Apr30Art

Finally got all my flowers in the ground, sat in the shade and sketched my neighbors extreme manicured tree/bush. She has several of these, I've seen Crepe Myrtles like this, but these aren't crepe myrtles. Cut the rest of the front yard... and finished my Sunflower painting.

This did not turn out at all as well as I'd hoped. I especially hate the lop-sided look of it. I will give this another shot...but thought I'd share the bad one anyway.

Apr29Art

This week's challenge is to quickly sketch with the pen, using the fewest lines possible... and to be bold... So Beau was napping with his eyes open... I hate it when he does that... I guess I used more lines than I should have to show his long curly fur.

Apr28Art

Busy day today, grocery shopping, walking the dogs, planting flowers. Today was also the first day of my imaginary trip to Greece with Laurie Ferlita... Winna is the only other person on the trip that I know.
These little sketches were done with the fine line Kuratake brush pen I got this week. The ink in this pen bleeds... no matter how long it is down... it makes for a nice effect if you know about it in advance.

Day 1 - Trip to Greece

Finished page, even added some journaling to the page about the church. From accounts found on a Greece Travel website, comments about this church. If I live long enough to manage a trip to Greece a trip up this hill to see this church either at sun rise or sun set is on my bucket list of things I'd love to do.
To find out more about these trips, check Laure Ferlita's website here www.ImaginaryTrips.com/ImaginaryTrips/Welcome.html

Lesson one, set the timer for 30 minutes to draw and paint the church, stop when 30 mins up. I used a blue/grey watercolor pencil to draw the church, and then used sepia micron ink pen to ink the lines I liked the best. Took me a long time, but I was too timid to go straight in with the ink pen. Managed to paint the sky before time was up. I'm using my Hand*book watercolor journal for these sketches.

Apr27Art

We drew sharks, and fun fish and one little boy got lessons in snake drawing... he was thrilled... even some of the girls gave snake drawing a try.

Boaters have key chains that float, hopefully float enough to keep your keys from sinking LOL This is an old one we got when my husband worked the Around Alone Sailboat race in 1998-1999.

Apr26Art

Planted a few more impatiens tonight, and fired up the lawn mower and mowed the side yard. It was such a gorgeous day today and it's supposed to rain tomorrow.

Took a picture of the palette in hand... not easy... dropped the camera a couple of times trying to pull this off.

I got this waterbrush because I thought is was cool the way the brush broke down and the tip stored inside... however, it LEAKS so either have to empty it after each use or deal with the leak by putting in a bag.

Another view of the pencil case, note the little yellow water container (that came with the waterbrush I don't like)... I do like this little water container, it'll work to refill my Niji waterbrushes... that don't leak :-)

Jet pens had a pencil case the perfect size to hold my new compact palette. Because of the thumb hole I was wary of dropping this palette into my bag with wet paint. This little zippered case is the perfect size and even has room for pens and other stuff I need.

Apr25Art

Another make up sketch for the Rural sketchers, this is the base the dogwood tree in my front yard. It has very interesting texture to it's bark. My flower bed surrounds this tree, so I planted a few more flowers and tried to draw the textured bark of the tree...
I FINALLY got my copy of "The Art of Urban Sketching" today, been on back order for two months... the shark book sellers wanted $140 while everyone was out of stock... I sure hope nobody paid that price. It's a GREAT book, that I've only partially looked thru, but $140 I don't think so.

Apr24Art

This is the first time the PPBP ran when I applied paint. With the colder temps, I've had the windows open, the heat off and the A/C too, for two whole days... I think that's a RECORD for us.
Got a few more flowers planted after work today, my fire ants appear to have moved. I don't think the poison kills them, it just makes them move to a new location.

Apr23Art

Congressman Tim Scott spoke at our meeting tonight. He is such a dynamic speaker, he fielded questions for about 30 minutes. He is very popular, especially in Charleston. We are so lucky to have Tim as our Congressman.

Watercolor Rose

Did this on 11x14 Fabriano 300 lbs paper. Painted the rose over a month ago, been procrastinating on the background. Last night I just decided to do something, even if it turned out horrid. I'm glad this one is off my table.

Apr22Art

Rained all day long today, fireants interrupted my flower planting yesterday, today, constant rain made finishing impossible, but the rain is great for the flowers I did manage to plant.
Used the PPBP to negatively outline the viper above. Love the rich black ink, and was able to paint over it with the red fairly quickly.

Apr21Art

I love Daniel Smith paints, and I also LOVE their customer service.  Everyone makes mistakes, businesses willing to correct their mistakes and do so cheerfully and promptly... will get my business every time. 

Nice gift of 3 tubes of paint, not colors I would normally order.  The blue is a very muted blue/grey, looks darker in the scan, I think it'll be a great color for stone walls, or blue fin tuna paintings.

Got a free tube of Daniel Smith Sepentine Green, this was just seeing what the paint looks like, how it moved with the water... I think I like it.

Last 180 hours (or at least the package says so), used one today and it performed well at keeping the SC state bug the mosquito and the biting no see um's off me. At less than $1 each, I LOVE it, no oily spray to deal with is another added benefit. Keeping several in a plastic bag in my sketch kit for the Spring and Summer.

Apr20Art

This is the current weeks rural sketchers assignment, a memorial or statute... this is a huge urn in the Unitarian Church Cemetery in Downtown Charleston SC.. hope it qualifies. Used my Pentel Pocket Brush pen on this one too... ordered a Kuratake brush pen today, disposable with a 'fine' brush tip... I'm starting to like this brush pen stuff :-)

Apr19Art

My new palette is very light, I like the mixing areas, and the thumb hole to hold it while I paint. Only issue is the half pans aren't a tight fit and will fall out if this gets turned upside down... since I'm a klutz and this is going to live in my purse, gotta either glue them down or stick a piece of paper in there... this is about 5x3 inches. Not available in the USA that I'm aware of. I got it from Ken Bromley's Art Supply in England, reasonable shipping considering.

Apr18Art

Got a box from Ken Bromley today, with the compact plastic palette I wanted and a flat travel brush... I love my round travel brushes, never seen a flat one before, so I had to have it.  Spent the afternoon loading new colors in the palette.  Trying out some new colors.  It's looked like rain all day, and I do believe it is finally going to rain now.

Apr17Art

More Pentel Pocket Brush Pen work, tried some Chinese Brush painting strokes... this pen is very well adapted for that... my skills are lacking as you can see.

Apr16Art

Four hours yesterday afternoon, 5 hours this afternoon, forms printed, checks written, envelopes addressed, another tax year is DONE!
Continuing with my Pentel Pocket Brush Pen... this is Beau's Easter bunny, sock monkey toy... control is eluding me with this pen, I fear I'm too loose or is it tight? It seems to have a mind of it's own.. even trying to write is a struggle with it... maybe that's why Roz insists we use it for 60 hours... I think I've driven one for about 1 hr now... 59 to go.

Apr15Art

I spent the weekend looking for 2 things, a copy of TurboTax and a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen. Roz talked about them on her blog on Friday...
rozwoundup.typepad.com/roz_wound_up/2012/04/project-frida...
I've never used one, other so called brush tip pens I haven't liked at all, this one sounded different, and many artists really like it, so I tried to find one locally. I didn't want to order one online and pay shipping for 1 pen, and I didn't want to wait to start on Roz's 5 weeks worth of lessons in using this pen. Finally bought Turbo Tax online (all the stores were OUT of the version I needed) and found the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen at Michael's today. 
Michael's in my opinion over charges for art supplies is such a dramatic way, that I do not like to buy art supplies from them at all... and thus they were the last place I looked for the pen. They also have a horrid web site, according to their website they do not carry Pentel Pens at all... and yet, there they were in the store, if I had relied on their website I would not have visited their store at all, but previous experience told me to give it a look. This page was done with the brush pen, after a false start getting the ink cartridge seated properly so the ink flowed, I'm pleased with this pen. It is going to take a bit of practice to get used to it, I like that you can get really bold lines, I'm not confident I can get fine lines with it yet... and maybe it's not a fine line kind of pen. Roz says to use it for 60 hours... that's a LOT of drawing... so I've started... one step at a time.

