Sketching everyday things

Lately, I’ve been revisiting books and artists who inspire me. One such book and artist is The Art of the Affair - An Illustrated History Of Love, Sex, and Artistic Influence by Catherine Lacey and illustrated by Forsyth Harmon. The book is a delightful read - full of information and gossip about writers, artists, and other celebrities from the Jazz Age. But, what I really love about it are the watercolor and ink illustrations by Forsyth Harmon. She uses black pen lines to give definition to the illustrations but does most of her shading with layers of watercolors. Truly inspirational.

I attempted a few Sktchy-inspired portraits with her style in mind. Needless to say, her style is very difficult to replicate!

For our Christmas card this year

In reasearching Forsyth’s work, I discovered her still lifes on her website. I love these drawings of everyday items that seem to have so much beauty and personality to them. It was so eye opening to me to discover so many subjects for art all around me. I also saw the challenge of finding beauty in things that are so commonplace and ordinary that you never really look at them, much less find beauty in them.

So, I decided to start sketching my everyday items around me - starting with Forsyth’s book.

A digital drawing using Procreate and my Apple Pencil

A favorite snack - also done with Procreate and my Apple Pencil

I think I am hooked on drawing the everyday items around me! Have you tried drawing the most mundane, boring items around you?

Stay tuned for my next post on working in Procreate and animating my drawings with Sketchbook Motion.

Tour of Sketchbook 41

For the recent Urban Sketcher's Symposium in Chicago, I made two hand-bound sketchbooks to bring along - one in landscape format (Sketchbook 42) and one in portrait mode (Sketchbook 41). It was useful to have two sketchbooks with me to have the option of either orientation and to let one dry while working on the other. Since coming home from #uskchicago2017, I continued working on the sketchbook and just completed it. Here's a tour of the sketchbook (for a view of the individual pages, see the sketchbook here).

Tour of Concertina Sketchbook no. 36

I created my first concertina sketchbook inspired by Lynne Chapman from her Sketchbook Skool Exploring klass. I made this using one full sheet of Saunders Waterford 140lb. cold press watercolor paper.

Here is a narrated tour of the sketchbook followed by a quick tour.

Your comments are appreciated and welcome! Thanks for watching!

Here's how I make a concertina sketchbook from a full sheet of Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. 1. Fold and tear the sheet into their DS lengthwise; 2. Connect the sections together by folding the ends with a 1/4" overlap and glue together with Modge Podge suitable for paper; 3. While waiting for the glue to dry, tape the ends together with Washington tape that can be removed after the glue is dried; 4. I cut covers from the backing of a watercolor pad and used a cute Daiso panda envelope to cover the covers; 5. Glue the first and last pages to the covers; 6. Put heavy books on top to set - done!

Tour of Sketchbook no. 35

This is my first Stillman & Birn sketchbook with their Beta series paper. I liked it very much - but I think I prefer using my favorite Fabriano Artistico watercolor papers in the size and format of my choosing when I bind my own sketchbooks. But, it was fun trying a new sketchbook.

Here is the slow tour of the sketchbook followed by a quick tour.

Thanks for watching! I'd love to hear your comments.

Adventures in Creating a "Perfect" Watercolor Palette

I have been interested in trying out Schmincke watercolors for some time now and thought I scored when I picked up a 12 half pan travel set of Schmincke watercolors on eBay. Unfortunately, when I was preparing to write this blog post on my new artist quality Schmincke watercolors, I realized that I didn't purchase the artist quality Hordam paints, but instead got the student quality Akademie watercolors. This is not the first time I made an ill conceived purchase on eBay - but it will be my last!!

The good news is that I have always loved the Sennelie metal travel box that I have recently started using for my gouache paints - and the Schmincke metal box is even better! It is the same size, relatively light when the metal tray holding the half pans is removed, and has 3 large mixing sections in the lid instead of the two that the Sennelier box has.

I have been very happy with the Daniel Smith watercolors I have been using and love the colors. I had been using a large metal watercolor box filled with 46 colors in half and full pans.

