Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

The Diva's Challenge # 182: Zentangle in Rows


The Diva's challenge this week is to do the challenge in rows...so I decided to make my rows in circles.  I want my design to look like it is based on Australian Aboriginal art, which I love.  Their art is often based in the circle format, very often with colored dots in sequential patterns.

This design is 6" x 5 1/2" and is drawn on white drawing paper.  I used Micron-Pigma pens and Prismacolor colored pencils for color.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Make Lemonade!

This still life is the new lesson for my students at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio.  I finished it over the weekend. It is from a source photo by Ellen in Ont which I found in the reference image file in Wet Canvas.

The painting is painted on 140 lb. cold-pressed Arches watercolor paper with mostly Holbein watercolors.

This painting tested my patience - I did not enjoy painting the lemons - and the slice of lemon in the front with the back-lighting was difficult for me. 

The background was also challenging since it was a patchwork of different textures and colors.

I am still not happy with the lemons and I know that my students will do much better on them than I!!!

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Water in Zentangle - I am The Diva Challenge #181

The challenge this week is to depict "Water" in Zentangle and this is the design I came up with - very stylized drops of water.

This Zentangle was embellished with a chalk background and then I outlined the design with .05 Micron-
Pigma pen and finished the colors with Prismacolor colored pencils.

This is 6"x6" and is done on good white drawing paper.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Rusty and Red...Retired

This painting - "Rusty and Red, Retired," is the latest lesson for the watercolor class in Wapakoneta.  They know that, periodically we have to have our old truck fix,(or at least I do!)  so here is the latest.

The source photo came from an internet friend, with permission of course, and the painting is 9" x 12" , painted on Canson 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper with mostly Holbein watercolors.

I used a generous amount of salt on this one, perhaps too much, but I wanted to give the impression/illusion of overgrowth/weeds, trees, etc.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

MacDee and Mooka: I Am The Diva Challenge #180


The Diva's challenge this week is to learn the tangle "Mac Dee" by using it in a Zentangle.  I decided to use it with Mooka for my design.

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

There can be many variations of Mac Dee - thousands, I guess, depending on what colors you use and how many lines you want to use in your squares.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Some Liquid Refreshment

This will be the lesson for our Intermediate Watercolor Class at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta this Monday evening.  I created this painting from a photograph taken by my friend Deb Holmes who generously allows me to paint from her photos.  The original photo was horizontal format, so I used my 'artistic license' to change it to vertical so that the reflection of the tree in the birdbath water made more sense in the painting.  

The painting is 12" x 9" and is painted on Canson cold-pressed 140 lb. watercolor paper with mostly the new QoR Watercolors from Golden Paints.  Their turquoise is awesome.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

The Diva's Challenge #179: Bijou

This is my answer to the weekly Diva's challenge - we were to use the new Bijou size to create our challenge - the size is 2" x 2" - not too big.  Since I don't have the pre-cut Bijou tiles, I created my own from white drawing paper and rounded the edges.

I selected Ole as my major tangle and I don't know the name of the other tangle I used..  I painted the reflections on the Ole using block-out white and the ink design is created with Micron Pigma black waterproof  pens -.005.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Antique Glass and Pears

I finished this painting recently - the inspiration was a photograph from the Wet Canvas web site reference library.  I think that this has a sort of old master/renaissance feel - maybe because of the colors.

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

This painting will be a lesson soon for my intermediate watercolor class at Riverside Art Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio.