People of Majorca

People of Majorca from Google Street View for the Virtual Paintout for February.  I found an intersection of two streets and panned around to find several different people to paint.  I find people watching very interesting.  One of my favorite places is Costco, a big box place.  And of course Walmart where you never know what you may see and sometimes even wish you could "unsee". 

Watercolors and Pen & Ink on Strathmore Watercolor book 6x9 inches. 

One day I hope to get a sketchbook and fill it with just "every day people".  Some from Google Street View and some from life around town.  I will even label them so that I can see how different or same people from all over the world are.  I already have several "theme specific" books going that should be finished first but life is short and I don't want to miss out doing something I have a desire to put on paper.

Some of the other books I have in progress are:  one on my husband and our life together, a little book that was supposed to be for the Art House library with the theme envelope, and one for the Bakersfield Art Association here in Bakersfield with pages of artwork from different places we have gone for plein air.

The one of husband may never be finished.  It is a little too close to my heart so I don't work on it without some tears.  The art association one has many more pages to fill and I don't participate very often now because of my health.  The envelope one is barely started.  I didn't finish it one the date it needed to be mailed back so now it is just for me.  I had plans to put different situations with an envelope included.  Like a mail slot in a door with mail falling thru onto the floor.  A prairie dog holding one in his front paws,   A Christmas postcard which said "Wish You were Here" in the subject line,  That one is on cheap paper and can only be graphite of the paper tears.  It's a challenge  just with the paper.  But the finding different ideas for the theme has been lots of fun.

Maybe one day they will all be finished.  After all, the women in my family seem to live a long life.  My paternal grandmother and her daughter, my aunt, lived to ages 95 and 96.  and my dad is now 90.   I'm 66 now so I could potentially live another 30 years.  That seems like a scary thing and a good thing.  So maybe I can get all my little books finished.

African Violet

I decided to try some watercolor loosely.   I'm usually a detail person. I put down the greens and let dry. Then added some loose ink lines to hint at the leaves. Then added a little watercolor pencil and waterbrush for some shadow. Here is "African Violet". I made a little sketchbook without a cover from some full sheets of Arches paper. It is about 5.5 x 7.5 inches and held together by metal rings.

New Sketchbook Journal

I have been lax at posting for the last couple of months. I have been in an art slump. Hopefully I will be climbing out of it son. I have decided on a new project, and I am looking forward to progressing in it. Well I said one new project but there are two. It started with a new sketchbook purchase. It is like the Moleskine books with the same (hopefully) strong paper that holds a little water. And the pages are beige too and has an expandable folder in the back. I couldn't decide what I would be putting in the book. I posted that in the Facebook Sketchbook Journal area and got a few comments and suggestions. One was from Jacqui who knows I have many, many little trinkets that I have purchased for the Scavenger hunts. Many more than I really need. She suggested doing a book showing all of those. and making a memory of them in case I have to one day downsize them. The second suggestion was that I do a journal about someone I love or am close to either past or present. Well that sounded like a great idea to do for a memory book of my husband. It has now been 3 1/2 years since he passed. I would be able to do sketches of him, our babies that we both loved so much, little bits of information on things that we did or that happened to us along the way, how we met. Not sure one book will be enough but it's a start. I decided to do both. I went to Aaron Brothers to get another sketchbook but didn't find the same one. So I got a Moleskine one. I have already started the pages in the one of my Goodwill Finds. I may title that one as "New and Gently Used". The one of my husband will be "Till Death Do Us Part". These are the first and second pages of New and Gently Used. They are done with colored pencils, fineline pens, and a little watercolor.

Moo in Ink

Watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink

Yosemite

More of the 75 Day Ink Art

Wooden Santa

Day 13 of 75 done with Stabilo Pens.

More Ink

Days 9 and 10 of 75 in ink.

Scavenger Hunt #263

Here is the new Scavenger Hunt still life with 18 of the 26 items included. Done in watercolor, pen & ink, and colored pencil on watercolor paper. 9x12 inch size.

My Back Yard

I decided to paint in my back yard today. I enjoyed being outside with the dogs and doing some painting. This is the raised flower bed that runs across the back of my yard. Behind the fence is another level of yard that really doesn't get used.

The plant in the pot is my tomato plant with many blooms and quite a few small tomatoes on it. A couple of the plants back there including the ivy on the right, were plants from my husband's funeral. The plants with blooms are geraniums. The largest one and part of one of the others have pink blooms but they look more red in my painting. And there is even an asparagus fern in there. Since I can't get down on my knees to work in a ground level flowerbed, this one is perfect for me.

One of the ladies in my art group does some painted (fake) mats on her paintings. She does the "mat" first and brings them dried to our outings. Hers are really beautiful. I decided to try a similar version. This scan shopped off most of one end so I cropped it in my Picture Viewer on the other side to match. In person, all edges have the same size color "mat".

Sammie

This is Sammie one of the two dogs from next door. She and Bonie wait at the fence for a treat each night. She isn't quite a year old and full of energy. Bonie is afraid of the camera so I guess he won't get a painting. Watercolor, pen & ink. 4x6 on watercolor paper.

Sheep

Here is my last ATC for the Wetcanvas Project. I have enjoyed doing the cards but as usual, I am glad to get finished.

I have a couple things I want to do. One is the Virtual Paintout. I haven't participated for several months and I want to get back to it. I have been cruising around the towns/countries but just haven't taken the time to paint any of the shots I have saved.

Boles Nursery en plein air

My art group went to a local plant nursery today. I hadn't been with them for about 3 months so it was nice to go today.

Here is a cactus arrangement they had for sale at the nursery. The actual size of the painted part is about 8 x 10 or maybe just a tad smaller. Done on watercolor paper with watercolor and waterbrush. pen and ink, and a tiny bit of watercolor pencil added to the large cactus.

Bunny Rabbitt

Everyone who knows me pretty well knows that I have boxes of drawing references. Not just photos but the actual things. Lots of stuffed animals, ceramic animals, a few assorted dishes, twigs, leaves, pine cones, and just about anything I might want to draw some day. I probably have more references than I do pencils and that is saying a mouthful.

Well this latest ATC card I just finished is from a ceramic rabbit I bought about a week ago. Sadly as I brought it into the house, the bag slipped a little and off came one of his ears. $2.99 and already broken. I tried to fix it with super glue but it wouldn't hold I need something that will bond faster. Maybe the super glue wasn't good for the ceramic material.

I will keep my rabbit. It is still "drawable" even if the ear is a separate piece. I don't want to spend another $3. But I have learned not to try to carry too many bags at once.

This one is another for the trade on Wetcanvas. I used watercolor, pen and ink, and a touch of Conte white pastel pencil for highlights on the eye. the white dot is white-out stick. (If it works, why not?)

I'm On A Roll

I finished two more ATCs today. I didn't have much to do to them as I started them and had the ink on. Just had to add the color. On watercolor paper. Watercolor, watercolor pencil, and pen & ink.

The cow is from my own reference. Another ceramic cow from my cow collection.(Which got so huge, I had to downsize it.) The bird is a Female Mountain Bluebird from a reference by Dave Slaughter on Wetcanvas. Thank you Dave.

The project list was sent out today so the 6 I have finished should be able to go in the mail on Tues (Monday is a holiday...President's Day)