My Daniel Smith watercolors in a 8.5" x 4.5" metal palette that folds out to about 13"

While I love how this large palette allows me to use as many colors as I would like - and has let me explore the use of so many lovely Daniel Smith pigments, I have started to worry that I had been using too many colors straight out of the tube and my color mixing skills were being degraded. So, I decided to use one of my smaller metal palettes with a select number of pigments ideally chosen for their mixing capabilities - for which, I have relied heavily on Jane Blundell's excellent watercolor blog - and adding some colors that I just love using. So, I chose to fill this tiny box with Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Gold, Yellow Ochre, Perylene Maroon, Pyrrol Crimson, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Rich Green Gold, Phthalo. Green (BS), Undersea Green, Cascade Green, Phthalo Blue (RS), Burnt Sienna, and Raw Umber.

My 3.25" x 2.5" tiny metal palette filled with Daniel Smith watercolors

I have really enjoyed using this palette, but the metal stays that hold in the half pans are not removable and the palette itself becomes a bit heavy as a result. Also, the two mixing wells are just not enough for me. So, despite not getting to try out the artist quality Schmincke watercolors, I am happy to have another perfectly sized metal travel palette, which I am able to fill with slightly more Daniel Smith watercolors.

My new Schmincke palette with Daniel Smith watercolors

Here are colors I've chosen: M. Graham Titanium White gouache; Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Gold, Yellow Ochre, Perylene Maroon, Pyrrol Crimson, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Buff Titanium, Rich Green Gold, Phthalo Green (BS), Undersea Green, Cascade Green, Cobalt Teal Blue, Phthalo Blue (RS), Cerulean Blue Chrom., Indian Red, Sodalite Genuine, Moonglow, Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, and Cobalt Blue. I may change up this palette as I use it and see what I feel is missing. I will let you know!

What do you have in your palette? What do you find as the "right" number of pigments to have on hand?

Painting Realistic Watercolors

I recently took yet another excellent Craftsy class - Anna Mason's Realistic Watercolors Step by Step. Anna is a self taught artist who specializes in painting realistic flowers and fruit in watercolor. Her method is very different than what I've done in the past and I love the amount of control you get with it.

Anna starts by drawing a light pencil sketch with a 0.5mm mechanical pencil with HB lead. She measures out the piece to get accurate proportions - which is time consuming, but effective. She them uses very light washes - and special spotter brushes that are much smaller than I'm used to working with and available in a set from my favorite brush company, Rosemary & Co. - and paints the lightest lights first. Next, she paints the darkest darks and then uses "tonal juggling" to get the mid-tones correct in relation to one another and to the lights and darks in the painting overall.

I loved the class and am trying out these techniques on my own macro photos and on portraits as well. Here is my rose from the class. I'm pretty happy with it!

I've also added the rose to my Redbubble products and it makes a great floral pattern!

Have you tried Anna's methods? Or other Craftsy classes?

Tours of Sketchbook No. 25

I just finished sketchbook no. 25! Here is a quick tour followed by a longer view.

A slower tour.

Trying Out a Limited Palette

I would really like to improve my watercolor mixing. To that end, i took Kateri Ewing's Craftsy class: Improve Your Paintings with Luminous Watercolor Mixing. I liked this class and learned a lot about my paints, pigments, and how to avoid muddy colors. Kateri focuses on a traditional split primary palette with single pigment paints and making watercolor charts.

The number of potential mixes you can make with a split primary palette is great (and mind boggling when you keep adding to your watercolor mixing charts with each new color) and adding convenience colors has helped me sketch quickly (one of my goals) but has led to some over reliance on these convenience greens, browns and earth colors.

So, I thought I would try an even more limited palette suggested by Jane Blundell, who has a fabulous blog that features tons of helpful information on watercolor paint brands, colors, comparisons, and palettes.

Jane suggests a lovely limited palette of just 6 Daniel Smith colors for people just starting in watercolor and she also provides 6 additional colors to add in with some other interesting options to make your palette your own. The six basic colors in her limited palette are: Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Gold, Carmine, Phthalo Green (BS), and Burnt Sienna. Here is my version of her excellent watercolor mixing illustration:

I painted this Sktchy portrait using just these 6 colors.

But, today, I decided to add in the additional 6 colors Jane recommends - adding in Buff Titanium (great for skin tones and buildings, etc.), Cerulean Blue Chrm. (essential for skies), Phthalo Blue (RS), Transparent Pyrrol Orange, Goethite - Brown Ochre, and Raw Umber. All by Daniel Smith.

