Art Every Day Month: Day 1

Another challenge...  November is apparently Art-Every-Day-Month.  So I'm gonna try it.

I'm also trying to start the Illustration Friday weekly challenge, for which the topic is "Bouquet" this week.

So, here's the beginning of my bouquet...

  

A few more flowers, and I'll have my bouquet.  Hopefully tomorrow night.

Waiting for the Sun to Shine

Rainy days are good artsy-fartsy days, I guess...

I turned one of my backwashes to an art journal page.

I signed up for an online art workshop, and it's the teacher's definition of art journaling.  

It's about the process, not the final product.  And that's something I should remember!  That said, I still want to sketch in my journal and for my sketches to look decent, so I need to continue to practice drawing.  That said, it's good to do little exercises that remind me to have fun and not take things to seriously.

Here's my first little art-museum thing.  One of the workshops I signed up for is Tiny Museum, so here's my first, before I begin the workshop.  

  

I am looking forward to taking the workshops.  Also excited about taking the playing with paper workshop - I get to paint AND sew on paper!!!

And one last artsy-fartsy item for today.  My Enchanting English Garden page.

I think I finished this one is three or four sittings.  

Getting Reaquainted

Wow! My last post was in July!...  then I went to the beach, visited the in-laws, and went back to work... and here we are, 3 months later...

I wish I could say that I've kept up with artsy-fartsy stuffs during all that time, meeting my resolution of a sketch a day, but I absolutely can't.  I have been doing some artsy-fartsy stuff.  In fact, I even crafted a little sketchbook that I keep at school for when we have time, but I haven't been able to keep up with that the past couple of weeks either.  (I still want to post some pics of it, though.)

So, now it's time to get reaquainted... yesterday, I took a walk down Memory Lane and pulled out this picture of a flower from Fiji and gave it a quick sketch.

The shadows are the wrong color, but I think they kinda matched the coloring of the flower, as well as the dreary weather we have here this weekend, so I don't mind it.  I think I will definitely paint this flower a few more times, it is what attracted us to Fiji for the wedding, after all.  

I've also been playing around with washes and prepping backgrounds to draw on.

I was watching Koosje Koene and Cathy Johnson on YouTube when I was playing:

Koosje Koene's Draw Tip Tuesday

Strathmore Paper's Watercolor Sketching Series feature Cathy Johnson

Now I just have to sketch over the washes... hmm...

And here's a sketch I started a while ago, but the cat got up before I could finish sketching his face.  I really should try to finish one day...

Here are a couple of sketches, probably inspired by Koosje's Draw Tip Tuesday again.  

She loves her selfies!

And Koosje's blog.

Oh, and one more play-session, this time with fountain pens and nibs.  

I got the idea from Daisy Yellow's blog, and I definitely need to play with my pens and nibs more often.  I've also been wanting to do her ABCs on an index card activity, but haven't gotten around to it yet.  Expect to see it soon.

So, see?  While I haven't been as artsy and fartsy as I like, I have been doing stuff.  Oh -- another thing I've been doing is creating an electronic idea board / scrapbook if you will...  I've been clipping pictures from the internet of stuff to try, activities to do, and pictures to draw.  I've been keeping them in Evernote so that I'll always have them with me, and hopefully I'll find something that suits my fancy when I feel artsy-fartsy but have no clue what to do.

Speaking of artsy-fartsy, maybe I should change the name of my blog after all?!...

Losing Track

I think I'm caught up, but I'm actually losing track.  So, I'm going to need to post dates with stuff because I don't want to go back and count...

I'm going to say that I'm caught up through yesterday, and post the couple of sketches I've done in the past couple of days.  And I'll still need to do something artsy-fartsy for today.

Bash is go-go-going in his walker these days!  He can manouver it over and around anything!

This was a Lone Bell pepper from my back porch garden.  I can't wait to get more plants going and harvest more stuff to eat!

I actually did both drawings in a light watercolor pencil, but the autocorrect in my picture software darkened up the lines.  I lightened stuff up as much as I could, but I'm fine with it being dark lines...  if I end up applying colors, those lines will definitely fade.  

Pigment & Palette 1

I got my first delivery from Pigment & Palette.  Here's quick sketches of the goods, including the card that explained what I got, which I also will include in my journal.  I like.  And maybe one day I'll be able to afford ALL the subscription boxes I like!

I am so far behind in SketchBook Skool!...

Oh, and I found another resource, recommended by the frugal crafter on youtube:  Paint My Photo.  People post photos they take for artists to paint, and you don't have to worry about copyright issues...  pretty cool!  I'm going to add it to the sidebar.

This post actually catches me up for today.  So I'm going to sleep now, and working on catching up -- hopefully -- with SketchBook Skool tomorrow!

