Another watercolor study

I once saw a painting like this...

and so I tried to remember just what it looked like,

so I could do a watercolor study of it.

I'm not sure if the original was done in watercolor,

it may have been done in oils or pastels.

But anyway... here is my watercolor study.

I try to paint every day,

from my own photos,

from original drawings I create,

from You Tube watercolor how to videos,

watercolor instruction books,

and whatever way I can practice and learn.

Studies of  other artists work

teach me a lot.

The Masters works

have many lessons in them.

Sometimes I just look at them closely,

to see just what they did.

So, how do you practice?

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Value Study

For Paint Party Friday

I am submitting this

value study.

 My instructor called it a

 whimsical type portrait.

One of these days I will learn to do

real portraits.

Learning where to put the darks,

and the lights...and

to give contour to the scarf etc.

Then for the background

I just added lots of color,

watched as the paper buckled up

(that's what cheap paper does btw)

 laid it flat and let it dry.

Doing this created lots of blooms,

but I like the texture of it.

I've learned that blooms are okay in watercolor.

It's not such a taboo thing anymore.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Hope

"Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all."

                                          ---Emily Dickinson

This is my painting

for this weeks

Paint Party Friday

http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

HOPE

I like quotes and seem to add them to many of my pieces.

Below is what she looked like before the quote was added.

What do you think?

Words or no words?

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Two Finished Paintings

I promised I would show you my finished still life and ink pouring.

They have not been critiqued by my watercolor instructor yet,

so I'm sure there will be more changes made.

Here is the still life.

(I need more practice LOL)

AND...

here is my finished ink pouring.

(Sorry I forgot to take a photo of it

before I added watercolor.)

The Ink Pouring Process....

There were several different colors of ink

 randomly poured onto wet watercolor paper.

Then it was covered with saran wrap that was scrunched up.

Then a piece of plexi glass was put on top of that,

with books on top of that for weight.

Then you let it dry, and you never know what you will get.

I did watercolor painting in the negative, on top of the dried ink,

 for all but the red dragonfly.

It was painted in the positive.

Where I had scrunched up saran wrap on the wet ink,

there were designs,

and one thing I saw in the designs was the dragonfly,

so I painted it in. 

Then I saw leaves scattered throughout

 so I painted around them, bringing them out.

It's a different technique,

but I like doing it.

The burgandy red was the only ink

that didn't spread around much while drying.

But that's okay. 

Like I said, you never know what you will get.

That's what makees it fun!

Try something new!
Don't forget to visit Paint Party Friday
to see more wonderful art
by all the dozens of PPF bloggers...
or even better yet,
JOIN US!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Watercolor lessons, inspiration and fun!

Every Wednesday I attend a watercolor class,

full of lessons, inspiration and fun!

Today was no different.

I recently painted my first landscape,

and got it critiqued today.

Now this is how it looks.

You may have seen it before, in a couple of posts back

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2012/05/ruby-sipper-tea-and-watercolor.html#links

As per Dolores' instructions,

I loosened up the foreground flowers,

added some purple to the water

and that's about it.

It sure made a difference.

I will be practicing more landscapes soon.

------

Today I also did some ink pourings, 4 total.

Next week I will do some negative watercolor painting on top of them.

Click below to see one I did last year and more about how I did it.

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/02/vanilla-beans-flowers-and-art.html

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We are also doing still life paintings.

Here is what Dolores set up for us.

We can do the whole thing, or just part.

There's different textures, different backgrounds etc.

I love birds so....

Below is the close up photo I took and will attempt to paint.

Wish me luck!

Remember to...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne



Ruby Sipper Tea and a Watercolor

Happy Tea on Tuesday!

Tea day with our hostess Kimmie and friends

is full of great blogging fun!

Why don't you join us?

Last week when my sister visited

we went to one of my favorite places to eat...

The Tango Tea Room...(it takes tea to tango)

all vegetarian food, wonderful teas and more.

Here I am having their

Riby Sipper iced tea.

------

I've been practicing my watercolor landscapes.

Here is one that is ready for critique

at my watercolor class on Wednesday.

What have you been doing to...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Artist Retreat

Friday I attended an artist retreat

 at a friend's home on Lake Corpus Christi.

It was for the watercolor class I attend.

This was the third time Sheila has hosted this event.

It was beautiful weather,

and just an overall beautiful spring day.

I could feel good energy in this place.

We started with a continental breakfast, with mimosas,

then plein air painting, critiques and lunch.

I acutally did not take many photos of the group,

because many people get self conscious

when you are going around with a camera,

and I wanted everyone to relax.

Below is Dolores

with my 2 little studies

during the critique period.

If you ever have the chance.....

attend an art retreat of some kind.

It's a wonderful way to....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Green Tea Leaf Office/Studio

Happy Tea on Tuesday all!

Green tea leaf....

that is actually the name of the wall color

in my office/art studio now.

