The Abanconed Rainbow Truck

I recently finished this old vintage truck painting - this is one in which I pushed the limit in using color.  I was happy the way it turned out.

The painting is 11" x 11" and is painted on Cansons 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.  It is entirely transparent watercolor. The blues are Antwerp Blue and Ultramarine Blue and the reds are Dragon's Blood and Cadmium Red Light.  The oranges are all mixed from Cadmium yellow and the reds already mentioned and the greens from lemon yellow and Antwerp.

Moo Bossies, II

Last Monday night, we painted Holstein cows - which a good friend of mine calls Moo Bossies - a name from childhood!  They did such a good job on their paintings - they are doing so well they won't really need a teacher much longer.  I hope they come anyway as I would sure miss them.

Peggy's Cove

I finished this painting for my class yesterday...It is approximately 12" x  7" and is painted on Canson 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper from all transparent watercolors.

We will probably start painting this on Monday evening during our intermediate watercolor painting class.  I like the way it turned out - especially the colors.  I hope they enjoy it!

2014 Hand-painted Ornaments

Today I finished part of the miniature hand-painted ornaments for this year. I give hand-painted ornaments to family and friends every year. These 10 small acrylic paintings are done on 3"x 3" stretched canvas  panels, to which I have added a small eye-ring at the top for hanging on a tree, if desired.  They also go very nicely on the miniature easels available in art supply stores.

These are fun to paint - each is different and when I start one, I have no idea where it is going to lead me, except that it will finished with snow-covered pine trees.  They look cold - don't they?

I am the Diva Challenge #197: Arukas:

I was almost tempted not to post this because it looks so terrible, but decided at the last moment, why not!  This, of course, is in keeping with the holiday season and was done entirely in .005 Micron pen and graphite pencil.

At least I had an entry this week!!!

I Am The Diva Challenge #196: All Dolled Up!

The challenge this week is to tangle with "a doll shaped string!"  I decided to work with a Victorian doll string - or in this case - drawing, and then fill it in with tangles.

This is 8" x 6" and is done on white drawing paper with Micron pens .01 and .05, and Prismacolor colored pencil.  

She looks a little stiff, but, of course, she is a doll!

I Am The Diva Challenge #195: "Turning Old Into New"

The idea behind this challenge was to change the structure of a pattern - in my case I chose to take Meringue, a free-form pattern and change it into a grid-based pattern.

I decided to use the ideas of Mondrian and use a grid-based design similar to what Mondrian may have used and fit the freeform pattern Meringue into it, using some close-up sections and some farther away.I also decided to use the three primary colors that he often used in his designs.  In retrospect, my design needs more white spaces.

I also veered off of the graphic flat Mondrian-type design to add shading to give the shapes a more 3 dimensional effect.

This challenge is done on a 6" x 6" piece of white drawing paper using Micron pens and Prismacolor colored pencils.

Bobbi's Winter Barn

I completed this painting this weekend - it is the "all paint from one photo" project and is the November project for Watercolor Workshop, an online Yahoo group.

The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. Canson's 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.  I love painting snow scenes, especially those with strong sunlight which casts such nice shadows.  Of course, those who know me also are aware that I like to paint old barns (and trucks and cars!.)  Especially barns which have holes in them and are falling apart.

I also plan to use this painting as a lesson for my intermediate watercolor class at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

I am The Diva Challenge #193: Overflowing Abundance: Trio, Huggins and XYP

This week's challenge is to use three tangles, Trio, Huggins and XYP.  I decided to use the Thanksgiving theme because I thought that Huggins would create a great basket weave for a cornucopia.  This, of course, is obviously a Zentangle Inspired Art, not a Zentangle.

I used grey paper (6" x 8" ) and Micron Pigma pens in .005 and.05.  I used white, peach and terra cotta Prismacolor colored pencils for shading.

New Projects for Watercolor Class

I taught 2 new painting techniques this evening...the painting above is done on a wet-in-wet background and the petals are stamped with the side of the paintbrush.  The top picture is when the petals have all been stamped onto the wet-in-wet background over the twig which has been suggested with a pencil line.  The bottom picture is a finished example of this project, with the leaves painted on top with a strong viridian green, and some petal shapes have been lifted in the upper left background.

