More from Florida

I also did a companion page in the sketchbook from our trip to Florida.

My Drawing Pens

I have a lot of drawing pens, some I use, most I do not. So I needed to be familiar with the differences,  and I needed to know how they react to water.  Sometimes I want it to bleed and other times I do not.  So I spent most of the day working on this.  ( I saw something similar on line and thought it was a good idea.)  I might make a poster out of this to use in my high school art classes.  Many of my students love to draw in ink.

Pens and Inks and Watercolor and one Sketch and Wash Pencil

Lesson 4 in Sketchbook Skool with Jane LaFazio

This one was a little outside my comfort zone but I just went with it as quickly as I could.  Jane said not to overthink it, so I had no plan. We were to create a 9 square grid and add some veggies or natural objects in the grid without making it just 9 squares of "stuff."  We could overlap squares etc.  I went to the market and bought some random veggies with no plan in mind, just wanting interesting contours and colors. I took photos of the veggies in front of the window and noticed there was some blue reflection from the sky outside.  I wanted a background of some sort so I used a blue wash with acrylic paint before I started the grid.  I kept saying in my head, "Don't overthink this!"  So I tried to be random.  After I completed the 2 peppers and the onions, I was sort of stuck.  I needed some other pieces of something, but I really didn't want to introduce another veggie, so I cut up the pepper. (Side note:  I did not know it was a habenaro!!!  Got in on my hands, rubbed my lips and must have touched my nose.  Yikes!!  I suffered for a while.)  So the whole thing evolved into something HOT and became hot like the 4th of July. I wanted some confetti or something Salsa-like and thought about splattering, but decided to repeat the seed shapes and added pieces of green onions.  Some to fhb squirrely lines were done to cover up some background stuff I didn't like.  I am pleased with the way it happened - without a plan in the beginning.  That is so hard for me. And it was fun.  I will do another one.

Watercolor, Acrylic, and Micron pen

Today's Sketch

My grandchildren loved fishing off the pier every evening in Florida.  They all headed for the pier just before dark and loved reeling in whatever they could get to take their bait.  And there were some ugly fish pulled out of "Long River" which was the back side of Perdido Key, Florida.  I did these sketches from some of our photos.

Watercolor and Micron Pen on a Cachet Dahler Rowney sketchpad.  

Another sketch

The second week of my online sketching class had an assignment to go out in public and draw.  That day I was traveling by car to Florida.  We had planned to stop somewhere along the way so I could sketch.  However, it poured rain all day.  We spent the night in Meridian, MS.  After supper my sweet hubby took me to the mall so I could draw in public.  This is what I drew with a Micron pen. It was the window display of the Buckles store. It was a really cool display with great draping and shapes.  And the shoes were all strappy and chunky.   And to make it even better, the mannikins were on a palette.

So after I got back from vacation I decided to add color from the photos I took.  Here is the result.

 I love pure contour lines and was hesitant to add the watercolor, but I do like it so much better with he color.  Now I have to decide if I should add some text.  It is very empty at the top of the page.

More Sketches

I spent some time sketching before during and after our vacation in Perdido Key, Florida.  I am sketching with an 01 or 02 Micron pen and adding color with watercolor.  For the first time I really made a commitment to sketch on vacation without being distracted by activities and loved ones.  Here are a few.  I'll add more later.

Packing for the trip

At the Pier

Palm tree in colored pencil

I've Been Gone

I haven't posted in 10 months on this blog.  But that doesn't mean I have not been making art.  Over a year ago I started on a new art adventure and you can see that at www.gracefulpalette.blogspot.com.  But now that summer is here and I have a few months off I am heading back to the easel.  To kickstart my painting time I have enrolled in a class at Sketchbook Skool (www.sketchbookskool.com).  I am doing a lot of sketching.  Here is what I am working on now - documenting my week and journaling about it.  I'm leaving for the beach tomorrow and hope to do lots of sketching there.  I also bought sketchbooks for the grandkids so they can sketch with me.  When I get back I'm going to spend the rest of the summer in front of the easel.

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