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.