Common Wildflowers

I like to pick a few wildflowers when I’m at the lake so that I can study and paint them in watercolor.

I found Common Tansy and Common Yarrow wildflowers yesterday at the lake.  They may be common in name but not common for me to paint!

I tried to paint them loosely and then added a few details with a BROWN micron pen to change things up a little.

I struggled with painting the Birch bark so I realize it looks a bit strange.  😉

Here is a photo of what I was trying to paint:

I like the burst of red from the cherry, how about you?  I thought it was a good way to end #World Watercolor Month as today is the last day to celebrate  – thanks Charlie at doodlewash.com  for making it such a fun month!

Cheers!  🙂

Blueberries and Cherries

I love summer when the berries and cherries are ripe for picking!

We had such a wet Spring that I had the best crop of blueberries in my yard!  Of course I had to paint them with my new set of Rembrandt watercolor paints! 🙂

I made a light pencil sketch first and then painted wet into wet.  I added sketchy details with a micron black pen after the watercolor had dried.  It is more abstract than realistic but I like it.

Pie cherries were ripe at the lake last weekend in the neighbor’s yard – these are sour cherries – not good for eating off the tree but delish for pies, that is if the Robins don’t eat them first!

I picked a few to paint in my art journal:

I love those bright reds, don’t you?!

It was super fun to experiment in different painting styles.

Do you have a favorite summer fruit?  I hope you share it with me!

Happy Summer!  Cheers! 🙂

A Face Haiku

Is it possible to create a face with just 7 lines?  Yes, I say!! 😄

 1.  It starts with a line

2.  And connects to a feature…

3.  They are easy and fun –

4.  But may look like a creature!  Lol! 😉

And here is a step-by-step example:

I hope you give one a try!

Seven lines for a face…

Is all it takes!

Cheers! 🙂

Red Heads

Do you know anyone with red hair?  I was drawing one-liner faces last night and a few red heads appeared on my page:

I hope they give you a RED smile today!

Cheers! 🙂

 

A Letter Day

Yesterday, I finished doodling my letters in my World Watercolor Month sketchbook that I posted recently:

This inspired me to use the letters, “WBW” for today’s Weird Bird Wednesday:

I knew if I moved my paper around, I could find a weird bird in the letters… Can you find one?

This one flew off the page at me – so I added a few more details with watercolors:

Next, I decided to doodle my letters with an ink pen to finish it:

Happy Weird Bird Wednesday!!

Cheers! 🙂

World Watercolor Month Starts July 1st

I had so much fun participating in World Watercolor Month last July that I decided to purchase a few new art supplies in anticipation for this July.

I splurged on a Stillman and Birn mixed media art journal from Amazon and decided to try a couple different brands of watercolor paint.  I also purchased a Quill watercolor brush.  Here are my supplies:

I couldn’t wait to try out my new journal so I had to splash some paint inside before I left for work!

Charlie O’Shields at https://doodlewash.com has been busy updating his blog and I must admit it looks soooo cool!  I hope you check out, “World Watercolor Month,” at the top of his page and subscribe to his blog.  Charlie always has an interesting story to share with his amazing watercolor paintings! 🙂

Perhaps you remember some of my watercolor posts from last July:

I really enjoyed painting the natural beauty around me when I was at the lake.  And I hope to continue this year plus add a few faces to the mix!

Back to this morning’s journal; I added these letters to my painting:

And splashed on more watercolor…

I will add some doodles to my letters and show you my results later…

I hope you will join me in celebrating World Watercolor Month.

Cheers! 🙂

Grumpy Cat

My cat loves to be outside during the summer months when the weather is warmer.

But yesterday evening he got trapped (briefly) inside the garage…

He was one grumpy cat!  😦

Carla Sonheim recently gave an assignment in her 365 video class – day #177 –  to draw several quick one-liner cats and my grumpy Jack cat appeared!  Lol!

Happy Drawing!  🙂

Sasquatch Man?

I used the cross-hatch technique to create shadows in the drawing of a man I found in a magazine.  I had a little trouble with the shadows in his neck so he ended up looking much hairier than his photo! 😉

 

I called him, “cross-hatch man” on Instagram but I think he could pass for “Sasquatch Man!”  Lol!

“Sasquatch” also known as Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest is a large, hairy ape-like creature covered in hair.  It inhabits forests and is considered more of a folklore and hoax rather than a living animal due to lack of physical evidence.

Hope your Monday isn’t too “hairy!”

Cheers! 🙂

Whipping Up Art

Several years ago, I found this hand-mixer at a thrift store and decided it would be fun to bead and then one idea led to another…

I thought the handle was a lot like my right brain, filled with ideas that turn into possibilities when I mix them with all the art mediums I enjoy!  I had fun decorating the beaters with Golden’s Glass Bead Gel to give it the look of frosting.  I always enjoyed licking the icing on the beaters when I was a child much like I enjoy sharing the sweet finish of a completed art project with all of you!  🙂

So when Charlie invited me to his Doodlewash Dinner for the month of May, I decided to whip up this dish to bring to the party:

I have never painted a meal before and found it to be kind of fun.  I encourage you to give it a try!

And here is my recipe in case you want to whip up this dinner for yourself:

I had this for dinner last night… and I’m looking forward to leftovers tonight with a glass of red wine!

Cheers!  🙂

Colors and Textures, Oh My!

I was really attracted to the colors on the buildings in Oaxaca, Mexico.  I discovered interesting color combinations and found the colors did not have to match.

I did a loose interpretation of the buildings in collage, watercolor, color pencils and ink pen that I thought you might enjoy seeing:

And I loved the texture of this old door:

This one I did today with Neocolors, watercolor, color pencil and ink pen:

I hope you enjoyed my experiments.  I’d love to know what you think!

Have a color filled Friday!  🙂