My little space got so crowded

I had to make a change.

It's still a work in progress, but it's getting there.

 It's nice to have a pretty yet functional space to work in,

and not spend too much money on a redo.

   

This is my 6 foot long work table,

in a location with good light

 and I can get all the way around it.

These curtains came from my living room,

and so did the stained glass piece.

This is the view from my computer chair now,

instead of looking at a wall.

Much better!

This is the wall I used to face,

now it is to my left.

The watercolor is one I did awhile back.

It is called, 'He Brought me Flowers'.

The wall sticker below it

is one I got from my friend Karen.

It says, 'Friends are the flowers that bloom in life's garden'.

 I found this hidden away in a little shop,

got it for almost nothing,

and I love it.

A pretty plant will go in it this week.

Another wall sticker from Karen,

 below the window, that says,

'Every day is a gift.'

Close up of curtain tie back.

I used raffia from an old garden hat band,

and a bird button I won in a blog giveaway.

So, that's it for now.

Still lots to do. 

I'm just taking my time, no hurry.

I'm sitting here drinking my yerba mate tea this morning,

thinking of just how to organize everything.

I cleared out the closet, put in drawers and shelves.

I also have a new 9 cubbie shelf unit,

 a piece of insulation covered with fabric making it my design/inspiration wall,

 a dry erase wall calendar,

stackable files on my desk, plus a file cabinet that my printer sits on.

I have a basket for recycling paper under my desk.

 I must be careful not to overcrowd my room again,

and keep things that I will use.

Everything else is going to be donated to Goodwill.

So...hope you are having a good

Tea on Tuesday.

Join me for tea every Tuesday...

and see what all the other tea bloggers are up to

 by visiting Kimmie at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Getting organized,

having a cup of tea always helps me...

Savor the day!

Yvonne

New art student

Our local art league has a third art student scholarship recipient.

This is Linda.

She is holding a piece done on amalfi paper.

This paper is very soft and pliable

and the results are wonderful.

Visit http://www.vickerey.com/amalfi.html

to find out more on this amazing Italian made paper

that has been used since around 1380.

                                               

Linda is very talented and wants to teach art one day.

I love this large piece on the easel.

I look forward to seeing more of her work.

Join us at Paint Party Friday!

PPF is about to celebrate it's first year anniversary!

WhooHoo!  Through PPF I've come across

some wonderful artists.

Thanks Eva and Kristen!

Great job!

I look forward to another year.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Art is everywhere you look for it...

Art is everywhere and in many things,

from paintings, jewelry, clothing, furniture and more.

 I recently joined the local art league,

and we are showing our art at

the Blue Quail Designs galleria downtown.

The Blue Quail sells jewelry, boots and more.

The jewelry and even the boots are all beautiful examples of art.

I will try to get photos of each in the future.

You can see art everywhere!

Even in the signage of shops,

the shop window displays etc.

The Blue Quail is right next to the King Ranch Saddle Shop,

where the famous King Ranch sells not only saddles,

but beautiful clothes, furniture, jewelry,

pottery and much much more.

All pieces of art in their own right.

_________

The Conner museum quilt show is winding down.

All quilts are art as well, whatever size or media they happen to be.

The other day I took some of my local stitching friends

to the show, and while there, a friend from Mexico

 (Loudves, I'm sure I"m not spelling your name right)

 came in.

She paints on fabric and adds beautiful ribbon work to the design.

Another type of beautiful art and design.

Here is a close up of her work.

The photo does not do it justice,

but the 3D ribbon work is so delicate and beautiful.

Her paint colors are very bright and bold.

If you would like to know more about ribbon embroidery

click http://www.stitching.com/cda/stitch/stitches/ribbon.html

I don't know many who do this type of work anymore.

I see art everywhere I go,

and I'm just amazed!

“Art is everywhere you look for it,

hail the twinkling stars

 for they are God's careless splatters”

― El Greco

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Art is not a THING...

Art is not a thing; it is a way.

---Elbert Hubbard

Wanted to share with you some of our art league members art.

Click on each photo to enlarge.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Young art students

I have recently joined the local art league,

and I feel honored to be a part of it.

One of the things the art league does is to

recognize local young artists,

and to award scholarships to art students.

We had two art students attend the last meeting,

and I was so pleased to meet them.

This is Alyssa,

one of our art leagues

scholarship recipients

from TAMUK.

She is showing one of her prints

along with the block she carved.

Amazing work!

This is high school student, Jaquelyn,

with her colorful acrylic painting

she created from her own drawing.

Very nice work.

I believe both of these young women have lots of talent,

and we will be seeing much more of their wonderful art.

We need to celebrate  the next generation of

America's artists of all kinds.

Arts education helps young minds to develop critical skills

in analytical thinking, interpretation, and creative interaction.

Support young artists everywhere.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne