Doodles 10

Baby snakes. Based on a photo from the Art Journal section at WetCanvas Weekly Inspiration Pictures thread.

Old Planner with New Sketches #3

Practicing cats.

Old Planner with New Sketches #1

Planners are a waste for me because I never use them. Sometimes I'll write in birthdays and maybe one or two dates, but then they only take up space.

They make great scratch pads for quick notes, doodles, practice sketches, or playing with ideas!

These were all done in very poor lighting using the wrong eye glasses. In fact, I could barely see what I was doing. There are more scans coming, and I plan to keep scribbling under the same conditions in my unused planners.

A Very Wet Bird

It was weird drawing all the blades of grass in the last drawing, but drawing all the feathers on this wet bird was going overboard. It's actually easier for me to see the ink lines than to paint the color.

It's supposed to be a male White-Rumped Shama.

Based on a photo from the Art Journal section at WetCanvas Weekly Inspiration Pictures thread.

Grass! Nope. A Dog!

Another one based on a photo from The Art Journal section at WetCanvas Weekly Inspiration Pictures thread. All caught up.

See. You can draw each blade of grass.

A Bird, a Rabbit, and a Meerkat

The Art Journal section at WetCanvas has a Weekly Inspiration Pictures thread each week with photos from which to choose. These drawings were based on photos from two of the threads.

Testing Hot Press Paper

Hot press paper is supposed to be more difficult than cold press paper for watercolor, though I have seen it used beautifully by many people. I bought some to make sketchbooks. After making a folded sketchbook per Nina's instructions and completed example, I thought it might be time to give the paper a try.

Nice paper! Any problems with the paper will be due to operator error, not the paper.

I have a couple of other sketchbooks that are almost completed, so I will finish them shortly before working more with this one. I am seriously considering ditching my Hand-Book sketchbook in which I am doing my People Practice sketches. I really don't like the paper, and the pages won't flatten enough at the spine for decent scans. I've only stuck with it so far because I need the practice more than a change of paper, but I am unhappy.

EDM #160 & EDM #185

EDM #160 - Draw a Trophy
EDM #185 - Draw a Cat

#185 is out of sequence, but the cat seems to go well with a trophy.

I know it's okay to go out of sequence for the challenges, but it's easier for me to keep track with the sequence, plus I don't skip the ones I find difficult.

Poor scan, but close enough.

My Sad History with Learning Oil Painting

Near the end of 2006 I learned about water-soluble oil paints and decided to give them a try. I quickly discovered how little I knew about paints and mixing the colors. Numerous times I had to find my notes on mixing browns and greys. How hard can that be?!!



Above is my first try with oils. It's unfinished because after all my work with the browns and greys, I realized I didn't have a clue about doing the kittens' fur properly and mixing good whites and creams. I gave up.

Near the end of my attempt with the kittens, I cleverly decided to try a portrait.



This is as far as I went. My first realization was that I had forgotten how to draw eyes and that painting them would be even worse.

So, off I went to work on drawing. Watercolors were also part of my education only because I had tried them once before and I had a stash of old watercolors, brushes, and paper.

With the watercolors I became familiar with the color names, attributes, and mixing. Huge learning curve! There's so much more to learn, and my watercolor skills need a lot of work.

Although I'm still working on drawing and watercolors, I decided to pull out the water-soluble oils again.


I know this is bad, but the paint is on the canvas (canvas paper! *lol* the others are on stretched canvases), and it has a bunch of mixed colors that I could not have done before. No pre-planning for this one -- I drew an apple and everything else just happened. Now I'm comfortable enough with colors to pull out the oils occasionally for a bit of practice.

The photo of the apple is not sharp, but after 15 shots I gave up. The auto-focus did not like the fresh oil, and my eyes are not good enough for manually focusing a digital camera.

Kittens

Well, it will be awhile before I try fur again. Or tiles. I do like the basic drawing though.

A Lot of Lions

Cat attack!

It doesn't do for me to keep trying the same subject. My second and third tries are okay, but that's all.

I did lift the background color from the first lion to try for something better. I've never lifted color on purpose before. Scary, but it works. A few other changes were made also. The original is in my previous post.

A Lion

Here kitty, kitty, kitty!

More of this one will be done until I get it right. Coordinating the wetness of the paper and brush is a major problem for me. I go into panic mode.

EDM #66 - Draw a Fire Hydrant

Fire hydrants are today's answer to the bucket brigade, and they are a constant reminder that they stand ready in case of emergency. I've been a lucky person in that I only see them standing at attention, ready for action; never have I seen one in action.

Carousel Horse

Though this is a carousel horse, it was complicated because I'm not familiar with drawing horses. It was planned as watercolor only, but I chickened out and used ink with watercolor touches.

Based on a photo from WetCanvas! Image Library.

My Sheep Was Too Clean

It was noted at WetCanvas! that the sheep in my previous post was too clean, too white, and that I should add some watercolor mud to darken the coat. So, watercolor mud (usually watercolor mixes that turn to the color of mud) can be useful. The browns, greys, and blacks were actually mixes of Maimeriblu Primary Blue and Winsor Orange RS.

This mud-enhanced painting was scanned, and the one in my previous post was a photo taken outside, so there is a difference in the way the greens show, but I did nothing to the green areas, though the greens in the original painting are probably between the two posted images. Only the coat was darkened.

Enough with sheep!

WetCanvas! Submission

The WetCanvas! Watercolor Forum has monthly challenges/invitations with different subjects to paint, and I decided to give this month's subject a try.

5" x 7" Fabriano CP, Maimeriblu watercolors. All colors were mixed.

It's doubtful the ram would appreciate my effort, but I give myself credit for trying. Now it's time to return to my less stressful sketchbooks.

EDM #52

My friend Marley supplies fine strands of dog hair to mix in my paints, and he demands that I play or take him for a walk whenever I place one stroke of paint to paper. Even though he can be a major distraction, he loves me, and I love him.

It's easier for me to do an ink sketch with a watercolor wash, but I shouldn't depend so much on the inked lines, and sometimes with an ink drawing I feel I'm doing nothing more than adding decorative dabs of color. Part of that is doing drawings in the small Moleskine that don't leave much room for color. I know. Keep practicing with only watercolor, and one day ....

Doggie Power

My mother sent me some money to help with my air-conditioning bill, so I painted a postcard on which I can write her a thank-you note. My dog's constant tail-wagging has certainly been useful during this hot weather.

Pachyderm 2

Saw the photo on a magazine cover and thought I would give it a try. I didn't realize that elephants have such long eyelashes.

EDM #44

Marley was living at the Humane Society when I met him. His overall look is that of a flat coated retriever, but around his face and ears some cocker spaniel shows. Though searching for a small, fluffy mutt, he convinced me I would be very happy with 55 pounds of love. He's black with some white at his throat and chest.

In the past week I realized that the names of watercolors are beginning to register with me! It's about time! I'm beginning to remember the characteristics of some of the colors also. Progress!