Apr14Art

Another catch up sketch for the Rural Sketchers project, my coffee pot... pretty dull black and silver one cup at a time coffee dispenser... I LOVE it even if it isn't very attractive.
Spent today in club meetings, we like to eat here in the South, so one meeting was for breakfast, the next for lunch.

Apr13Art

It was good to see the kids again today, 3 weeks was a very long break. We drew owls sitting in a tree today... it was a lot of fun.

Apr12Art

Cute little birds, this drawing is actually a tad bit bigger than the bird itself.  They squeeze in between a crack in the storm window screen and the storm window.. about every 5 minutes they are bringing bugs to their clutch... I think there is more than 1 baby bird but I'm not positive.. I can't see the baby birds only the Mom and Dad.  

Apr11Art

Drew this Hibiscus plant in my yard, while I was cooking chicken on the grill tonight. Just read that the flowers are edible, and in fact the tea made from boiling the flower petals, can lower your blood pressure... so am I brave enough to try that? Hum... I don't know about that.

Apr10Art

Another catch up sketch for the Rural Sketchers project... only 3 left and I'll be totally caught up... I hate being behind on anything... So this is a door in an alley in Charleston... the actual door was a dull, in serious need of repainting dark blue door... I love my transparent orange so I painted their door for them. Tried to spatter on some leaves... got it all over the page and me too... I need to work on my technique.

Apr09Art

This is our wireless, home phone, I actually like it better than my cell phone. I HATE my cell phone and can not WAIT to get a different phone, contract is up in June... so not much longer. I pretty much talk on the phone less than 3 mins a month... some months not even than much. I think I'm the only person these days that hates talking on the phone and don't text either.

Apr08Art

Happy Easter... still watching golf, ended in a tie South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen and Bubba Watson USA both with 10 under. Replaying the 18th hole, Louis is away... MISSed his putt... and Bubba... misses TOO... so another hole... Budda's on the green from the woods, Louis... off the green.. Bubba Watson WINS the Masters.

Apr07Art

Spent a couple of hours walking a neighborhood and talking to voters about Ken Gunn running for Berkeley County Council district 3. Never done that before... wore me out... but I did actually get to talk to some people, nobody was ugly about it, lots of folks weren't home. It was a gorgeous cool morning for it. Got home and sat in a chair watching the Masters on TV... so here's my feeble attempt at a golfer.

Apr06Art

I've worked with Bob Ley on and off since 1998, so we've known each other for quite a while. Today I attended the funeral for Bob's father, his Dad was only 58 years old, no matter how old they are, it is very hard to lose a parent. I lost my Dad in 2005 and I still miss him very much. It was a very nice funeral and Bob did a great eulogy for his Dad.. my heart goes out to him and his family as they deal with this loss.

Apr05Art

I've drawn my dogs many times, so for the week 14 Rural sketchers Pet drawing, I thought I'd draw my scarlet macaw RICO... so of course he kept turning his back to me, and looking at me over his shoulder... FINE, I drew his backside.  

Apr04Art

Went to the playoff Hockey game tonight, disappointing game as we lost, now they go to Gwinette Georgia for the next two games.
This is my USB hub doggy, got it at staples because I thought it was cute, doesn't work that great as I wanted to use it to connect my printer, but the printer won't work connected to this .. bummer. It still made a good model to draw today, and test drive the sketch board I made for myself.

Apr03Art

Didn't get the right color of purple... lovely little wild flower, quite tiny actually. Tried some color swatches today, but still can't decide on a background color for my rose painting, I'm about ready to just do something, anything so that I can move on and paint something else.

Apr02Art

Another Rural Sketchers, catch up sketch... for week number 7... a shoe, my favorite shoes... are flip flops.. I LOVE them and wear them whenever the weather allows... like TODAY. My shoes are almost entirely black, except for the purple/pink flowers on them and were a challenge to paint.

Apr01Art

I'm playing catch up on my Rural sketchers sketches. It is very hard for me to postpone eating, to draw food, but I was able to draw my banana right before I snarfed it down LOL. I eat 1 banana a day, in spite of the high sugar content, I need the potassium and B6 to avoid leg cramps at night.