Playing with Watercolor

Daniel has been working in transparent watercolor for the last 20+ years and I've always admired his beautiful paintings. You can click here if you want to take a look for yourself.

Now I have to do a watercolor drawing and I'm trying to get a handle on how to use this rather difficult medium.

Many years ago, I took a two-day watercolor workshop Daniel was teaching in Oaxaca, but by now I've forgotten most of it. So, here I am again mixing colors and learning about transparency and such.

For this project we are to use a blue and a brown - doesn't matter which blue or brown.

With those two colors, we mix a neutral to work up a four-value drawing/painting and then add some of the blue and brown for color.

Last night I raided Daniel's watercolor stash and played with many different blues and browns.

Some of those combinations are just gorgeous! At this point I'm leaning toward Winsor Blue and Burnt Sienna (on the left, second from the bottom in the photo below), both from Winsor & Newton. They mix to become a beautiful neutral grey.

And here's the still life I put together. I was going to paint that vacuum tube radio that I drew for my graphite project, but I think it might be too detailed for me for watercolor.

I think this is going to be fun! We'll see...

Wishing you a beautiful Friday!!

My latest drawing

Well, my drawing is not yet done (now begins the fine tuning), but it's done enough to show you. Plus we are moving on to our watercolor drawing and most of us will continue to work on our graphite pieces on the side.

It's a slow going process, that's for sure, but also very satisfying. Now I have to push my values and as I do that, everything seems to be changing in other places. I could call it done, but I want to learn as much as I can while in this class and detailed drawings are one of my professor's specialties!

Already it's way beyond what I thought I could ever do, so I am beyond pleased! I'll be sure to show you how it changes over the next few weeks.

For the watercolor drawing I'll be using the same still life - that old radio and I have bonded... Tonight I'm going in to do a watercolor sketch of it before I make any marks on the "real" paper!

Wishing you a great evening and a good night!!

Follow-up

So, yesterday's post on planning and lists and following those got some interesting and helpful responses. Thank you!! 

And ... as it so often happens, I checked in with a wonderful blog from Australia called Down To Earth, a blog about a simpler life with lots of really useful info (I regularly make their laundry powder). While I will never have the same simple lifestyle Rhonda and her husband have, just visiting her blog makes me breathe deeper and slow down. And it always inspires me!

Today I came upon one of her posts called "Daily and weekly routines." Click here if you want to read it. In it she talks about her very flexible routine and planning, and she also talks about the issue many of us have with feeling guilty if we knit or do anything that is useful, but at the same time really fun for us. A perfect post for me yesterday!!

It also reminded me how much I love to be in our kitchen and how cooking or baking completely centers me. Last night, I totally enjoyed making the spice rub for steak we were grilling,

and prepping the asparagus and grape tomatoes for roasting (8 to 10 minutes at 450℉- yum!), tossing them by hand in olive oil and a little bit of sea salt.

And I can't believe what joy it gives me wearing the apron I sewed last summer,

and the using the dish cloths I knitted. Soon I'll have to make more as these are starting to become a little stained and worn. Plus, I have another apron all cut out and just have to get busy sewing.

Once again I was reminded that it's really the little things that bring me pleasure and comfort. They are so much more important than any to-do-list could ever be! And in the end, (almost) everything gets done anyway... with or without a list.

More and more I want to live an inspired life rather than an organized one! And I think that's alright.

Planning and such...

I LOVE a good plan. Don't you? I find that there is such power in planning something, whether it's a to do list for a new day, for the week, a new project, something you've always wanted to do. It doesn't matter what, for me a plan carries with it new beginnings.

And I love new beginnings - a new day, a new week, a blank canvas, a brand new note book, an empty notepad, the beginning of a class, a new book that hasn't been opened yet, new yarn, a brand new tube of paint - I could go on and on...

This morning I was making my to-do list for this week and I realized something. I really like making the lists and I often DON'T like doing what's on them. I think it's because I only write down my chores to do (and some of those are things I've been putting off for a while).

When I sprained my ankle last week, I had to sit still a lot and ice it, and while doing that I read and I knitted and crocheted. And I felt fine about it since I had an excuse. You know what I mean? Usually I feel a bit guilty when I sit around doing things I really enjoy because I "should be" tending to my list.

Can you see Winslow's behind? I tried to get his face in the reflection, but he wouldn't have it... 

I have some friends who make a list and then do those things without thinking too much about it. You plan it, you do it. I don't have that personality. I often feel very inspired to make my lists, but then not to do those things I should be doing...

So, I think I need to change how I make my lists, how I plan my days. I need to include those things that are the fun and inspiring part of my day as well. And it's not that the other stuff is bad - I have a pretty easy life here...

What do you do? Do you crank out your lists and then get things checked off? Or are you more of the "going with the flow" type of person like I am? For example, I'm always making plans of when I'll do what during the week, but then when the actual days roll around, I rearrange everything and go with a different plan. Drives me crazy sometimes! 

And how do you deal with those things that are a necessary part of life (like paperwork), but that are never really enjoyable to do. Do you do them a little bit at a time? Do you have a day set aside each week when you deal with that? Or do you get to it when you get to it?

Can you tell it's Monday morning? A fresh week is on my mind with a plan that's all written out and may or may not get done...

Tarot Cards and St. Germain

First of all, I want to thank so many of you who are on Facebook for your birthday greetings from all over the world yesterday. It was so heartwarming and almost a little overwhelming. I loved it!!!

Now to a little birthday tradition I have. About 20 years ago, I bought a deck of Tarot cards and used them all the time for myself and for my friends. Over the years my intuition has developed to such an extent that I don't really need the cards anymore to tune into what's going on with me and often what's going on with those around me.

However, twice a year - on New Years Day and on my birthday - I get out my cards just for the fun of it.

It still gives me chills though every time the cards totally confirm what I already knew was happening. Remember how I said that I felt that everything was going to change? Mostly on the inside rather than my outside life? That seems to be the theme for this year, especially as it pertains to my creative life.

And what do I want to leave behind this year? Fear of failure and worry - oh those familiar themes that play the biggest role in holding me back. Looks like this is the year to break free of their stranglehold. Yes!!

Ok, subject change! :) For dinner last night, we went to my favorite German/Thai restaurant near Savannah in Rincon, the Schnitzel Shack (I wrote about it here before). Our dear friend Doris (she's from Switzerland originally) came with us and we had the best time with German beer, food, music and German spoken all around us.

And here one of my presents from Daniel, which is so delicious. We had only recently been introduced to it by our friends Richard and Michelle (Michelle has a great quilting blog: Periwinkle Quilting and Beyond): St. Germain liqueur.

It is made in France from elderflowers picked in the French Alps (you can read more about it here) and has a wonderful taste.

Last night we drank a little of it mixed with champagne and it was heavenly!

Next time I will toast to all of you...

P.S. I am coming up on 400 followers (how is that possible?!?) and 650 posts (ok, I know how that is possible - I always have something to say...) and I think that calls for a giveaway soon. Stay tuned...