Playing with more watercolors

So I got some new brushes and new paints.  And here's what happened...

What did I learn from playing with the brushes and paints?...  

1.  The brushes have some stuff on them when they're new.  It makes the paint kinda sedimentary, you really have to play to mix the water, at least until all the stuff gets diluted.  At first I thought this was from the paint, but I couldn't really believe it because I think the Kois are quite popular.  But, no, it's the stuff on the new brushes.  I'm gonna research what that is.  Or not -- bottom line, wash the brushes out before you paint with them.

2.  The paint brushes have a completely different feel than the water brushes I've been using.  Bottom line, I need to paint with all of them some more!

3.  I need to play with watercolors and brushes more.  I can't make them do anything I want them to do yet.

4.  After I played, I had to look up how to handle the brushes.  I sorta knew, but pretty much confirmed, that they should not stand upright while their drying.  Lay them flat or at a slight tilt brush-side-downwarn so that the water and paint does not make their way up into the ferrule.  

Lastly, here is an update of my flower page.  Only 3 flowers left?...  I love it.  I only wish I had done a wash before I started coloring in, which I very much intend to do on the next page!  Which is another lesson learned, and will be shared with the McManuses and the Rosases when I bring their gifts (art supplies) up to DC in a couple of weeks.  Can't wait!  (But I also need to be collecting some knitting stuffs for the Rougases...)

Another lesson learned...  I've been reading a book -- Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often to Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Artist.  Anyway, the author totally talks about how she sometimes stocks up on several paintings in one session to get a little ahead and make up for time off, etc...  So, I wasn't going to do that.  But she's the professional, and I'm learning from her, so I'm totally going to do that...  Which brings us to TODAY.  I am caught up through yesterday, and I need to do some artsy-fartsy stuff today.  :-)

Sebastian's Instruction Manual

Here are some more sketches that I did while I was away from my computer...  I had to make an instruction manual for the grandfolks to sit with Bash overnight and into the next day, so I thought why not follow Koosje's instructions for a simple (-ish) instruction manual?...

There were a couple of pages with just notes, no pictures, but I didn't include them here.  

I used colored pencils to color any images, and I used a blank cahier moleskin journal.  I left the backsides of the pages blank, initially in case I needed to add information; however, now I'm glad I did it just because the writing shows through the paper.


I had to include this sketch...  This is a sketch that I was trying to do from a magazine advertisement, but my pen ran out of ink. Didn't finish it, but you might be able to guess what I was drawing?!

And we are up to the 4th of July...

Time to catch up!

So, I went on a road trip, and unfortunately, the android blogger app doesn't work quite as well as things work on the internet, so I decided to wait until I got back home, and then I got further behind...  and let's just forget about the details, but try to catch up...

 

 

All three of these are from my SketchBook Skool class, from Mattias Adolfsson's lessons.  Which, he was very motivating, but I must say that I really think the man is crazy!  His drawings are so intricate and meticulous!  I just don't have the patience to do stuff like he does.  But I would love to keep a doodle sheet or two around and work on it (for a year, or a decade) to fill up a page like he does...

Bobby's Adventures at Alice's Wonderland

Or, at least at the Alice in Wonderland exhibit at the Harry Ransom Center...  Got some great pictures of Sebastian and Kevin!  And, while I continued working on Melanie's homework assignment, I cheated just a bit.  Not "cheat" exactly, but I didn't follow the assignment guidelines as well as I could have...  Instead of sketching the general public, I got consumed with sketching my family.  But it is Fathers' Day, so I feel like I had a good excuse...

Here it is!

 

So, maybe if we think about storytelling, the story I was telling was my own, my family on Fathers' Day.  :-)

Melanie's Homework Assignment

Line drawing.  I'm horrible at it.  But after watching her instruction videos / demos on SketchBook Skool, Melanie Reim helped me to get past it.  Mind you, 10 years ago, I still would have been a nervous wreck!  But certainly, getting out there and doing it helps you get past the nerves.  Miranda would be proud!

The food came out sooner than I'd anticipated, so I didn't get time to really work on this one, but that's okay.  I really wanted to try to fit in another sketch, but the little one looked like he was ready to get home (he'd been pushing something out -- good thing it was just air and not the gooey stuff).  

I hope to get some more line sketches done for Melanie's class when I go to the Harry Ransom Center.  I will pick a few folks to sketch.  And then I might pick a few items to sketch.  I just hope the hubby and the son can put up with me wanting to sit and sketch.  If not, maybe we can sneak out to the park for a little while too.  I shall bring a blanket with me!  :-)

Oh -- I wanted to add a link to Melanie's blog: http://www.melaniereim.com/
I really didn't think that I'd dig what she had to teach me, until I went out and tried it.  As the artist, I am the storyteller, and I can fill in the blanks how I please, write (or draw) the story how I please.  Thanks Melanie!

