31 Days of Watercolor

I found this group on facebook. It was posted on the Sketchbook Skool fb site,  the World of Watercolor Month. You commit to painting a  watercolor for the 31 days of July. Think I will try this I need a jump start. I am not particularly  excited about doing any thing artsy at the moment and am taking a 2 month vacation from all my regularly scheduled activities to "play". I would like to fill up my partially filled sketchbooks, bind some new ones, replenish my greeting cards, and get ready for my workshop.

The Lavendersage Retreat 2016

WOW! I was on the wait list and never dreamed I would get in, but did. If you are interested in going in 2017 stop by Jane LaFazio's web site. I have wanted to go to Taos New Mexico for a long time. This is a sketchbook retreat which sounds like so much fun. Hope to visit Ghost Ranch and some Pueblo sites while there; plus make new friendship with other artists from different parts of the country, learn some new techniques, and just soak up the atmosphere.

Attitude

Attitude (17.5" x 18.75")

Nesting (34" x 20.5")

These two Chinese brush paintings are going out to a National Capital Area Chapter of the Sumi-e Society of America show at River Farm Park. The show starts July 6. Birds are new to me but am enjoying trying my hand at painting them.

sparrows

Life has really been busy lately. I have been making greeting cards and practicing sparrows. Birds are fairly new to me but am liking trying to get these little guys down.

Apples Divided

Barbara Newton has posted a paint along with me. She is a pastelist but I decided to paint along with my acrylics since I no longer have any pastels. I it was fun. I generally have trouble working from someone else's reference photos but this was similar to some of my small set up. I like her idea of altering your reference photo to get closer to what you want your finished painting to look like. I have the other one she did sketched on my panel and hope to get to it later this week. Whether you are planning to paint along with her or not her blog is a treat to view. Mine was done over a fail painting on a flat 5x7 panel.

Gold Finches are starting to appear

This is in my "Nesting" sketchbook I repurposed/refilled with Daniel Smiths multi-media Acquerello WC 185 gsm CP paper. I was playing around with my new Schmincke gouache set. Not sure I like gouache still prefer transparent watercolor at this point.

Review of John Muir Laws latest book

Recently I purchased  The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling on Amazon. I had bought his book for drawing birds last year and found it to be an excellent resource. Therefore when I discovered he had a new book out I bought it sight unseen. I was not disappointed. It collects all the nfo his tube videos provides and more all in one location. This is what got me interested in doing my Walks with Jake sketches.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

The sketchbook I am using for my Walks with Jake is a repurposed $1 library sale book. I removed the original text block and replaced it with Fabiano Artistco 200gm CP white on 31 July 2012. I did a two spreads in this book last year. One was done in May and one in August. Then it just sat in my sketching vest until this past week.

Today I sketched an unknown white wild flower (must try looking it up) and a poison ivy vine growing up a tree at the edge of a wooded swampy area on our walk. Jake is 12 almost 13 so with the heat and humidity the stopping to sketch is good for him. Plus, I am enjoying the opportunity to sketch and be out in nature.