Tag Archives: Watercolor

Aug4

My ICAD and World Watercolor Month Final Tally

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My ICAD and World Watercolor Month Final Tally

This summer I participated in three overlapping art challenges. I posted my last update a month ago. The Daisy Yellow Index-Card-a-Day challenge ran June through July, and July was also World Watercolor Month.

I had chosen animals as my theme for ICAD, because I wanted to practice drawing them. But I really missed my Zentangle, so I tangled the butterfly below:

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This is what it looked like when it was painted. I think I like the black-and-white better:

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I experimented with watercolor pencils. Either I’m not doing it right, or my pencils are crappy, because to me this hen looks like it was done in colored pencils, even though I washed the heck out of it:

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Peacock:

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In honor of our late dachshund, Rudi:

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And this kitty looks a little like our Zoe, but not really:

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And here are all my challenge projects:

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Only 24, not 61, which would be one a day. Mostly that’s because most of my projects took more than one day to make. I limited myself to 45 minutes a day so I’d still have some writing time. The center column above are my World Watercolor Month paintings.

Jul10

The 100 Day Project, Part III

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The 100 Day Project, Part III

Hi, everyone. I’m one week post-surgery and doing well. I said I wouldn’t worry about writing any articles during July, but there’s no harm in showing you what I’ve been doing on my art challenge, The 100 Day Project, since the last time I checked in.

The 2018 100 Day Project runs from April 3 through tomorrow. The idea is to make a piece of art every day for 100 days (a tiny artwork is fine). The challenge just happens to overlap with two other challenges I like to do, the Daisy Yellow Index-Card-a-Day challenge and World Watercolor Month.

My theme for ICAD (Index-Card-a-Month) is animals.

By the way, I’ve missed a lot of days, but I expected I would. When you have surgery, all bets are off.

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Lightning bug.

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Zebra.

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Squirrel.

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Fox.

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Flamingo with zentangle.

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There may have been a superhero prompt. This is Underdog.

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Angelfish.

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Mantis.

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Heron.

Now we cross over to watercolor. I am painting on watercolor postcards because index cards are too unpredictable when they get wet. (See mantis above.)

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Butterflyfish.

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Ladybug on daisy.

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This one was inspired by a Williams-Sonoma pillow.

Are you participating in any art challenges right now? Feel free to add a link in the comments.

If you liked this post, make my day by clicking the “Like” button and sharing this article on all your social media. Thanks!

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Jun15

Creative Juice #97

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Creative Juice #97

Keep coming back for more juice. A dozen inspirations every week.

Jun14

Guest Post: Instructions for Painting a Watercolor Galaxy by Holly Mitchell

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Thank you to Holly Mitchell for this terrific tutorial. You can see more of her work on her blog, ThreeSixFiveArt.

Holly Mitchell Galaxies

Paintings and photo by Holly Mitchell

I wanted to see how the EEM handmade paints work in galaxy paintings. I used Tia and Burnt Sienna for the centers, and used Daniel Smith’s indigo for the rest.

I started by taping my watercolor paper to a board and taping off the edges. I dipped a small (cheap) paintbrush in dishwashing liquid, wiped off the excess, then dipped it into masking fluid.  The soap protects the bristles… without that step, the masking fluid will ruin the brush. Don’t use a nice brush, as it may ruin it anyway. I then tapped it against my finger to spray tiny droplets of masking fluid across the paper.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Jun9

The 100 Day Project Part II

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The 100 Day Project Part II

I’m participating in a few art challenges right now. I joined  The 100 Day Project with the Facebook group, Zentangle All Around. From April 3 to May 31, I spent 15 minutes a day tangling for The Project. Since I don’t always complete a design in 15 minutes, some of mine are spread over multiple days. We post on Instagram. Check out these hashtags: #the100dayproject and #zentangleallaround. Some of my 100 Day Project pieces were done for weekly zentangle challenges as well. My first group of tangles for the 100 Day Project are here.

The last tile in the above-mentioned post was in-progress. Here’s how it looked the next day:

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And here is the completed string, featuring the patterns (top to bottom) Static, Framz, Facets, Storybrooke, and Pooma.

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For the It’s a String Thing challenge #241, featuring patterns Mumsy and Caracole. (By the way, you can click on any smaller image to enlarge it.)

For the Diva Challenge #362, featuring patterns Somnee, Meshmerize, and Atorm:

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For IAST#242 featuring Pixioze, Pots-n-Pans variation, and 4Mom:

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Tangle pattern Gommi:

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For IAST#243, a zenbutton featuring Button, Tonga, and Soul Star:

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For IAST#244, an Auraknot star against a reverse Log Cabin background:

In my sketchbook:

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For DC#364 featuring Puf:

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On June 1 the Daisy Yellow Index-Card-a-Day challenge started. Because I always seem to default to Zentangle, which I love, I’m not getting any practice making illustrations, which is a goal of mine; so I decided my ICAD projects will be animals.

After a sketch by Michelangelo

The 100 Day Project continues through July 11, but the ICAD challenge runs until July 31. Also, July is World Watercolor Month, so my July ICADs will all be watercolors.

Installment III of my 100 Day Project offering will be posted on July 7.

What about you? Are you participating in any art challenges? Reply in the comments below. Feel free to include links to where your artwork is posted online (G-rated only, please).

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Jun8

Creative Juice #96

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Creative Juice #96

I apologize—I forgot to post some Juice for you last week.

Here’s the latest installment of creative ideas from all over the web:

  1. Prize-winning photographs.
  2. If you haven’t read these classics, you should.
  3. Beautiful tangles!
  4. 50 years ago they were arrested. What happened to the Freedom Riders between then and now.
  5. Animals acting like people.
  6. How have I lived for 65 years without knowing about the existence of these exotic birds?
  7. This very short article on productivity makes some very good points.
  8. I love this artist’s watercolor journal.
  9. Steve Jobs had some dramatic failures, but he credited them as necessary lessons which made his great successes possible in this speech he made six years before his death.
  10. How the climate of teaching has changed in light of school shootings. (I know this isn’t about creativity, but this essay is so well-written I have to share it with smart people.)
  11. Stop-motion animation.
  12. Need wall art? There’s a robot for that.
May25

Creative Juice #95

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Creative Juice #95

Twelve articles to tickle your fancy.