Tag: inspired by nature

Posted in painting

WIP Wednesday: Dragonfly Art Quilt

Posted on by Laura Kate

I have been busy painting dragonflies on my hand-painted backgrounds. The process is really fun! I have also been researching dragonflies. They are amazing animals.

Did you know that some dragonflies can live for six years? That is pretty good for an insect. Granted, up to four years are spent as naiads, in water. They look kind of like shrimp. Adult dragonflies have six legs, yet they cannot walk. They use their legs to snatch prey in flight, which they then tear apart and eat while still flying. If you were the size of a fly, you would find dragonflies terrifying.

So far, five of my panels have dragonflies on them.

I cut a stencil to make these two panels

In addition to Jacquard textile paint, I am using watercolor pencils and Micron pens. The paint is thinned with FolkArt floating medium, which permits better blending and lengthens the drying time.

Here is a mock-up of the quilt layout I’m considering.

If I go with this layout, the finished piece will be 28 x 36 inches.

Two more panels need dragonflies, and then I will consider painting some details on some of the backgrounds.

Posted in painting, quilting

100 Day Project: Days 32-35

Posted on by Laura Kate

I’ve figured out which day I am on, AND,

The process of painting dragonflies on postcards broke open my mental block.

I started painting fabric right away, after swatching the colors I want to use.

Using these colors and a variety of techniques, I painted backgrounds on rectangles of white quilting cotton. Earlier I had cut out dragonfly body shapes from craft foam. These shapes and an assortment of leaves were laid on the painted fabric to serve as masks. Laying the pieces in the sun printed the masked shapes.

The next day, I did more fabric painting, just to make sure I had enough selection.

With the backgrounds prepared, I began inserting the dragonflies into the pieces.

Day 34:

Day 35

I’m in love with this last guy. He will be the focal point of the finished product.

In the next week I plan to add finishing touches to these two paintings and begin work on the rest. My layout calls for five paintings sewn together with blue borders in between them. What happens after that is done will take a bit more cogitation.

Posted in drawing, painting

100 Day Project: Days 22 to 26

Posted on by Laura Kate

It seems that I’m drawing and/or painting just about every day, but not finishing very much. In the interest of keeping my progress on this project going, I’m posting some works that may not be quite done.

As usual, Bill’s photographs are wonderful. I chose two that focus on springtime, one vacation photo and an outdoor snapshot of the grand kids.

Day 22: Daffodil “Geranium.

This is an early morning shot. Besides the freshness and beauty of the flower trio, I am also attracted to the backlighting and the colors that lie in the shadows.

Day 23: An alley in Assisi.

I chose to make a pencil sketch. My main goal was to render the perspective accurately. After a few hours of work, I stopped with only contour lines in place – no attempt was made to capture values.

Oh, I did add a little figure to the picture, at its focal point. He is wearing a cloak and carrying a staff. Perhaps he is the saint himself?

Day 24 – 25: The grands at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in November.

This photograph totally captivated me, to the point that I’m intimidated to paint it. This week I got started.

UNFINISHED. I transferred the figures, laid down the first washes and one layer of second wash. I like where I’m going but feel the need to develop the painting slowly.

Day 26: Molting goldfinch

This little guy is transitioning to his summer plumage. Bill truly captured the moment.

I chose to make a sketchbook page, adding to the bird a few sprigs of plants that I gathered up from the back yard and brought into my studio. It’s a style I learned from Jean MacKay.

To learn more about Jean, check out her blog:

https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/20723534

See you next time!

Posted in painting

Wednesday Watercolor – a new-to-me Technique

Posted on by Laura Kate

Last Wednesday, at the art association’s open studio, Cheryl introduced the group to a technique of painting into wet paper using a credit card instead of a brush. She referenced the work of Lena Gemzoe.

Very intriguing, but clearly, it takes a lot of practice to get results this good.

For the class, I decided to use granulating colors that would settle out into the texture of the paper. Working from my imagination I attempted a mountain view, with a stream in the foreground.

To finish it off, I used my brush to make a tree, island and grasses.

Cobalt blue, Payne’s gray, raw sienna, burnt sienna, yellow ochre and a little white gouache on Arches 140 lb. cold press paper.

Posted in drawing, painting

Sketching Sunday: Inflight Study

Posted on by Laura Kate

This week I practiced drawing and painting sandhill cranes in flight

This study will be part of a larger landscape that I am planning. I used cerulean and phthalo blues, raw sienna, burnt sienna, yellow ochre and a bit of Payne’s gray on Arches cold press paper. My reference photo appeared on the MPR website and was taken by Ben Hovland.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/11/13/record-flock-of-sandhill-cranes-at-sherburne-refuge