Bears In the Mist

Here are some happy moments from our last class where it seemed like it was all laughter and a good time. I love that about our class. Everyone is there to have a good time in addition to doing art. Although the next class is the start of a "new month," we will take time to complete our January projects before moving on to other projects.

If you are looking for a natural hair 2" wide Squirrel flat wash brush...

...then you may want to check out this link to a site found by one of our friends in class. This brush looks very comparable to the brush I use in class, and as you already know, they are spendy brushes.

https://www.thethackery.com/default/isabey-kazan-squirrel-spalter-wash-6424.html

In my opinion, the synthetic alternatives don't come close in ability to hold large volumes of water and also overall softness of the brush.

These brushes are useful not only for laying down clear water before putting in a blended or other wash, but they are great for glazing over with clear water to fix problems or with paint to enrich colors without disturbing the bottom layer.

The 2" brush sells for something like $80 which is A LOT but there's a way to get a 10% discount and free shipping if you accept an offer to let them send you marketing emails.

Picture of Iris for the 2018 Iris Poster Contest

In May 2017 at the Celebration of Flowers Art Show at Keizer Art Association, the Keizer Chamber of Commerce will select a piece of art in the Iris Contest to be used in their promotional materials and signage for 2018. There is also a cash prize for the winner. The iris selected for 2018 is "About Town," another purple flower. Here is a photo reference of the flower from Schriener's Iris Gardens.

Inspiration Pieces and Thoughts on "Bear in the Mist" Project

Hi Everyone!

In our last class I previewed some ideas for the 26th for those who are ready to move on. This next project is intended to be a mix of watercolor and pen & ink; however, as always, you are free to approach the project with whatever medium pleases you most.

The inspiration for the project came from some art I saw on Pinterest which is "digital arts." In most cases these artworks were created in the computer blending two photos into one. My thought is to take the concept and do it in fine art...use the shape of animal (e.g., a bear) and open it up to include an image of its environment or something like that.

Here's the bear artwork from Pinterest:

The bear body shape encloses a forested landscape in the mist. Here is how I begin to interpret this idea for a suggested project (showing the first couple of steps):

You can see how the watercolor washes make a nice background for applying pen and ink for those finishing details. 

This is just one example of how to use this idea. What follows below are other bear images and other animals and birds with landscapes built into them--all have been handled in a different artistic manner. Let these stimulate your imagination as to how to develop a project that is uniquely your own and let me guide you...or follow along as we paint and ink some bears.

 

Blended Washes in our Winter Scene

January classes have gotten off to a wonderful start! Welcome back again!

Everyone seemed very happy to back to class this past Thursday and perhaps me most of all. Wonderful to see all of your smiling faces and to dig back into our artwork. I have many interesting projects line up that are beautiful but also teach many good concepts and skills.

You all make me so proud that I must share some pictures from the PM class showing the progress you made on our "Winter Scene." We will finish this project on the 26th and move on. Rebecca finished her Pennsylvania Barn!

Winter Scene -- January Project at KAA

Hi Gang!

I have missed our Thursday classes and look forward to finishing out winter and going into spring with many lovely art projects. Of course I always encourage my students to come with their own inspirations and projects, but if you like having one provided, here is what I am bringing for Thursday, January 19th. There is much to learn from this project which I will demo in three stages.

You will learn how to put in a blended, wet-into-wet background that creates a feeling of mist and fog. You will learn how to put in objects, in this case trees, which recede into the distance, or conversely, become more defined as they move toward you in space. And thirdly, you'll learn a new trick for how to put in snow and add back in white selectively. Maybe you'll have an early start on next year's holiday art card!

Here is an extract from a painting I will bring...as yet untitled...

In addition to this "blended wash" project, I have some other lovely art projects where you can practice your skills on laying in washes from "flat," to "graduated," to "streaked."

We will also work on pen and ink projects that explore various techniques you can incorporate into your watercolors or put watercolor on top of.

See you soon!