Sep30Art

Bye, bye September, tomorrow starts Inktober, I did it last year, but the reality is I do it 365 days a year.  So I don't know that I'll make a deal out of it this year.  I'm enjoying watching the lectures on You Tube from the Urban Sketchers in Manchester this year, some really interesting stuff there.

Sep29Art

Watching the X-files, I loved that TV show, fun watching the re-runs even though I've seen them all before. My crepe myrtle leaves have changed color to orange, yellow, and brown with tiny bits of green hanging on.  The rest of the trees in my yard and in our area are still green,  I'm ready for some Fall color how about you?

Sep28Art

Break is over #SketchingNowBuildings began again today.  Fast sketch of Notre Dame, Liz did it in 30 seconds, she wanted us to do it in 60 seconds... took me 90 seconds not counting adding the paint.  There's some really tough buildings to sketch this week, don't know if my skills are up to the challenge, but I'll give it a go.

Sep27Art

Watched a Webinar with Roz today for the 'By Design' class, this one focused on 'zines'  I have actually bought a couple, and my friend Pamo included me in a zine she did (and sent me a copy of).  I think I'm interested in finding out more about zines.

Ron has been moved to 2nd shift starting yesterday, so I'm adjusting (as he is too) to not having him here in the evenings.  He is here during the day, but my working from home and being on conference calls all day isn't much fun for him (me either but it's what they pay me for).

Found this very interesting link today, great lightfastness test of inks and watercolors.  http://www.theenchantedgallery.com/lightfast.html  thought other artists might find it helpful and I wanted to keep a copy for myself too.

Sep26Art

Marc said something at the workshop that just didn't sound quite right to me, so I thought I'd verify it today.  He said, once you had watercolor paint on the page, if you tried to add ink it wouldn't work as the ink would 'feather' and be fuzzy.  Well perhaps the ink he uses does that, or maybe it's his combination of ink and paper because I have a lot of pens that don't 'feather' when applied after the watercolor has dried.  Forgive the uni-ball white gel pen, it is basically empty and so that wasn't a fair test (I've used it many times over watercolor). So word to the wise test for yourself when someone says, 'You can't do that'.

Sep25Art

Already hot and humid at 9:30 in the morning after loading the motorcycle for the trip home and then Marc changing his mind twice about where he wanted to set up just wore out an already tired old lady. So when his wife told me they were changing location again, I said I'm done and left to meet my husband for lunch.  It was a good workshop and I learned a lot.

Sep24Art

Ron came down to Savannah today... it was nice to hear him praise my workshop paintings and drawings.  He's so supportive of my painting hobby.

Marc's painting of the Church towers.

Photo of my view of the left tower.

My preliminary drawing of the tower.

After I added paint to the tower. 

 

Left page, a few of the ladies adding paint to their collage drawings and on the right my collage from the objects in the Andrew-Low House.

Sep23Art

Learned at lot today, Marc gives detailed demonstrations, and is generous with his advice to everyone, beginners and experienced.

My finished drawing/painting.

The actual Owens-Thomas House, the lady in the blue shirt is my friend Debo.

My watercolor pencil and ink drawing of the house.

Sep22Art

Got all my 'stuff' loaded on the Flrt... and off I went to Savannah.  I ran thru a few showers, but nothing big at all. 

Sep21Art

I was going to draw the kit I was taking... but, it's packed up already and I'm not pulling it out again.  As usual I'm taking TOO MUCH STUFF... sigh.  Tomorrow I'll figure out if I can get it all packed onto the motorcycle, and get it all in plastic bags because it is supposed to rain tomorrow... ugh.  I may not be able to post tomorrow evening, but I will try.

Sep20Art

Getting my gear together and my laundry done, so that I can pack tomorrow for the trip to Savannah.  Can't decide whether to take a chair or not, last time I went to Savannah I lugged it around, but didn't need it.

Sep19Art

Procrastinating on the 4th house I need to draw... but I did work on a drawing today for a painting I promised to do for a friend and I'm working on what I'm going to take to Savannah for the Marc Taro Holmes workshop this weekend.

Sep18Art

Took a little ride out to Harleyville SC this afternoon.  Ron's got a little over 200 miles on his new bike he got on Tuesday.  I've got a bit over 13,000 miles on mine that I got in January this year.

Sep17Art

#SketchingNowBuildings Lesson 2.c  this is supposed to be a stone barn/house.  The photo was very grey, grey sky, grey stone, grey road... so to cover up my bad drawing I went at it with color.  Chimney not correct, while I did get the distance between the side windows correct, they are way too high up on the wall.  Liz did this sketch (no paint) in less than 2 minutes, took me a lot longer to draw, and I futzed with the paint trying to get a stone 'look'  way longer than I should have.  I have a lot to learn obviously.