This painting  was one where we left our comfort zone and branched out into abstraction.  It is done almost entirely with a flat paintbrush and then the details added at the end.  This example is not yet finished.  It is done entirely in complementary colors - purple/yellow and orange/blue.

The Diva's Challenge #192: Seton

After checking out the tangle of the week, Seton, I thought it was very "Art Deco" so I decided to go in that direction. I Googled "Art Deco" images and let them soak into my brain and then began my challenge tangle.  The longer I worked on it the more it became very intricate and more of a Zentangle Inspired Art than a Zentangle.  I had a lot of fun working on this one. I love Art Deco and it goes so well with Zentangle Inspired Art!

I worked on an 8"x 8" piece of mat board and used Micron-Pigma pens in .005, and.03.

The Yellow Dahlia

I finished this watercolor recently and used it as a lesson for my watercolor class at Riverside Art Center.  The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper.  The source was from a photo I found on the PMP web site.

I Am The Diva Challenge 191: Betweed

The Diva's challenge this week is to create a monotangle using only the tangle Betweed.  I decided to go with one for the season and created a rather sick looking bat for my design.

The original is 6" x 6" and is on a chip of white mat board.  I used .01  Micron-Pigma pen and Prismacolor colored pencils.

I Am the Diva: Challenge 190: Pink for Ardath

The Diva called this Challenge Pink for Ardath because last winter her grandmother Ardath passed away from complications due to Breast Cancer. So she has dedicated this challenge to all people who have valiantly fought this fight against Breast Cancer.  The challenge for the "Challenge" this week is to incorporate "Pink" somewhere in the tangle.

My tangle is 6" x 6" and is done on a piece of white illustration board.  I used the Prismacolor colored pencil  color "pink" and Micron -Pigma ink pens in .005 and .05.  I used the symbol Hearts for 2 reasons - first and most importantly,  everyone should fight this disease with all their hearts, and secondly, my maiden name is Hart and I often use Hearts in my compositions.

Crashing Waves

This painting of crashing waves will be the lesson for next weeks class at Riverside Arts Center.  It is from the EmptyEasel.com web site - from a tutorial on painting moving water. 

This painting is 5 inches by 9 inches and is a mixed media piece which also incorporated white crayon in watercolor crayon resist.  It is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper.

I Am The Diva Challenge 189: "Yuma!"

                             

 For those of you who don't know, on I Am The Diva's Challenge, the first Monday of the month is set aside for UMT ( use my tangle) - a tangle designed by someone who is a Zentangler.  This weeks tangle is called YUMA and it was designed by Tina Akua, Certified Zentangle Teacher.

For my challenge I used 6" x 6" white drawing paper and black and brown Micron Pigma drawing pens.

Class Paintings of Ozee's Truck!

Front: Dave and Misty; Back: Terri, Scott and Cindy

We had 5 in our watercolor class this evening and they worked on Ozee's truck painting.  They have not finished, but boy - they sure have a good start!!!  They did great work tonight for 3 hours straight - not an easy project.  We all had a nice glass of River Red wine from Marietta, Ohio, compliments of my daughter, Beth, and enjoyed great conversation, too.

Ozee's Old Truck

This vintage truck painting is due to the kindness of "Ozee" who has allowed me to use his wonderful photograph.

This painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper.  I used Indian Red as the primary color in the truck and I dulled down the greens by using sap green  and cerulean blue.  I introduced a lot of muted colors into the house - Payne's grey, cerulean blue, Indian red, and a little cobalt blue.

My class knows that I always have to throw in a vintage truck every now and then - so this will be a lesson for my class.

I Am The Diva - Challenge 188: National Coming Out Day

The Diva's Challenge is to recognize National Coming Out Day...she received this nice note from a young man:

 "I think it would be a good way to further inspire tanglers and raise awareness if you considered a challenge to somehow put some aspect of LGBT in a tile. Perhaps using the colors of the rainbow, or using tangles that start with L, G, B, and T, or using those letters as a string? "

So - this is my answer to the challenge - lots of color representing the rainbow and an abstract-type of rainbow over the color.  I used Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper 8" x 2" and used transparent watercolors and Micron-pigma black pens.

Pears and Lace

This is the painting that I have prepared to teach this Monday evening at Riverside Art Center. 

