watercolors – Daily Fiber

Finished by Friday – a Farewell

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Laura Kate

Taking a break from packing boxes this week, I decided to attend Open Studio at my local art association for a class conducted by mentor Cheryl Bryan. This will be my last class with Cheryl before I move away. She sent us this sketch…..

……and told us we would practice painting with only two colors. We were to choose two that, when mixed together, created a neutral black.

I chose to make my own sketch instead of tracing Cheryl’s. I followed her general design but simplified the line work in the lower left area. My chosen pigments were Winsor and Newton’s Ultramarine blue and transparent orange. This is one of my favorites for a good black, as I discovered when painting Winter Chicks in 2023.

The following morning, I cleaned up my edges, adjusted a few values and added tiny and minimal details using Micron pens and a soluble graphite pencil.

This was a fun, easy class that produced a highly-stylized result. I loved every minute. I call this one Dancing with a Seagull. It is 9 by 6 inches on cold press Arches paper

I will sorely miss these Open Studio sessions, the people at the association and especially instructor Cheryl Bryan. It will be hard to find another group like it in my new home. I’ll check in with Cheryl periodically, in the spirit of Apprenticeship.

drawing, painting

Sketching Sunday and a Finish

Posted on February 16, 2025 by Laura Kate

My art association is planning to hold a second fundraiser by selling 6 x 6 inch artwork created by their members. To kick it off, there will be an open studio today. I want to support this worthy organization, so I will be participating again. Last year, I focused on small subjects for the small canvas. Going through my reference photos in search of suitable subjects, I came across this little sea turtle. It is something I dowloaded from Unsplash several years ago.

Cute and easy, I think. I like that the turtle has made it to the water’s edge. Just another little push and she will be launched.

To reframe it into a six by six size, I compressed the image and did this pencil sketch.

Today I will take this drawing to the art center and turn it into a watercolor painting.

On another subject, I managed to finish the landscape painting of a seaside cabin in Iceland. This painting was an exercise in water reflections.

Reference photo:

The weather is completely clouded over, so no shadows to paint. My painting:

It’s on a not-so-big piece of cheap watercolor paper (although it is 100% cotton.) So I didn’t fuss over the many windows in the cabin. I will need more practice on painting reflections, to get a more consistent effect over the entire water surface.

painting

Fun Painting Dogs

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Laura Kate

Now that I am warmed up, I have been working diligently on the two dog portraits requested by a friend. It’s been satisfying work, with just the right amount of frustration thrown in, to make the experience authentic!

The black dog – Reggie – has the most progress:

Reggie is at the stage where I pause to consider more carefully what adjustments and final touches are needed.

Yesterday I started painting Daisy, the little white dog.

Beginning to add darks and various tones.

I’m enjoying watching their little faces emerge from the paper. My secret pleasure is to discover the dog’s personalities from studying their photographs and translating the shapes I see into colors.

Do you experience a secret pleasure while engaged in your craft? Do tell about it!

painting

Chasing the Sunset, Iowa

Posted on December 3, 2024 by Laura Kate

Returning home, yesterday, this is my quick warm-up painting. I wanted to try out a new pad of watercolor paper and my new imitation Kolinsky brush.

I did have a reference photo. It was taken by Bill, not this trip, but in a previous one. We were driving west on Interstate 80, east of Des Moines. Just after the sun went behind the clouds, we pulled off the road and stopped in front of a furrowed field.

Thanks for viewing.

hand embroidery, painting

This Week’s Work – mostly painting

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Laura Kate

My week was not typical at all. I spent 3 days in a watercolor workshop led by Sonya Terpening. It was a bit of a rollercoaster for me. On the one hand, my confidence seemed to improve. On the other hand, I found the environment a bit chaotic, so it was difficult to focus. I found myself rushing to finish instead of taking my time.

Anyway, here she is. I call this work Woman in a Shawl.

The reference photograph is mine. I had asked my daughter to serve as the model for a shawl I knit back in 2022.

Other sketches I completed this week, taken from lessons by Kateri Ewing in her book Watercolor is for Everyone.

Dream Feathers

Tiny Being of Light

And finally, I just finished the mid-tone layer on my portrait of Reggie the Dog.

I’m pretty happy with the dog at this stage. Darks and shadows will be added this week, if I have time before we leave for Madison.

I’m also happy that I finished embroidering a panel on my Dragonfly art quilt.

You will likely not be able to detect any difference from the photo I posted last week, since all of the stitching was in the background. Now I am moving on to this panel.