Watercolor Practice

I followed Mary Doodles watercolor tips and techniques, How To Art #4, and this is what I came up with.  (The edges got cut off by the scanner, since the paper is too big for the screen.)

I also decided to take her advice and to get some pictures that I can use as "reference photos" for gesture drawing, practicing to draw hands, faces, and other interesting tidbits.  This magazine I got in the mail actually helped to make the decision for me -- I get these freebie magazines, I think through my NEA membership, and since I don't pick anything specific, they just send me magazines.  And since my name is "Bobby" and I'm a school teacher, I think they think I'm gay...  so far, I've gotten some sort of fishing magazine, Outdoor Bass or something, Maxim, and now the one I got today is Details.  Details is actually pretty awesome - lots of hot guys like Joe Manganiello, George Clooney, and a few more whose names I don't know.  Anyway -- thank you NEA!

I fit in a little more coloring before going to bed tonight...

Catching Up on Homework and Cartoons!

So, Wednesday...  didn't really do much art, but I tried!  When the little one went to sleep, I brought out all my stuffs, and I was going to give a go with the dip pen.  Low and behold, he did not sleep very long.  So, I basically had enough time to draw boxes.  That's it.  I drew boxes for the cartoon strip, but I didn't like how they looked.  So, I didn't use them.

 

Yesterday, I got the idea to use watercolor washes as backgrounds.  But it didn't turn out as well as I would have liked.  I need to play with the watercolors more so that I can control them better.  But I also think that the paper didn't help; I just used sketch paper rather than watercolor paper.  Silly on my part.  I had my watercolor pad not to far away; I just didn't think to use it.  Lesson learned...

10 days and counting, through 6/18/15.  I wonder what I will do today?!... Play with my watercolors, of course!  I just need to try to wait for the little one to go to bed and to forget about all household chores awaiting my attention...

(edit) - I really like Koosje Koene, the instructor for the homework assignment.  She's got a nice, calm, inspiring attitude, a real positive light shines through her.  And I love her drawings.  Here's her website, along with a couple of sketchbooks that she created:

http://www.koosjekoene.blogspot.com/

Millie's Marvelous Monsters 

(I can't wait to read this to Sebastian!)

Millie's New York

and A Love Story (so cute!)

Homework Assignment 2: Operating Manual

How to use a fly swatter...  this is my sketch for my sketch...

Again, thank goodness my sketchpad was by my bed!  (FYI - taking care of a baby all day sure does make it hard to get work done!  Much less keep the house clean...)

Drawing a Recipe

Storytelling's first homework assignment...  This is what I did today...

Not great, not horrible.  (Maybe just a little horrible, but I did it!)...

Toast - tones...  I know how to spell it, but I think when I'm sounding it out to match the speed of my horribly slow artsy-fartsy handwriting, I think "toast" - long and drawn out - and I just add the A in there... changes everything, unfortunately.  But mistakes are okay.  :-)  

Late Night Artsy-Fartsy

I was so tired when I went to bed last night, I almost didn't check off my artsy-fartsy task for the day.  But I dug in deep, and I decided to try for some artsy-fartsy writing, which was no easy task!  You just want to hurry up because you're tired, so you mess up.  And it takes time to do it right as well...  Anyway, artsy-fartsy from last night...

I should add that it would have been even more difficult to do if I didn't have a sketch pad right by my bed, so glad it was in reaching distance.  My watercolors were not within reaching distance...  

And I still need to work on some artsy handwriting.  

6/14/2015 - 6 days and counting!

Finish my week up with a Wonderfully Busy Day!

Very busy, so I wanted to get my artsy-fartsy done pretty quickly...  Finished up drawing my calendar, but still need to finish painting my calendar.  That said, a new set of klasses were published on SketchBook Skool yesterday, so I really need to get cracking on my homework assignments! Maybe I can catch up this week, double-time it.  Then next week I'll be on track and can start working on the many other things I want to do this summer.

Anyhoo, here's my art.

Today, we drove to La Grange to meet my dad for breakfast, give him his Fathers' Day gift (the wifi photo frame), then back to Austin.  Clothes shopping at Carter's for Bash, picked up a few more herbs at the Great Outdoors.  Finished potting everything, even got rid of the wire shelves.  (I had to draw the sun, because it shown down on me quite radiantly at the end of the day.  My shoulders and neck are showing wear and tear.)

The back porch is starting to look very nice, and I actually can't wait to sit out there with a nice tea or coffee and do some sketching and painting.  :-)

(Still have to draw in my pink pen!)