Fall Pansies

A quick little 4x6 watercolor of fall pansies using waterbrushes in my A4 sketchbook.

 

3 Cherries

 

Three little watercolor cherries in my large Arteza sketchbook.

Chris' Birthday Card

 

Since this card has been delivered I thought I would post it now. Click on the image to enlarge. I have had a fun time making a total of 4 of these cards, each one is different from the others.

Spiritual Bouquet Card

 

I was asked to design a Spiritual Bouquet Card. I chose to do an accordion fold card with 6 panels. This photo shows the inside without text. I left the upper left and most of the 6th, last panel, for text. The back is blank and will have the list of Masses, Rosaries, Devotions, etc. that the group members will be giving to the recipient. The outside dimensions (including the covers) are 5.5 x 30.5. the covers are book board covered with original monoprints. The closure is a gold elastic string with a bow. For a closer look, click on the images to enlarge.

the back      and   front covers

Rose Periwinkle

 

I painted this small flower at the beginning of this sketchbook on the same page as the Blue Anemone. I had planned to make more blossoms and add leaves but haven't yet. I have been going back and sketching in the open/empty spaces in this large sketchbook. So often the sketches are out of chronological order, but this doesn't bother me.

Oriental Art Still life

I have a beautifully carved rosewood brush rack that sits on my studio project table. My husband bought it for me while he was on a business trip many, many years ago. This sketch is incomplete and a little wonky. It only shows a portion of the rack and a few of my many brushes. I use the little teapot to add water to my inkstone when I grind my ink.

 

Mother's Day bouquet

Our son brought me flowers for Mother's Day plus a very nice initialed leather notebook. I am very lucky to have such a thoughtful son.

 

The remains of a bouquet

These are the flowers that have staying power from a recent bouquet. Then I added the yellow blooms from our cabbage plant out front.

 

Daffodils

The daffodils have been blooming for over a week. I went out yesterday a picked a few after the rain. Sketched and watercolored them this morning over a morning cup of coffee in my large Arteza sketchbook with my waterbrushes. Everything is starting to bud and bloom now.

 

Rhododendron

 

I prefer to paint from life but occasionally I will paint from photos. This is one of those times. We have a purple rhododendron brush in the woods at the side of our house. Every year I plan to paint some of the flowering branches and just don't get around to it before they fade. Well, here are two practice blossoms and a promise to myself to paint the real thing later this year.

Peony Bud

I thought I would try a botanical sketch of this peony bouquet in my large Arteza sketchbook. Not sure why I thought I could do a botanical illustration on this paper. The paper is great for quick simple watercolor and ink sketches but the paper is rough and not framable painting quality. But it was fun. Also this paper is too rough for my good watercolor brushes but works great using nylon bristle waterbrushes. So I decides to just finish the sketch off with ink lines and no additional watercolor.

 

Fresh Lunch Veggies

 

We are still enjoying Blue Apron after about 4 years, maybe longer. It means 3 new recipes every week, so no need to plan every meal; the exact quantity of foods so not a lot of wasted food to throw out; and everything is fresh.

Kalanchoe Plant

 

Enjoying just making simple sketches of everyday objects from my life. This poor plant has gotten very "leggy" and needs some pruning and repotting.

Winter Bouquet

Yesterday I added two pink carnations and the open lily to the freesia sketch. It's interesting that by sketching the flowers separately and only some at a time the bouquet looks quite different.

 

Freesia flowers

At least I think that is the name of these flowers. There were 4 of them in the bouquet I have been painting from. The paper in this Arteza sketchbook is OK for sketching but not fine quality watercolor paper. The sketchbook was very reasonably priced. It is perfect for sketches.

 

rose buds and white mums

More flowers in my large Arteza Sketchbook. There is a nice variety of flowers in this bouquet my son gave to me. Yesterday I sketched the dying roses buds. Then today I did the white mums that remind me of shasta daisies. 

 

Butterfly White Pole Plant (3 different views)

 

I saw a challenge on YouTube, draw the same object from 3 different points of view. So I chose this little potted Butterfly White Pole Plant. I had to go out and find the name of this common house plant.  It came in a pot with some other plants at Christmas time a couple of years ago. It must be very hardy because not only is it still alive I divided it when I repotted it and the other one is doing well also. Well, at least they are both alive.

view at eye level

view from above

view from below

Scarlet Red Ink

 

I received a present of 2 bottles of MontBlanc Scarlet Red Ink to use in my MontBlanc Arthur Conan Doyle fountain pen. The text on the box was drawn with my pen and this ink. This little sketch is in my new large Arteza sketchbook. The weather has been very cold the last few days and now it is snowing. So I am not getting out to photograph my watercolor sketches. The outdoor lighting is so much better than my flatbed scanner. But I want to post more so this will have to do. 

Gerber Daisies

 

Not quite keeping up with my daily page sketch. I did this ink sketch of these flowers yesterday and started to add watercolor. But it was today before I finished. The vase could use a table to sit on for grounding. But I am posting more regularly.

Blue Anemone

I bought 2 Arteza 8.3"x11.7" cold press watercolor/mixed media sketchbooks last year. I had hopes for sketching in ink and watercolor every day, filling a page a day. Well, maybe I will meet this expectation before 2023. This little flower only filled half of one page.