Don't Get Cocky

Ahem. . .watercolors are tricky.  Every time I think I understand what I am doing, they bring me back down to earth.

There are certain technical points to this piece that I quite like, and of course, some that I do not.  The copper tea and stump pot came out as I hoped using a glazing technique to give more depth to the colors.  I mixed the greens of the grass instead of using pure tube sap green pigment.  There is a nice gradation to the greens, with spots of yellow, raw sienna and darker blue-greens flowing throughout the foreground.  I also drew a half inch border around the paper before starting because I have always liked how that looks in other artist's work. 

Compositionally, the rooster and the teapot/stump are too close together, I think there needed to be more space between them to draw the eye around the painting. And I definitely over worked the rooster too much, the details of his feathers are lost in the layers of dark colors.    

                                      Watercolor on 140 lbs block 9x12

Boat House by the Duck Pond

I often admire the legions of Urban Sketchers in their cool European cities as they dazzle with their eye popping work of old world buildings and parks.  One day I will join them on an urban sketch crawl.  But in the interim, I will contend myself with painting more locally.  I think that Central Jersey has its own charm and appeal.  That is why I am challenging myself to start my own Central Jersey Project to help me grow, but to also showcase the beauty of Central Jersey (and I will be taking a liberal view of where that actually is).  Plus, it forces me to use my en plein air easel and tripod set up.

This painting is of the boat house by the Duck Pond, which is a small park (less than 2 mile area) that meanders around the Ambrose Brook, complete with its own little waterfall.  This area is prone to flooding, especially after the last two big hurricanes.  And, as its name implies, is home to many ducks, though none were to be seen this weekend.  I think I was able to actually achieve a nice contrast between light and dark, especially in the bushes in the far ground.  

                        Watercolor on 140 lbs watercolor block 9x12

                            The view up from the docks to the boat house

Rhododendron aka Rose of Sharon

Despite teaching biology in college, I have been accused of a having a willful ignorance of local flora (there is a running joke that I call all small flowering trees dogwoods).  While that may be true to an extent, I am not that bad.  But here is where I fail to disprove that hypothesis.  In our side yard, we have both rhododendrons and rose of sharon growing.  And of course, I call them both rose of sharon because, well, it amuses me (sad but true).

Below is a painting of said rhododendron in said side yard.  This painting is a rather large and has the distinction of being the first painting on my new en plein air easel and tripod set up (see below).  I was very excited to finally get to use my new kit, it makes me feel like a real artist.

                            Watercolor on 140 lbs watercolor block 12x16

 

Stan at the Beach

I doubt his name is Stan as I did not get the opportunity to ask him his name or what he thought of this painting.  He began to pack up his stuff the moment I finished inking the picture, so I had to work fast on the color and the shadows.  But judging from his Che Guevara bag and other accoutrements, I am guessing his name is not Stan.  But who knows, maybe it is.

                                  Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x8.25

Temple of the Horned God

If asked, most comic nerds would say that either Barry Winsor-Smith or Big John Buscema are the definitive Conan comic book artists.  And I would agree with that (especially when Buscema was inked by Ernie Chan) senitment but there is another, oft forgotten, yet incredibly innovative artist from back in the 70's.  Alex Nino was an innovative artist who did some mind blowing things, from wild layouts to incredibly detailed line work.  

Most of his work was in the black and white Savage Sword of Conan (SSC).  In 1978, Marvel reprinted Savage Sword of Conan #6 (art by Nino) in color for the first time in Marvel Treasury Edition #19.  At the time I had no idea who Alex Nino was, but I read and stared at that issue for hours on end.  His work has continued to amaze and inspire me.  Below is my adaption of one of the panels from that SSC story.  As always, click to embiggen'.

                    Pen & Ink with watercolor on 200 lbs watercolor paper 14x10

Here is the picture before I painted it. As you can see, I only lightly inked it before adding watercolors.  After the paint dried, I went back and add more detail in ink.

Golden Gate Bridge -- View from Hyde Park

It was a windy, misty afternoon in Hyde Park when I sat down to paint this.  You can clearly see the unpainted area where the clips kept the paper from flapping all around.  By the time I finished, most of the Golden Gate Bridge was lost to the mist and waning sun.

I like the little details on the dock in the foreground. They were almost an after thought as I finished up, but I think it gives the picture more scale.

