Pea Pod

I just finished my 4th class with Anna Mason.  This time I painted a pea pod.  I am having to learn to slow down and look at all the details and subtle color changes.  I am enjoying my classes very much.  

 

Pumpkin

This seems like the wrong time of year to be painting a pumpkin, but really, who knows what day or month is is any more?  I am so glad to have these classes to keep me occupied during these days of  "sheltering in place", quarantine.  This week's tutorial was the mighty pumpkin.....

 I like all the texture I was able to get.  I hope you will enjoy seeing my homework for awhile. I am enjoying these classes so much!

Mushrooms

In the Anna Mason School, we can pick and choose the tutorials we would like to do or, there is a prescribed order to learn in, from beginner to advanced.  I decided that to get the most out of the school, I would go in the recommended order.  The second tutorial was the mushrooms, below:

There were many colorful tutorials I would rather have completed, but I learned about texture and blending and spotting subtle color changes, things I might have missed if I had not taken this tutorial. 

Tweaking

As usual, being a perfectionist, I can't leave my drawings alone.  So I tweaked my sketch of Klyde Warren Park, and reworked the shadows on my sketch of the Dallas - Fort Worth National Cemetery.  I am finally declaring these two sketches done.

I was challenged by a friend to do a sketch a day for a month.  I'm not sure I can keep up that pace, but I am really going to work on sketching more in the coming months.  I have several sketchbooks started that I need to fill up.

Urban Sketchers

Our local Urban Sketchers group met this past Saturday in downtown Grapevine, TX.  It is a lovely historic town with many sketching opportunities!  I want to go back on my own, as weather permits and sketch more.  The weather Saturday was perfect, sunny and around 70 degrees. We had a wonderful time!!  I wasn't able to finish my drawing there but will post as soon as it is finished.  Here is our group photo.....

Sketching at The Parks Mall

Sketching at The Parks with Jessica Mang.....

Just Finished!!

I just finished a new leather sketchbook with 112 pages 

of Arches watercolor paper.

  It is 8" x 8".  

Trip to North Carolina

I just returned from a trip to North Carolina to see my daughter, son-in-law and 3 grandkids!  This was the first sketch of my trip from the window of the plane.  

Sketching  made the flight go by quickly!  

I used watercolor pencils and water brushes in my new handmade sketchbook! I had never tried it before, but instead of coloring on the page and then using the water brush to blend the color, I used the brush to pick up the color from the tip of the pencil. 

I had a wonderful visit and enjoyed spending time with the kids.  I can't wait to see them all again!

New Sketchbook!

I just finished making a new watercolor sketchbook.  I filled it with Arches 140lb cold press paper and I used a skeleton key that my sister sent to me for the clasp.  I am very happy with the way it turned out!

 I used a very distressed part of the leather I had for my book so I could use the better pieces for other journals.  But I love the distressed look and think others may like it too.

The back of the book.

The binding.

The first page is handmade paper that I purchased.