But, since I plan to go out sketching this evening with some friends at the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival, I decided to resist going back to my 24 half pans in my usual metal tin and, instead, transferred my half pans to an Altoid tin in which I can fit 3 more colors - Quinacridone Rose, Monte Amiata Natural Sienna, and Jane's Gray (a premix of 50/50 Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna).

I will try this palette out tonight and let you know how it works out for me! In he meantime, here is my figure in action for today 17/50 that I painted with this 15 color palette.

I found the Phthalo Green is really helpful for mixing with Hansa Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Gold, Burnt Sienna, Monte Amiata, and Goethite to make a huge range of greens that I used in this piece.

What are your experiences with using a limited palette?

New 50 Day Project

I loved participating in #the100dayproject of drawing/painting 100 portraits in 100 days. I always had a reason to draw each day and a subject using the Sktchy app. I also felt that I needed a lot of practice in drawing faces and people, so doing 100 portraits really helped with that!

Lately, I've been wanting to improve my urban sketching - especially with regard to adding people to my sketches. So, I thought I would participate in another drawing project/challenge - but with a bit shorter duration. So, I decided to create my own #the50dayproject and draw/paint 50 figures in action in 59 days - but using mainly the Sktchy app and its inspiration photos as references. Though, I will keep trying to practice drawing figures from life as well. Here are my first attempts for the project I started on September 1st.

Have you tried any art challenges that you've enjoyed or can recommend?

Making Local Color Palettes

I recently picked up a copy of Mimi Robinson's book, Local Color - Seeing Place Through Watercolor at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MOMA). I had seen the book before at the de Young Museum and was intrigued.

In this book, Mimi Robinson creates watercolor palettes of locations both local to the San Francisco Bay Area where she lives (specifically, near Point Reyes, an area I love) and at other locations she's visited around the world. The palettes, themselves, are beautiful.

On my recent camping trip to Steeo Ravine, I made similar palettes for the scenes I was about to paint. But, I did these as preparatory steps, rather than as a means in itself.

After reading Local Color, though, I decided I should concentrate on making palettes as a way to focus on really seeing and mixing colors accurately. Also, the book has some great practices to keep inspiring me.

Here are some palettes I made recently. I am planning on making a palette and (possibly doing a painting if I have time) of the view from my balcony for the next five days at about the same time - shortly after sunrise.

I decided to make a palette for the wedding flowers we delivered in Napa the other day.

Inspired by the book, I made a palette for a rock from my backyard. It's amazing how many colors are in a rock when you really look.

Then, I tried unsuccessfully to paint the afternoon sky and couldn't get the clouds right. So, I focused on making a palette for the sky instead.

Have you ever tried making watercolor palettes of local color?

My Dogs in a New Sketchbook

I took a trip to the art store today and bought a few full (22" x 30") sheets of Fabriano Artistico paper in 140 lb. weights and a variety of finishes - hot press, cold press, and rough. Inspired by Cathy Johnson's no see folded journal video on YouTube and Esther K. Smith's Making Books book- I folded and cut the full sheet into two new sketchbooks.

I've been enjoying using a square format for my sketchbooks lately, so I cut down the full sheet into a 22 x 22" square and then folded it in half several times until I had a 5.5" x 5.5" sketchbook.

With the remaining paper, I made a little 3.5" x 4.5" accordion sketchbook.

To inaugurate my new sketchbook, I painted my dogs from some photos I took a little while ago.

I can't wait to show you the completed sketchbook! Stay tuned.

Sketching on our Road Trip

Yesterday, we started our road trip to North Hollywood to go to Universal Studios for my youngest's birthday. We left at 8:30am and lucky for me, my husband drove the whole way while I got to sketch!

Before we left, I got my new Pocket Palette in the mail and prepared it with some hot glue to further divide some palettes and I also made a new small sketchbook.

I am a bit behind on my homework for Sketchbook Skool's Seeing klass with Koosje Koene. We were to draw a selfie a day for a week. I have done 5. Here is my 6th.

Here is a still life of a pear on my door arm rest. I was practicing my watercolor mixing from my Craftsy class on Luminous Watercolor Mixes and using my new Pocket Palette!

