Virtual Paintout - Rio de Janerio

7.5 in x 9 in Strathmore 140lb Cold Press watercolor paper, Daniel Smith Watercolors

Created for Virtual Paintout. Location is Estrada Mirante Dona Marta, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Virtual Paintout - San Miguel de Allende

5.5 in x 7 in Arches 140 lbs CP watercolor paper, Daniel Smith Watercolors, PITT Pen, Sakura Gel Pens

Created for Virtual Paintout. Unfortunately, the bougainvillea flowers scanned darker than they were painted.

Virtual Paintout - Manhattan Island

6 in x 11.5 in Fabriano Artistico 140 lb CP watercolor paper, Daniel Smith Watercolors

Created for September 2010 Virtual Paintout. United Nations Building from FDR Drive and E 48th Street.

Virtual Paintout - Prince Edward Island

11.5 in x 6 in Arches 140lb CP watercolor paper, Daniel Smith Watercolors

Created for Virtual Paintout. A farm scene located right next to the Charlottetown airport and a housing division.

Virtual Paintout - Hong Kong

9 in x 12 in Arches 130 lbs CP watercolor paper, Daniel Smith Watercolors

Created for Virtual Paintout.

Virtual Paintout - Hawaii #2

9 in x 12 in Arches 140 lbs CP watercolor paper, Daniel Smith Watercolors

Back in Hawaii and the island of Maui for Virtual Paintout. A little disappointed with the scan-the flowers in the shrubbery are bright pink and my editing software is lacking.

Virtual Paintout - June 2010 Hawaii

9 in x 12 in Arches 140 lb CP Watercolor paper, Daniel Smith Watercolors

Created for this month's Virtual Paintout. I was disappointed Google Maps did not have street views of the Big Island where the active volcanoes reside, but I found this view of the Haleakala Volcano on Maui.

Monthly Sketch Project - June 2010 #2

5 in x 7 in Strathmore 140 lbs CP watercolor paper, Daniel Smith watercolors

Created for Monthly Sketch Project from one of my photos.

This is a good luck dragon from the town of Locke, California which is looked on the Sacramento Delta. Locke is a Chinese town founded in the early 20th Century. We were there last year. The photo was composed in camera despite being digital. I learned photography back in the day before Photoshop.

Google Peg Man only views the front of the building, but the statue can be seen behind the pergola.

Monthly Sketch Project - June 2010

5 in x 7 in Strathmore 140 lbs Cold Press Watercolor Paper, Daniel Smith Watercolors

Created for Monthly Sketch Project. Photo provided by Jennifer Rose.

Monthly Sketch Project - May #3

6 in x 8 in Strathmore 400 Series 140 lbs CP watercolor paper sheet, Daniel Smith Watercolors

Created for Monthly Sketch Project.
Photo supplied by Chrissy.

Virtual Paintout - Czech Republic #3

3.5 n x 4.5 in Arches 140 lbs Watercolor paper, Daniel Smith watercolors, Prismacolor Fine Line Marker

Created for Virtual Paintout. This is the Hlalol Building which was built in 1905. Prague is rich with Art Nouveau architecture. One of my favorite artists is Alphonse Mucha who was responsible for Art Nouveau and from what is now the Czech Republic. As far as I know, Mucha did not design buildings in Prague. He did do pieces for many buildings in Prague including this one. He did not design the Phoenix mural. I couldn't really decide on what building to paint until I saw the clear view Google Maps had for this building. I intended this to be an homage to Mucha in which I tried to emulate his style in the upper and lower elements of the piece. The square in the middle is one of the doorways to the building. I purposely left it at the angle from street view which is why the archway is off center.

Virtual Paintout - May 2010 #2

3.25 in x 7 in Arches 140 lb Hot Press watercolor paper, Daniel Smith and Grumbacher watercolors

Created for Virtual Paintout. Apparently a statue of Franz Kafka never existed in his hometown of Prague until 2004. The sculptor, Jaraslov Rona, chose an image based on one of the earliest (and not a very good) short stories by Kafka "Descriptions of a Struggle" in which the narrator ends up on the back of an acquaintance and orders him about. If you notice in the sculpture, the acquaintance is just a suit with no body.

It is a strange sculpture and the woman in the original Google Map image did look like she was trying to figure out what it meant.

Virtual Paintout - May 2010 Czech Republic

5 in x 7 in Arches 140 lbs Hot Press Watercolor Paper, PITT Pen

After a horrible start for this month's Virtual Paintout location of a watercolor of a beautiful park in Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, I gave up watercolors (for today). I found the Hornicke Muzeum (translation: Mining Museum) near Ostrava Czech Republic. Having grown up near the California and Nevada mining areas, I have always been fascinated with mining.

I thought it would be a good idea to try a basic pen and ink line drawing. I have a lot of Arches 140 lbs HP paper and had never just done a pen and ink with it. I really like working with this paper for ink. I draw freehand so some of the lines are a little off.

Monthly Sketch Project - May 2010 #2

5.5 in x 7.5 in Arches 140 lbs CP watercolor paper, Daniel Smith Watercolors

Another Monthly Sketch Project with a photo provide by Holly.

I am not happy with this piece. The scanner didn't pick up the intensity of the Opera Pink I used for the petals.

Monthly Sketch Project - May 2010 #1

5.5 in x 7.5 in Arches 140 lbs CP watercolor paper, Daniel Smith watercolors

I recently purchased some new Daniel Smith watercolors on sale: Olive Green, Buff Titanium, Indanthrone Blue and Quin Burnt Orange. All except Buff Titanium I used in this painting plus Aureolin, Sepia and Quin Gold. A rather odd palette. I am not sure I like the background.

Created for Monthly Sketch Project with photo supplied by Chrissy.

