water color zinnia

It ain't EASTER?!

water color zinnia

Water color and Van Morrison. Ahhh...

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=van+morrison+documentary

water color zinnia

 Turns out staying mindful is the way to go with water color. No spacing out and just painting willy nilly. One petal a time. I'm loving the faded pink in the middle!

water color zinnia

I watched my friends water color on line for weeks before I could even begin to figure it out. I think I'm starting to get it.

So, I've been listening to Van Morrison...where was I back in the day. He is amazing! Into the Mystic! Wow! I guess there was SO much great music back then I just missed it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpPSBzGEklE

We had a dog named Domino so that was the theme song at our house.

zinnia watercolor

So tempted to just color my zinnia with my new markers but not going to.

water color

A little progress. 

watercolor and ink sketch

Spent several hours sketching three vases of flowers and the very first line I made on the drawing was wrong. In water color, no matter how you try to correct, it is IMPOSSIBLE! Gawd.

Not a big deal but the water color paper is so expensive! I did learn that instead of doing three vases of dead zinnias, a closeup is better visually. So I'm going to use the wrong sketch to test my color and strokes before painting the closeup.

Zentangle

I find water color very difficult so I have been doodling zentangles also. As you can see I'm pretty zen at this point.

New dylusion flip journal

 Broke my new dylusion flip journal in tonight! Also inked my watercolor coleus and did a little cross hatching instead of cross hatching every inch! I over work every thing. This journal already makes me feel lighter and even though I have been doing art I have been doing more surfing on pinterest than drawing. Fuck that gets so old, searching for inspiration when really all you need to do is pick up a freaking paint brush or pen and go for it.

 I tried to improve on the things that made my last sketch seem so flat. I'm going to mask the bright green and stems this time hoping it will make the pink pop without causing a muddy mess.

 Organizing always inspires me and I didn't like my pencils in this marker storage. It works great for that so I put my pencils back in the Ivory Soap box. Hoping that having the markers on my desk will encourage me to use them instead of letting them dry out in the drawer. I had to recycle a bunch today that makes me feel horrible that I didn't use some of them and they are dry as a bone. It was also uncomfortable when my husband ended up transferring the recycle. (I really didn't want him to see my terrible secret.) He didn't say a word.

I can tell that the oxide inks are going to be my new favorite so set up a new drawer just for them with their matching distress ink. At least with them I can always re ink them if they dry out. I did not buy the re-inkers for the oxides but glad to know that they are available if I need them. The madness needs to stop somewhere.

bleeding hearts watercolor practice

 https://micisip.blogspot.com/search?q=bleeding+hearts
Years ago I posted this photo hoping to paint it in water color some day. This is my third try and will do it again. I am overworking it. Fun practice but my paper towel ends up looking dreamy, just like I would like my painting.

On my desk

 Now that I have so much water color paper I have no excuse to not practice. The first was a quick sketch that I was not satisfied with so I used it to practice the watercolor. I'm not use to this medium so I'm sure it will be bad for a while. 

 That rapidograph pen is the greatest thing ever!!!

Color charts

Some beautiful colors just by adding yellows and reds to the blues and greens.

I decided to combine my color charts into a water color journal I made a few years back. It is turning out good and it will be so convenient compared to the many sheets and sizes I've made over the years.

I am lucky enough to have duplicates of a lot of my inktense colors so I decided to divide them into separate cigar boxes so  I can have them no matter which box I'm working from. I prefer them over just water color because I enjoy that they are permanent once activated and then dried.  I'm crazy for the muted tones of the graphitint. My advise to all is to buy the largest set they make from the beginning because they do duplicate way too many colors. I love them I will use them so not upset but would have done it differently if I had realized. These are all Derwent product and so worth the money. Even if all you ever do with them is make beautiful color charts. 

rainy morning

Busty and I took some rainy pictures the other day.

They inspired this page in my dylusion journal.  Tried to get the dreamy look the foggy lens gave my first few shots.  My zinnias are so beautiful this year.  

Love the drops, but a little disturbed that I speckled my SILK curtains!  Dang, I would have a fit if someone else did that.  Just had to relax and realize that if I'm going to do art in here there is going to be paint.  Oops.  My pottery barn rug has purple drops from the first week in here, I guess that means it is broke in now.  Really love my new view and will not be going back to the smallest room of the house.  What the hell was I thinking?  I now look at my pool and flowers instead of fourteen children under the age of five driving in the street instead of riding bikes.  Those kids are out of site out of mind!

This is how the page started out.  I stamped the flowers on deli paper using my stamping gears from Inkaddinkado and ranger archival ink.  I wish I would have left more of the bottom layer.  Oh well, live and learn.