Wednesday, July 27, 2011

It's on the fridge

I took a "watercolor in a day" class at Saginaw State yesterday --- it ran from 9 - 3.  The instructor,   Rosemary Hayes, demonstrated her techniques for mixing colors, making water and trees, and chatted about other classes available. She chatted a bit then chatted some more ... and at 1:00  I texted Mike that we had not yet wet our watercolor brushes.

We did a lot of color theory and mixed colors on palette paper.  I did learn that Arches Watercolor  140# pound paper is the best, and that you can paint using just Pthtalo Blue, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Red and Alizarin Crimson.   She gave us some violet to use for shadows although she said we could mix it easily enough.

At 2:15 we finally started our watercolor! What you see here is not what I accomplished in that final 45 minutes; it is what I finished by 7 pm when Mike came home and I proudly put it up on a magnet on the fridge.




I am not happy with the sand and rocks on the breakwater, but a bit afraid to make things worse.

I also am debating keeping its place on the fridge or actually getting it framed since my friend Amy's birthday is soon and she loves lighthouses. Unfortunately the paper we used is  10 x 14  and our instructor later told us that common frame sizes are either 9 x 12 or 11 x 14   so this would be a custom frame. Just WHY would they sell watercolor pads of paper in a non-standard frame size is beyond me.




Sunday, July 24, 2011

Roses and Chairs



Weekly art lessons presented a convoluted collection of boards called an adirondack chair this week. I share my attempts as well as the inspiration photo so you can sort it out.  I also went back in Lillian's files and found a weekly challenge to do roses. So they appear on the same page as my sketch book has no rules!

I am thinking an adirondack chair makes much better sitting than drawing!

Thanks to Lillian Kennedy for the inspiration and photos.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Loving my Inktense pencils!

I took my sketches from Art Camp and made thank you cards for the camp leaders. I wish I had taken notes on my pencil sketches as I had NO recall of what color clothes they were wearing.


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Art Camp Sketches


 I have a perfect captive audience when the instructors are giving information ... but these are kids and they move a lot, so I made some sketches first.

Came home and went over the pencil with black ink because I got tired of fighting my camera and scanner.





Our student/teacher trying to get the media player to work ... 


A not-so-patient ( nor polite) young lady

Monday, July 11, 2011

Chicago Sketch Book

The Trump tower, from 14 floors up, 1/2 mile away

A crane 12 stories up on the new Ronald McDonald House

 Someday I hope I will learn how to take photos of my sketches ... 

Top of the Intercontinental from the top of the condo across the street.
Sleepy

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

EDM 319

Ever wish you knew when to stop? I thought a checkered tablecloth was all this Chinese Diner set up would need. But then it took away from my carefully crafted soy sauce and chopsticks.

So I went back in with a 4B and darkened everything up ... not sure if that was a good move or not. But I got to try my new Staedtler pencils!