Milk Barn Jounalled

Another beautiful sunset - and this time I'm capturing it in one of my favorite journals.  This rough, textured paper compares to 300 lb watercolor paper in the way it accepts the water and paint.  The pen skips a bit, hitting the high spots, but that is part of the charm of working with such tools.  Embrace the different and make it your own, you'll never be bored in your craft.  Painting number 1830 in 1830 days.

Augustus!

Little Augustus is SO expressive!  His thoughts are written boldly across his face!  After getting a little baby time this afternoon, I take up the fountain pen to render this little darling in ink!  Though I've done many portraits, I've never done them in ink - something about the permanence of it all!  There are no erasers for fountain pens!  So, I made a few tick marks in pencil (like the top, bottom, sides of the face, eye, nose, lip shadow dots) to give me a visual map to start with.  With these dots, I adjusted accordingly as I lay down the ink.  I think I could have done these ticks in ink, and probably will the next time.  I guess I just needed the crutch to get me going!  Once the drawing was in, I used a wet brush to move the ink a little, softening lines and adding shadow planes.  This is a one shot deal.  If I miss the placement of those planes, there's no going back.  No eraser!  I REALLY love the depth of the black ink - I will definitely be doing this again!  Painting number 1826 inn 1826 days.

Andress House Inked

I love the feel of a fountain pen gliding over handmade paper. I prefer a rougher texture, unlike many of my artist friends, for this delicate, detailed work. I draw like I paint, with sketchy lines in a freestyle hand.  Like handwriting, no two artists draw the same.  I let the pen find the angles until the whole composition comes together, and then come in with a little water on a brush.  Tonight I am using a new Koi water brush pen, and am enjoying the ready flow at the brush tip.  I think I will be turning this into a painting,  but will try one other composition first.  Painting number 1747 in 1747days.

ink on paper, 6x4
sold

Mountain Vista Watercolor

So often, I am working fast to capture a place in paint that I forget to get that location shot! Sometimes, I forget to photograph the painting, too!  I've sold two in the last month that I never got an image of.  I didn't even realize it until I tried to find it days later!  This ink drawing was done very quickly with a Pitt pen, followed by fresh, loose watercolor.  I barely had enough time to get color in all the masses before we left the area!  This place is somewhere in Colorado between Steamboat Springs and Denver, along the highway through the mountains.  I didn't have cell service to tell me the location, but it is now immortalized in paint!  Painting number 1675 in 1675 days.

Lavender Farm Inked

Walking to the outer edge of the lavender rows, I could not resist this view!  Setting up my easel, I went right to the task of drawing the scene before me.  What a pleasure to create in such a place as this!  All I had to do was narrow down my view for the perfect composition - and there were so many!  I could paint a thousand paintings right here on this farm, standing in the lavender!  So many paintings, always so little time!  Painting number 1676 in 1676 days.

ink on paper, 6x4
purchase here

Lavender Rows

Oh the beauty of a lavender field is a feast for the eyes and for the nose!  The fragrance surrounds me as the gentle breeze whispers through the blooms, and I whisper back with paint.  It is truly a joy to submerse myself in a place like this, and then to capture my experience in the moment with paint. This is what plein air is. A living and breathing thing, only to be shaped by the one holding the paintbrush.  Here, I capture the essence of the place in my journal, to commit to oils another day.  Painting number 1673 in 1673 days.

Abandoned Ranch

I love these old, abandoned homesteads.  Each one tells a story of the family who built it, loved and lived here, and the how such a beautiful place could come to ruin.  This ranch is on the side of the mountain, with the ground rising sharply behind it.  A row of aspens trails up the mountain, and ends just above the buildings.  No other trees are here, and this northern part of Colorado is so desert like. Even the rock formation in the background is right out of an old western.  Such a cool place, I only had time for a quick paint.  Next time in Colorado, I am definitely going to make more painting time!  Painting number 1671 in 1671 days.

Ephraim Cottage in Watercolor

I have never watched a watercolor artist complete a painting from start to finish before last week.  Vladislav Yeliseyev is an amazing artist, and watching how he approached the plein air landscape was eye opening!  I have only worked wet on wet before, without the foggiest notion on how to add another layer.  Watching that one artist work has inspired me in a whole new way!  Can't wait to see what this media can really do!   Painting number 1666 in 1666 days.

Kenton Row Inked

My very first drawing inside of the Lakeside Chautauqua, focusing on the cottages of Kenton Row, with the cool breezes wafting in from Lake Erie.  Set up in the deep shade under the mature trees of Central Park, this was a glorious painting day!  Having left the Missouri heat behind me, I thoroughly enjoyed this newfound comfort!  I concentrated on two cottages in this drawing and added one more to the right in paint.  I was on the fence, two or three.... and the sketch helped me to make that decision.  If I'd brought wider panels, I would have painted five of these cottages.  But alas, I did not!  Painting number 1655 in 1655 days.

Raymore Presbyterian Church in Ink

Circa 1876, this historic Raymore Presbyterian Church was the first church built in this town. It has a charm and character that does not grace newer buildings.  Until a few years ago, there was a beautiful 2 story parsonage on the property, but it has been torn down.  Unsure of whether or not to add watercolor, I stopped. You know the old adage, "..if in doubt, don't! "  After a little thought, I may just loosely add in some watercolor later.  I like this building so well, I may just paint it in oil after the gym tomorrow!   This drawing makes 1476 in 1476 days :)

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Christmas Tree in Ink

After a family night of Rogue One and board games, I am doing a little sketching in my treasured watercolor journal.  Once the pen and ink is down, I then decide to add some watercolor.  I have a tiny kit that fits in a pocket, and that's what I pull out for this.  I am getting used to the very opaque pigment of these pan watercolors, even though my preference has always been for the transparent hues.  Painting in low light, the color is a little stronger than I intended!  Painting number 1442 in 1442 days :)

November at the Elms

Tonight finds me sketching in my marvelous handmade watercolor journal with pen and ink.  After staying at The Elms last weekend, the hotel has been on my mind, wanting to be rendered.  It is a challenging subject, as the building is vast and intricate, and I am working from photo reference.  I SO prefer to be standing in front of my subject!  Once I get the drawing where I want it to go, I decide whether to add watercolor or not.  I love the thick, textured handmade paper, and it seems a waste to not apply the watercolor.  I use my tiny travel set of pan watercolors with my new brush pens - and I love them!   The colors are opaque, instead of my usual transparent palette, and the pens are certainly different from my high dollar brushes, but I still love the way this set up uniquely works.  These paintings are not for sale.  I think I will finish the book in its entirety and then decide to keep it or sell it.  It is going to be so much fun to see these pages unfold!   Painting number 1410 in 1410 days :)

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