 It is a transparent watercolor which is painted on 140 lb. hot-pressed Canson's watercolor paper.  I made a mistake and used the hot-pressed side instead of the cold-pressed side and lived to regret it.  This was so hard to paint on hot-pressed paper.  I must be sure that my students use the cold.  

The crocheted doily was difficult to paint because it didn't all come together until after it was almost all painted and I added the details and the dark bottom.  This is a challenge, but I know my students will handle it well.

I Am The Diva Challenge # 187: Blind String

The challenge this week is to start with a blind string - actually blind - not looking when you draw it!  I added the line outside after I drew the string.

  

This is 6" x 6" and is on good white drawing paper and I used Micron Pigma black pens - .005, .01 and .05.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 30: Zentangle Inspired Art using a Tole Design

Yipee!  This is day 30 and I made it in spite of some pretty big hurdles like my dear husband being hospitalized 2 weeks ago.  He is doing fine, but it took some juggling to get everything done during the time he was in the hospital.

This design is drawn from the design on a gift bag received from a good friend, Rosie.    It is not exactly the type of design used in Zentangles - more of the type of designs found in tole painting in the 70's, but it did make a pretty design with the addition of tangles.

This Zentangle Inspired Art  is 6 inches x 6 inches and is done on good white drawing paper with Micron-Pigma pens and Prismacolor colored pencils.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 29: Zentangle Inspired Art Two

I created this zentangle inspired art with my watercolor class tonight at Riverside Art Center.  I did one of these with a leaf motif last week and decided that it would make a good lesson, so that is what we did this evening - I painted this as they worked along. Firt they drew the leaves in pencil and then did a wet-in-wet watercolor over the drawing in colors of fall.  Then they zentangled tangles over the leaves with the micron-pigma pens.   

They really enjoyed the project and we will photograph it next week after all are completed.  This painting is 12" x 9" and is on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 28: Pepper Triad

I love green, red and yellow peppers!  I love drawing and painting them too, so I thought this 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge would be a good time to do a small painting of them.  This painting is 5" x 7" and is on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 27: The Delft Elephant

I have an elephant collection and this little Delft elephant was one of the first and also one of my favorites.  This is small -  about 4 inches wide and maybe 3 inches tall.

The painting is approximately 5" x 7"  and is painted on 140 lb. Canson cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Portraits

A couple weeks ago, my intermediate watercolor class did some portraits.  They worked monochromatically in Payne's grey and also did some drawing using skewers and Payne's grey on wet paper.  Their drawings/paintings were awesome.  All of their drawings looked like different men, even though they all started with the same basic, simple drawing of a man.  We all enjoyed this lesson very much.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 26: Leaves on Golden Ground

I had a small canvas, 8" x 10" on which I had painted in plein air a landscape with which I was not happy.  This painting is totally from my imagination - no source picture.  

I sanded the painting smooth and covered the surface with the new Golden ground for watercolors.  I find that the ground works very well - this was much like the watercolor canvases which you buy.  

I found that the paint will lift if you go back in, so you have to be cautious where you work, or drop water, etc.  You can glaze over colors as long as you just lay the color over the surface and do not stroke with the brush.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 25: Vino and Canvas at Riverside

 Not everyone finished - hopefully they will in the future!  Everyone did a great, great job on a difficult subject.

This was my 30 Paintings in 30 Days painting for the day - along with 11 other painters!  We offered another Vino and Canvas party for guests at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  We painted in acrylics on 18"x18" stretched canvases and they painted along with me.  Our source painting came from the website Paint My Picture. We had a great time - lots of good conversation and art!  Many thanks to my dear friend, Misty Steinke, for her fine photography!

I Am The Diva Challenge #186: Leaves in Zentangle Inspired Art

The Diva's challenge this week is to use leaves in our tangle.  I decided to use a watercolor wash with the ink tangles and create some Zentangle Inspired Art!

The piece is 12" x 9" and is done on Canson's 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper.  I used Micron-Pigma ink pens .005 and.03, and QoR Watercolors from Golden Paints.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 22: Flower Fantasy

I had to do my daily painting after class tonight, so this one was a quick one - a small watercolor 7 1/2 " x 5".  It is painted on a chip of Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper with QoR watercolor from Golden.