                                      watercolor on paper 5.5 x 16.50

Conan swipe

Barry Winsor-Smith may very well be my most favorite artist.  His run on Conan in the early 70's was awesome.  His subsequent return to Conan or a Conan inspired genre like Freebooters was nothing short of magnificent.  

So when I wanted to practice using watercolor to do more comic book like art, it made since to use him as a guide.  It took some research to figure out how to make decent skin tones (the key is to heavily dilute the reds and add a touch of burnt sienna).  I also like how many artists (including BWS) include cool blues in the shadows.  I might have over done it a bit with the blue but I think I better understand it now.

Overall, the results are not half bad, by Crom!

                        Watercolor and ink on 140 lbs watercolor paper 9x12

Hiking in Washington Valley Park

I did a simple hike in Washington Valley Park and for the first time brought tube paints along with my Pocket Palette (dried paints).  It was crazy windy by the East Branch Reservoir where I set up but the sun was warm.  With the wind whipping by, I had to work fast.  The result was this groovy, abstract painting.  I love the juicy washes in the sky and the evergreen trees using the tube paint.  I can see why many Urban Sketchers bring tubes along with them on site.

                           Watercolor on 140 lbs watercolor board 9x12

Here is the actual photo.  It was so windy that the clouds were constantly changing and moving by, altering the shadows they threw on the trees and water below.  While I painted, several college-aged kids hop across the little rock bridge in the foreground that was partially submerged.  None fell in.

 

More Signs of Spring

Slowly, Spring is starting to return.  The weather is trying to get warmer.  More and more birds are showing up at our feeder.  We see robins, cardinals, finches, chickadees, bluejays and a few others I have not yet identified.  And they make great subject matter.

This painting is a departure from all the landscapes I have done recently.  It is always good to try something new.  Plus, it allowed me to do more drawing before the watercolors, which was fun.

                             Watercolor on 140 lbs watercolor paper 9x12

Reflections on a Rainy Day

The name of this Triad is called Reflections (Blue Apatite Genuine, Deep Sap Green and Transparent Brown Oxide) and it is an apt name.  What lovely granulating washes the blue apatite made for the distant mounts and the deep sap green is so lush  I did use my favorite, verditer blue for the sky and water.

I like the haphazard washes and energy in the water and mountains.  I also like how the sky and granulated blue mountains gives it a feel of a rainy day, which are perfect days for reflections.

                           Watercolor on 140 lbs watercolor block 9x12

And the title also follows the great tradition of similar titles and concepts.

Simple Coastal Painting

Okay, I might need help.  Daniel Smith ran a sale on some of its really cool triads and I just had to try them. This simple painting was done with the "Low Tide" triad" (hematite genuine, natural sleeping beauty turquoise and yellow iron oxide). It is based on the sample picture that comes with the set, but I simplified it quite a bit.  

It is amazing the degree of colors and shades that can be made from only three colors.

                                          Watercolor on 140lbs paper

The First Day of Spring Deserves Flowers

I have been marveling at other artists' still life paintings of late and realized that I have not done one myself in probably 20 years.  And with today being the first day of Spring (although you would never know it from the weather), I figured that meant flowers.

Not that I did them justice, but they are colorful and pretty.  Happy first day of Spring!!

                                 Watercolor on 140lbs paper 9x12

The 9x12 paper is just a bit too big for my scanner and that causes some shadowing on the paper.  I might have to re-scan this or take a photo of it instead.

Bunny in the Side Yard

When I went to run some errands this afternoon, there was a wee bunny just chillin' in my side yard.  Imagine my surprise when he was still there when I returned, undeterred by my car pulling into the driveway in front of him.  I decided to snap a few photos with my phone and paint the brave little guy's portrait.

                                   Watercolor on 140 lbs paper 10x7

I am pleased with how the bunny turned out and the amount of detail I achieved.  But I am even more pleased that I was able to layer a light wash of burnt umber and pthalo over the top of the bamboo on the side.  Normally, I would not want to ruin the under drawing and left it as is.  The drawing would have been all mid-tones and very boring as a result. 

Almost Spring

This winter has been tough, even for those of us who enjoy the cold. I figured since Mother Nature was teasing us with an almost Spring day (it hit over 60 degrees here) before sending us more cold, I would paint something colorful. . .and warm.

                          Watercolor on 140lbs watercolor block 9x12

I used M Graham watercolors for this (I bought his Shades of Summer limited edition at a year end close out sale; highland green, bismuth yellow, cobalt teal, permanent green pale and scarlet pyrrol) instead of my normal Daniel Smith.  I did supplement with DS verditer blue to create a purple for the sky (I thought I would get a purple from the orange-red scarlet pyrrol and cobalt teal, but that made a nice brown I used on the beach).  Funny thing is, apparently MG and DS watercolors do not mix so well.  You can see the granulation in the clouds (this also happened on my palette as the mix dried).  That is too bad as I like these colors, perhaps I will make a MG only travel palette.

I like the layering of colors in the beach and the dunes, probably because I allowed the paints to fully dry before laying on additional paint. . .Ah patience, it is a virue.

2 Rhinos - ink

Okay, this one is pretty cool. I have always loved the ye olde style medical illustrations on tanned parchment paper.  But it is hard to find toned paper that can handle watercolor.

So for this drawing, I made my own toned paper.  First I taped a border with masking tape.  Next, I toned the paper using a light wash of raw sienna and quin orange (I cannot tell the difference).  I did not distribute the wash evenly, giving the paper an older, weathered look. The drawing is in free hand (using a photo reference) directly in ink (winsor & newton nut brown) using a kuretake comic book nib in a tachikawa nib holder.  I love the different line weights that this nib can create.

I love the white border that is created by removing the tape, it frames the drawing nicely.

                          Nut brown ink on toned 140 lbs watercolor paper 10x7

Color Study - Tree

Ultimately, the goal is turn the reference photo this was based on into a pastel painting.  However, I needed something to paint and decided to try a color study.  The orange leaves of the tree are a mix of alizarin crimson and quin gold (which I am finding is a versatile color). I muddy up the tree a bit, I am too impatient and need to let the color dry and use a wet-on-dry technique.  

                                           Watercolor on paper 10x7

Doodling, Lettering & Just Playing Around

I am trying to draw and paint more, it is true.  But I had been trying to make every picture I do a perfect finished product.  I was not spending any time just doodling or screwing around or trying something outside my comfort zone (and possibly failing).  Below are some examples of me just playing around in various medium.

Believe it or not, only two colors were used for this:  pthalo blue and burnt umber.  I do not mix colors well and it is something I am working on.  I saw another artist do a wonderful snow scene using those two colors and I knew I had to try it.  I think the colors on the mountain are quite stunning. I overworked the sky too much but that is okay.

Once upon I was quite the accomplished letterer and calligrapher.  I created wedding invites and seat placement cards.  Alas, my skills have atrophied considerably since high school (as can be seen above).  With the advent of new, high quality yet inexpensive calligraphy pens, I am looking forward to sharpening my skills.  Plus it is fun.

I filled the bottom of this practice sheet with a little line work using two different weight faber-castell markers (XS and S).  Then I decided to play around with watercolor and grey marker.  I like the figure and his stance (how he is shifting his weight on one leg) and I like the line work on the rocks he is standing on as well as the distant mountain. Not sure if the color adds anything, but that was not the point, the point was just to be creative.  

This doodle was done with several different brown/sepia inks, everything from marker to Winsor & Newton peat brown ink with a speed ball nib and even a little conte crayon for good measure.  As has been abundantly clear, I love brown/sepia inks.  This was just me playing with a bunch of tools that I have acquired over the last decade.

Below is some details of the page. I like the variety of lines that can be achieved with a dip pen or brush.

Half a Moose

The reference photo I used was cropped and only showed half of the moose.  Rather than fill the caboose of the moose myself, I decided to leave half a moose.  It gives it a weird, ethereal vibe that I quite like, especially with the light washes.

As with the backyard tree, I used a simple color palette of browns (raw sienna, burnt umbar and van dyke brown) but added a splash of green for contrast and pop.

                 Pen & ink and watercolor on 246 lbs acrylic linen paper 9x12

Here is the initial sketch using winsor & newton peat brown ink and kuretake comic pen nib G model.  Lately, I have been using a variety of markers to draw as they are convenient and portable.  I forgot how wonderful it is to draw with a dip pen and nibs.  You cannot produce the variety of weighted lines with a marker that you can with a nib.  Much of line work is obscured by the watercolor washes, but that is okay.  It was still fun to do them.
 

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.

The Road Less Traveled By

Outside my window, beyond the tree and stockade fence is a protected wooded area that will never be built on or developed.  It is a little piece of sylvan space in our urban sprawl, and I love to peer at it from my perch in the art room. It always inspires me and makes me smile.

