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Showing posts with the label watercolors

Just Horsing Around….

Playing around a bit with watercolor, just using black in different layers. Sumi-e style. When we moved down here one of the nicest things was seeing horses. I grew up in the city and never saw a live horse until I went to the fair. I couldn’t believe how big they were up close. Maybe nothing defines the culture of Kentucky better than the state’s obsession with horses. One visit to Kentucky’s Horse Country, and the thoroughbred affection is apparent in everything from the fields of grazing horses and racetracks to horse farms & tours. Above is charcoal, well I’ll keep trying..LOL So in the spirit of Kentucky and their beautiful horses I’m trying to paint them. It is hard to capture them, the movement, angles and shadows. But enjoyable.

Just Add Water, this one is for Teresa

I haven't done any watercolors since I’ve moved all of my “stuff” into my front bedroom. I did get it out and go outside and attempt a “plein air ” painting. I had fun, and it warmed me up to get back into sketching. This is part of one of my flower beds, a little wild and blooming! The first photo is just water colors Then I added some ink into the painting, I think I went too far, and like the original better, what do you think? We have been busy replacing all of the windows in the house, still at it. After the initial estimate,*gasp*, we decided to buy them and do the work ourselves. So far, pretty good. I’ve learned it is pretty hard to get a window out of it’s hole! May your needles fly as fast as Dragonflies.

Cartoony Fish

The sun has been out and I’ve done a little doodling. Do my fins look too big? Any of you girls interested in a drink?

The sun is out, and I attempt to catch up…

Yay, the sun is out. We have so many sunless days here in the winter. I feel like when it does come out, I need to go out and really enjoy it! So I’ve been catching up on my “to do” list! 1)Let me see I made 3 Hula Hoops, for Christmas presents, very easy and fun. If you are interested in making one yourself, I have included some info on how to do it: This is the best tutorial I have found for making a hula hoop yourself, watch out, you can’t make only one! He also includes all of the supplies you will need. A taping link, and a hula hoop demo to get you started. Watch out it is addictive and fun, (and burns calories)! 2) Felting gnomes, which turned out to be elves, and Santas! See photo at top, more than one was made but the rest became presents, and this is the only one that got captured in a photo! Felted gnome tutorial here   3) Painting more Sumi-e paintings. Bamboo, Prawn and Iris…. I was amazed that all of my “practice” bamboo paintings were eagerly taken by visi

This one is for Theresa

Therese at Blueberries, Art and Life is my painting mentor. Thanks to her I found a new creative outlet. First a photo, then a sketch with a sharpie marker. After that, I started working on layering the paint on the paper in washes, and letting the colors mix there, instead of mixing them on my palate. I started with my sketch… I then layered cobalt blue, and then alizarin crimson, the areas where these over lapped they made a grey. After this I continued added one color at a time in a dilute wash. Until I was satisfied with the results. This method was fun and I like the results. I’m going to try another similar to this. Layering washes has also helped me in my yarn dyeing process. I now am following suit with my fiber, and applying one color at a time. Although with fiber this has a much longer drying time, but it is worth the time and effort it takes. First successful example I actually listed this hand painted yarn on my Etsy site if you are interested in knitting wit

Just Add Water….

I’ve been playing around just a little bit with some watercolors. Here are some Iris .In Japan, the iris is used as a decoration for the “Feast of the Boy” in May.  The upright shape and strong growth are thought to symbolize the ideal of the samurai. And in about 30 min, I tried to make a simple plum blossom branch, with magic markers and crayons. The plum blossom is a symbol of longevity in China. Its delicate bloom emerges in the winter months and signifies life and hope while other plants and trees remain dormant. Have a great New Years Eve!!

A little bit of everything…

I have managed to squeeze  in a variety of things this week. A fast sketch and watercolor of one of my beds, and bird bath. Just having some fast fun. A little knitting….I’m using my Point Five Colinette yarn to knit this pattern, Iced from Knitty . I’m not sure I like the result, I had to use small needles to “get gauge” and the yarn is fairly bulky, this is resulting in a fairly dense knitted sweater. Too stiff? I’m still on the fence. If I frog it I need another pattern for this yarn, ideas?? I’m stumped… I have been spinning also, my pound of BFL is slowly getting smaller! Yay Happy fall! Enjoy the weather while it lasts! "Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass... it's about learning how to dance in the rain."

Pen, Paper and Color

Another TMC for me, a potted flower in my back yard. Too soon I will empty all of the pots and store them away for the winter. I’m enjoying looking at them rebound from the hot dry summer, a few fresh blooms before the first frost. Petunias are always a good flower for pots, even in the hot dry summer they can survive and continue to bloom. Cut them back a little mid way through the growing season and you will get fresh flowers and the plants won’t get as leggy. Petunia growing tips here . Plant them in hanging baskets, pots or in mass in your flower beds and you won’t be sorry. They are a pest free riot of easy color to add to your area.

