Art Challenges

I love a daily art challenge because it helps me overcome the issue of finding inspiration on a daily basis - especially when I use the Sktchy app and its many, many inspiration photos. I just finished the Sktchy30 challenge which involved a daily emailed prompt for each day in April. The Sktchy30 challenges were a bit ambiguous, but it was fun to see how other Sktchy artists responded to them.

And from the beginning of the year onwards, I have kept up with Sketchbook Skool's #SBSaDrawingaDay challenge here - which I love, because its one word prompts leave plenty of room for my own personal interpretations. Here is my latest piece from the challenge prompt RANDOM (using a random landscape inspiration photo from Sktchy).

Not long ago, I completed the #oneweek100people2017 challenge that was the brain child of Marc Taro Holmes and Liz Steel, two artists who I really admire. That challenge really stretched me to get all those people drawn in just one week!

Now, while I continue with Sketchbook Skool's SBSaDrawingaDay challenge, I am actively trying to improve my watercolor techniques, so I thought I would try to participate in the World Watercolor Group textures challenge for the month of May.

For Day 1 of the World Watercolor Group texture challenge was GLOSSY. Here's my attempt at some glossy lips.

What do you use for periodic inspiration? Do you participate in art challenges? If so, do you have any you would recommend? I'd love to hear about them!

Tours of Sketchbook No. 34

It seems as if all my blog posts are tours of my completed sketchbooks - but I am planning a major redesign of my website with plans of more frequent blog posts.

I just finished my sketchbook no. 34 - which is a handmade sketchbook from a single sheet of Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. soft press watercolor paper folded into 7.5" x 5.5" pages. Here is a narrated tour of the sketchbook, with a quick one to follow if you don't have the 8 minutes to watch the narrated version.

Please let me know your thoughts! I would love to hear if you like the narrated version, or if you only have time to watch the quick one. Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the artwork as well. Thanks for watching!

My First Narrated Sketchbook Tour

I posted another quick sketchbook tour on Instagram, but decided to add a narrated sketchbook tour as well. This was done all in one take and was obviously not practiced - but, I thought I'd give it a try. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Here are both tours.

Another completed sketchbook - No. 31

Here are some tours of my completed sketchbook no. 31. This was a handbound sketchbook about 7" x 7" using Fabriano Artistico watercolor papers in rough and soft press finishes (both 140 lb. weight).

A quick tour and a more leisurely one to follow.

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?

Day 5 of the One Week 100 People 2017 Challenge

For my last day of the One Week 100 People 2017 Challenge, I started with a portrait inspired by the Sktchy app in gouache.

No. 80 - a Sktchy-inspired portrait in gouache

Then, it was off to the tennis tournament - where I sketched a lot of the players and ended up reaching my 100 by sketching the crowd watching the tennis in front of me.

Nos. 81 & 82 - Rafa Nadal & Caroline Wozniacki practicing

Nos. 83 & 84 - Rafa Nadal and Marin Cilic practicing their serves

Nos. 85 & 86 - Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and David Goffin practicing

Nos. 87 - 89 - Todd watching, Kevin Anderson, and a security guard

Nos. 90 & 91 - Kayla Day & Mariana Lucic-Baroni

And I made it to 100 people in 5 days! It was a great challenge that really made me focus on drawing people from life - and from photo references. I thoroughly enjoyed the practice and can't wait to do it again next year! How did the challenge go for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Day 4 of the One Week 100 People 2017 Challenge

Continuing this challenge is easier while at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells - there are so many people everywhere to sketch!

I started the day at the practice courts watching one of my tennis idols, Venus Williams. I sketched her in brush pen and watercolors - though, I admit that I did not get her likeness. Also, I now realized that I messed up my numbering and overlapped nos. 54 - 56! Oh, well - I can always use the extra practice.

Nos. 55 & 56 - Karolina Pliskova and her coach on the practice courts

Nos. 57 & 58 - Feliciano Lopez practicing and Bjorn Fratangelo playing Tomic

No. 59 - Bernard Tomic playing Bjorn Fratangelo

Nos. 62 - 74 - Reilly Opelka and the crowd

Nos. 75 - 77 - Barbora Strycova, Sania Mirza, and Jelena Ostapenko

Nos. 78 & 79 - Eugenie Bouchard & Annika Beck

I didn't quite make it to my 80th person on Day 3 - but I started a Sktchy-inspired gouache portrait that I will finish on Day 4. Stay tuned! I would love to hear your comments on my sketches and yours for this challenge!

Day 3 of the One Week 100 People 2017 Challenge

Day 3 of the #oneweek100people2017 challenge happened for fall on International Women's Day. So, I decided to do a watercolor sketch of three lovely ladies in their pussy hats to celebrate. They are my nos. 41 - 43 for the challenge.

For the next several people, I decided to sketch people on the airplane from San Francisco to Palm Springs on our way to see the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

I didn't get in my 20 for today, but with our travel, I decided to not sweat it and just add in more people to my goal for tomorrow at the tennis tournament. Are you participating in this challenge? If so, how is it going for you?

Day 2 of #oneweek100people2017 Challenge

Yesterday, I decided to get a change of scenery for my urban sketches. I first went to the Walnut Creek Public Library and sketched the many people seemingly using computers and laptops, instead of reading any actual books. Here are my sketches - I started no. 21 using a water soluble brush pen and then moved to my Pilot Falcon fountain pen with a soft extra fine nib, and finally added in gouache on Canson Mi Teintes toned paper.

I then moved onto to Broadway Plaza and went to Boudin SF for lunch. I discovered that people spend far less time at a lunch semi-fast food restaurant such as Boudin, than they do at a cafe or reading at the library. I had to be quicker and also sketch people (as I did in the library) using a lot of overlapping elements to indicate the depth of the people from me and each other.

For my 40th person, I decided to draw portrait at home that would also satisfy the #sbsadrawingaday Day 66 prompt PURPOSE. I had just watched episode 1 of the 3rd season of NetFlix's Chef's Table - which was about Jeong Kwan, who is not a chef, but a Buddhist monk. Jeong is so full of peace and happiness and PURPOSE that I had to draw her for my 40th person yesterday.

A New Art Challenge - #OneWeek100People2017

Two of my favorite online urban sketchers and art instructors, Liz Steel and Marc Holmes, recently decided to start a new art challenge - drawing 100 people in one week (really, in 5 days). As Marc puts it:

So – what is this #OneWeek100People2017 all about?

Is it a race? A stunt? A kind of monastic self-flagellation? Or just an excuse to get out and have fun drawing?

Well, why not all of the above!

I love a new art challenge - anything to make me accountable for turning out more art and practicing my skills - like capturing lots and lots of people. So, yesterday, March 6th, I went out to a cafe to start the challenge.

I went to my favorite local cafe, The Coffee Shop, and intended to draw with my Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pen and/or sketch with my watercolor Pocket Palette 20 people before I would go home. This took me longer than I thought it would - about 2 hours, but I'm pleased with the results.

Nos. 1 - 10 across a 2 page spread of my 7" x 7"  watercolor sketchbook — Nos. 1 - 10 across a 2 page spread of my 7" x 7" watercolor sketchbook

For no. 20, I decided to take more time to do a Sktchy-inspired portrait in gouache

Today, I plan to take a trip to my local library to get my 20 people done. What about you? Have you decided to take the plunge and join in? I'm hoping my quick capture skills will improve over the week. We are going to see the BNP Paribas Indian Wells tennis event on Thursday and Friday of this week - so, expect to see a lot of tennis spectators in my sketches soon!

Sketchbook No. 29 Tour

Yesterday, I completed my hand-bound sketchbook no. 29 - which is a 7" x 7" square sketchbook comprised of various watercolor papers: Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. soft-press paper; Saunders 140 lb. rough-press paper; and Strathmore 140 lb. cold-press paper.

