Chillin' Turtle

Another sketch/painting done whilst in Key West.  One of the hotels has a display of turtles.  This little guy was just chillin' off by himself, with his head held high, like he was posing for a picture.  So I obliged him.  I really liked the way the shadows hit the top of his shell.

                                    Watercolor in Etchr sketchbook

Key West 2020 - More Palm Trees

For some strange reason, I have an aversion to drawing/painting on the backside of page in my any sketchbooks  No idea why.  So it is cool to me when I actually do a double page spread like this solitary palm tree in Key West.

                                        watercolor and ink Etchr sketchbook

And here is the progression of the drawing before painting.  The tree was drawn with a Stabilo Fineliner Point 88 (brown) like that darn camel.

Key West 2019-2020

Spent another New Years in Key West.  We had beautiful weather, just simply gorgeous, and I was able to do a few paintings.  This was me sitting at the pool and looking up at the palm trees.

Oh, I joined instagram: @charlieamra  

Let's see if this Old can figure it out.  :-P

                                    Watercolor in Etchr sketchbook

New Year's in the Keys 2018-19

It has been a few years, but we returned to Key West for a New Year Celebration Spectacular.  It was glorious!!!  The weather and company could not have been finer.

We drove thru the Florida Everglades and snapped some photos of the local fauna.  Below are a couple of simple watercolors I did based on those photos in my Strathmore watercolor journal (5.5x8.5 inch; 140 lbs paper).  I tried out a new technique to try and improve my color mixing.  I think I nailed it with the gator!!  I have a few other gator photos that I might try to paint.

                                                           "Egret study #1"

                                                  "Submerged Gator"

                                               "Egret study #2"

Happy New Year from the Windward Pointe

Greetings and Happy New Year!!!

Did more reading and sitting by the pool than anything else this year (and that is a good thing) but did manage to do two little sketches.  

The first is a simple pen and ink with watercolor.  In my mind, the calligraphy (Pilot parallel pen and an inexpensive flex pen) really makes the picture stand out.

Below is a small watercolor of the Atlantic Ocean, which was a gorgeous clear green that contrasted against the cerulean sky, done with using only a 1 inch flat brush.  

Sleeping Pelicans

This year we decided to be more active and biked every morning which allowed me the opportunity to paint some new topics/venues.  The point where A1A curves back away from the ocean (to run parallel to Duval St) is a place many seabirds gather.  I was able to get nice and close to a pair of sleeping pelicans.  It gave me quite the view (I never knew they had such sharp tips at the end of their beaks).  I also painted the outcropping where other seafaring birds were sleeping (the dark grey shapes).

                             Watercolor and Pen & Ink on paper 5.5x8.5

                                      Watercolor on paper 5.5x8.5

Sunset in Key West

Another wonderful Key West vacation has come to an end.  And what better way to reflect on an ending than with a sunset.  

                                         Watercolor on paper 5.5x12.25


The beaches of Key West are not quite the same destination as their northern cousins of Miami or Ft Lauderdale and as a result we tend to spend more time at the pool.  However, we really wanted to see a sunset at Smathers Beach.  I am happy with how the water/paint rolled down the page (when held vertical) to build the waves.  The dark green masses on the beach is the plethora of sea grass that washed onto the shore.  And if you look real close (click to embiggen), you can see the actual sand from the beach that I accidentally spilled on the paper.
 

And above is a poor attempt to stitch both halves together to better show how the paint ran down the paper to create cool looking waves.

To Make an End is to Make a Beginning -- The Return of Pastels

Pastel painting is my true passion.  While I am enjoying watercolor immensely, working in pastels is where I feel most expressive.  Hard to believe it has been nearly a decade since I have painted a landscape in pastels and 2 years since this.

This is another Key West sunset, taken while on a Wine and Wind sailing tour.  It was a great time and a perfect end to a wonderful day.  I had debated about trying this sky in watercolor, but ultimately I felt I could do it more justice in pastels.  Plus, my beautiful Unison pastels have sat neglected long enough.

What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.
TS Eliot
Little Gidding

                                     Pastel on paper mounted on board 16x20

The room set up and photo reference.  Since I have flattened my high school easel for my watercolor work, I am using a table top easel for the pastels.  I like this new set up as it allows me to paint in watercolor or pastels, without wasting time finding my tools.  If you look closely, you will notice the sky in the photo is different from the final, I felt the color gradation was too jarring and needed to be softened.

 A detailed close up of the setting sun. I blended some of the colors in the clouds to give them a more atmospheric look while left the strokes in the water rougher to show motion.  Notice how the grain of the pastel paper peaks thru in some areas, but not in others.

Sailing off Sun Set Key

This piece kinda got away from me.  While in the keys, I took several photos of beautiful sunsets, some with deep oranges and yellow, some with soft pinks and reds, all with the intent of using them as the basis for studio pieces.  This is the first such painting.  

