It is time buy an amaryllis bulb, follow the planting directions and start drawing.  That’s right — draw it once all wrinkled and apparently lifeless.  Watch it and draw it next as the green begins to expand, and date the page. A day or two later draw it again. Pretty soon you will want to draw it every day. Change tools, change angles. It is a grand way to still keep your hand in drawing during the busy holidays.

 

 

Skagit Farm

Does the combination of colors in your painting resonate with you the way a chord of music does? Think about it.

If I tell you: mauve, wine, beige — you “hear” the combination almost the way we hear a chord. If I say: white, red, black, it is a different chord, much bolder and louder. Compare that one to white, red, and purple. How did it change?  Change one note and you a totally different sound.   Charcoal, pink and rust make quite a different sound from charcoal, beige and black.  Do you hear the music? 

How do you choose the color chords for your paintings? Or do you?

 

Continuing with last month’s discussion of pigments, one of the main reasons artists have trouble with getting “mud” in their watercolors is that they use the right pigment at the wrong time (or visa versa).  I will try to explain how, with limited pigments, I believe you can achieve the results you have in your mind’s eye.

UPDATE: 09/01/16  The painting has returned! Hooray!!!! The United States Postal sent it back with an unable to deliver, no forwarding address.  I was told the wife had signed for it, but fortunately for me no wife at that address. No signature.  I am going to delete the addresses, all bogus, but leave the story as a warning to us all.

Did you manage to do the Amaryllis Challenge from last month?  I have heard from people who have done some amazing things.  If you did, you found you enjoyed seeing the minute changes, or sometimes spectacular changes, that occur. Hopefully you changed mediums or techniques. And – like daily walking or yoga – you got in the habit of doing […]

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As you finish up the chores outside and turn to more studio time, are you at a loss for where to begin? I made a new artist friend this summer, Devin Kleiner. When I went to his website, http://www.devinkleinerart.com/ I was delighted with his experimental approach to watercolor.  Let me share some to inspire you to do likewise.