Demo at Castle

Fred Deloresco was doing a demo at the Castle gallery tonight. What a privilege it is to watch him paint. He does such a great job explaining as he goes along as well as reminding us of some basic mantras he adheres to. What are those you say?

I took a workshop with him several years ago and this was a reminder of them. It occurred to me how easy it is to forget unless you use and practice them often.

5 things to think about as you start any painting.
Concept, Composition, Values, Color, Paint application

As your painting goes into the distance it gets... lighter, cooler, grayer, bluer.
It’s good to put shadows in the sunlight and sunlight in the shadows.

Horizontal brush strokes give you a higher value than a vertical brush stroke.
Counterpoint is painting lights against darks and darks against light. And of course there were a few more that I didn’t get written down.

Here are a couple of sketches that I did before and during the demo.
The first is 3 of his paintings that were hanging in the room.
The second is just a goofy sketch of him. Not a good likeness, but fun.

Good night...k

The Deck

I guess I’ve been catching up on my reading and watching. That would be blogs and YouTube. I often get inspired from what I see other people doing and sometimes pick up little tips along the way.

Hubby and I went out to lunch today. We usually have a date lunch each week. Today we went downtown to the “Deck”. It was very crowded so we decided to sit at the bar. No matter how warm it seems to be, there is a bit of a breeze there. Maybe it’s because it’s next to the river.

I’ve been playing around sketching some figures and heads. Proportions seem to get the best of me. Probably because I get discouraged and quit doing them. However, I find myself returning every so often and I know it’s a matter of practice. So.... here is my atempt for today.

Also lunch was very good. This is what hubby had. I think I’ll have that next time.
Ahi tuna. YUM!

Keep sketching... that’s what I keep telling myself....k

Lake Day

Going to the lake is always a special treat especially when the weather is perfect. Lots of sun, warmish water, picnic lunch and time for art is all in the mix. Yesterday BY and I did just that.

On those days my art takes a playful turn. I try things out that perhaps don’t always turn out the way I expected. For instance, the clouds yesterday were quite beautiful and plentiful. I tried lots of different blues and grays and reds. Most of them got to be messy rather suddenly and found themselves in the trash.

I had with me this interesting pencil. It’s a multi-colored pencil. So I did a quick sketch of the neighbor’s boat and pier. You can see the pencil at the top.

The next one is with a water soluble graphite pencil. I added a small bit of water in a few places after I finished.

Anyway it was a great way to remember a fun and special day with a friend.

Bye...k

Historical homes

I have been working on a project for the last couple of years. I got interested in the historical homes that are located in and around Fort Wayne so I started a sketchbook dedicated to sketching these  places. Of course not just Fort Wayne but all of Allen county soon became a goal. I keep working at it and I have accumulated quite a few BUT there are many more to go. 

One of these places is the Chief Richardville house down off Bluffton road. Once a month they have an open house and give tours.  So my friend and I took a tour last Saturday. I came away with a few pictures and have been doing some sketches.

YEAR CONSTRUCTED: 1827. Construction of this home was subsidized by the 1826 Treaty of Mississinwas, which compensated the Miami tribe with money for land for settlement. Chief Jean Baptiste de Richardville, the primary chief of the Miami from 1812 to 1841, was awarded $600 by the U.S. government to help fund a house along the St. Mary's River. The structure reflects both Greek Revival and Federal styles. The History Center is the current steward of the property, which sits off Bluffton Road.

This is the rear of the house. There is a driveway that pretty much circles the house.

And this is the back porch. 

It was a fun project.

Bye for now...k

Syracuse Lake

These are from our paint out over to Wawasee and Syracuse. It was a very hot 2 days but we were able to find a nice shady area at a park where boats are able to put in just off Syracuse Lake. I always enjoy seeing the variety of activity that goes on there. We brought our lunch with us both days and then sketched and took photos.

Fortunately we were able to spend Friday night with a friend that has a place close by. On Saturday morning we took a nice drive all the way around Lake Wawasee. It was fun to remember lots of the places we had visited before on our days around there.

It’s always good when a model or two come along!

A little Sweet Gum tree over head.

Lots of kayaks and more models.

Guess that’s it for now...k

Plein air

Went to Eagle Marsh this morning to paint. I haven’t had oils out for some time and it was a bit strange for a while. Unfortunately my painting was in the sun so it was very dark when I viewed it inside. Bummer. I’ll have to remember the next time and get myself in the shade or paint it much lighter.

