Draw A Bird, January 2023

Hi friends! I hope you had a lovely holiday season and a happy start to 2023! Have you taken down your decorations yet? We put up two Christmas trees and finally packed up the second one today, but already I miss the warm, cozy glow of the lights and twinkle of the ornaments. The nativity set is still up and might stay around for a little while. It is adorned with white lights and greenery, and it makes me happy to see it.

Being gifted some new-to-me types of professional watercolor paper for Christmas, it was exciting to have had a little time to play with them and learn their different characteristics. What a difference the paper makes!

Close up of texture on cold-pressed watercolor paper

The first was handmade Shizen cold-pressed, 140-lb. watercolor paper. To me, this very absorbent paper seemed more like a rough-pressed paper rather than cold pressed, but WOW, the paint settled into all the nooks and crannies and made such impressive effects. Because of the bumpy textures, indentations, tooth, and the way the light refracts on this paper, the final colors were more muted and definitely could handle a few more layers; however, this paper certainly accentuates granulating paints. That said, this paper would be perfect for landscapes, furry animals, and paintings with looser effects.

Flamingo on Cold-Pressed Watercolor Paper

The second was a smooth handmade, 140-lb. hot pressed paper by Paul Rubens, and it contains a subtle glitter effect; if you know me, you’ll understand how happy glitter makes me! The glitter is embedded in the paper and does not rub off at all. I don’t use hot-pressed paper too often as I find it less forgiving and more suited for highly detailed paintings, but again the effects of this ultra-smooth paper were stunning and the colors more vibrant while using fewer layers of paint. This would be a great paper for ink, pen, illustrations, abstracts, and colored pencil.

Close up of texture and sparkles on hot-pressed watercolor paper

Flamingo on Hot-Pressed Watercolor Paper

I think the flamingo looks better on the hot-pressed paper but am looking forward to working with both papers in the upcoming months. Did you discover any fun artsy supplies recently? Thanks for stopping by!

Draw A Bird, November 2022

Hi friends. Hope you are doing well.

I’ve actually had a lot of opportunities to paint recently, which brings much happiness! This quick turkey illustration was fun and inspired by my friend, Viv Cooper @artwithviv. She taught me some illustration work and that every painting doesn’t have to be so detailed; illustration is a breath of fresh air! She does amazing work with illustrations as well as realistic watercolor and colored pencil, and I’ve learned a lot from her. You should check out her blog and artwork, and she was sweet enough to make me her student of the month! Viv also takes commissions and offers some free classes. I’m honored to be spotlighted on her blog, so thank you very much, Viv!

Watercolor Turkey Illustration

Naturally, a turkey is perfect for November’s Draw A Bird, and I can’t believe Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away here in the U.S. I’m planning some fun family celebrations and am excited to see everyone because many of us haven’t seen each other since Father’s Day, or even longer! I hope to have some free time soon to blog what I’ve been working on in the past few months, but if I don’t get to it before the end of November, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! ❤

Draw A Bird, September 2022

We just returned from an adventurous trip to Alaska and are blessed to have visited there twice. This trip was planned for August 2020, but “you-know-what” happened and the trip was cancelled. Things seemed pretty much back to normal, but some restaurants had closed and some places were short-staffed, but that seems to be the current situation all over the U.S.

Previously I made scrapbooks of our travel adventures but stopped doing so a few years ago. When we moved last year, I realized just how many trip scrapbooks I’ve made, how much work I put into them, and how little we look at them. However, after each trip that I did not scrap, there was a feeling of disappointment and let-down because nothing was documented and because we had just a smattering of photos on our cell phones. However, I think I’ve found a happy medium.

On a YouTube video, Lindsay Weirich (The Frugal Crafter) featured handmade watercolor sketchbooks gifted by an Etsy shopkeeper, ArtsiRosi. I purchased a small book made with Arches cold press watercolor paper (the best), packed up a Portable Painter Watercolor Palette, a Derwent push-button water brush, and a few other essentials. Sketching our way through Alaska and detailing some of the highlights was so satisfying and fun. I drew and painted in the car while traveling from city to city, in the evenings, and on the plane.

View from the Plane

Because it is Draw A Bird day (unofficially), here are two of the many species of birds we saw. I have always wanted to see a Puffin in its own environment, and boy were there puffins (horned and tufted)! The ravens are bold and huge and likely could feed a family of four, but that’s probably not recommended 😉

Tufted Puffin

Nevermore, A Common Raven

It’s joyful to remember where these quick-ish sketches (definitely not masterpieces) were created, and the plan is to feature some favorites over the next couple of weeks. Do you document your trips? What methods do you use? Take care ❤

Shady Shark

Today’s Doodlewash prompt is ocean, which immediately brings to mind our favorite family vacation spot in North Carolina along the Atlantic Ocean coastline. One of our favorite ocean activities is beach-combing and searching for fossilized sharks’ teeth, and here is where it all begins.

Shady Shark

Although we find quite a few sharks’ teeth during our vacation, it’s been a few years since we’ve found a sizable one; you’d think it would be easy because sharks shed approximately 35,000 teeth in a lifetime! Either way, it is fun to spend time in the surf – one of my favorite places to be. 🦈 🏝

Our Faithful Furry Friend

This is Winji, our faithful furry friend.  If you follow any of my other social media platforms, you know that we said goodbye to her a few days ago after 16 years of unconditional love, snuggles, adventures, and silliness.  It’s difficult to get used to how quiet our house is now, and I miss how she kissed my ear when I returned home, how she kissed the back of our hands when we fed her, and mostly how she loved cuddling in the recliner.  How could a 12-pound pompaoo contain so much love?

Winji

My daughter and I plan to make a scrapbook with many photos and written memories of Winji’s antics.   In the meantime, I painted this picture for my daughter in an effort to capture Winji’s joy that spilled over into our hearts, which are now broken, but which I know will heal with time.  Some folks do not understand how pet owners grieve after the loss of a beloved companion, but I’m grateful for those who do and have expressed their condolences.

 

 

Draw A Bird, April 2018

Although I tend to share a bird painting the 8th of every month, April 8 is the official Draw A Bird Day. I don’t know why I am fascinated by seagulls, but when I was fortunate to go to Hilton Head, NC in February, I spent some time observing these noisy birds. This fellow was not afraid of me getting to close and even seemed to pose.

I hope April is bringing springtime magic your way. We are still trudging through mud, literally, and buds are slow to open. However, the hummingbirds are almost here so warmer days are surely right around the corner!

Shells

Today’s prompt is one of my favorite subjects – shells.

Shells

Thanks to Bianca Andersson for the terrific reference photo.

Hope you have a great weekend!