This painting is entirely from my mind/imagination - no sources used on it - I think that is obvious! Eh?

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 21: Watercolor Workshop Monthly Project - a Study in Value and Atmospheric Perspective

This monthly project for Watercolor Workshop is a study in value and atmospheric perspective.  This is a small painting - 6" x 7" and is painted on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold-pressed watercolor paper.

Abandoned House with Trees

I finally finished this painting today.  It is 12" x 9" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper with Qor watercolor from Golden.

The painting is taken from a source photo from Pamela Baker (www.bakercreekdesigns.com), a good friend and excellent photographer.  We are going to do another "Side by Side" show, and this is the first painting in that new series.  Thank you, Pamela, for sharing your wonderful work with me.

I Am The Diva Challenge # 185: Philcops and Diva Dance

This is my rendition of Philcops and Diva Dance.  I started out determined to make this zentangle in asymmetrical balance with the three philcops in the center, and still ended up with a symmetrical design after I added the area outside the circle.  For some reason (maybe the fact that I am a Libra) - everything has to be balanced in my life.  When I am painting in oils or watercolor I have no trouble doing them in asymmetrical balance, but as soon as I zentangle - the symmetrical genes kick in - guess I will just go with it!

This tangle is 6" square and is done on good white drawing paper with Micron-Pigma pens and Prismacolor colored pencils.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 18: Decorative Indian Corn

I prepared the lesson for Monday night this afternoon while visiting and painting with our Thursday group, The Muses! It was a great afternoon. 

This painting comes from a tutorial I found on The Frugal Crafter's blog.  She has the most wonderful ideas and I thought this would be perfect for a lesson.

This painting is approximately 7 1/2 " x 6" and is painted on 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico cold-pressed watercolor paper.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 17: Abandoned House and Trees (continuation of painting posted previously)

Well, almost finished with this one.  I still have to finish the trees and also the ivy branches on the house which you can't see in this.

As I said yesterday, this one is 12" x 9" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper with the new Golden watercolors, QoR.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 16: Abandoned House and Trees (continuation of painting previously posted)

This is my painting for the day...I continued working on the painting of the abandoned house and trees from the photograph by Pamela Baker, my good friend and excellent photographer.  It is taking time since all that wood is in so many different hues.  I see now that I will have to darken the house since the trees and the house are both so close to the same values.

This painting is 12" x 9" and is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper with QoR watercolors from Golden paints.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 15: Fall Trees in Watercolor and Miskit

This was our lesson tonight at our intermediate watercolor class at Riverside Art Center.  I have previously posted the picture on the left and the one on the right is the one I painted along with my students.  Their work was so nice and I will post that tomorrow evening.

This painting (both actually) is 12" x 9 " and is painted on 140 lb. Arches cold-pressed watercolor paper.  This was a lesson in drawing with liquid miskit and also wet-into-wet watercolor.

30 Paintings in 30 Days: Day 14: Trees at Abandoned House

Today I am painting, but will not finish a painting.  I am working on this painting which I started last week with the contour drawing I posted.  It requires a lot of effort and detail and will not be completed in one day.  I assure you, I will continue to be painting most of the day!

This painting is 12" x 9" and is on 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper from Canson with QoR watercolors from Golden.

Still Life with Apples

I painted this still life today for day 13 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  I am also going to use it for my intermediate watercolor class at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

The painting is 9" x 12" and is painted on Canson 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper with Golden's QoR watercolors.  I love them - the pigments are so intense and keep the intensity as they dry, unlike a lot of other watercolors.

All Strung out!

This little watercolor is my painting for day 10 in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - I know this is the 11th, but my dear husband, Rock, has been in the hospital since Tuesday, and I was not able to post this yesterday.

This is 7" x 5" and is painted on printmaking paper with QoR paints from Golden and wet-in-wet drawing with a skewer.

I am the Diva's Weekly Challenge#184: "Ing"

I had some trouble with "Ing" and am still not certain if I did it correctly.

I did this tangle on a piece of printmaking paper that I had left over.  I did a wet-in-wet background in burnt sienna and yellow ochre using QoR watercolors from Golden and then did my tangle on top using an .03 Micron Pigma black drawing pen.