Of course the photo I took sort of corrected it a bit.

We (BY & I) are off to a paint out this weekend at Lake Wawasee. I’m hoping it’s not terribly hot or it will be just morning paint or some sketching. It’s nice to get out of town for a couple days. We are staying overnight with a friend nearby.


Enjoy...k

Ice

Yesterday as I was sitting outside Planet Fitness getting ready to go in, I happened to spot the little shaved ice place that resides in part of the parking lot. It had all sorts of purple stuff all around it. As I looked down I realized my shirt matched all that purple color. So I quick took a picture thinking I might like to do a sketch.

This little sketch book has been waiting for me to finish the last few blank pages. The sketch went ok and the ink was ok too. However, as I began to add some watercolor I realized why I had been so slow to finish the book. This paper takes pencil and pen just fine but watercolor just sinks into the thin paper so fast that it becomes hard to work with. 

I really have come to like the thicker watercolor paper and I’ve been doing a bit more with color.

The bluejays are liking our bird bath this year and I have enjoyed watching them.

AND... this little guy paid me a visit tonight.

Too fun...k

Lunch

I belong to a group of gals that go out to lunch every month. We usually find a different place each time. We call ourselves “Starving Artists”. Of course none of us are starving but we are all artists. Each of us preferring differing mediums. Today was our lunch date. My friend and I arrived a bit early so of course I pulled out my sketchbook. Bet you can guess where we went...

Yep! That’s us sitting in the front window. It’s fun to catch up with everybody’s summer. We often get together once a week through the winter but take the summer off because everyone is busy. We also have a plein air group that meets every week during the summer months.

Keep drawing...k

Zesto

My friend and I were driving past Zesto’s the other day and she made the remark that it was one of her favorites and it had been there a very long time. On our way back, I took some pictures.

This is the results...

I decided to check out just how long it had been there. Here is what I found.

That was fun...k

Saturday Fun

My friend and I have this favorite little restaurant that we go to very often. However, they have been closed for about a month while they returned to the country where they are from and to visit family.

It was great to go back today and have our special “spring rolls”. In fact they are the best spring rolls in all of Fort Wayne (my opinion).

This was one of their customers that happened to catch my eye. A little boy about 4.  I took a quick picture and sat down to sketch it out this afternoon. I started with pencil and was going to ink it in when I changed my mind and decided to go right in with watercolor. I actually liked the way it turned out.

Tonight we went to a musical comedy at Concordia High school called “The Drowsy Chaperone”. A couple of the cast are friends. By the way it was a great show. I’m not one who usually likes musicals but I really enjoyed this one. 

Of course while we waited for it to start I had my pencil out, then put some ink to it. It was part of the scene throughout the whole play.

Bye...

Plein Air

Today we met at the Bass Mansion. The weather is still really hot and humid. We found a shady spot under some trees and set up our chairs and equipment. I decided to walk around and take some photos to see what else might catch my eye.

I am still interested in trying this direct watercolor method that Marc talks about. However, it does not come easy. I was not happy with this try but I did learn a few helpful things. I guess that makes it ok. Maybe I’ll go back to pencil and pen drawing.

Anyway after lunch we headed for the Mall. There are always interesting subjects to sketch. Even if you don’t find anything to sketch the people and outfits are worth a good laugh. I won’t go into any details except to say the Starbucks coffee is yummy. 

Here is a small taste of what drew my eye.

Bye...k

Tuesday

I didn’t get to draw people today but I was viewing a YouTube video and heard them say that a hand was always available to draw so... a hand it is. No drawing. I went right in with watercolor. I guess Marc would call it “Direct”.

I also tried some lettering with iridescent ink and a dip pen. Came out kind of interesting. It really is iridescent. The photo doesn’t pick it up.

As I was sitting at my desk I spotted my other watercolor travel kit so... why not give that a try?

Thats it for today...k

This and That

I’ve sort of fallen out of my sketch routine. Maybe it’s the very hot humid weather we’ve been having? It’s even too hot to sit in the car and sketch. I probably should (I dislike that word) work on some people sketches. They are hard and I’m rather critical of what I come up with. It would be cooler to be inside where there are people around to draw.

I did do a quick one at church of the artificial plant sitting on the platform.

We’ve had a family of hawks in the neighborhood. They have been very noisy and the little ones are learning to fly and do whatever it is they do. Anyway I was watching them the other day and decided to take a video. I’ve never tried to post a video so here goes. It’s a hawk in a tree learning to fly?

Bye...k