A LITTLE VASE - JUST FIDDLING

 

Just a little vase using watercolor dabs and some oil pastels here and there.  

Trying to play to get myself back in the mood.

EVEN MORE UNSURE

 Since this wasn’t going to work out anyway, I took some inks and played with this painting.  I guess it’s just practice with the inks but now I’m not sure when or if I’ll use these inks - what made me buy them in the first place?  I should not purchase art supplies when I’m not feeling well - I make rash decisions about wanting things!! ha ha

But Laura wanted some line work on the trunks and this is what I came up with, spending the most time and effort on the central trunk.  

UNSURE

 

The ink is going to take some getting used to as the 2 dip pens I have tend to drop blobs of color down every so often so just trying to learn with the green and yellow ink on the leaves.  I don’t think marking the trunks will do anything but be a learning experience.  May just use the inks for sketching.

CURVES

 

From a photo taken in Florida of beautifully colored and shaped banyan (?) trees outside our rental that year.  I’ve cut it down into a square to get rid of unnecessary stuff at the bottom (leaf litter I could not create to look right) and the top (more green) so the focus is more on those few leaves and the tree color and shape.  I need to darken the tree trunks more to show the sunlight was behind them.

But I think I’ll get out my new inks and play with the leaves a bit and see what happens, just to experiment. I have 2 pens and some odds and ends of things (sticks, bamboo stick pen, etc.) to use with the inks and I’ll play with those.  

I’ve been in a rut with painting and drawing lately (haven’t even finished my weekly lesson in the Strathmore Artist Series online course).  But might be coming back and it seems playing with the new inks will help get me back in the mood.  

I did read on the boxes of inks and found they are not lightfast - so…maybe they are just for quick sketching or learning rather than for finished works?  

ART SUPPLIES

 

Sometimes you just need new art supplies.  Have never tried the inks, but I think they might add interesting elements to my paintings.  And have always wanted to try a Lamy fountain pen.  We’ll see.  Also, just a couple of well-loved colors and 2 new ones (small 5 ml) to try.  

WARM AND COOL IRIS FINISHED

Went ahead and finished it.  I think the variety of yellows and oranges give it a nice glow.  

Now I wish I had made the violet/purple blue - might do this again and change that color and be more delicate with the white lines.  

WARM AND COOL IRIS

Working on the interesting shapes of an iris - closeup.  Used the white candle to mark the whites (resist technique) and got too heavy-handed with it.  It should be much more delicate - will learn and do better next time and, probably, use white gouache for those whites after trying to save the white of the paper more in those lines.  

LITTLE LANDSCAPE

 

Just another little landscape with a stormy sky.  We haven’t had rain for a while and now hot and steamy weather again after a short break of cooler weather.  August in Northern KY.

GREENS, REEDS AND POND WATER

 A fourth sheet Hahnemuhle paper (140# cold press).  Just playing and trying to get good greens with some variety.  The reeds a the pond side are too dark and I may go back in with light colored pencil.  Unfortunately, the water reed refletions are indented so can’t lift them out = too harsh right now but I’ll do better next time.  

RED ROCK POOL AGAIN

 Roughed up the texture of the rocks a bit more - I like it more now but still think that water/pool at the bottom doesn’t look grounded.  Perhaps darken the center of the pool area?