Category Archives: sketchbook

Chinese Lion Guard

We get such interesting projects in the studio. These pocket-sized Chinese Lion Guards were beautiful after being cleaned and oiled. I drew her in De Atramentis Document Brown ink. After grisaille work in Lexington Grey ink, I began layering Robert … Continue reading

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Sharada Navratri Goddess, 2

Sharada Navratri, nine nights (ten days) which celebrates the many faces of the goddess, is a post monsoon season autumn Hindu festival which often falls in the Western calendar months of September-October.  MahaDurgha is honored in the Durgha puja, and … Continue reading

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Tools: New Watercolor Palette Arrangements

I’ve been a little depressed lately. Okay, a LOT depressed, some for “good” reasons (family issues) but some because I-don’t-know. I cleaned my palettes, and finally added a couple of new colors.  Left, in my primary palette, and I added … Continue reading

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Sharada Navratri, 1

Sharada Navratri, nine nights (ten days) which celebrates the many faces of the goddess, is a post monsoon season autumn Hindu festival which often falls in the Western calendar months of September-October.  I take liberties to honor the Goddess in … Continue reading

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Tools: Drywall Repair Tape

I was buying product for the business and found this Drywall Repair Tape. (Image from their company, above; hopefully they will be okay with me using it.) I had a thought that it might be a fun tool to lay … Continue reading

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Tools: Fall Watercolors

Gads I love color! I’ve been asked why I buy so many tubes of watercolors… It’s true, I could buy a dozen tubes and mix everything — well almost everything, because the Primatek colors have their own lovely granulating properties. … Continue reading

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VSW: Quibao

Virtual Sketchwalk (group on Facebook) from our Shanghai walk, led by Aniko; this is from the town of Quibao. I had the flu when doing these and made mistakes, oh well, and one of them is I put Aliska on … Continue reading

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Sherre’s Posies

A high school friend has a lovely garden and one of her images caught me… I didn’t do it justice and might try again! I LOVE my sketch — and here is the secret, that I love line work. But … Continue reading

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Soft Kitty Warm Kitty

I drew the lines using Soft Kitty Warm Kitty ink in a Pilot Metropolitan with a stub nib. A waterbrush moved the lines without erasing them by moving it fairly fast only ONCE over the sketched lines (before below).  I … Continue reading

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Recipes: Ritual

I enjoy writing our recipes in my Khadi Journal, though it will never be a favorite journal (more on that at the bottom).  I have my journal when cooking; I make notes and sketch. I placed Ganesha, my favorite Hindu … Continue reading

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Recipes: Ham and Lima Beans

Rancho Gordo’s Big Juicy White Limas are soooo good… I’ve made a ham and beans for years but never had them as tasty as with these beans. If you try them you will never go back to any other Lima … Continue reading

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PS: Even More Thinking… Testing… and Memories

My Nostalgie sketchbook really is a testing ground.  If something works a bit on the smooth sketch paper then I will try it out in one of my watercolor journals. Someday this will be a nice memory of Mitchell and … Continue reading

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VSW: Pudong Skyline

Pudong from images by Aniko Szedlak for our FB group, Virtual Sketchwalk. I think I’ve not painted a night scene before and this was a huge challenge… And also came very close to complete Direct Watercolor. I am okay with … Continue reading

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VSW: Direct Watercolor vs My old Style

These paintings are from the Shanghai walk in Virtual Sketchbook… I am showing them together because it show two different approaches to similar images. Above, how I start the two images tells where they are going. On the left, I … Continue reading

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VSW: Shanghai Temple

When sitting waiting, I also take a couple images from our Virtual Sketchwalk group along in case the view is boring… This one from our Shanghai walk! What is one the facing page? My quick recipe i wrote in the … Continue reading

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Cat Fort

We build cat forts for the cats to play in… Elaborate or simple play area that sometimes use their travel carriers, which makes them love their carriers too. Long packing paper is woven through the carriers, and they love the … Continue reading

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Grey Sweater

Ink-painting a current project, enlivening my old grey cotton cardigan with some bright floral  embroidery. I started by mending a rip and then got carried away!  The embroidery goes all around the neck of the sweater, small flowers. I LOVE … Continue reading

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VSW: Porto Gate

Detail of a gate in Porto Portugal, which was so so charming I hung onto it until I could sketch it. To hear about classes, follow me on Instagram, Facebook or check out my new, improved dkatiepowellart.com “Memory is more … Continue reading

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