Why so daily? Even on Friday!
This is my first run at this year’s #inktober (a bit early. I’m excited).
Morning wakeup with cat
National Skyscraper Day + Cat
National Skyscraper Day – September 3. This drawing was inspired by a 1940s Batman comic, when the skies were a bit closer to scrape.
Toasted Marshmallows and Bears
Time to celebrate Toasted Marshmallow Day! Put an extra on for me.
Just Noodlin’ and Doodlin’
When in doubt, doodle. This is what my day looks like when something at work has me stumped.
National Dog Day
August 26 is the one special day that dogs are honored and get their due. Unfortunately, a dog rarely wins honor in a cat’s eyes. Happy national Dog Day, regardless.
Ride the Wind Day
Aug 23 Ride the Wind Day! Get carried away in any way that you can.
National Potato Day – August 19
Happy National Potato Day – and beware! You may be keeping an eye out for those oversize zucchinis in this hot weather, but those potatoes can sneak right up on you.
Way Too Relaxed
Well, it’s a day late (And a dollar short) – probably too much Relaxation Day (Aug 15).
August 13 – National Bowling Day!
I’ve been pondering doing a series of days worth celebrating. Here’s the first: August 13 – National Bowling Day!
Flowers and Bees
A summer’s preoccupation in watercolor. I am slowly coming to appreciate the massive variety in bees. How did I not see it before??
Excavations
Working in the garden lets me consider what all is going on underground. This is a quick reflection on the unseen. Acrylic on watercolor paper.
Bees
Gouache and ink. This is a study looking at a couple of the different types and shapes of bees and bumblebees.
African Violets
I have been using watercolor paper as the background for this series of acrylic paintings. The paper has a nicely smooth texture for the paint that makes slide onto the paper. I can then build up lots of color as a glaze layers.
Hollyhocks
Summer in the South is an almost tropical experience. Everything grows and grows and grows. I used to be completely lost in the colors of the flowers, but now I find myself becoming intrigued by the patterns of the foliage. This painting experiments with both.
Threesome
Continuing experiments with acrylic paints. I have been using matte medium, since I don’t like the sheen and plastic-feel of acrylics. I could use Acrylic gouache, but I am not wild about the lack of intensity of the colors in most acrylic gouache – and there is the cost. Why is acrylic gouache so darned expensive???
I Spy
Cats tend to assume that they are invisible, but if you look hard, you can still find them. This painting is in acrylics. I am intending to do some larger works on canvas and gouache just won’t work for that, so I am staring to learn to use acrylics. Transparency is the biggest issue. Gouache gives lush rich color. Acrylics seem to take many many coats (and I am reportedly using the ‘good stuff’ – Golden artist quality). There’s a learning curve, definitely.
Dense Foliage and Wildlife
Summer in the South means that everything is green and thriving. I grew up on the desert, dodging tumbleweeds and squinting into the glare. The richness and color of a Southern summer just amazes me.
Here’s Looking at You, Kid
Bluebird fantasy landscape. This is what happens when you watch your bird feeders for too long.. The birds are no longer worried about me. They just watch right back.
Charleston Groundcover
In the spring, it seems that everything in Charleston, South Carolina is in bloom. The magnolia and jasmine make the air sultry sweet. Color is bursting our everywhere. This painting was inspired by a tiny patch of garden that was past its prime – there’s a tulip stem, but no flower. Yet it was a splash of color.
Floral Arrangement
This was done a couple weeks ago and was one of my first experiments in using gouache on a toned drawing paper instead of white watercolor paper. The smoothness of the page is great for gouache. Since this was just after Mother’s Day (and I have a sweet family), a fanciful bouquet was the perfect painting inspiration.
Butterfly of Spring
Still stuck in the rain, but fluttering leaves of a summer lettuce. This is another gouache painting 8″ x 8″
Bluebirds
For the second year in a row, we have bluebirds nesting in a house attached to the outside of our screened deck. They are great birds to watch, particularly the way their color changes in the sunlight.
Dandelions
Dandelions can be weeds or gorgeous, amazing flowers. Your viewpoint depends mostly on how your lawn. My lawn is so shady that even dandelions don’t stand a chance. I’ve grown over the years to have a deep affection for them.
Gouache painting: 8″ x 8″
Kingfisher in the Rain
Well, it’s not actually raining in the painting, but it has been raining here for 5 days straight, which is odd since I am neither in Seattle nor London. The good news is that I have gotten a lot of painting done while being stuck inside. This is the first of a series of 8″ x 8″ paintings in gouache.
Summer Beauties
Butterflies and beetles – a watercolor for summer
