It's Like a Fall Cleanup Around Here

Azaleas
colored pencil on paper
7in x 5in
copyright 2012 Rose Welty
click to buy, $45

I mentioned in my last post that I had been painting, that continues - onto a blue and gray living room and hallway. That's how it works with stuff around the house, isn't it? Once you paint one room, you realize the next room looks bad, and then there's that project you've been putting off...

After seeing to some more storage in the kitchen on Friday, I ventured into the garden today. I removed four small bushes, trimmed several large holly bushes (which grow far too fast and too large for my liking), and planted four more azaleas in place of the bushes.

Once I get all these rooms painted I should have an open studio, then you can see it all. :-)

For My Upcoming Demo

Tulip
7in x 5in
colored pencil on paper
copyright Rose Welty

This week I've been focusing on creating a "demo" for an upcoming colored pencil meeting. Colored pencil is a slow medium - much like painting with a single haired brush. So, I'm going to present four different stages of a drawing and show a few strokes. This is the final drawing.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Peeking Over My Shoulder

Work In Progress - crop

What are you working on today?

Another Sneak Peek

work in progress - crop

A second sneak peek, this time with the flowers a little more developed.

Above, a few recent journal pages. I'm looking for a new pen. I spent my lunch break looking on the web, but it was fairly overwhelming - so I'm going to ask if any of my readers have a suggestion. I'd like one that can give me variation in line width (responds to pressure). I'd really like a brown or sepia ink. Waterproofing is not that important to me. Any ideas?

Sneak Peek

Work in Progress (crop)

I promised a sneak peek of my latest...this is just a small crop - maybe a 4in x 4in area on a 12in x 18in drawing.

These perky purple asters (or jasmine mist I believe the tag said) are my latest addition in the front yard. Does anyone know if you are meant to deadhead asters when the blooms are spent?

The End from the Beginning

Another sketch in the flower book

If we knew the end of things from the beginning, we often tell ourselves that we would do things differently. That’s why they say hindsight is 20/20. It’s also why motivational gurus often ask you to imagine yourself in 1/5/10 years, then make a list of what you need to do to get there.

It’s also why emerging artists struggle endlessly with developing their style and established artists tell them to be patient…because the established artists can see their style now, even back in their early works. The end was there, right from the beginning, but one doesn’t always have eyes to see it.

Or does one? I’m going to tell you one of my little studio secrets, in hopes that you can tell me that other artists experience the same sort of thing.

When I begin working on a piece, I start out making decisions, thinking about rules, tricks, solid concrete things I know about drawing and painting. Then, as I near the end, all of sudden, my mind starts giving me all sorts of commands, “put a big dark mark there, pull up paint there, more dark blue in that corner…etc”. It’s fast and furious and I can’t stop to look at the work while I am doing it. I just have a “sense” about where things go, my eyes don’t even focus on the work. Then the commands stop, I can once again focus on the work and I know it’s done.

Does that happen to you?

Wish I Had Something Clever to Say

...but I don't so...this is more in the flower book...

Sketching

Here's another from my sketching session the other night. It was one of those great times where things just flowed and I had done three small sketches in less than an hour. It made me think I ought to try for more of those in my life. My evenings are not always conducive to pulling out the paints...but who can complain about pulling out a pen and opening a sketchbook?

More Sketches for the Flower Book

Two more sketches done in the flower sketchbook. It's so fun to just let yourself go and sketch!

Firecracker Flowers
6in x 6in
acrylic on gessoed hardboard panel

I decided to have a go with acrylics for a few pieces instead of the oils. Two reasons for this...one, I've been struggling with some headaches and I want to eliminate the oils (they are likely due to allergies, but one never knows)...two, I've been frustrated with the paint smudging, smearing, and dragging up when I paint over a place. Of course the second reason has alot to do with my inept handling of paint and impatience with waiting for it to dry.

Anyway, here was my first go with the acrylics in a long time. These aren't really called "firecracker flowers", I just thought that I painted them rather like firecrackers, especially with the green stems I put in.

Broadstroke on Stonehenge

Cosmos, graphite on Stonehenge paper, 9in x12in,
work in progress

This post is about using broadstroke pencil technique (used by Ted Kautzky and Ernest Watson) on Stonehenge paper.

Recently, I did a sketch of some cosmos that made me wonder whether I could get a nice effect with broadstroke technique on Stonehenge paper. Above you see the beginnings of my first trial run. Below is a run-down of my thoughts.

Broadstroke on Stonehenge:

• Broadstroke does get a nice smooth effect on Stonehenge paper. Although, I wish that I had remembered to flip the paper over, as I think I prefer the back side.
• Technique is clearly paramount when using broadstroke, I will still have to work on getting an even effect in large areas.
• This was done with a 6B lead. I'd really like to get a 9B in my next supply order, as I think it would be easier to get the darks that I am looking for.
• The effect of broadstroke on smooth paper is effective for flowers - it gives them a nice delicacy.
  

A Great Quote

This past weekend I picked up a copy of Outdoor Sketching by Ernest W. Watson. He begins the book by cautioning the reader that learning to draw in the outdoors is a difficult thing.

He then says, "Is the prospect, then, disheartening? It might well be so for the weakly intentioned; for those in whom the fire of desire burns brightly the quest is full of high adventure, rewarding at every step along the way. The enlargement of one's power of expression and the awareness of new beauties in nature are great sources of delight."

That sums up the art adventure pretty well, I think.

My wonderful husband came home the other night with arms full of flowers, ice cream and chocolate! I am so blessed.

Here are some quick sketches I did of the flowers during family movie night.