Month: September 2016

Urban Sketching

If I don’t make time to sit down at my easel and actually paint a watercolor, I get out my sketchbook and always do some kind of a small ink and watercolor sketch. These are more of a style called urban sketching. That’s what I will post today.
Sorry about the rug, I failed to crop first. These are 2 pages that are quite different than my typical painting style. I really love the ‘quick and dirty’ painting,  as my friend Denny Dowdy calls it. Both were done in the Cath waiting room at the hospital.  Both were ink first, then watercolor. 

Catching up again!

I have a good excuse for not posting. My sweet sister had a heart attack! She had a stint put in an artery that was 95% blocked. They kept her overnight and released her. Just amazing. 

I find copying an artists painting is a great tool for me. I learn to evaluate techniques, process, color layering and composition. My goal was to practice adding people to my paintings. Not to copy exact from the reference.  I hate to admit I forgot to write the artists name. But I used this for a learning exercise and not to sell. I will be more diligent next time. This is in the style of Urban Sketching. 

From the top down: First my sweet sister 2 days after a heart attack! Then my study. The last are 3 of 5 that were step by step process pictures for the painting. Viewing the 5 step process from start to finish is a great way to learn. 

Catching up from day 4 and 5. 

I paint everyday. I just forget to post everyday. So you see I made it 2 days and fell off the wagon. But I’m determined to catch up. 

Here are 2. The city scene is from a photo reference of mine of downtown Kansas City. I painted it referring to Brienne Brown’s lesson. I don’t think it’s done yet, but I’m pleased so far. 

The bottom ‘urban sketch’, was from a window view. I do this style of fast sketching constantly. I did one in church Saturday. This is my new replacement fountain pen. It’s a Lamy Al Star. Love it. I managed to loose my white Lamy Safari. If you find it, please return it! I only had it 2 weeks! And I intentionally bought white so I wouldn’t loose it! As suggested by other sketchers. 

De-cluttering Organization or simply recognizing?  I’m a hoarder for art supplies. 

As a retired art teacher, I taught numerous mediums. Clay, textiles, drawing, painting, the list goes on. So I certainly have had a love affair with them all! My interest has narrowed to painting over the years but I still have a stash of felting supplies in my tiny studio, which is a bedroom in real life. I have a few clay tools from experimenting with sculpty  clay. Rubber stamps? I’ve got drawers of them within reach. And beads and jewelry supplies? Got that too. To ice that cake, my sweet husband has a jewelry/fishing rod studio set up downstairs! 

So I expose these pictures today as my therapy. I’m hoping to organize to my best ability, to make space to actually be able to paint in the studio again. Currently I have taken over the entire sunroom, full spread, dining room table. My rationality for this was I couldn’t pack away my oil paints. I don’t want to ‘give them up yet’. But the studio is too small for all of the above. Thus I have worked for 3 days trying my level best to purge. STACKS of oil paintings, literally a tub full and then some. Jars of gamsol, all settled down and ready to reuse. Tubs of used oil paint. Jars and boxes of oil brushes. The list is very long. Very long! 



These last three are progress shots. Max is my support dog for this project. As of today, all but one tub is full! And I think I’ll need more. Note the bead weaving loom on top of the blue lid in the above picture? Everyone needs a bead weaving loom right????

30/30 September 2

Here are the first two of three for this project with my on line workshop. As you can see I have used a new triad of colors. There are elements of each one that I like. Tomorrow will the final for this series of 3 in 3. Which one do you favor? 

30 watercolors in 30 days starting TODAY, September 1, 2016!

This is the reference photo I used from Brienne M. Brown’s mini on line workshop. The workshop is through Open Studio Online.  The name of the class is Painting With A Triad Color Scheme. The best $20 I’ve spent in a long time! 

  • Starting from the bottom and working up to the finished study. Step one was a pencil value study. From there I proceeded with her directions step by step. The 3 colors for this painting are Pyrrol Scarlet, Hansa Yellow Medium and Ultramarine Blue.