Here is a quick tour of the sketchbook with a slower tour below.

Completed Toned Paper Sketchbook (No. 26)

Here is a tour of my completed hand-bound sketchbook no. 26 with 13" x 10" Canson Mi Teintes toned papers.

And a quicker tour, if you don't have the time for the first one.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Getting into Gouache

Recently, one of my fellow lawyer-turned-artist Instagrammers, Minjoo Yoon, noted in a post that she initially thought a set of gouache paints that she had bought were watercolors and could not understand why her paintings did not look transparent and luminous. Once she learned that her gouache paints are opaque and not watercolors, she switched to using watercolors. But, she recently got out her gouache paints and gave them a try with wonderful results, in my opinion.

I have been curious about gouache, but hesitant to purchase another set of art supplies that could be quite costly - given my expenses indulging in the wonderful set of Daniel Smith watercolors that I have amassed. But, Minjoo recommended that I check out Minnie Small's YouTube channel and her gouache paintings. Minnie largely uses a limited split primary palette of gouache paints consisting of about 8 Royal Talens colors. So, I researched some watercolor brands and was persuaded by Sade's of www.sadiesavestheday.com review of M. Graham gouache paints - and decided to purchase some hand-picked selections of a split primary palette consisting of these colors:

Cool Red - Alizarin Crimson
Warm Red - Pyrrol Red
Cool Yellow - Hansa Yellow
Warm Yellow - Gamboge
Cool Blue - Phthalocyanine Blue
Warm Blue - Ultramarine Blue
Titanium White
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Sienna

Here are the colors swatched out with my gouache palette set up.

And a color wheel and color chart I created with the gouache paints.

I have enjoyed using gouache to create the following pieces over the last few days. It's very refreshing to be able to continue to work a piece with these opaque paints and I now see why some people think that watercolors, my favorite medium, is so hard to use. You really need to work in a completely different way with watercolors by working light to dark and reserving the whites/highlights in a piece - as well as playing with the transparent and watery nature of the medium. With gouache, I think I need to more fully embrace the opaque nature of the medium and the ability to paint lights over darks. I'm beginning to explore gouache methods of working from a medium tone first, then adding lights and darks; the tiling method of laying shapes of colors together like pieces of a puzzle; and using a grisaille method of putting a dark underlayer down first.

My first gouache portrait - an American hero, Sally Yates

A piece originally done in watercolor that I was satisfied with - but "corrected" with my gouache paints.

A gouache piece with a background done in a gouache wash

A sphynx cat inspired by Sktchy in gouache

What do you think? Have you tried gouache? What are your thoughts on the medium? I would love to hear!

Sketchbook No. 28 Tours

My last hand-bound sketchbook was a fairly slim one that I finished in record time (for me)! Here is a tour of the sketchbook followed by a quick version of the tour. Thanks for watching!

Tour of Sketchbook No. 24

This is a handmade, no-fold sketchbook made from a full sheet of Arches 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper. I carry this sketchbook with me all the time. I started it in November and finished yesterday. Please enjoy this slow tour and a quick one to follow.

5 Minute Continuous Line Drawings

My favorite app right now for improving my artwork and sharing it with a supportive community is Sktchy. The app allows people to post photos for inspiration for artists, who upload their artwork for all to see, with a swipe right to see the underlying inspiration image. An endless source of inspiration!

Sktchy has recently been starting some weekly challenges with a Monday Muse, a Tuesday QuickDraw, and a WIP Wednesday, to name a few - as well as their Weekend Art Extravaganzas. I have been particularly enjoying the Tuesday QuickDraws since they force me to loosen up and just go with whatever comes up in the allotted quick draw time frame (usually 5 minutes or so).

This week, Sktchy asked us to attempt some 5 minute continuous line drawings - which I LOVED! I took the time to add some watercolor afterward - but I did use a timer to limit myself to just 5 minutes for the continuous line drawing (no lifting allowed!). Here's what I came up with:

Have you tried quick draws? Or continuous line drawings? What are your thoughts on either?