Next, I did a quick watercolor sketch while we drove over the Grapevine before descending into the Greater Los Angeles area.

We made it to our hotel, The Garland, after only 5 hours! We had brunch at The Front Yard. And I did a quick still life from our table before I dug into my eggs Benedict. I used what I learned in Brenda Swenson's Seeing klass - employing a soluble Tombow marker before adding watercolor and a format around my objects.

Finally, we ended the day at the pool and I got this urban sketch in using my soluble market again.

Tomorrow, we are spending the entire day at Universal Studios mostly in the Harry Potter Wizarding World. I will post my sketches from the day later.

I made it to 100!!!

Today, I made it to my 100th portrait in 100 days! For this last portrait, I decided to draw my daughters, Jade and Chloe from a photo we took on a playground in Hayes Valley in San Francisco.

Here is my 99th, which I wasn't happy with - but I've been staying up so late every night to watch the Olympics, I was too exhausted to redo it.

And my 98th portrait.

Thanks so much for following me on this journey! I think I'll take a little break to catch up on all my online art class homework before I start my next 100 day project.

Portraits 86 - 92 for the 100 Day Project

It's been too long since I've posted my portraits for the 100 Day Project. Here are portraits 86-92 in reverse order.

Which is your favorite of the bunch?

Finished Sketchbook 13!

My homemade sketchbook no. 13 is complete! I created it with 140 lb. 6" x 9" watercolor paper and bound it by hand with Coptic stitching. I started it on July 8, 2016 and finished it today. 😊

Here is a quick view of the sketchbook tour.

Quick tour of Sketchbook #13

And a more leisurely tour.

Sketching using Grisaille

In Steven Reddy's excellent Sketching Interiors class, he instructs us to use a series of India ink washes after our contour ink drawing (among other things). He makes drawing details easier by instructing us to draw foregrounds, middle ground, and then backgroun elements in that order with the freedom to edit out items as we choose.

I took a photo from our recent trip to Paris and tried out his techniques. Here is the phase before adding color.

Using this method really helps me to see values (lights and darks). But, I can't help but add watercolor.

Grisaille refers to a painting done entirely in gray tones and was popular during the Renaissance. Have you tried it?

Portraits 84 & 85

Sktchy has been running occasional art challenges on Instagram featuring a particular person who has inspired lots of artists and one particular photo to draw. Portrait 84 was done for Sktchy's latest art challenge.

For portrait 85, I drew a Sktchy inspiration photo of the coolest kid. I love her sunglasses, hat, Mother Teresa tank, and frog!

This is her brother, whom I've drawn previously. They look like such a fun family!

Point Richmond Sketches

Another day out at Point Richmond while Chloe is at ATDP. In previous years, I will spend the hours while she is in class at the local Starbucks. This year, I am using every precious minute to sketch! Needless to say, I am enjoying my time in Point Richmond much more this year!!

Today, I remembered my chair and sat out on the Richmond shoreline sketching the San Francisco skyline shrouded in fog. Good thing, I took some photos as the sky changed dramatically during my sketch.

I started with a couple of value/composition sketches.

But, I decided I liked this second thumbnail better with more foreground elements included.

Here is my finished piece.

I am happy with my new brushes (a Rosemary & Co. Roger Jones size 12 sable, a Rosemary & Co. size 7 squirrel mop, and an Escoda Versatil size 16 synthetic sable) and the techniques I learned from Shari Blaukopf's Sketching Landscapes Craftsy class! I finally have a sky with no unintentional water blooms!

Next, I went back to Kaleidoscope Coffee and sketched the back of the coffeehouse. Here was my view.

I used Steven Reddy's techniques from his Sketching Interiors Craftsy class to arrive at this sketch that I'm pretty happy with:

Which do you prefer? Interiors or landscapes?

Sketching at Broadway Plaza

I had planned to sketch an urban scene in downtown Wlanut Creek yesterday while out with my husband. But, it was so hot - all we did was marvel at how The recent construction and changes at Broadway Plaza are making Walnut Creek look like an outdoor Southern California shopping mall.

We had almost given up finding a good vantage point, when I spotted this fountain and, more importantly, a shading bench from which to sketch it. So, I took about 15 minutes to sketch it.

Here is the actual fountain. I decided not to put the striking workers in behind it.