Four watercolors, framed together 24×32″ (Larger)
This week’s Illustration Friday challenge is “Leap” in honor of leap year, this February 29, 2008. But the paintings and sketches in this post were actually made twenty years ago. They were inspired by two dreams recorded in a 1988 dream sketchbook (below) and a class in color theory [...]
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I liked the earnest, patient look on her face and her Modigliani neck. I just wish she’d stayed aboard a little longer so I could finish her.
Now this guy was great. He went right to sleep, sitting facing me, our knees nearly touching, and mostly stayed asleep until we both got off at the same [...]
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Ink & Watercolor in Strathmore drawing sketchbook, 6×8″ (Larger)
After my dentist appointment today I took a walk up to College Avenue in the Elmwood district of Berkeley, foraging for lunch. I chose Ferrari’s Deli where I had a delicious grilled “Perugia” sandwich (roasted pork sirloin, black truffle butter and Asiago cheese on toasted ciabatta bread). [...]
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Ink and watercolor in 6×8″ Strathmore Drawing sketchbook (Larger)
This sketch is all about pausing in a busy day to sit and draw, taking advantage of a little sun between rainstorms, and enjoying feeling free. Until I began the sketch, I hadn’t realized how beautiful (and extraordinarily complicated) the landmark building (photo) of the North [...]
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Ink & watercolor, 7×10″ (Larger)
Plein air painting means spending the day out in nature … but what to do when nature calls and there’s no restroom? The guys can just face away, pee on a tree, and preserve their modesty. But we women have to find somewhere to squat with knickers around our ankles, fannies [...]
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Oil on masonite panel, 8×10″ (Larger)
Sunday my painting class with Elio painted at a beautiful spot in the Oakland hills. Lake Temescal is actually a reservoir surrounded by trees, hills and park, just off Highway 24 and perched right on the Hayward earthquake fault. It was a lovely foggy morning when we arrived, and as [...]
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All are ink & gouache in square sketchbook
I started my dreams Friday night (after a really crazy hectic work week) with a strange series of beach scenes. First a llama appeared in the surf and splashed its way out of the water.
Shortly after that a gigantic fat buzzard with white fluffy feathers like a tutu [...]
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Early Theory of Perspective
The world is flat and ends at the horizon.
As you get closer to the horizon you get smaller and smaller until….
You fall off the edge and disappear…
And that’s why it’s called the “vanishing point.”
This week’s Illustration Friday challenge is the word “Theory.” Since I’ve been re-learning perspective and reading about the [...]
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Pencil sketch, 9×12 (larger)
I studied perspective in college drawing class but didn’t completely understand it, didn’t like it, and thought I had little use for it. Years later my friend Barbara gave me a copy of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. In that wonderful book, the author offers a more “right-brained” way [...]
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Ink, 3.5″x4.75″ (Larger)
I sketched this at Peets when I stopped to pick up some coffee beans, now that my grinder is working again. It’s in my new combo wallet/sketchbook. I visited my local stationary store looking for a small binder to use as a sketchbook and the owner offered me this little Filofax for [...]
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Ink and watercolor in 5.5″ square sketchbook (larger)
Last night I dreamt first that I was shopping in Macy’s and a snooty salesman looked me up and down and made fun of what I was wearing. He offered to help me dress better and recommended $100 flip-flops with made of thin green nylon (like they make [...]
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Posted in Art theory, Color studies, Oil Painting, Other artists, Painting, Photos, Plein Air, tagged color study, color theory, impressionism, Oil Painting on February 6, 2008 | 12 Comments »
Oil on panel, 9×12″ (Larger)
On Monday mornings I’m taking a painting class from Camille Przewodek in Petaluma. I first read about her on Ed Terpening’s blog and when I saw her absolutely stunning work I was thrilled to be able to study with her.
As I understand it, the focus of her class is learning to [...]
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Ink, colored pencil & watercolor in 9×12 sketchbook (Larger)
In yesterday’s post I wrote about what I call “Hamster Brain” (when my mind gets stuck spinning in a hamster wheel of “shoulds” and I can’t figure out what to do next and so do nothing). I was going through an old sketchbook and found this illustration [...]
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Watercolor on hot press paper, 5 x 7″ (Larger)
Yesterday at work someone had left a strange little still-life set up on a table in the ladies restroom: a little cosmetic bag and a a heavy metal box cutter (well, to me it looked like a still life, probably nobody else would have thought so). I [...]
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