Cat experiments

Just throwing up some old sketch plans to get myself going again--the first one was the bottom which somehow morphed a lot when refining it--old cartoon default kicked in for some reason. Hope to get to this project again this week to get a nice version of it. Just from having done a few book led exercises I feel like I'm learning a lot and can't wait to start implementing and improving!

Ray Hendershot

I found a wonderful book by Ray Hendershot called...hmmm...something about Watercolor Textures. Anyway, I love his classic painterly approach to watercolor--in fact he used to paint only with oils. I tried out a few of his techniques in one of his exercises...here is the result...I've got a lot of work to do on learning how to do trees...and snow...and skies...!

IKEA Alex "hack"

While not exactly a true "hack" this definitely spiced up IKEA's answer to affordable flat files. Where you see color was once an open space used in lieu of drawer pulls. I filled up the holes with watercolor scrap work in order to partially seal off the strong pressboard odor eminating from the interior materials. Since it's in my bedroom, a small room, the smell has been bothering me for months. Up until now I've kept this covered by a blanket and hopefully this will resolve the issue; otherwise I'll have to find a replacement.

It will be fun to change up the colors over time! I can still open the drawers since there is still a small ledge, although it's not as convenient. I rather wish IKEA designed this so images could be inserted into a clear plastic holder (I had to tape the paper to the inside of each drawer).

First attempt at the technique Gennine uses in her artwork--it's actually kind of difficult to
get the white acrylic ink to cooperate and I think it's
partially because of how rough my paper is, and finding the correct
ink nib...I have a great admiration for her skill!

Also, I am just not as neat and tidy...somehow I can't stick to
the plan...I guess I've just got to roll with that! But I'd like to
copy her use of postcard/illustration to make some stuff
tailored to my locale.

What matters most to me is that something seems animated,
believable, and has a life of its own, and as long as I can
convey that spirit that is what matters most.

getting back to it

Ok, trying to get back on the wagon! Orchids..done before they died a few months ago.

greens

Ok, so painting this in proved to be a bit of a challenge....I'm getting to know my materials and the greens are really hard to mix--this was a good exercise in color blending and trying out some of the craran d'ache pastel/watercolor sticks. The right side ended up badly as there was no plan for it, so I've learned that I need to plot things out better. This was a hard one to do overall given the lack of contrast..I guess I could've created more...that's for next time!

I had a cold this weekend....and felt drained and overwhelmed from the heat/pollen wave, which is still not and excuse for not having done more work!!

Succulents

So this is a base for a watercolor I'm going to try tomorrow..I've never done perspective before like this so it'll be a learning experience. I took a lot of pictures of our lovely garden..I'll post some of them next time--many exotic succulents!

Thank you mom, for the pair of lovely curly tailed doves!

A doormat I got --mom do you think you can do a sampler like this for me? It's similar to the design I had Carolyn do as a sort of 'wedding' sampler.

I took this in really low light....by the time I'd adjusted the ISO he had woken up and become a little frisky!

5. Hippo Periscope

More hippos! Over the weekend I started a study of Pico, which I plan to work on this week. I didn't post it because, well.....I was busy with Lorie being in town! Yeah. Anyway, here are two little Gertrudes! I realize how much I have to learn, time to check out a book from the library!

4. Hippo Doodles

I'm just starting to get a sense of how to draw a hippo...many more hippos to come. I'm learning how to do less-is-more, but it's actually a lot of work to do less! You have to boil things down to their essence. Or learn how to stylize them. I don't know how to come up with a 'style' I guess that will evolve with time? I really envy how neat and tidy Geninne's work is...

3. Owlie

Well, things don't always turn out as you envision them, but this is what this daily art thing is all about. I started this very late at night, and didn't realize how long it takes to do a tree trunk, so just got a little lazy with the branches. Then I spilled waterproof black ink all over the place , but decided to keep on trucking. The owl I think ended up looking like a little cat, and I ran out of time to finish him before I went to bed....oh well!

2. the happy hippo

I sent a thank you letter to Carolyn for the camera I purchased with the money she gave me. I drew my camera and put a mini-print of a picture we took at Thanksgiving inside the lens, and smacked the whole thing on the front of the envelope.

This Black-Bellied Plover was cute, but I thought he might be destined for greater things. At the last minute I added the top-hat and spotlight...it probably would've looked better had I conceived it from the start, but I like the idea.

Ok, so it's time to gear up for the hippo story about Gertrude, thus I'm going to have to start learning how to draw hippos!! They are difficult to draw and especially to give color to....I'm going to have to do a thousand of these guys!

Peer said this one looks like a Buffalo-Hippo--I was also surprised at the little mustachio growing! I LOVE hippo ears, they are so cute and stubby. They also have nice eyelashes.

1 of 365

My New Year's Plan is to engage in art-making every day this year. I am making myself accountable by posting my daily 'art' on this blog. The ugly and the beautiful, they all get posted! I hope to see improvement over the year, since I am sorely out of practice. This is drawing #1--done yesterday--eyeballed from a book of birds. At first I will probably be doing a lot of bird drawings because I'm kind of crazy about them, it is easy at first for me to look to photographs as inspiration rather than using my rusty-imagination, and I am also totally inspired by Geninne's Art Blog. Birds are the theme of my new apartment, as I live on a tree lined street that is filled with birds! Well, mostly swarms of blackbirds!

My hope is that this daily practice will eventually help me get back into doing my children's books ideas (several have been suspended for a very long time, while I have dealt with life's hardballs by hiding my head in the sand!).