Sep16Art

#SketchingNowBuildings, Lesson 2 next 'simple' building.  The dormers proved a challenge for me, the first one I did... well at least it is small enough to disappear in the back ground... tell me it disappears PLEASE.  The second one, actually turned out ok, but for the scale of this building it is way too tiny.  I also noticed that windows, and chimneys are a challenge for me to get correct.  These 'simple' buildings are proving quite difficult for me.

Sep15Art

#SketchingNowBuildings Lesson 2, I watched the video twice, I read all the material... and yet I still did the building attachment to the roof incorrectly.  But I only did it on one corner, and immediately realized my error.  I'm amazed at all the content she's covered in just 2 lessons.

Sep14Art

Ron thinks he may have a shot as a "Rainmaker", seems whenever he buys a new bike it rains for a week.  Thus the flash floods in Charleston today, and rain will continue tomorrow and maybe thru the weekend.  So he just might be onto a new career.

Sep13Art

Spent most of the evening at the Harley Shop, turning in 2 of Ron's motorcycles to get this new Milwaukee 8 bike.  The orange paint job has gold metal flakes in it.  It sparkles in the sun and Ron is very pleased with it.

Sep12Art

 #SketchingNowBuildings a continuous line drawing of Manly Church, Liz calls this, feeling the edges.

 Next step a Negative shapes with shadows added, no line drawing before paint only.  I found this one challenging.

Third iteration of Manly Church, a Silhouette with shadows added, again, paint only no pre-drawing.

Liz calls this 'constructing volumes', a pre drawing with watercolor pencil, followed by ink lines.  For this lesson we didn't paint this version. I was supposed to go and do all these steps on a building but didn't get a chance to this week, and it is supposed to rain for the next 7 days here (which we need very much).

Sep11Art

December 7th Pearl Harbor day,  happened before I was born, but my father made sure his children never forget it.  That was a defining moment in history for his generation of Americans.  September 11, 2001 was a defining moment for my generation, and I plan to do my best to make sure the younger generation (now in high school) who were born after that day remember it too. 

Ron and I attended a 9-11 Memorial ride today, out to the St. Paul fire department.  Hot and humid today.  Afterwards, Ron took a test ride on a new Milwaukee 8 Harley.  He liked it very much it's a bright orange, for my artist friends, looks like Holbein's Scarlet Lake.

Sep10Art

Ron and I went on a ride today to benefit the SPCA, had fun and managed to NOT bring how a rescue dog, as we were on the motorcycles and couldn't traumatize the dog with that, had some cute little dogs, and a sweet border collie mix that tempted me mightily.  College football on tv tonight, we don't really pay attention to the NFL games. 

Wish I could credit the photographer of this great pre-9-11 shot of the World Trade Center and the Statue of liberty.  It is a beautiful shot and a favorite of mine.

Sep09Art

Long day today... time to feed the dogs and get some rest.  Busy weekend ahead with rides Saturday and Sunday.

Sep08Art

New sketchbook, old paint box, very much in need of a refresh.  Need to rethink my colors too, the only color here that doesn't need reloading is the 'Green Gold'... so it will not be in this box in future.  Off to Columbia tomorrow so time to go to bed.

Sep07Art

#SketchingnowBuildings Liz Steel's online class started today, I'm still reading thru all the material for week 1.  Basic line work, which will give me something to do during the meetings I'm in all day long.  Liz makes it look so easy,  it isn't easy for me, but I think it's a skill I can learn.  I like the way she breaks things down to the component parts and the skills needed to sketch buildings with confidence.

Sep06Art

Back to work today, always tough after a three day weekend.  A little hotter today too.  Picked up the concrete HOG I bid on this weekend, businesses decorated them and they did a silent auction on them to benefit MUSC Children's Hospital.  I bought it for a friend whose favorite color is purple, and we ended up getting another one for our front porch, just because they're so darn cute.

Sep05Art

The weather today was fabulous again, what a great weekend we had after Hermine left town Friday night.  I love cool temperatures like this, perfect for afternoon rides.

Sep04Art

I'm taking an online class with Roz Stendahl 'By Design', one of the many exercises in the class is to write your text in columns on your visual journal pages.  I don't usually write a lot on my pages, nor do I ever write in columns, or pre-paint/ink a page but I did all three on this page.  

Sep03Art

We went over to the Low Country Harley Shop to their annual 'Hog Fest' to benefit the MUSC Children's hospital.  Good food and fun, gorgeous weather too, as Hermine left us with a lawn chair blown over and not much else.

Ron

Cannon shooting free t-shirts got the kids excited.