I found out about Claudia’s weekly classes this weekend and asked to attend. It is a big drive for a weeknight (1 hour each way) but I really want to improve my pen and ink skills. The current session started last week so I need to play catch up which should be no problem since I don’t have to work until Wednesday night. I have a release that evening so to be able to attend this class I have to stay late in the studio and dial into work. I should be driving home around 11:30 pm.
Color Mixing class at Brightwood Studio. Used M. Graham watercolors, six primary colors, a warm and cool mixed the rest. Used the tube secondary colors orange, green, violet for short cuts.
I got so much out of the classes last year, that I registered for all of Claudia’s workshops. This one was the least exciting by far, but very foundational. I did walk away having had a big bunch of fun and a much deeper feel for tertiary complements and complementary shading. I am spent part of Sunday working up a background chart for another color wheel and want to rework it with punches so it looks more ‘professional’
999 times out of 1000, any blog comments are spam and make me question why to bother. But every now and then there is one that makes it worth it. Diana pointed me in the direction of A little watercolour by Karin Huehold.
It came at the right time. I had already cut down some watercolor paper to make product cards for my glass hair pins. (It was the only paper I had on hand thick enough to support them). It is even better to have a reason to play around with watercolor and pen doodling. I will try Karin’s bone folder cutting technique when I run out of the small pile of paper I have left.
I’ve been running my kiln like mad lately and have had success making pendants, earrings, hair jewelry. Have a couple of techniques with sepia slides and mica powder.
I want to watercolor journal but have the typical fear of using paper and making bad art. Its part of the reason I like my ring journal so I can easily destroy anything I don’t want to see again. I got a ton of cheap 140 lb cold press water color paper from Dick Blick but have had trouble working up the guts to draw on it.
It occurred to me last night that I could doodle practice on it and learn how to apply watercolor in a low stress way. I’m surprised at how much richer the colors are on nicer paper.
Last night I broke out some Joy Sikorski books: How to Draw a Radish, Clam and Witch and went to town.
I want to watercolor journal or travel sketch or art journal or mixed media journal. Or what ever feels good at the moment. I practiced buttercups this morning. Drew on from Claudia Nice’s book then a couple from Internet photos. This one is from the wikipedia entry on buttercups.
Need to work on my penmanship.
Short trip to Pasadena for my first manager’s meeting. Did a tiny bit of travel sketching. Wished I could have stayed longer to do more. Cute little town. Weird to be back after so many years from my horrible Peoplesoft training experience. I was playing EQ back then and bought my first shuffle on my birthday.
