I’ve used watercolor, colored pencil, soft pastel, oil pastel, charcoal, graphite, and ink, but never oils. I bought five R&H Pigment Sticks in blue, red, yellow, black, and white, not knowing what to expect. I knew they act like oil paint but in a stick form so can be used a little more like a pastel. However, all the examples I found of oil sticks were bold and abstract while I knew I wanted something more realistic. I gave it a try with the first coat going on heavy and the rest with brushes and clay shapers. It turned out okay for a first try, although the trees were less than stellar.
I think sometimes when I’m in a slump, I do something unusual, like this large canvas board drawing/painting. I don’t really care for it, but it was a fun process–lots of layers and the fountain pen kind of bumped along the canvas and did its own thing.
I took an online watercolor workshop by artist Liz Clayton Fuller that was offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It sped by, and at the end I had completed painting a female Belted Kingfisher. I haven’t used watercolor much in the past several years, so I was pleased with the end result although my brush skills are pretty awful.
Although I mixed and mixed blue, I never got the slightly green, slightly brassy color I wanted.
I’ve never done an online class before, and I have a feeling it was huge. By the time I registered, there were over 300 others who had already signed up. Before the class started, I sketched the bird to get a feel for it, and I also did a sampling of my palette to remember what colors I had available.
I have a combination of Daniel Smith (tubes and sticks) and M. Graham watercolors. By far my favorites are Daniel Smith watercolor sticks. Such bright, pure pigments. If I ever return to watercolor painting, I’ll switch over to those.
Approximately 7”x10” on Arches hot press watercolor paper.
The next day I did a very quick watercolor sketch of the same image, trying to recall the basics from the lesson. Lots of light layers lead to a dimensional effect was what I came away with. It’s a good test of my patience. This image was a bit more cute than the other. I prefer the one I completed during the class, but it was a good challenge to try it again.
These miniature pieces measure just 2.5″ x 3.5″. They’re the same size as a wallet photo, just a little bigger than a business card. They’re on Ampersand Claybord tiles, and I used ink, colored pencil, and scratchboard techniques. I have a feeling this is my new favorite thing, creating very small paintings.