In the course of the last few weeks, I have been going through the accumulated wealth of art supplies that I have purchased in the past decades, from as far back as high school to now.  One of the treasures that I found was my Ames Lettering Guide from back in the day when we did not have fancy-smancy computer fonts and I hand drew calligraphy.  And since the view outside my window always makes me think of Robert Frost's famous poem, I decided to add the first and last two lines of the poem to this sketch using the lettering guide.  It was much fun.

                                  Pen and Ink, Watercolor on paper 10x7

 

Tiger, Tiger

TIGER, tiger, burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

The Tiger

William Blake

I bought a bunch of new paints, including several different greens (yes, I know, if I was better at mixing colors, I would not need so many greens. . .but new paints are cool) and I have had a photo of a tiger for years. It was the perfect excuse to use the new greens.

I love drawing big cats and tigers most of all, but this is the first time I have painted one.  It came out a bit more "cartoony" then I wanted (his face is a bit too long, more like a lion's), but I can see several technical improvements in my painting from even a year ago.  I like how the colors are layered on top of each other (wet-on-dry) and the brush work on the stripes.  It has truly been a long time since I drew directly with a brush.

Watercolor on 140lbs watercolor block 9x12

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 

Simple Sketch -- Backyard Tree

For the first time in a long, long time, yesterday morning I did a simple sketch upon waking.  It is part of plan to get back to basics and remember the simple, yet critically important things.  Things that are easy to forget.  Things that are easy to overlook in the blind rush of the everyday. Things that I have forgotten, but now, am trying to remember.

We had the experience but missed the meaning,

And approach to the meaning restores the experience

TS Eliot

The Dry Salvages

Although it might be hard to discern, I used sepia ink, not black for the sketch.  I covered the sketch in layered washes of quinacridone gold (transparent yellowish-brown) and quinacridone burnt orange (semitransparent red-brown).  I have always enjoyed this somewhat classic style.

                                     Watercolor on 140lbs paper 10x7

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

Idyllic

This will most likely be my last studio piece of 2013, and for the first time in a long time, I feel I am making progress and showing growth.  The sky turned out how I wanted.  The mountains, for the most part, as well.  I was able to layer colors down (successfully), one on top of the other, to give this painting a more complex  look and feel.

                        Watercolor on 140lbs watercolor block 9x12

A Sleigh Ride Together with You

It is a bit muddy in parts, but I finally achieved that "atmospheric" look I have been attempting to do.  Still need to work on a consistent and cohesive composition, but I like this quite a bit.

                            Watercolor on 140lbs watercolor block 9x12

The Long View

Another day, another quick sketch.  These sketches are good exercise for my brain; they help overcome the inertia of the blank page.  I can envision a day in the future that I carry this little book with me and do sketches as I wait for a lunch meeting to arrive, just needed 5 minutes to capture the world around me.

In this picture, I particularly like the how the water spots creating tiny points of interest.  I still need to use more paint but I am getting better.

                                   Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x5.5

It is good to see the Pocket Palette getting so much use.  This picture shows to me that I do not organizing my mixing palette by warm/cool like most real artist do but randomly where ever there is available space.  I will need to add paint to the pans before I head out on vacation.

 

Does your cat play guitar?

End of year is always crazy and leaves very little time for painting or sketching.  But I have decided not to let that stop me.  I am trying to do a small sketch a day in my little moleskin travel watercolor book (look back tonight or tomorrow for the next one).  

This is a quick, rough sketch done without a pencil under drawing, so directly with my Faber-Castell XS pitt pen.  The goal was to work fast and I like the energy of this piece. I used a photo reference from an Entertainment Weekly article on the new movie Inside Llewyn Davis.  Either Llewyn or the cat plays folk guitar, not sure which.

                                  Watercolor and ink on paper 5.5x5.5

Final Hike of the Year -- Washington Valley Park

December is not going to be a very productive between end of year work, Christmas and (hopefully) vacation.  Even if I do get to paint on vacation, chances are I will not post them until January.  So, here is me beginning the month in earnest to keep the goal of four paintings per month.  

This tiny postcard was done on my final hike of the year in the various NJ parks I have recently rediscovered.  I had the overly ambitious idea of doing a series of postcards in the Fall but was only able to get this one done.  I am not completely satisfied with it, but it is a unique reminder of a great day.  As I continue on this journey of painting, I feel these little watercolors provide more vivid memories than digital photos ever could.

                             Pastel over Watercolor on 140lbs postcard paper 6x4