I wanted to add a bit more color to the water and may have overdone it a bit.  Not sure, I go back and forth as to whether I like this or not. You all can decide. I am pleased, however, with how the sail boat turned out. 

This is one of my larger watercolors at 12x16 as I am feeling more confident working bigger. 

                    Watercolor on 140lbs watercolor block 12x16 

The Flora and Fauna of Key West -- Part III

The third and final sketch in this Key West series is of a quiet little alcove on the premises, with big cushioned chairs that sucked you in, tugging on your will to stay awake and pulled you softly, slowly into Morpheus' quiet realm.  After a nice nap under a shady umbrella I decided to do sketch of the view and its pretty red flowers. 

I supplemented the colors of my Daniel Smith paints with my trusty ol' cotman student color set.  I think the riot of pure viridian green in the lower left corner adds an interesting visual element to the sketch that draws the eye through the piece.

                                                  Quiet Alcove                             
                                  Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x8.25

The Flora and Fauna of Key West -- Part II

Friday I posted the fauna and today is the flora (really they are just landscapes).

Like last year, the first night in the Keys I did a painting from the lanai.  This is the view looking south, where as last year it was looking north.  There were some really cool  and unusual, almost vertical clouds, that hovered in front of the sun.  

I was using a wet-in-wet technique (and I still have some trouble controlling my water). I used a little too much water on the right panel and the you can see how the color granulates (formation of pigment granules; see below).  However,  I liked how the colors ultimately flowed into each other and feel I captured the essence of that moment at sunset.

                                       The First Sunset
                               watercolor on paper 5.5 x 16.50

And here is a more detailed look at each panel:

     (Notice the how the orange and red in the sky begins to granulate as the color bleeds into the water)

The Flora and Fauna of Key West -- Part I

I took the opportunity to paint just about everyday while I was in Key West.  And this time, I did not just do landscapes, but decided to capture some of the available wildlife.

There were several iguana where we were stay and this guy was by far the biggest.  Most iguana avoid tourist, but not him.  I guess he felt he* felt he was the baddest iguana of them all, which was cool with me since it meant he did not mind posing.  I really enjoyed drawing him.

                                             Iguana, chilling
                                   Watercolor on paper 5.5x8.25

Ibis are ubiquitous in Key West, especially anywhere someone is eating a sandwich (say an watercolor enthusiast).  I have often thought about sketching them, but they usually move around too much.  This year, I decided to see if I could capture the Ibis. These three Ibis (is it pronounced "eye-by"?) were dawdling about, making them good candidates for sketching.  At one point they came to investigate but were either unimpressed or realized I had no food, so they moved on. 

                                         3 Ibis
                                   Watercolor on paper 5.5x8.25




*I assumed it was a male.  I did not ask and he did not tell.

Idling Away in a Sail Boat

My first post in 2014 is actually a painting from New Year's Day, sitting on a swing looking out to the Atlantic Ocean.  Amidst the jet skiers and cruise ships plying their way around Key West, there were several sail boats, just idling their way in the winter sun.  This one in particular caught my interest as it seemed to merely be content to just be idling away the day on the water.  I thought this was a nice sentiment on the first day of the year.

Using a "wet on wet" outside on a windy day is a bit tricky as the paper; the water wants to evaporate and dry so it is very easy to over saturate the paper to compensate (I did that in another painting I will post this weekend).  That said, I am happy with the sky and I especially like the layers of color in the water.

                                       Watercolor on paper 9x7

New Year's in the Keys

I had the incredible opportunity to spend the week of New Years Eve in Key West.  While staying at our friends time share, I took advantage of the wonderful weather to do some sketching.  With these three sketches, I am now past the halfway point of my goal of actually finishing a sketch book.

                                      Watercolor on paper 9x7

There was an enchanting swing by the pool that overlooked the ocean.  I never did take advantage of the swing, but many people did.

                                  Watercolor on paper 9x7

The first painting that I did down in the Keys.  This is the view from the balcony of the windward side of the island that I woke to every morning.  We ate breakfast every day sitting out here, watching the joggers, cyclists, boaters and wavecraft drivers.  I completed this in about 10 minutes, just a quick sketch in ink and a rough watercolor. It was the perfect way to start the trip.

                                  Watercolor on paper 9x7

The pool at the complex was always filled with clusters of sun worshipers avoiding the northern cold.  In previous trips, I had contemplated many times sketching down here, but never sketching this scene.  I always felt it was a bit more complex than I was capable of doing.  But when the mood struck me, I just went with it and became lost in the process.  There is nothing more "zen" for me than painting in this matter.

 I think this trip was a major success in many ways.  Sun, watercolor & rum runners is Big Medicine.  And to top it all off, I met Guy Fieri at the airport.  A great way to end a great vacation.