Gesture drawing on paper bags

Two minute gesture drawing

My dear Rifaat cuts up grocery bags for me to draw on. I like the neutral tone, and besides, gesture drawings are only two minutes--nothing fancy. No fancy paper, no big expectations, no time to do a "finished" piece! My work is freer; it's easier for me to get out of my own way.

20 minute pose: ink and wash, pre-painted paper

As a result, my life drawings are getting better. Doing the gestures with a pen and brush is giving me confidence and developing my skill, with good results that carry over into the longer poses. I've started doing the longer, 20 minute poses with pen and watercolor paint, sometimes pre-painting the whole paper in a neutral tone and letting it dry before the pose starts.

Drawing and painting anything everyday helps. Rifaat tells about a famous ballet dancer who practiced every day. He said if he skipped one day, he could feel the drop in his performance; if he skipped two days, his fellow dancers noticed. If he skipped three days, his audience could tell the difference. I think painting works on the same principle.

Estuary High Tide work on silk part 1

Estuary at High Tide photo taken at KVI, Vashon

I printed photo out because I love it so and want to do a work in silk based on it. It is one of my "abstract" photos.
I've had it on my wall for over a year. I've been thinking about what materials and dyes to use, whether to make it 2 dimensional or 3, how to make the textures...

Yesterday I decided begin the process of making a work on silk.



 First step: Thumbnail in ink, with notes on value study and materials.

value study in ink and pencil

Watercolor Painting from Photos part 1: Clouds at Tramp Harbor

I have taken thousands of photos in the last few years. Literally. My computer says I've taken more than 8000! I love them all. Some are family photos, sure. Some record details I think I might use in paintings or illustrations later: the way ferns grow, moss on maple roots, how my grand daughter dances. Sometimes a landscape is just too luscious to pass by: some of these I've begun to use on calendars. Lately I've been attracted to more abstract compositions.

Clouds at Tramp Harbor

I was looking through my photos for these abstract compositions to use in my silk art, when I came across this photo. OMG! Beautiful! I want to paint this one.

So how do I go about it?

value study

• First, a value study. That would be a thumbnail sketch in pencil showing where the darks and lights are. Where is the composition darkest? Where are the middle tones? Where is it lightest?

Next to decide what pigments to use. I have my favorites of course. I don't own black water color paint; I use indigo and burnt umber to make and almost black, or mix in a little green for a green black.

I make my own grays. Ultramarine mixed with burnt umber makes one gray; indigo and burnt umber another. Of course you can make your gray bluer or grayer. I like a blue gray for clouds, this time with ultramarine and burnt umber.

Now to do a small color study.

Hmm. My drawing skills need work. Time to put it aside and maybe do a full sized painting later.

Haunting the Tea Shop

Finally picked up my sketch book after several days. I tried sketching my matcha latte and flower-in-a-tea-cup in front of the connecting door to the book shop, in ink, prior to adding watercolor. But the ink ran when I put on the first strokes of a wash. So I tried again sketching lightly with pencil before dipping my brush in color. I'm not too happy with the results of this second try, although I do like the  ambivalence of the background.  The bookstore shelves look like a city scape out a window at night.

Later, I looked at the ink sketch and decided I really like it better, so I finished it. I think the composition is better, and so is the drawing. What do you think?

Tree of Life Rainbow Quilt; an Inspiration

Sunday Quaker silent worship was --not quite silent. One friend asked in prayer that the burden of the world he had taken on be lifted from him. I can so relate to that one! Studying the refugee situation and trying to understand the Islamic State had me really down!

After silence, one friend sang "For the Beauty of the Earth", and another sang "The Battle is Over" in her sweet clear voice. It was very moving.

During the silence I was gifted with several visions for new work. This is one of them.

In my mind, I saw a woman snuggled in this Rainbow Quilt, a soft, comfy, beautiful quilt of indigo blue with rainbows along the sides. When I got home, I developed the idea further and looked up fabric I might use: A charmeuse silk or silk blend for the top; bamboo rayon, cotton velveteen,  or quilters flannel for the bottom. The rainbow, tree, and rose painted on silk and appliqued onto the top.

I need to earn some money at the holiday bazaar and studio tour to buy the fabric, so not sure when this will be completed.

I wonder who it is for?

To Revitilize; Dance with the Wind

Boat is back in the water! We hauled out Wednesday afternoon.

James scraped the bottom and took out the non-working knot meter, then headed to Tacoma to see if he could find a transponder (part of the depth sounder that goes through the hull) to fit the hole in the hull. Rifaat fixed some issues with the outboard and took off the old sloppily painted name with acetone so that we can put her name on neatly.  I went over the hull with oxylic acid to get rid of the yellowing and with acetone to get rid of blue marks from old fenders and black marks from who knows what. Oh, and I painted her hull. She looks good!

Of course once she was in the water, we had to try her out, make sure the new transponder Tim put in didn't leak.  We had a fantastic sail!! and yes, the transponder did leak. We sailed back in time to haul out again, get the leak fixed, and get back in the water-- before the tide fell too far and there was no water under the lift.

Still, it was one of the best sails ever, and I do remember how much I love Sailing! There's something about dancing with a good wind that really revitalizes one! Best part: Rifaat and James really stepped in and made the haul out a team effort. I guess I won't sell the boat after all!

Now I can focus on art.

Comfort Cat

Jackson, my self care partner

Change is coming. 7000 people per month are said to be moving to Seattle, where the climate is still
livable. I want to prepare myself emotionally, to strengthen my community, and perhaps to develop skills that will help both new residents and long time residents to adjust. Self care is top on the list.

I think I shall do some posts on self care and community building.

Calming:
Take one cat
Put blanket on lap, cat on top of blanket
Pet cat until you feel calmer

Calming and focusing:
Find cat
Do several gesture drawings
repeat until at least one sketch actually looks like a cat