Completed Sketchbook No. 27

Here is a tour of my most recently completed sketchbook (no. 27) with artwork completed from 12/11/16 to 01/13/17. I hope you enjoy! I would appreciate any comments.

A quick tour of Sketchbook no. 27

A tour of my completed Sketchbook no. 27 with artwork done from 12/11/16 to 01/13/17.

New Artistic Obsession

I take many, many art courses online from fabulous artists through Sketchbook Skool and Craftsy for the most part. I have been improving my techniques by learning from these great artists - such as: Marc Taro Holmes, France Belleville van Stone, Felix Scheinberger, Anna Mason, Patricia Watwood, Paul Heaston, Lapin, Miguel Herranz, and many others. But, my latest artistic obsession with an artist is with Jean Haines, a self-professed watercolor addict.

What I love about Jean and her style is that she celebrates the qualities of watercolor that I've always loved and been attracted to. I've read two of Jean's four books so far:

In her books, Jean describes her background in watercolors, art instruction, and travels. Surprisingly, she was a highly detailed botanical artist at one point (like Anna Mason, who I greatly admire) - but, felt like her watercolors were looking like everyone else's. She also felt like she was losing her love for the medium. I have felt the same way - and though I loved using Anna's techniques to create very realistic botanical art, I admit that in paining in that style, I felt like I was working more than playing.

I also watched two of Jean's DVDs via downloads from North Light Shop. It is so helpful to see Jean paint in her style. In the first DVD, Watercolor Workout, she shows us how she warms up to paint each day by playing with her watercolors either pigment alone with water, or by mixing pigments with water, salt, or using plastic wrap. I had never before considered just playing with my watercolor pigments - but Jean is right in that doing so, helps you understand how the pigments interact with water or salt or each other! So, I grabbed one of my in expensive 6" x 9" watercolor watercolor pads and have been using three sheets a day to play with my Daniel Smith watercolors - and I love it!

What I really love about Jean's techniques are her lack of any preliminary drawings with her watercolors - though, I do admit I still love drawing with pen and ink otherwise - and her instructions to have fun with pigment and to stay loose by practicing doing only half of a piece at a time - stopping just when you can see your subject emerge. I love how Jean, like me, loves painting animals, flowers, landscapes, and people. I admit that I've been trying to find my style and what I subjects I should concentrate on - but, I'm happy to hear that a successful artist, like Jean, also refuses to limit herself to only certain subjects!

I could go on and on about what I love about Jean Haines' atmospheric watercolors and style - but, I'll just say that I feel energized by her watercolor outlook and committed to using it to find my own style! Let me know if you have encountered Jean - or another inspirational artist - and what you've learned from them.

Here are some recent pieces I've done inspired by Jean's style.

Christmas Sketches

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I certainly did. I've been working on improving my watercolor sketching without any pencil lines and did these two quick sketches amongst the Christmas festivities.

And after Christmas, I sketched this at Target while my daughter shopped.

How has your Christmas artwork going?

Christmas Portraits

I've been busy creating portraits for Christmas presents - like I'm sure most artists do at this time of the year. I finally finished a portrait one for some friends who recently took a trip to Japan. They sent me this photo from their trip.

I did these two tonal studies to try to identifying the lights and darks in the photo - apart from all those beautiful fall colors.

I thought about getting a closer view of the family in this next tonal study

To decide between the two versions, I decided to do some watercolor thumbnails to factor in the colorful background.

After taking an informal poll of my kids and husband, and based on these thumbnails, I decided to paint the portrait with the family further away and more of the Japanese scenery/background showing. Here's the final version.

I forgot to scan this before giving them the portrait framed (ignore the flash reflection)

And I also painted this portrait of my friend's dog, Tori, who passed away at a few days ago.

And, after many tonal studies, I completed this portrait of my girls for my mother-in-law.

And, finally, a portrait of my brother's dog, Butters, who passed away at Thanksgiving.

Have you also been busy creating artwork for Christmas presents?