Nature Journal: Autumn Goldenrod

I often walk and snap photos of the goings-on in nature.  It's a lovely way to get exercise, air my thoughts out and stay connected to nature.

Back in the studio, I can pull out my art supplies and make a drawing or painting of something that caught my attention on the walk, using a photo for reference.

In this case, the goldenrods blooming in the sunshine were so stunning, they inspired me to make a colored pencil and ink drawing.

What out in nature catches your eye?  What inspires you?

Remember, you don't have to create a perfect likeness of whatever you draw or paint.  Let it be an inspired artwork that expresses your admiration of nature.

Happy Creating!

A Quick Pencil Sketch

One of my favorite artists on YouTube is The Unexpected Gypsy.  I have taken so much inspiration from the honest way she talks about her life, her emotions, and her art-making, that I joined her Patreon, where she shares photos & videos from her life every weekday.

The sketch above was from a pic she shared of an artist's date with her partner to a romantic, old castle.  I felt swept away by her story and video, and inspired to see the art she was making from this scene of her dressed up & sashaying to the magic castle.

Do you have photos that sweep you away?  Do you follow other artists?  Why not use that inspiration for sketching practice?

Happy Creating!

Paddle, Picnic and Paint

David & I capitalized on a beautiful late summer day to take our inflatable paddle boards out to the state park lake.  We packed in lunch and my travel art supplies.  

As we drifted on the lake, I found the gorgeous Sugar Maple leaf on the left. After we ate lunch, I sketched the contours of the leaf with my Lamy fountain pen.

I began to lay in watercolors with a layer of warm and cool yellows (Winsor Yellow and Cadmium Yellow Hue).  

After that dried, I began adding in cool reds (bottom left of the leaf) mixed with Alizarin Crimson and Burnt Sienna.  On the right and upper parts of the leaf, I mixed warmer reds with Cadmium Red Hue and Cadmium Yellow Hue.  

The few touches of green were created by mixing Winsor Yellow and Ultramarine Blue. A mix of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna made the shadows.

Spending time outdoors in a peaceful natural place just to take in the scene instills calm and serenity for me.  I notice that adding the layer of drawing and painting to my nature time slows me down as I focus on one facet of the scene.  The meditative stillness magnifies the benefits of nature for me.

I hope you get some time out in nature to make art and connect with nature.  

Happy Creating!

Watercolor: Autumn in the Field

After all the puttering, swatching, color mixing and playing around, I finally slipped back into painting with a scene that I see nearly every morning. 

Not every painting is successful, but every painting teaches me something.

I'm happy with this painting.  I focused on the parts of the backlit scene that really attracted my eye -- the glowing foliage against the dark trunks, the foreground milkweed plants like lanterns against the shadowed bushes, and the crimson berries and leaves announcing the turn of the season to fall. 

Do you take regular walks around your neighborhood?  Why not look for scenes that appeal to your artist's eye and take a picture, make a drawing or paint the scene.  I hope you find some beauty to inspire you today!

Happy Creating!

Self Portrait Ideas

In my Pencil Portraits Class last summer, I demonstrated drawing your own portrait using a mirror.  You always have your own face to draw, and self-portraits are great practice.

As a warm-up, you can begin with a blind contour drawing of your face.  

Look at your reflection in a mirror, and place your pencil on your paper.  Now without looking at your paper, and without lifting your pencil, begin drawing. You can go back over lines, just don't lift your pencil from the paper, and don't peek at your paper!

Your hand's only job is to follow the slow movement of your eyes over contours - lines that define outer and inner edges of your face. 

Go slowly, knowing that you are not making a drawing, you are aligning your eyes and your hand, making connections and observations.

You can see from my blind contour drawing that nothing lined up quite right or was in proportion, but that some accurate, alive lines arose.  

By forcing your eyes to remain on your face, you allow yourself to fully drink in the nuances and details, and you practice trusting your hand to follow along.  This is a useful skill to develop.  Looking at what or who you are drawing is one of the most important steps in any drawing.

Now that you are warmed up with a blind contour drawing or two, you are ready to make another sketch, allowing your hands to move slowly, and your eyes to dance between studying your face, and checking that your lines are landing in the right place on your paper.  Look at your face 90% of the time, and steal quick glances at your paper 10% of the time.  At first it feels hard, but soon you'll trust yourself, and you'll fall into a rhythm.

I hope you give this a try!  All you need is a mirror, a pencil and paper.

Happy Creating!

Nature Journal: September Sun

I took myself out for an art date to the most charming park, where these wild sunflowers were blooming under the bluest sky. 

I snapped a ton of photos in the park. Back in my studio, I pulled up this one to create a gouache painting in my nature journal.

Sometimes, when you look at a landscape, it can seem overwhelming.  So many details!

Try simplifying the scene.  That means you get to pick the part of the landscape that appeals to you, and add limited details, expressing other parts of the scene simply as shapes of color and value. Or leaving them out entirely.

Remember, you're the artist.  You decide what to paint, and how to paint it.

When you're done, prop your artwork somewhere you can see it as you pass through your home.  It will grow on you, and you will see things you hadn't noticed before. 

I was frustrated with this painting in the moment, feeling it wasn't working.  I left it for half a day, and came back later, realizing it captured the essence of that afternoon in the park.  Now I like it.

I hope you find a spot in nature to sit and sketch, paint or snap photos.

Happy Creating!

Getting Back in the Groove: Nature Journaling

Sometimes, the simplest thing to draw is the most enchanting thing to draw.  

An afternoon walk around my farm yielded this collection of acorns under a young oak tree, as well as this crisp Winesap apple from the little orchard we planted 15 years ago.

Observations of the change of seasons deepen the experience of simply sitting outside.

My cat joined me in the late afternoon sunshine.

This was our perch:

When you're getting back in the groove of making art, a nature journal can slip you right back into your old routine.  A favorite pencil or pen and a little book are all you need to record what you see right now in nature.  If you make a sketch you don't like, simply turn to a fresh page and start again.  No pressure.

I hope you take time to create this week.  See where it leads you!

Happy Creating!