Author Archives: D. Katie Powell

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About D. Katie Powell

hollywood baby turned beach gurl turned steel&glass city gurl turned cowgurl turned herb gurl turned green city gurl. . . artist writer photographer. . . cat lover but misses our big dogs, gone to heaven. . . foodie, organic, lover of all things mik, partner in conservation business mpfconservation, consummate blogger, making a dream happen, insomniac who is either reading buddhist teachings or not-so-bloody mysteries or autobio journal thangs early in the morning when i can't sleep

USk: MPFC Finish Studio

Every so often I like to sketch our studio rooms. This is primarily my finish room, where I work conserving objects. I use our own mixed shellac and (primarily oil) paints to bring back dead finishes. You can see one … Continue reading

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Lupines

Dragon’s Night is such a gorgeous sketching BLURPLE ink! In a Hahnemühle Nostalgie Sketchbook, wild lupines are perfect for the blurple of Dragon’s Night, with a little help from his other inks! Drawn with a Platinum Carbon pen with waterproof … Continue reading

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Echinacea

Pink echinacea from a photo… And a lovely quote to remember from Ani Pema Chodron: “We can  make ourselves miserable or we can make ourselves strong. The amount of effort is the same.” We can also make ourselves and others … Continue reading

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New Black Moon, Dragons Night

New Moon today at 1:28 pm PST. This new moon is also a Black Moon, meaning the second New Moon in a month. There is also a solar eclipse, so I think it is safe to say the heavens will … Continue reading

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Tools: Schminke Supergranulating Paints

☾ I wanted to try Schminke’s Supergranulating paints.  I liked the idea of two or more pigments that separate through granulation when painted. I bought nine of them, along with Schminke’s pan set “Wintertide” of 10 basic colors, plus two … Continue reading

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Tools: Esterbrook “Estie” Sunflower

Loving sunflowers and knowing how lovely the Esterbrook pens are, I had to purchase the beautiful Esterbrook “Estie” Sunflower pen from Penchalet. I ordered the 1.1 stub nib, my favorite nib for sketching and writing. I am convinced the stub … Continue reading

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Dragon

I think this is what they call blurple… Dragon’s Night… a blue-purple! This dragon sports it nicely, doncha think? It seems to glow under the flash, above! A new color for me, and I’ll do lots more sketching with it! … Continue reading

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Wild Test of Hahnemühle’s New 100% Cotton Sketch Book

Another test of the Hahnemühle 100% Cotton Watercolour Book. I layered Sennelier Shellac ink over the page, and painted the basic flower with gouache.  It felt toothy enough that I tried layering colored pencils over that… I’ve never had that … Continue reading

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Ukraine Faces

The war in Ukraine bothers me so… Sketching the lovely faces on the internet is a way to connect when I feel so unempowered to do anything, and marks this wartime. I cannot comprehend why we are again walking through … Continue reading

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Tools: My Current Palette

Whenever I start a new journal, I always record my current main watercolor palette. I have a few palettes for specific tasks, but this is the largest main palette with a mix of a few Daniel Smith Primateks and many … Continue reading

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Inky Thots: Robert Oster Rubine

Robert Oster Rubine is a favorite red, and has found a permanent home in my red Pilot Metropolitan.  It leans just ever so slightly into a blue-red.  I usually do match pen to ink, mostly because I have many pens … Continue reading

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Easter Cherry Blossoms

Very late in posting… The cherries are nearly ripe! (Not really.) The thing about the cherry blossoms in the park is that they are not only a feast for the eyes but sometimes you can smell their fragrance… Also, they … Continue reading

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30 Posies: Violas

Yesterday you saw my loosey-goosey sketch of orange and purple pansies. Today I am taking you through what the architect in me paints! Seriously, there are two artists battling it out daily, and one is a very precise architect who … Continue reading

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Violas, 1

About says it all…. ☾ To hear about classes, follow me on Instagram, Facebook or check out my new, improved dkatiepowellart.com “Memory is more indelible than ink.” Anita Loos, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. “I think not….” Me… why I journal! Hahnemühle … Continue reading

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Sketching for Clientele

I LOVE documenting our studio life in my sketchbooks, and some projects are so sketch-worthy with their baubles and trims and bright colors! I also use my sketchbook as a way to communicate with our clients from time to time, … Continue reading

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Pink Echincea

I sketch, daily, even when not posting. Nothing earth-shattering, often from a photo late at night when I am not yet sleepy. During the day I am usually too busy with work. I haven’t been posting because I got sick … Continue reading

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Booster

Booster hit us hard, but better than getting Covid! “Memory is more indelible than ink.” Anita Loos, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. “I think not….” Me… why I journal! To hear about classes, follow me on Facebook or dkatiepowellart.me and sign up … Continue reading

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Dark Chocolate Easter Bunny!

Run right out and get yourself a YUMMY bottle of Robert Oster Signature Dark Chocolate Ink for your Easter Basket!  Drawings made using the Sailor Fude and a Pentel Aquash waterbrush to move the Dark Chocolate ink. To hear about … Continue reading

Posted in art journal, creativity, drawing, ink painting, journal, painting, pen & ink, process, ritual, sketchbook, waterbrush, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments