Category Archives: series

Sketchpack Project: Week 1

Posted on August 2, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

This year’s theme: The Hazy Moon of Enlightenment This sketchpack is going ot be all drawings. I almost passed on Di’s challenge but I had a good time last year! Making it simple, and all about the line — and … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, Buddha, challenge, drawing, pen & ink, series, sketchbook, waterbrush | Tagged #Sketchpack, Artsauce, August Challenge, bell, buddha, Capetown, De Atramentis Document ink, De Atramentis Tobacco ink, Diamine Ancient Copper Ink, Diamine Ink, dorje, drilbu, folded jurnal, Jinhao, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, om, Platinum Carbon pen, Sketchpack Project, Tibetan Buddhist, vajra, waterbrush, yin-yang, zen, Zen Buddha, Zen Buddhist | 2 Comments

Gratitude: My Red Bike at the Haskell Street Barn

Posted on July 13, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

*alert: vampire child face, oops* I had a good childhood, raised by a single mom with an alcoholic dad who skipped, and three much older brothers who loved me dearly. I am GRATEFUL because I wasn’t around JD (what they … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, challenge, journal, memory, pen & ink, portrait, series, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged #WorldWatercolorMonth, apricot, babysitter, bike, Daniel Smith watercolors, Encino California, George Puttnam, ghosts, gratitude, Haskell Ave, Holbein, journal, memory, Moleskin Watercolor journal, pen & ink, Platinum Carbon pen, red barn, red bike, selfie, sketchbook, the Haunting, watercolor, watercolor art journal | 18 Comments

VSW: Capetown South Africa Beachwalk, 2

Posted on May 31, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

Necessity is the mother of fast sketches. I barely finished these by the end of our month on Capetown! I used a water-soluble graphite fat pencil and splashed watercolors over the sketches. From beginning to end in about 15 minutes … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, pen & ink, series, sketchbook, timed painting, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged architecture, beach, Capetown, Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, Holbein, Moleskin Watercolor journal, ocean, outdoor market, Primatek, virtual sketchwalk | 2 Comments

VSW: Chicago, 1, Newberry Library

Posted on April 4, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

Nice to have Sue lead the Virtual Sketchwalk in Chicago this month. I’m taking the opportunity to play on Canson Colored papers, ink and watercolor on grey paper! The watercolor buckled the paper, but it stood up to it — … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, challenge, drawing, pen & ink, process, series, sketchbook, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged architecture, Canson paper, caput mortem, Chicago, Daniel Smith watercolors, Greenleaf & Blueberry Watercolors, Henry Cobb, Italian Renaissance, Lamy Al-Star, Mummy Bauxite, Newberry Library, Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, Platinum Carbon pen, Primatek, Shungite, virtual sketchwalk | 2 Comments

VSW: Chicago, 2, Fourth Presbyterian Church

Posted on April 3, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

Continuing the Virtual Sketchwalk in Chicago drawing on colored paper, this time ink and colored pencil on grey paper, with a nod to Pat Southern-Pearce! Canson paper loose to be tipped into my Moleskin 8×11 watercolor journal, Pentalic HB woodless … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, pen & ink, pencil, series, virtual sketching | Tagged architecture, Canson paper, Chicago, colored pencils, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Gothic, Lamy Al-Star, Pat Southern-Pearce, Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, Platinum Carbon pen, Ralph Adams Cram, virtual sketchwalk | 5 Comments

Restore Oregon Celebration Dinner, The Event

Posted on December 3, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

Mitchell and I attended the Restoration Celebration to raise money for the the 2016 Most Endangered Places, and to hear the winners of the 2015 Demuro Awards, as the guest of one of our clients, Karla Pearlstein of Restoring History. … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, drawing, journal, memory, painting, pen & ink, pencil, series, sketchbook, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged art journal, buildings, Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, Demuro Award, MPF Conservation, Pentalic HB woodless pencil, Pentel Brush Pen, Pilot Parallel pen, Platinum Carbon pen, Portland Oregon, preservation, QoR watercolors, Restore Oregon, Super5 ink, watercolor | 12 Comments

Restore Oregon Celebration Dinner, Process

Posted on November 28, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

Posted in architecture, art journal, drawing, painting, pen & ink, process, series, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged art journal, buildings, Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, Demuro Award, MPF Conservation, Pentalic HB woodless pencil, Pentel Brush Pen, Pilot Parallel pen, Platinum Carbon pen, Portland Oregon, preservation, QoR watercolors, Restore Oregon, Super5 ink, watercolor | 7 Comments