Pen and Paper

TMC ( The Twenty Minute Challenge from Katharine Cartwright) I have really gotten interested in sketching and then laying down some watercolor on top of the sketch. Limiting myself to 20 minutes has really been key to my realization of what the necessary lines are and a huge editing lesson. Not to mention, I can allow myself to “play” for 20 minutes. It is a lesson in organization also. With a 20 min limit, having everything ready is key. I like to start with the simplest of things, like pen and paper, and maybe some basic watercolors, and one brush. I enjoy looking at efforts of others also, and reading what they have learned, and seeing their choices. This is a quick pen sketch of some trees in my backyard, then I quickly used some watercolors to add some character! Time to rake leaves!

Pen and paper, 20 Minute Challenge

I found the 20 Minute Challenge by Katherine Cartwright from a fellow blogger Theresa of Blueberries, Art and Life , a fellow knitter than lured me into watercolor! It is a fun way to simplify your drawings! I tend to want to overdo it, so this has been a great tool for me. The first several times it was rather nerve racking with the timer counting down. Then something “clicked” and I realized I could edit out whatever I wanted to. I urge you to take a look and try it yourself. It is oddly liberating, despite or because of the time limits. Fall White Pine I’ve been playing around with the more portable ink and paper with a watercolor wash. Sitting in my yard after work, doing a bit of unwinding in these wonderful fall days, inspires me to sketch. The last of my roses. I love fall days with the clear air and crisp feel of autumn, football games and campfires! Do a little creating today!

Just Add Water….

I’ve been busy with life lately. Have to remember to make time for play. A little simple sketch of a tree in my backyard on watercolor paper with a fine point sharpie pen . Morning coffee developed into inspiration. I’m trying not to over think, I had to stop myself from adding more color. I tend to want to keep painting until I’ve gone too far. My neighbors’ house. Sharpie and watercolor.   The below is by Henry Li, Simplicity – by capturing the essence of a scene using minimum brush strokes to complete a painting. Enjoy! Remember to play today!

Spinning and watercolors

Not doing much but taking care of the recovering dog at this point, and the usual necessary things like work. I did buy an E -reader , it was a spontaneous buy, I had some bonus money that I hadn’t used and was in Borders Books. I am always carrying books around and thought “what the heck?”. I love it, and now can’t imagine doing without it. Hundreds of books in a very small space that can be taken easily anywhere. I looked at them before but thought I would miss having the “book” in my hands. Well there is still knitting, spinning and watercolor books to buy, more room on my shelves for them. I have also begun spinning again. Every time I start spinning again, I wonder at how much I enjoy it, and why did I stop? The fleece is a BFL, a lovely dark brown, I was drawn to it because the color was quite dark, and I thought that unusual. I love the way it spins up. A pound is enough for me to really make something with it (I hope). It is  enough fiber to keep me busy for quite a while

Just add Water

Some more water color play! Here I’m trying to loosen up, with a simple door. Trying to work on light and reflections. Then I got obsessed with this boat! First attempt, watercolors then added acrylics on top. Looks pretty stormy, I got dark and too late realized I went too far. Second attempt, all water colors. Oh yeah, I’m hooked… I look to the sea Reflections in the waves spark my memory Some happy, some sad I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me baby Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me I saw Styx in concert in 1977 and have great memories! " Come Sail Away " is a song by Styx from their album The Grand Illusion . One of the band's biggest hits, it was released in 1977 (see 1977 in music), rising to number 8 on the Pop Singles chart and helping The Grand Illusion reach multi-platinum sales

Acrylics, Watercolors and socks

The end of August and not getting much knitting done. I did finish one of my Socks that Soar on two Circular Needles , and cast on the 2nd. This is an extremely easy way to knit socks. I have tried various methods of knitting socks with newer methods than the dpns, and always go back to them. However, this method is a keeper! I urge you to give it a try! I am doing a little spinning in the evening, working on the pound of fleece that I started for the Tour De Fleece. The yarn I’m using is Patons Kroy Sock Yarn, at 166 yds, I had this much left over, and I made a short cuff. I rate it a affordable and readily available sock yarn with good color choices.  75% wool and 25% nylon, (4"=28 stitches on size 3 needles), makes it feels nice, I’ll let you know how it wears, but a little skimpy on the yardage per ball. Beware! I have been reading about watercolors, there is so much info on acrylic painting that I looked into that also. I checked out several books from the library, b

Just add Water!

I’ve been playing around more with my water colors. I’m trying different looks to skies, ground and water. Just the basic things. Easier said than done. We have not been able to get away during the summer, due to my injury and other factors. So I guess my summer getaway is painting. Images of places I would like to be. I’m reading watercolor books, and visiting watercolor blogs. I tend to forget that I need the white of the paper left, at least some of it! So that is what I’ve been concentrating on. This was painted with the wet on wet technique. I should have used thicker paper or taped it down to prevent the buckling when it dried. I was playing around with trees and everything else was an afterthought. A chickadee on thistles Again, I think less would have been more, the background was added. I should have left it out. I was going for a blurry background, but…… Oops, overworked, I just kept going, I knew it was trash, ha A water bird, working on shadow