shoreline, it felt impossible to capture the moving scene. Later, looking at the simple landscapes, I love how fresh & alive the pages look to me.  Imperfect art is full of life!

Here's a photo David took of the lighthouse from a slightly different angle.  You can use it to make your own painting of Mews Lighthouse.

Happy Creating! 

Is Copying Other Artists Cheating?

I often flip through favorite artists' books for inspiration, and sometimes find a page so inspiring, I want to learn how the original artist created the painting.

That's the case with the page above from Erin O'Toole's book Create Your Own Artist's Journal.

Hungry for the beauty of spring flowers, and admiring Erin's beautiful work, I copied part of her painting, adding my own twist.

I learned new ways of composing paintings of flowers, and discovered how lovely it is to have a light, soft wash of color behind more distinct, defined features of that same color.

That's the beauty of copying other artists -- you learn their techniques. As long as you don't present the painting as your original work, it's not cheating to copy another artist's painting.  It's a great way to learn!

Happy Creating!

Weekly Planner: Spring Blooms

On a recent walk in Pittsburgh, I saw these flowers blooming.  Their shapes looked like fairy skirts, and the blue color inspired me.

So I decided to decorate my weekly planner page with them.  I sketched the flowers with my Lamy fountain pen and black waterproof ink, then added color with Caran D'Ache Aquarelle watercolor crayons.

I added the dates, and the page was ready to be filled in with the events of the week.
 

A little art can enchant even a weekly list of appointments and responsibilities.

Happy Spring!

Nature Journal Updates

It's been a wonderful time to take my nature journal for a hike.  The ephemeral wildflowers have begun blooming in the woods -- like this Spring Beauty -- and curiosity is rewarded around every bend of the trail.

Even last year's dead weeds have taken on a new beauty next to the greening grass and the forest canopy beginning to leaf out.

Skunk cabbages have been blooming for some time in the low wetlands, and now unfurl bright green, cabbagey leaves.

Salamanders wriggle in creeks again, and the acorns that survived being eaten over the winter now sprout to begin new oaks.

Back at home, perennials are returning in the flower beds.

And just sitting on the front porch for a half hour yields a long list of signs of spring.

I hope you are enjoying the turn of the season where you are.

Happy Spring!