Sketching Memories of Our Staycation, 10 Jai is Sick

Posted on November 26, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

My beloved Jai has been ill. Terrible diarrhea and finally diagnosed with IBS — irritable bowel syndrome. This is a TERRIBLE ordeal for the little guy — Montezuma’s revenge 8-12 times a day, always hungry (it masks as hunger), losing … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, art journal, drawing, journal, memory, painting, pen & ink, pencil, series, watercolor | Tagged art journal, Caran D'Ache Supracolor pencil, carrageenan, Cat, Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, Delta journal, IBS, MPF Conservation, Newman's Own Cat Food, Pentalic HB woodless pencil, Pilot Parallel pen, Platinum Carbon pen, Prismacolor pencil, sick cat, staycation, Stillman & Birn, Super5 ink, watercolor, watercolor pencils | 7 Comments

Sketchpack Project: Week Four

Posted on August 31, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

ABOUT SKETCHPACK: The project began in 2011. The original idea was to get folks to draw daily. The Sketchpack is a small zigzag journal with two usable sides, allowing one to sketch on both sides of 15 ‘pages’ to complete … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, challenge, drawing, making a living, painting, pen & ink, series, watercolor | Tagged anvil, art journal, Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, Dritz, Houles Tassel, leather strap cutter, Lie-Nielsen, Noodlers ink, pincer, Platinum Carbon pen, Sketchpack Project, sony camra, Super5 ink, watercolor | 8 Comments

VSW: #1 A Short Walk in Laguna Beach, California

Posted on August 16, 2015 by D. Katie Powell

My home town seemed a good place to start our walks. This will be a very short walk up about three blocks on the Pacific Coast Highway, starting at the historic Main Beach Lifeguard Tower, shown in black on the … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, class, creativity, drawing, pen & ink, process, series, virtual sketching | Tagged beach, California, Laguna Beach, virtual sketch, virtual sketchwalk | 83 Comments

Weeping Buddha, One

Posted on October 18, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

I fell in love with Balinese Buddha when I first saw him. The monks carve them as meditations. Mine has been on my altar for 20 years, and has a beautiful patina from being held. People call him Humble Buddha, … Continue reading →

Posted in art, Buddha, creativity, drawing, gods and goddesses, india ink, journal, lojong, meditation, painting, pen & ink, series, sketchbook, watercolor | Tagged art journal, buddha ball, weeping buddha | 3 Comments

Challenge: One Book, One Pen, One Month, #1

Posted on July 4, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

I’m up for a simple challenge like this, or so I thought. Laughingly, the first night I broke the rules. I used multiple colors of the same pen and then used a waterbrush! EEEK! The book: OE NOTES (my favorite … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, challenge, drawing, journal, memory, process, series, sketchbook, watercolor, writing | Tagged art journal, Cocoiro pens, flag, Ganesha, hanuman, Quan Yin, USA | 9 Comments

Mimi, from “My Family” Series

Posted on June 1, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

I’ve spoken about the series on My Family I created for a year-long study group with Brugh Joy. One of my favorite paintings from the series is of my grandmother, Lyle Genevieve Smith. I was the last grandchild, and so … Continue reading →

Posted in acrylic, art, journal, memory, painting, series, writing | Tagged grandmother, Hamangia, My Family series, sitting woman of hamangia | 4 Comments

God/dess Series: The “Thinker” and “Sitting Woman” of Hamangia

Posted on May 16, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

Most of my research for these two figures originally came through Marija Gimbutas (link to wiki.) I was introduced to her through the University of California, Los Angeles. She wrote two wonderful books I’ve used as references when painting my goddesses and gods, … Continue reading →

Posted in acrylic, art, painting, pencil, series | Tagged god, GOD/DESS SERIES, goddess, Hamangia, moon, My Family series, romania, sun | 10 Comments

F is for Favorite Artists: A-to-Z Challenge

Posted on April 7, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

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

Four Siblings: Part of “My Family” Series

Posted on March 13, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

Many moons ago I was part of a year-long study group with Brugh Joy, an amazing spiritual teacher. We were given an exercise to get to know our ancestors and family, and write about it. I painted it. I painted … Continue reading →

Posted in acrylic, art, creativity, painting, series | Tagged Brugh Joy, family, My Family series, siblings | 1 Comment

Emotional Art: Images as a Dream

Posted on March 7, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

A moonth stretches out in front of me, 1994. My former husband is in South America, screwing a woman he met there on the pretense of traveling with a male friend, my friend too. (No longer my friend too.) The … Continue reading →

Posted in acrylic, art, journal, painting, process, series, writing | Tagged catholicism, childhood hurts, deadbeat dad, dreams, fear, mother, shadow | 3 Comments

PROCESS: Patrick in my Art, or Detox Series 1995

Posted on March 4, 2014 by D. Katie Powell

In 1995 I was painting a hundred hearts, and in the middle of that series, my brother Patrick called from Seattle with hiccups that would not end, terrified, and said he was on his way to my house, hundreds of … Continue reading →