After Sargent: Wind in the Willows Author

After Sargent, Kenneth Grahame
watercolor on paper

Bedtime stories. That's how it began apparently. Kenneth Grahame told his 4 year old son Alistair stories about a toad at bed time.

Grahame was a gifted individual that could have had success in many areas and certainly had it in some. He was successful in his career at the Bank of England. He published several stories, although none were as popular as his book The Wind in the Willows.

The rest of his life is fairly sad. His son Alistair struggled. His marriage apparently was not all that happy. But his memorable characters and their stories live on, bringing joy to children and adults.

More information can be found at the Kenneth Grahame Society website, where I gathered this brief look.

This watercolor is a copy of a drawing by John Singer Sargent.

After Sargent: Ernest Thesiger

This bright eyed young man and I wish you a good weekend.

I do believe I am having more fun then is strictly allowed with this Sargent series.

After Sargent: Eugenia Errazuriz

This is another Sargent copy. Here is the version I did in 2007.

The great thing about doing these portraits in watercolor is that I can't really fix things that go awry. That gives me a fair amount of motivation to be diligent and have the shape I need to place in mind before putting brush to paper. At this point, my skill is inconsistent. But I hope as I continue, I will be right more often then not.

This is also a really fun way to play around with watercolor try out ideas and learn the medium.

After Sargent Flora Priestly

Flora Priestly, after Sargent.

I do know that I did a very bad version of this back in 2007 - I have it in the sketchbook. But, apparently I never posted it. Trust me, this one isn't great, but it's better.

These portraits provide a good challenge:

• getting the shapes right the first time, no drawing
• practice fixing the shapes when they are wrong the first time
• practice controlling hard and soft edges

After Sargent Gordon Greenough

I'm working my way, for a second time, through Sargent's portrait drawings.

Here's the version I did early back in 2007.

After Sargent in Watercolor

I think I may have started a new project for myself. Last night I flipped through a book of Sargent's portrait drawings. It's the book that I began with when I began blogging over six years ago.

This time I plan to paint my way through with watercolors - no drawing, just heading directly in with paint. Above is after Sargent's Paul Helleu. I don't think I drew him last time, as I can't find the post.

Spring Flowers - Take 2

Last night after my charges were tucked in bed, I decided to have another go with the spring flowers. Yesterday I lightened the yellow by adding chinese white, but it occurred to me later that I just needed to add more water to the yellow (quinacridone gold) to brighten it up. I'm happier with this result.

A Visitor for the Observant

American Goldfinch
watercolor on paper
7in x 5in
copyright 2013 Rose Welty

Yesterday my husband and I enjoyed a brief influx of American Goldfinch to the yard. They are a tiny bird but in color, the brightest yellow you can imagine. They eat seeds, so you tend to see bright yellow flashes bobbing in the grasses, almost like flowers under a breeze from a distance. They also eat the seeds from liquid amber trees. When they are in the trees they are quite acrobatic, bending every which way for a crack at more food. But, as I said, they are quite small and quiet, so you have to be looking in the trees to find them.

It's probably for the chance to see them that I keep the liquid amber trees - picking up those little balls is one of my least favorite yard jobs.

Drawing Statues from Google Street View

Today, in Edinburgh, I found a statue of William Pitt the Younger.

One of the great things about Google Street View is that the images are blurry and lack definition - this makes it easy for the artist to focus on the shapes. We see by shape not line. So focusing on shapes while  drawing tends to a more successful drawing. I think this is why I can't resist a statue I find on GSV - the outcome tends to be better than I thought when I began.

According to Victorian Web, William Pitt the Younger was the youngest British prime minister to take office at 24. He was in Parliament for 25 years, serving 19 of those as PM. He never married and was in debt most of his life.

That Time of Year Thou Mayst in Me Behold

"That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,"

-- from That Time of Year Thou Mayst in Me Behold by Shakespeare

Reading the above quoted poem the other night, I thought instantly of some photos I took last November. One, in particular, of a single leaf hanging on to a branch. Above you see my efforts to convey that cold autumn air and the last grasp of a leaf. I love that time of year and change of season.

As for the rest of the poem, I am not so sure, I'll leave that to the experts to debate.

This brings us to sketch 30 of 31!

Planning Not to Plan

A Winter's Copse
5in x 7in
watercolor on paper
copyright 2013 Rose Welty

Getting images out of your head and onto paper - this is the biggest trick of an artist. To pull from the mind that which is felt and seen without eyes and place it on paper is a remarkable skill. It is where I believe the artist puts herself into the work, where a voice can be heard. It's also what I think makes art irresistible - some art I see takes me to another world, helps me to see things that I wouldn't otherwise see - even if I'm familiar with the subject.

Of course, as I said, this is the trick. So, to try and further my skills in this area, on a regular basis, I begin a piece without planning and just see where it leads as I look at the paper. For this one, I used a piece of paper that I had practiced getting an even wash on (more practice needed - not even close to an even wash). I then stared at the unevenness and asked myself what I saw. I saw a line of trees in the snow, the air heavy with more snow and fog. I then added a bit more detail to pull out what I saw.

I hope in time that these exercises will prove profitable for me. This is similar to a game I have played since I was a child, the doodle game. You begin with a scribble and then draw what you see in the scribble. As a child I used to put down a page of scribbles and then work my way through them. Now, as an adult, I get to share the game with my sons and we have a great time handing over scribbles to each other and seeing what develops.