Shadows and Light

I find the shadows to be almost as beautiful of the flowers in the sun light!

Foxglove next to Bluebells:

Flowers purchased to plant:

And flowers planted:

May you enjoy the beauty surrounding you today!

Cheers! 🙂

 

 

Bits And Pieces

I used to love to draw faces in sketchbooks when I was in my teens.  I quit because I let the ideas of others influence me.

Well, I am happy to say, I’m back at it!  And this time, I’m adding bits and pieces of collage:

She looks to me like a young girl who loves the outdoors!  Perhaps she enjoys running on the beach with her dog, Sam or reading books of mystery on the sofa.  Would love to know her story, how about you?

I started her face with watercolor pencils:

Then added water to soften my lines:

I added some details with  Prismacolor Dark Umber color pencil:

And finished with torn pieces of collage from Gelli prints that I made previously with deli paper:

The colors blend a little better in better light.

Happy Creating!  😊

Painted Leaves

Last year I did a leaf study of autumn leaves in watercolor that I previously posted.  You can see it here.

I wanted to try it again this year!  Below is my photo of 3 leaves that I used as my reference:

And here is my watercolor painting:

I need to go back and add a second coat of watercolor paint to my Maple leaf but overall, I am pleased with my results.

Happy Creating!  🙂

Dazzling Dahlias

My neighbor grows beautiful Dahlias:

I was inspired by Rachel Murphree who does such beautiful watercolors to try painting one today.  Be sure to check out Rachel’s blog here.  She also sells her amazing paintings!

My neighbor let me clip a few flowers for a vase.  Unfortunately, Jack Frost had started to nip some of the flower blooms but I still thought they were stunning:

Sorry the photo is  a bit small but I had to crop out the tuna can sitting on the kitchen counter…lol!

I started by sketching my subject with a black micron pen:

I tried to stay loose and not over think it.

I then added 2 layers of watercolors – here is the finished painting:

My colors aren’t as bright as the actual flowers but I decided I liked it this way.  It was fun to “Doodlewash” it!  If you don’t know about Doodlewashing – check out Charlie’s blog!

Happy Painting!  🙂

Leave It To Me – Part 2

Yesterday, I showed you one of my leaf experiments.  Today I will show you another one in different colors and leaves.

Here is the beginning:

I really love the colors in this one!

So I didn’t add too many layers to it:

Outlining with a black pen really adds to it, don’t you think?

It reminds me of crunching through a pile of leaves on a fall day.

I like this saying by Albert Camus:                                                                        Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

Happy Fall, Yee all!  🙂

Leave It To Me – Part 1

I love fall and the leaves changing colors!  This has inspired me to do some experimental leaf printing.

In some ways, my finished piece looks a little like a map:

I started by painting leaves from my yard with acrylic paint and then stamping them onto cold press 140 lb watercolor paper.  I then added some wax pastel crayons to the printed leaves and a little watercolor paint to my paper:

I liked how this looks but wanted to add definition with a black pen – I used a Zig Writer 0.5 mm ink pen for outlining:

I then added another layer of watercolor:

And finished it by outlining the color changes with my black pen.

The colors feel like summer as it starts to change to fall.

Would love to know what you think!

Happy Creating!  🙂

Honeysuckles and Hummingbirds

I previously posted photos of the honeysuckle vine growing in my yard, such as this one:

I decided to sketch the above photo with a black micron pen and paint in watercolor:

It doesn’t look totally like the photo but I’m OK with that.  It was not easy to do!

Did you know that the flower’s meaning is HAPPINESS?  It also symbolizes the devoted affection in the form of a lover’s embrace.

The sweet nectar of the honeysuckle is one the hummingbird’s favorite.  You can see a hummingbird I previously drew in color pencils, here.

Wishing you a day of happiness!   🙂

Precious Puddles

It FINALLY rained this weekend!  In case you haven’t heard on the news, the Pacific Northwest is raging in wildfires!

We are hoping the rain today and (hopefully) during the week and the cooler weather – will help ease the work of firefighters in our area and stop the destruction.  The smoke has been so bad, it has been difficult to breathe the air or see the mountains!  So today I took these photos after the rain at the lake to share with you….

Grab you raincoat and your boots and let’s jump in some puddles!

A daisy for your thoughts:

A fall leaf floating in a puddle:

Burnt tree bark from area fires on the beach:

Storm clouds over the lake:

We continue to pray for rain!

Thanks for taking a walk with me and splashing in some puddles!

Happy Monday!  🙂

A Path In The Woods – Post 3 of 3

I started my poem on Monday of this week and posted my second part on Wednesday.   Here is the completion of my poem.

I walked the path today:

You know the one…

Where the Yarrow grows wild:

By the creek:

And nature unfolds her beauty:

As one season ends and the next one begins:

I hope you have enjoyed taking a walk in the woods with me.  🙂

Happy Friday!

A Path In The Woods – Post 2 of 3

This is my second part for a poem I started on Monday.

I walked the path today:

You know the one…

Over the bridge:

By the creek:

Where a bench awaits:

And we can let our thoughts drift like leaves floating on the water:

I will complete my poem this Friday, August 21st.

May you find peace in the beauty around you today!  🙂