Fabric Journal Cover

Recently Teesha Moore posted a tutorial on her blog making fabric journal covers. Teesha's journal covers are great. It was also a license to not be quite so perfect. I purposely threw out all worries about perfection with years of embroidery and quilting to come up with this:
Front Cover

Inside Front Cover

Inside Back Cover

Back Cover

Signature Detail

Embroidery and embellishment detail

I made the red tassels. Each tassel is one half a skein of standard embroidery floss. I would have made more but I only had three skeins and I wanted to hold on to a little left over red for future projects.

Overall the journal cover is 9 in x 10 in with two signatures of Fabriano Aristico 140 lbs Hot Press watercolor paper. I painted the signatures prior to sewing them in to the journal cover as painting journal pages can be messy. Now I just have to fill it up with journal stuff.

International Fake Journal Finale

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pen

We say farewell to Corsica and International Fake Journal Month. The idea for the silhouette came to me earlier in the week. It is representing the mountains, church steeple, village, citadel, Geneose bridge, Geneose tower and a sailboat. The 737 represents Fake Me flying off in to the sunset. I am rather proud of my 737 free hand drawing.

A few thoughts and comments on the Fake Journal I wanted to include:

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pen

To complete the end page I printed a copy of the Corsican flag. Using a graphite stick, I applied it to the back of the printout and then traced over the lines leaving a pencil outline on the original page. I then filled in the lines and image with a PITT Black brush pen.

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, PITT Pen

The final journal with all pages filled. The journal has 48 sheets of paper. I completed 46 two page spreads, four one page spreads for a total of 96 pages. I am amazed I did all this in one month.

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook

IFJM Day 29

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pen, PanPastel

The last night in Corsica for Fake Me. Fake Me and Real Me had a little trouble with the rendering of the Effel bridge. I think we drew too many bridges. The Riventosa sketch was one I had planned to complete for Virtual Paintout but only sketched it in my smaller Fabriano Venezia sketchbook. I liked my other sketch better.

IFJM Day 28

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton and Grumbacher watercolors, PITT Pen, PanPastel, pdf. printout

A day at the museum. The clip is a pdf from the Museu di a Corse.

IFJM Day 27

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pen, PanPastel

When I was in the 7th Grade I loved to draw mountains. It was all I drew. Back then I just made them up. I didn't make these mountains up. Fake Me was having a great time sketching and photographing the spectacular scenery. Real Me thoroughly enjoyed sketching mountains.

Monthly Sketch Project - April 2010 #3

5.5 in x 4.5 in Arches 140 lbs Cold Press Watercolor paper, Daniel Smith Watercolors

Created for Monthly Sketch Project.

Image provide by ffyrebird.

IFJM Day 26

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pen, PanPastel

A little bit of modern commercialism today balanced with Gothic type church and art nouveau signage. I need to work on sketching cars.

IFJM Day 25

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pen, PanPastel

Our last "day" in Bonifacio. Still trying to draw boats. So rather than lots of them, I did one large one.

IFJM Day 24

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton Watercolors, PITT Pen, PanPastels

Yet another rainy day. Fake me is having a little bit of trouble with overpainting. I will have to talk to her about it.

I usually leave the title page of any of my journals until I finish but since this is Fake Me and I will have a lot to do on the last day of April, I did the page tonight.

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pens, PanPastels

IFJM Day 23

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pen, PanPastel

Another rainy day in Bonifacio. I looked forward to being here and it is raining. Our last "day" in Bonifacio is Sunday and it is to clear up.

These are windmills not towers. The structures are more straight vertically than the towers are. Apparently it is very windy at this end of the citadel which would be a great location for windmills.

Most of my drawings come from locations with Google Maps. If I can find it on Google Maps with the little peg man, I don't draw it.

IFJM Day 22

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pens, PanPastels

A rainy day in Bonifacio. The sun came out and lit the citadel while I was sketching it. Actually Real Me was using Google Maps and the sun was out that day. Fake Me needed the sun to come out despite the rain.

IFJM Day 21

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pens, PanPastels

Day 21 - My PITT Pens are wearing out to where the point is flat and I have to draw and write with them holding the pen straight up. My little travel set Winsor & Newton watercolors are low in my most used colors (sap green and prussian blue). I think I will make it to next Friday with the supplies I "took" on the trip.

IFJM Day 20

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pens, PanPastels

We "went" to Filitosa - site of ancient statues and dwellings. Plus a couple more towers.

IFJM Day 19

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pens, PanPastels

The "drive" on N196 highway in Corsica.

The bridges are here located in Google Maps.

IFJM Day 18

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors and gouache, PITT Pens, PanPastel

Had to cheat a bit and use gouache on the painting of the "Modesty" statue. Cheating as Fake Me didn't bring any white gouache with her.

IFJM Day 17

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pen, PanPastel

Fake Me was doing some random thoughts in the morning. Never did find the t-shirt (didn't really look).

Update 4/18/10: The date on the second spread should be April 17, 2010.

IFJM Day 16

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton Watercolors, PITT Pens, PanPastels

Museum Day in Corsica. Fake Me isn't overly fond of 18th and early 19th Century art, but that is what the Napoleon museums are. Fake me liked the Musee A Bandera. The second spread came about as I splattered paint first then tried to think of what to paint. I am struggling with boats and ships so I figured the paint splats would distract from the harbor scene. I was listening to Tino Rossi, for whom the harbor is named, while working on these pages.

IFJM Day 15

6 in x 9 in Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook, Winsor & Newton watercolors, PITT Pens, PanPastels
We are at the half way mark for the month. I am just at half way in my sketchbook. My sketchbook no longer closes without assistance. I found a large rubber band to keep it closed.