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Animals Daily Paintworks Challenge Oil Painting Painting

Busby Berkeley: The Cat

Busby Berkeley, Oil on Panel, 6x6" - Portrait of a Cat
Busby Berkeley: The Cat, Oil on Panel, 6x6"

When my tabby cat Busby Berkeley decided to sit in my still life light box and pose, I decided to paint him. After all, what’s more of a still life than a cat (except when they’re running through the house and pouncing on wrinkles in the covers when you’re trying to sleep)?

I painted from the photo below, displayed on my monitor near my easel.

Busby still life
Busby still life

Busby spends most of the day sleeping in the closet, my bureau, or a kitchen cabinet so painting him from life wasn’t an option. Even drawing him from life is tough. In the same way cats chose to sit on the one person who doesn’t like cats, they also get up and leave if they notice you watching them.

This was the first time I’d painted a cat in oils and it was fun and challenging. I’m about to try another from a different Busby photo to see if what I learned the first time will make it easer the second time. This painting is available here on my Daily Paintworks page where I am in the process of placing selected paintings from the past along with current work as I paint it, when/if I’m ready to let it go.

Categories
Berkeley Building Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Interiors Painting Places Sketchbook Pages Urban Sketchers

Inside Berkeley’s Maybeck-Designed First Church

First Church of Christ Scientist, Berkeley
First Church of Christ Scientist, Berkeley

The American Institute of Architects named this church one of the three finest uniquely American churches. I saw a picture of the spectacular interior and knew we had to sketch it. I contacted the architectural heritage group, Friends of First Church (see photos on their site), and one of their members was generously willing to open the church for our Tuesday night Urban Sketchers group.

She graciously gave us a tour and told us a little about the history and architecture and then we picked our spots and started drawing. The interior is sweeping and complicated, with “a pair of great crossed trusses spanning the central pace overhead.”

Interior photo from where I sat, First Church Christ Scientist
Interior photo from where I sat, First Church Christ Scientist

I tried to envision how I would get everything I wanted onto my page and then just started drawing in the left corner, working my way across the page, drawing directly in ink. I drew up until the last minute so had to add the watercolor at home.

That’s a pipe organ behind the choir loft. They’re trying to raise funds to restore it.  Everything is embellished with gilt so the room has a golden glow. The architecture and design includes many styles and periods, including Gothic, Romanesque Byzantine and Arts and Crafts.

Spending the evening in that beautiful, quiet, exquisite space was so special and we are very grateful to the Friends of First Church for so graciously sharing this jewel with us.

Categories
Animals Daily Paintworks Challenge Food sketch Oil Painting Painting Still Life

Happy Boy Radishes in Oil (Paint) and Still Life with Cat

Happy Boy Farms Radishes, oil on panel, 8x8"
Happy Boy Farms Radishes, oil on panel, 8x8"

Every time I paint I learn something. This time I learned some new tricks with different brushes and mediums and also about how much easier it is to paint in a good mood than a bad one. I painted the radishes for last week’s Daily Paintworks challenge, “Paint your vegetables.” It is available there on my new Daily Paintworks page.

I painted the radishes over Sunday’s painting of cucumbers that didn’t work because of my bad composition (or my bad mood when I was painting it) not sure which. I liked the lemon slice in the painting so I took a photo before I scraped off the panel for reuse.  Here is the happy little corner of the painting with the lemon slice (and without the two big ugly cukes at the top):

Cucumbers and Lemon, section of trashed painting
Cucumbers and Lemon, corner of painting

And here is the promised Still Life With Cat, shot when I put the radishes back in the fridge and silly Busby decided my still life light box would make a nice kitty sauna.

Busby still life
Still Life with Cat

I’d probably look grouchy too if someone tried to take a picture of me in the sauna!

Categories
Art supplies Lighting Studio

Reviews: Daylight Easel Lamp and Karin Jurick Tabletop Easel / Panel Holder

Daylight Easel Lamp and Karin Jurick Panel Holder
Daylight Professional Artists Lamp & Karin Jurick Easel Panel Holder with painting in progress

Two recent discoveries have made my painting life easier, brighter and more enjoyable: the new Daylight Artists Professional Lamp and a new prototype version of Karin Jurick’s tabletop easel that serves as a panel holder in a regular easel.

Continue reading “Reviews: Daylight Easel Lamp and Karin Jurick Tabletop Easel / Panel Holder”
Categories
Drawing Flower Art Painting Sketchbook Pages Watercolor

Relaxing With Calla Lillies

Calla Lilly 1, Ink and watercolor
Calla Lilly 1, Ink and watercolor

After a weekend of making paintings, scraping the canvas and starting over (with nothing to show for it but some learning) I accidentally knocked a 12 oz latte off the table, splattering the studio with milky coffee, requiring a major cleanup job. So tonight I thought it might be nice to stare at a pretty calla lilly that popped up in the garden, sketch it a couple of times and just calm down.

I drew the one above first, starting with a little pencil to get the shape right and then drawing with a Micron .03. When I finished I wished I’d skipped the ink.

Calla Lilly 2, ink & watercolor
Calla Lilly 2, ink & watercolor

With this second one I drew directly with the pen, but I liked the scratchy line even less (I think the pen is running low on ink or doesn’t like the paper) so went over it with a Pentel Brush Pen afterwards.

Categories
Art theory Drawing Every Day Matters Ink and watercolor wash Painting Sketchbook Pages

Sweat, Salt and Scissors

My Lemon Pepper and Salt Shaker, ink & watercolor, 5.5"x7.5
My Lemon Pepper and Salt Shaker, EDM #104, ink & watercolor

Drawing is the foundation of most picture making and it’s a skill that requires regular practice and study. I’m determined to improve my drawing skills and the Every Day in May drawing challenge came at just the right time to inspire this daily practice.

All The Scissors I Own, ink & watercolor, 5.5x7.5"
All The Scissors I Own, EDM#105, ink & watercolor, 5.5x7.5"

I’ve long enjoyed just starting somewhere on the page and letting the details and story expose themselves in my sketch as my eyes explore the subject. I like the “just see what happens” approach. That is a lot of fun. But it doesn’t work well when I’m trying to fit a scene onto a page, or realistically capture a place or people or both.

My Exercise Corner, ink & watercolor
My Exercise Corner (drawn sleepy and without using the strategies described below so it's wonky and didn't fit on the page). EDM# 103

That requires some comparing, measuring, careful checking of angles, drawing imaginary (or penciled) “plumb lines” to see what lines up with what, noting where the top, bottom, sides and midlines are in the subject vertically and horizontally, and marking those same spots on the page so that it all fits. And of course there are lots more…perspective, line quality, etc.

I just wasn’t willing to do most of that before, but now I am. Even more surprising than my willingness is how enjoyable it is and how it’s starting to become second nature.

I don’t want my drawing to be pefect—I love imperfect wonky drawings—they’re so much more interesting and lively than perfectly realistic ones.  I just want the darn picture to fit on the page and the proportions to be at least almost right, and to be able to draw more quickly and accurately when I need to.

Categories
Oil Painting Painting People Portrait

Portrait of Violet: An Angel in Jammies and Tutu

Portrait of Violet: An Angel in Jammies and Tutu; a little girl playing dress-up.

When one of my sketch group members sent me this photo of her little girl, I had to paint it, despite having never painted my own kids (except as they appeared in a dream once, as a bear and a tiger).

The original photo was taken on an iPhone with a busy background of kid’s toys and furniture. I experimented in Photoshop with different backgrounds and color schemes. I tried some in paint. But in the end I chose this simple grayish-warmish-whitish background.

I thought about putting some of her toys from the photo in the painting but decided I like the way she’s alone in an empty space. It reminds me of my own childhood photos where I usually looked kind of alone and perplexed about the big world around me. I guess that’s an example of how whatever the artist paints, she’s painting herself too.

Categories
Drawing Every Day Matters Ink and watercolor wash Painting

Soap: Every Day in May

My Favorite Soap from Trader Joes, Pentel Brush Pen & watercolor
Trader Joe's Lemongrass Soap, Pentel Brush Pen & watercolor, 5.5 x 7.5"

Well, yes, of course I’ll use soap every day in May…but that’s not what this post is about. I read that the Every Day in May group was doing a daily sketch from the Everyday Matters (EDM) list. I had so much fun with EDM in 2006 when I first started art-blogging so despite being in the middle of a dozen different things I decided to join in.

They started with #101 – Draw a bar of soap. I searched the house and had no bars of soap so I drew my favorite liquid hand soap from Trader Joes. It’s Lemongrass-Sage and it smells wonderful!

I hadn’t used my Pentel Brush Pen in a long time and I thought I remembered that it doesn’t bleed when you add watercolor. No such luck. Or maybe I didn’t wait long enough for it to dry?  Just for fun, here’s my original EDM #101 bar of soap, just for fun.

Categories
Albany Drawing Ink and watercolor wash Interiors Painting Places Sketchbook Pages

The Pub/Sketchcrawl Continues: The Pub, Albany

On Pub Time, ink & watercolor
On Pub Time, ink & watercolor

The Pub in Albany was originally an old house and though long ago it was (minimally) converted to a pub, it is as comfy as hanging out in my living room (except a lot more interesting). People come to drink beer or espresso, play card or board games and sit around in big overstuffed chairs to chat. There are interesting collections of objects in every room.

The Pub: Like a Living Room, ink & watercolor
The Pub: Like a Living Room, ink & watercolor

Until we started sketching in pubs I had no idea that there was so much game playing going on. Beer drinking aside, it just seems so wholesome the way groups of friends meet in person to play games instead of playing digital games alone or with virtual friends online.

A note about the picture above–the white shape above the bottom right chair is the head of the bald guy who was sitting there. I liked how it looked even though you can’t tell what it is.

Categories
Drawing Flower Art Ink and watercolor wash Painting Rose Sketchbook Pages Still Life

The First Cut is the Deepest (Or Is It The Sweetest?)

First Cut Rose, gold gel pen and watercolor
First Cut Rose, gold gel pen and watercolor

This was the first rose I cut from my rose bushes this year which led to the first cut on my hands from the rose thorns (likely not the last). And it was the first sketch I did of the first rose.  My intention was get the essence of the delicate rose with as few lines and as few washes as possible. I drew it with a gold gel pen, painted directly in one layer and stopped.

Happy!