Random sketches from my journal, continuing to play with the watercolors is the point.
My confidence is growing; I am dropping into my best drawing habits from my teens and twenties. While sketching my favorite coffee cup, I realized why I rarely paint shadows. Our studio has fluorescent lighting and few strong shadows exist! Now I am starting to force them so I can practice layering watercolor shadows. I need to be more patient and let areas fully dry!
An urban sketch, factory smoke looking northwest toward St. John’s Bridge
in Portland. A hazy sky, which is unusual. I am working very fast here,
making an impression with watercolors while experimenting with the
flow of the wash, pulling colors around while everything is wet.
Challenges can be fun (especially if they don’t run YOU) to push you.
The breakfast pushed me to paint on the run, as did the St. John’s Wort.
The Caydanlik gave me an opportunity on a stainless steel piece to work with
color washes all around, pushing into each other as the colors ran.
Not happy with all of them, but each represent another lesson for me.
Practice!
Graphite lines to block, laying in layers of watercolor, then ink to define
the La Gabbianella rooster (as he actually is defined)!
Happy cup!
And I loosen up. make shadow, messy messy!
Happy painter!
Drawn in an Stillman & Birn Alpha journal
with graphite pencils and/or Noodler’s Polar Brown or Lexington Grey inks,
and Daniel Smith watercolors.
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D.Katie Powell Art 
You are my muse 💝 urban sketching and watercolors on my horizon in 2015. Baby steps; giant leap.
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Love it! When you are ready I can give you some tips!
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Love your colors and use of space.
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Everything you create, even your “mistakes,” appeals to me. I don’t know if you wanted one, but I’m a fan. 😀
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Abut a year into painting I learned that artist’s often don’t know what is good about their own work. We only know whether it looks the way we sa it in our head. I’ll take all the fans I can get!
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I find that true for writers as well. It often takes someone else’s perspective to tell us what is good (or at least promising) and what isn’t. I listened to Amy Tan give a talk about this. She sent something to her editor, asking if it was any good or not. She was too close to the work to tell. What’s in our heads often isn’t what’s on the page, so it takes someone else to point out what’s missing.
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Yes. The good thing about writing is editing. Hard to edit art!
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Really good work! Valerie
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Thanks Valerie!
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Wonderful sketches!!
Hugs Giggles
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Thanks Giggles. I love saying that!
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What wonderful paintings. They have such a nice emotive feel.
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Thank you Lisa!
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Beautiful watercolors, I like your way of working. Saludos
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Thanks Mari!
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Beautiful! I love the journal pages. I think my favorite is the teapot.
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I had never seen a Turkish teapot until Palma asked me to sketch one. Now I will be on the lookout for this type of pot to see how they work!
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