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Author Archives: D. Katie Powell
Q is for Quinacridone: A-to-Z Challenge
“You’ll not see nothing like the mighty ‘Quins’!” I hear Bob Dylan’s tune as I gush about the family of paint colors called quinacridone (kwin awk’ ri doan). I first encountered them in Golden Acrylics. They became a staple in … Continue reading
Prayer Flags in the Wind
Originally posted on zenkatwrites. Prayer flags begin as we do, bright colors, full of the promise, like wishes on a dandelion. People notice them, cheered by their vibrancy. They oh-so-quickly fade, and begin to tatter here and there. Many people … Continue reading
Posted in art, journal, memory, sketchbook, watercolor
Tagged birds, prayer flags, squirrel
15 Comments
P is for Pastels: A-to-Z-Challenge
I’ve never liked pastels, and for some reason, when people used to give me art supplies, they always gave me pastels. Because I was a glitzy Southern Californian beach gurl, they gave me shimmery pastels! I find them clumsy, thick, … Continue reading
Ode to My Sakura Koi Watercolor Field Box
Originally posted on Still Life with Tortillas:
Ode to My Sakura Koi Watercolor Field Box I love you my rainbow in a box of endless possibilities, your twenty-four parched jewels panting in their tiny pans, waiting for the quenching strokes…
Posted in art
3 Comments
N is for Nicolaides: A-to-Z Challenge
Continuing on with the technique I learned from Gwenn Seemel, I am still very uncomfortable and yet excited by it. I get lost in it. It allows me to SEE better –through my fingers attached to a pen — or to … Continue reading
Posted in art, drawing, painting, process, sketchbook
Tagged alala, crow, drawing, Natural Way to Draw, Nicolaides, Pitt pens, sketching, Tombow pens
4 Comments
M is for Mistakes: A-to-Z Challenge
It’s a cautionary tale. I tend to jump right in and not think about chemistry (which I was pretty good at) when it comes to paints and shellac and all kinds of wet colorful things. When I was first painting … Continue reading
Posted in acrylic, color, creativity, painting, process
Tagged Golden Acrylic Paints, mermaids, mistake, mixology, retreat, shimmer
8 Comments
L is for Lines: A-to-Z-Challenge
Not the lines a guy gives you at a bar. Not the ones in the script you read for when you thought you wanted to be a movie star. Doodles are lines. Cartoons are linear. Architects communicate with line drawings. … Continue reading
In the Garden: Memory
(I can see the difference in my second nasturtium, much looser. . . and I like this background.) I was feeling blue. I was also so disappointed because Daniel Smith did not get my paints to me for our time … Continue reading
Posted in art, color, drawing, journal, memory, painting, watercolor
Tagged art journal, frogs, garden, husband, journal, nasturtiums
2 Comments
K is for Kyanite: A-to-Z Challenge
Kyanite is on my must-have list; it is from the line of raw looking gemstone watercolors from Daniel Smith. It is a naturally sparkling not-quite lavender blue grey, yummy, and it is winging its way to me to day! Soon … Continue reading
Posted in color, watercolor
Tagged blue, Daniel Smith watercolors, jewelry, kyanite, lavendar, Primatek, trishnajewelry
1 Comment
J is for Art Journal: A-to-Z Challenge
I had to make a change. Running and working in our business means I don’t have the time to set up for painting at an easel and painting with acrylics, which in my case means canvases and 4 oz tubs … Continue reading
Posted in art, creativity, drawing, journal, painting, sketchbook, watercolor
Tagged art journal, journal
12 Comments
I is for Indanthrone: A-to-Z Challenge
I love new paint. Daniel Smith’s Indanthrone Blue is a new color to my palette. In past, I have loved Prussian, or Indigo, or Cobalt blue — But this may make me move away from The first two. It has … Continue reading
Posted in color, watercolor
Tagged anthraquinone blue, Daniel Smith watercolors, indanthrone blue
2 Comments
H is for Hematite: A-to-Z Challenge
I had long used Golden Acrylic’s Micaceous Iron Oxide, part of their Iridescent colors, straight out of the tub or in glazes, shown above. It is this delicious heavy shimmering charcoal in a pot. In Horse with Red Ball, above, … Continue reading
Posted in acrylic, color, painting, watercolor
Tagged Daniel Smith watercolors, Golden Acrylic Paints, hematite, horse, Micaceous Iron Oxide, Primatek, red ball
5 Comments
G is for Granulating: A-to-Z Challenge
I had no idea what granulating paint was until I began using watercolors. And you have to know or you get wonky things happening that you didn’t want, like the funny paint around Frank’s nose, below. Notice how most of … Continue reading
Posted in acrylic, color, oil paint, painting, watercolor
Tagged granulating, ground paints
3 Comments
F is for Favorite Artists: A-to-Z Challenge
A friend (and favorite artist) published a blog post the other day relating how her style evolved. It has a lot to do with artists who influenced her. I know several of my favorite artists influenced my tendency to one … Continue reading
Posted in art, creativity, painting, process, series
Tagged David Hockney, Marc Chagall, Marc Rothko, Monet, repetition, repetitve
6 Comments
Sunday is Shameless Plug Day
I am working on becoming a full-time artist, not a starving artist and not an artist that has another job, even if I am my own boss. All I wanna do is paint *sigh* don’t we all? I expect you … Continue reading
Posted in cards, prints
Tagged art cards, buy stuff, cards, donate, post cards, starving artist
5 Comments
E is for Environmentally Friendly: A-to-Z Challenge
I’m talking toxicity versus environmentally friendly and how to read labels. Above are three labels: Golden’s “AP Nontoxic”, Gamblin’s information label stated clearly, and an older tube of Cotman Cadmiun Red that shows a Health Label requiring no labeling (again, … Continue reading
D is for Drawing Pens: A-to-Z Challenge
My favorite drawing pens are Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens, shown right as the top three pens with their caps off. I love them because they are wonderfully waterproofed India ink, and work best of all the pens on shellacked … Continue reading
Posted in art, creativity, drawing, journal, painting, process, shellac, sketchbook, watercolor
Tagged Cocoiro pens, drawing pens, painting with pens, Pitt pens, Tombow pens
19 Comments
C is for Color: A to Z Challenge
Omigoddess I love color. I became a painter for many reasons but chief among them is the use of all that delicious glistening wet color. My current favorites, and I do have favorites in pure colors, are ALL the quinacridones, … Continue reading
D.Katie Powell Art 