Category: Landscape

Categories
Colored pencil art Monoprint Outdoors/Landscape Sketchbook Pages

Monotype – Larkspur Landing

SirFrancis-monotype

Monotype and colored pencil on Arches 88 paper 6″x8″
(To enlarge, click image, select “All Sizes”)

This is the second monotype I made of this scene  from this sketch. Monotypes are one of a kind, so if you goof it up, you start over from scratch. With this kind of “reductive” monotype, you spread the ink on the plate (a piece of plexiglass) and then using Q-tips, rags, pointy things, and/or fingers, you wipe away the ink in the places that you want to be white or where you want to apply color later. It’s sort of like carving a woodblock or linoleum block except that instead of ending up with an image you can print repeatedly, once you press the paper on the ink to make a print, you have nothing left.

The first monotype I made of the scene printed too lightly and when I tried to press it again (by hand using a flat disk called a baren), the plate slipped. So all my work creating the image was lost because it made an off-register double image that was still too light (see below). So I wiped all the ink of the plate, reapplied it, and starting over, removing the ink to create the image above. When it was theoretically dry I applied colored pencils.

Bad print - Larkspur

It’s double-vision image is sort of interesting, so I might still play with it a bit, adding some color and seeing what happens. The thing I love about monotype is that forces you to let go of control and play and experiment.

A note about inks: I used water-based Akua Intaglio ink on these, and though I like the way the one at the top turned out after being colored, I didn’t like this ink. It continues to smear and is still water-soluable weeks after it was printed. I’ve found that oil-based inks are much nicer to work with, make a darker image, don’t dissolve if you add watercolor and dry more quickly than this ink. To my surprise, they clean up with a little vegetable oil and some soap — no need for solvents.

Categories
Dreams Outdoors/Landscape People Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Watery dream

Watery dream

Ink & watercolor in HandBook Co square sketchbook
(To enlarge, click image, select “All Sizes”)

For years I used to get up every morning and sketch my dreams before I did anything else. I have volumes of dream journals full of weird, amusing or x-rated drawings, depending on what the night had in store for me. I often painted the images too. I’m not sure when or why I stopped but I recently discovered an artist who works primarily from her dreams in monotype, Denise Kester, and got inspired to explore my dreams again.

My dreams are often humorous (to me anyway, but then I’m easily amused) or insightful — sometimes I wake up having invented something important and funny, as I illustrated here (one of my very favorite posts) or just quirky, like this one.

In the quickly sketched image above from last night, I dreamt that Sharon and I were canooeing down a pretty river when I realized that we had sunk up to our necks and that I was still wearing my fanny pack containing all my electronic gadgets (cell phone, digital camera, PDA) and they were all ruined. There was more about trying to put on ill-fitting overalls after nude sunbathing but I always hate it in novels when writers go on and on about a character’s dreams so I won’t bore you further with this one.

One last thing, this image of a river with tall banks is the same one I tried to make when I was 10 and convinced my father to let me paint with his oil paints. Unfortunately he gave me a piece of waxy palette paper to paint on and I remember it being so terribly frustrating to not be able to capture the image or anything at all, really, on that horrid paper. It kept me from trying to paint again for another 20 years.

Categories
Life in general Outdoors/Landscape Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Cold morning

Cold morning

Watercolor, then Micron Pigma Brush Pen in Moleskine large watercolor notebook
(To enlarge, click image, select “All Sizes”)

I did this quick little painting this morning of the view out my living room window (more than slightly imaginated) (imaginate is my word for imagine and exaggerate). Even with the color in the sky, everything looked so cold, with frost on all the rooftops.

I’m counting this as yesterday’s post because last night my painting group got together for a little holiday celebration pizza dinner and I had some wine (which I usually don’t and so it tends to make me quickly tipsy) and even though we all sat around eating and talking and I could have been sketching them, it didn’t occur to me until just before everyone went home. I kept thinking we were going to get back to our original plan of taking a group photo, quickly printing and handing it out, and each of us spending an hour drawing/painting from the same photo and then seeing how different all of our paintings were. But with two pizzas, two bottles of wine, a yummy salad and lots to talk about….it just never happened.

Categories
Outdoors/Landscape Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Cody’s Books & the Absent-Minded Artist

Cody's Books 4th Street

Micron Pigma ink & watercolor in large Moleskine watercolor notebook
(To enlarge, click image, select “All Sizes”)

After I saw Martha’s rendition of the Christmas lights on Berkeley’s 4th Street shopping area I decided to make my way there one evening to sketch. I hadn’t really planned on going there tonight though. I’d gone to the Blick Art Supplies store near there since Jackie (a knowledgeable sales clerk there) had offered to help me select some good oil painting brushes. I also gathered a number of other items I needed, even though I was annoyed that I’d left my sale coupon at home. That was the second absent minded act of the day. The first was trying to return my Masterpiece Theatre Prime Suspect DVD (EXCELLENT!) to the video store without the DVD inside. Before I left home this time I made sure I had the DVD in the box and in the car to return on the way home.

When I went to check out I discovered the Absent-Minded Artist struck again. Earlier today, in preparing to take a walk with Barbara, I’d removed my wallet from my fanny pack to lighten the load and never put it back in. Both Barbara and I were feeling like half-wits on our walk — I was recovering from yet another migraine last night and she’d been unable to sleep the night before.So there I was with all my items rung up and no money or cards to pay for them. (DUH!)

All was not lost though, since 4th Street was just around the corner. I drove down there, parked, looked for something to paint, moved a little, parked, moved some more, until I finally found a scene I wanted to paint.

Since I didn’t have much time, I drew straight away with ink, not worrying about perspective and straight lines (which is obvious). When I was ready to start painting, I put on my cool strap-on headlamp and it worked great. I tilted it to shine down on my paper and could see the colors I was mixing just fine. Unfortunately just as I started painting Cody’s turned off their interior lights so I had to paint that from memory.
When I got home I discovered Miss Absent Minded struck again. The DVDs were still on my car seat — I’d forgotten to return them again.

Categories
Outdoors/Landscape Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

On Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

Sir Francis Drake Blvd.

Pentel Brush pen and watercolor in 9×12 Aquabee sketchbook
(To enlarge, click image, select “All Sizes”)

I took the photo this sketch is based on when I was driving home from a trip across the bay to Marin County. There are a couple of small parks along the water on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. One was larger where windsurfers launch their rigs and then there was this little pocket park with amazing views and a little swampy area full of reeds and ducks. I’ve been doing thumbnails, trying to decide what to do with the pictures I took, and tonight decided to do this drawing in preparation for doing a monoprint.

I also made the monoprint, which was sort of successful — it will depend on how it dries and what happens when I try to color it with watercolor. I’ll wait to post it until then. I’ve discovered that printing paper is very soft and if you accidentally get a spot of ink on the paper there’s no way to remove it — wiping it with a damp paper towel just messes up the paper surface and leaves the ink right there, only looking worse.

Today was another day of feeling fairly uninspired and lethargic. I think what’s happening is caffeine withdrawal. Last week I broke my usual rules about no caffeine (I avoid it because it can cause migraines for the susceptible) and had caffeine three days in a row. Hence the migraine on Friday and now the withdrawal. I love coffee and that nice peppy feeling from caffeine but I don’t love migraines so I guess I’ll just have to deal with being tired for now. When I first gave up the caffeine a couple years ago I was railing against not being able to get that great artificial energy. I asked a friend who never uses caffeine what she does when she’s tired, thinking there must be some other way to get that energy and I was so surprised by her answer. She said, “I take a nap or just do something restful.” What a concept: rest!

Categories
Animals Plein Air Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

At the Dog Park

Watercolor and Micron Pigma Brush Pen in Raffine 6″x9″ Sketchbook

Yesterday I’d planned to spend the day in the studio but it was such a surprisingly nice day that I decided to go sketch at the dog park which is only about a mile from my house. Pt. Isabelle is a 23 acre park where dogs are allowed off leash and can run, swim and play. It’s on the S. F. Bay with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge. I sat on a bench along the path and watched the passing parade of canines and their owners. One very large dog turned out to be a miniature horse, the size of a Great Dane, and she caused quite a stir. I overheard her owner telling the gathering crowd that they take her places in their mini-van and that she sleeps outdoors but comes in the house and hangs out with the family. That brought back fond memories of my favorite childhood book, Pippi Longstocking, whose horse lived with her indoors.

Every dog that passed by took a turn peeing on the post beside my bench but none would hold still long enough for me to draw them. I filled several pages with partial dogs and then switched to doggie stick figures, just trying to capture their gestures and shapes. It was a hoot eavesdropping on the conversations I heard with owners and their dogs: “Now, Isis, I told you not to do that…stop it now Isis or else you’ll be sorry when you get home, Isis, stay, no, stay, I told you to stay….” It reminded me of the Far Side cartoon that goes:

What you say: Oh Ginger, that was a bad thing. You’re a bad, bad dog, Ginger.
What a dog hears: Blah Ginger, blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah, Ginger.

After I’d finished the second picture it got really windy and foggy so I headed home, happy to be in the studio having enjoyed what may have been the last nice day before winter hit. Today it rained all day.

Categories
Outdoors/Landscape Plein Air Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Painting Palms in the Dark

Painting Palms in the Dark

Ink and watercolor in large Moleskine watercolor notebook
(To enlarge, click image and select “All Sizes”)

The other night Michael and I were driving down Santa Fe Ave near Gilman in Berkeley and he pointed out these two palm trees that were lit up and glowing in the dark. Tonight I returned to paint them in the dark from the front seat of my car. I couldn’t exactly see what I was doing or what colors I was getting. The light in my car was fairly dim and my paper looked brownish instead of white. I was excited to get home and see it under the light, where it looks completely different. I’m really starting to enjoy letting things just happen with my art instead of trying to control it so much. That’s a wall  covered with ivy in front of some small trees in front of the palms, in case you can’t tell.

I’ve been noticing palm trees lately and wondering….why do they exist? Why did they evolve to be so tall and skinny, with the leaves/fronds and fruit up so high up?

Categories
Outdoors/Landscape Plein Air Watercolor

Blake Garden Pagoda & Art Show

Blake Garden Pagoda

Watercolor and Ink on 9×12 Arches watercolor paper
(To enlarge, click image, select “All Sizes”)

I did this plein air painting on Monday afternoon at Blake Gardens. I got there 90 minutes before closing with a plan to paint the redwoods and creek area (just behind this little pagoda fountain). Unfortunately, landscape architecture students from U.C. Berkeley (the gardens belong to the University) had been allowed to do “art installations” and the creek had been covered with large white posterboards with yellow tape stuck here and there. (Is this art?) I had to quickly pick a spot to paint so settled for this fountain that was brightly lit on the edges by the setting sun at first. I painted without much drawing and then added the ink, using a non-permanent Pentel ink brush pen. I softened and bled the ink with a little water here and there.

Tonight my painting group met at the California Watercolor Association’s National Show held in downtown San Francisco’s Academy of Art gallery. There were a few stunning pieces, but the majority were disappointing. Someone was smoking cigarettes near the door and the gallery smelled horribly of cigarettes and was hot and stuffy so we headed over to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art three blocks away for a delicious dinner in the cafe and a visit to some “real” art (What makes something “real art?”).

I enjoyed seeing some Matisse paintings and sculpture on display that he made in the period I’m now reading about in the two volume, 1200 page biography, The Unknown Matisse and Matisse the Master. Then we saw an absolutely thrilling show of enormous sculptural paintings by German artist Anselm Kiefer. The scale, perspective, brilliance and 3-dimensionality of the work was breathtaking.

While we dined and looked at art we had many thought-provoking conversations about art, artists, showing, painting, and teaching. I’d love to share them with you but I’m falling asleep standing up (my computer is on a standing-height work table) so it will have to wait.

Categories
Outdoors/Landscape Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Cactus on Carlson

Cactus on Carlson

Pencil and Kremer Pigments watercolor in 9×12 Aquabee sketchbook
(click image to enlarge, select All Sizes)
Why am I painting in a sketchbook instead of on watercolor paper? I asked myself this a hundred times while I was painting this afternoon (well maybe 20 times). In my watercolor class Saturday I emphasized the importance of using good paper, especially when one is learning to paint, since it will give better results, and will assist you in making beautiful washes and glazes instead of impede you.

I should listen to my own advice! Today I wanted to paint these cacti I photographed on a walk last week. I was able to compose and paint the image I had in mind, but it would have been a lot nicer had I used watercolor paper. The Aquabee Super Deluxe Sketchbook has decent paper for watercolor sketching, but so what! I have a drawer full of watercolor paper I could have used.

Did I go for the sketchbook instead of good paper because I like filling up sketchbooks or because knowing I’m doing a “sketch” is a lot less intimidating than making a “painting” and if I’m using “real” watercolor paper, it must be a painting, and if it’s a painting it has to be good? (erckkk–that’s just plain stupid!)

Before I started blogging and sketchbooking, I only painted on good watercolor paper. But I also worked on paintings for weeks before declaring them finished. I had a belief that a painting done in one afternoon wasn’t a “real” painting. I’m putting things in quotes because these concepts aren’t ones I want but seem to have and don’t know why or when I internalized them.

I can do this one again on watercolor paper, and maybe I will. But I’m also going to start painting on good paper again unless I know for sure I just want to do something small and quick. I miss the lovely texture and flow.

cactus-photo

Here’s the original photo I was working from. When I first saw the cacti they were glowing in the setting sun but by the time I got to them with my camera the sun was just about gone so the light wasn’t great.

Categories
Drawing Flower Art Gardening Life in general Plein Air Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Westbrae Nursery Buddhas

Westbrae Nursery Buddha

Micron pigma ink pen, watercolor in Moleskine large watercolor notebook
(Click image, select “All Sizes” to enlarge)
(This was Monday’s post–I thought I’d clicked “Publish” but when there were no comments on it at all, I checked and discovered I had never actually put it on line….oops).

After working this morning I rode my bike into Berkeley this afternoon to do some errands. Last time I drove down Gilman I noticed that Westbrae Nursery had a bunch of Buddhas on display so after I finished my unshopping at REI (returning a clip-on umbrella that I thought would work for plein air painting but wouldn’t clip onto my easel) I rode over to the nursery.

I discovered that my new bike seat worked perfectly as a table for my teeny Winsor & Newton watercolor field kit. I stood with my bike just outside the nursery entrance to draw and paint this. One of the workers stopped by between delivery bags of manure and big plants to people’s cars. His comments: “Are you painting?” “Don’t you get tired standing?” “Wow you’re fast!”

Today was warm and sunny but by the time I started for home, the fog and wind had returned. Having not carried a jacket (a foolish mistake in the Bay Area), I had a chilly downhill ride home.