Paint Works Magazine April 2009

I received my subscription copy of PaintWorks magazine today and my Robin design/painting is
in this magazine. Michelle took the picture and even got a bit of a byline as well as seeing her photo in a magazine. It was a neat mother /daughter effort.....

January 2009 Freezin' Fog

When conditions are just right we get a gorgeous freezin fog day...and today was one of these magnificent days. These photos were taken at Drake Park, on the Deschutes River which runs through the center of Bend, OR. It was a freezing 23 degrees and the fog was heavy, so therefore nearly the whole towns'

trees were fringed with ice and just absolutely WONDERFUL....pictures just DO NOT do this phenomena justice but I hope you enjoy. IF you would like to see all of the photos I took today go to: http://www.picturetrail.com/hannahmaesporch and go into the album called "my photography".

We had been feeding our deer corn along with alfalfa and with "cutting back" we decided on just alfalfa. As

you can see this is NOT agreeable to them and they are

after the bird seed, which they love. They are all getting pretty adept at balancing on their hind legs long enough to swipe their tongue and scoop up a goodly amount of seed. This is one of our small bucks...

tonight we had 8 doe and buck, and a 22 pointer who was new so feeding all of them has become an expense.

Enjoy our friend.

I have decided I need to start a sketching journal. Based on the book from Claudia Nice "How to keep a Sketchbook Journal ", it is not just the drawing that is important but the date, person, place or thing, color, hue, shape, texture and border definitions.

Sketches can be used not only for watercolors but for acylic paintings also. I have already started to draw up some sketches from the many albums of pictures I have taken.

I think that 2009 is going to be a great year for me as far as development of my own personal art and style.

This picture is of the carnations my DH bought me for Mothers' Day. I love these flowers with their spiked petals and subtle color and it is going to be my sketch for tomorrow followed by paintng it with either watercolors or acrylic.....

April 2009 PaintWorks Magazine

I just received notification that my "Too Early Robin" is going to be published in PaintWorks magazine's next issue which will be April 2009. He was painted using
a photograph taken by my daughter Michelle, and is painted on a Brentwood type
box. I used the new Dynasty Micron Mini brushes and believe me they worked like a charm. He was fun to paint..

Claudia Nice

This weekend I viewed a new (to me anyway) video called " Painting Nature in Pen and Ink with Watercolor Part 2." I am totally in awe. I have the book that goes with the video (same name as the video) but it is "out of print". It was put out by Sue Scheewe. I have another of Claudia's books by Northlight called "Painting Country Gardens in Watercolor, Pen and Ink". Watercolor has always "interested" me but I never really found an artist that I could identify with....until Claudia. I just went on Ebay and got great buys on 3 more of her books.

The other thing that "excited" me is Claudia lives in the beautiful cascade wilderness near Mt. Hood, OR. She has a studio there and her website is http://www.brightwoodstudio.com/. So maybe, just maybe, I will be fortunate enough to get to meet and take a class with her....

So,,,,,,,,,,,,one of my New Years' Resolutions for "myself" is to do some watercolors and incorporate the Koh-I-Noor Rapidiograph pen into the design as she does.
(She uses a 0.25 Nib). Although this pen is more "costly" than the disposable it works better (no skipping) and is refillable so in the long run it is more cost effective. Within the hollow nib is a wire and weight which moves back and forth causing the ink to flow easier. I have used the disposable ones, and believe me...on watercolor paper...they are less than effective. I was lucky when I purchased mine. I was in a Thrift Store and they had a set of either 5-6 with the ink for a whopping $3.99. If any of you have ever purchased or looked at these pens you cannot even buy the ink for that price, and a set of 6 pens is over $100.oo so I came away a "happy camper" on that purchase.

But anyway back to the video.

Claudia shows you how to do the following:

1. How to apply and remove masking fluid
2. How to "blot"
3. How to achieve texture in waterpainting
4. How to "lift color"

In the specific video I have mentioned she does snowdrop flowers, a wooden rustic gate with rusty hinges, and a waterfall scene. She paints each separately and then combines them all into one piece using a couple of different photographs she has taken for her design inspiration. She shows how to get water to look like water, depth, shadowing and highlighting.

***** One thing I have recently learned. When one uses acrylics you start with dark and lighten, with watercolor and oils you start light and darken. *****

When you view the video you will note that her watercolor paper is taped to her painting table. What I have done (today, as I was so jazzed) was to cut a piece of masonite or hardboard (name depends on the area of US you live in) to accomodate the maximum size (plus 2" on each side) of watercolor paper I thought I would be comfortable using which is going to be 12" x 16". Larger in canvas is not comfortable for me so I didn't think it would be in watercolor either. Taping your paper (using the blue masking tape) will help to eliminate the buckling of the paper that sometimes happens from the water. As it dries the buckling will "settle down" so don't let it worry you as you paint. Don't sweat the "small stuff"... (another resolution)

When I saw her paint the rusty hinge on the gate, do the grain in the wood, I could just feel my enthusiasm mount...... I have the watercolors but have never had the push to "try"....but now it is a different story.

Jerry Yarnell says that "Fear" gets in the way of our painting and he is right. My
fear is in the pit of my stomache. It is based on NOTHING, it is just "there" hindering me so that is another of my resolutions. When I walk through the door from my home into my studio, I am going to leave that "fear" behind me. I am no longer going to let it interfere with what I want to do. I am not 20 years old anymore and I don't need this fear holding me back...there is too much I want to experience and do and "time is getting short"... I grin as I say this....

In her books she goes more into detail with: Scraping, Bruising, Water spatters,
Salt texturizing, Impressed Textures, etc. **DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION** are you saying to yourself hmmmmmmmmm.... Then get one of her books, or videos, or both and let's get started.

I am going to begin this week.... I need to get some things "out of the way" first in the line of errands, a dr. appointment, etc. but my first step is to "find" the watercolors, my watercolor paper (it is in this studio somewhere) set aside a new area, find a photograph of what I want to paint,,,and I think I know EXACTLY what I want to do, so I need to locate the picture, leave the fear behind me and
paint a watercolor. I will post, good or bad, when I am done. I have the Grumbacher tube watercolors which is "good" as the colors are the same as with oils and tube acrylics....sap green, ultramarine blue, etc. so they should be vibrant and "sharp" colors....and since I have been mixing with the acrylics I will be a bit ahead of myself with the watercolors????? Hope so..... Will have to get my ink and Rapidograph pens out and find the right nib, or one close, clean and have that "supply" item ready to go also..... Preparation is half the battle sometimes; don't you think so too?

So, if you are going to join me in this "attempt" drop me an email and let me know.

This needs to be a NEW YEAR full of new adventures, new aspirations, positive attitudes, with no reservations.

As the song goes.

I 'm soooooooooooooooo excited.. I just can't hide it.......

Diana

Best of the Bunch January 2009

Best of the Bunch January 2009

What an surprise when I went in to check my Yahoo group post on New Years Day and discovered I have been chosen "Best of the Bunch" for January 2009. The group is BrushBunch
and what a great group of women. We have a lot of fun, CTTY exchanges (Christmas Throughout The Year) which are ornament exchanges and they have just started a greeting card exchange as well as the exchange of painting tips, general knowledge, etc.

I have taken a photo of my "Diploma" and will post it soon,,,,the blog is giving me "fits" tonight. Doesn't want to post the image.