A Watercolor Request

I have a student who requested a cardinal project. She wants to paint a gift for a friend and her friend loves cardinals. So, here it is. Male cardinals are not my favorite birds to paint. While they are colorful, they are pretty much one color and it is challenging to create his form. The female cardinal, while not as bright and cheerful looking as the male, is actually much more fun to paint.

A New Watercolor

It was time to work on a watercolor or two. I have students who need projects to work on. So, I put my pencils down and picked up a paintbrush. Here is a new watercolor--spring tulips. This piece is 9x12. It is painted on 200 pound cold press watercolor paper using MaimeriBlu paint.

More Colored Pencils

I am continuing to play with my pencils and I am thoroughly enjoying them. I have collected a number of technique books that are very helpful. I am finding new and exciting techniques to apply to my own work. Here is a recent piece--three pears on a cloth painted on beige cardstock. The pears are painted using an underpainting technique with complimentary colors.

Taking Classes

Last week I had the privilege of teaching at the MAD Painting Conference in the Poconos. Since my classes were on Wednesday and Friday, I took advantage of some of my uncommitted time to take a couple of classes from other teachers. Both of the classes I took were in colored pencil. It is a good idea to see what other people are doing and maybe pick up a few new ideas and tips.

Rose Hips, Kelly Hoernig

At the Beach, Laurie McKenzie

A work in Progress

Here is another new pencil project. It is not quite finished. I still need to anchor it and decide about a background.

New Pencil Project

This weekend I attended a local painting retreat. While I was attending to the make-it-take-it table (I was the MITI Chair), I had plenty of time to play with my colored pencils. Here is one of the projects I worked on. It is painted (colored pencil projects are called paintings) on suede mat board.

Playing with Pencils

I am having a wonderful time playing with my colored pencils. Pencils are such a portable medium. You don't need a lot of extra paraphernalia, they aren't messy, and you can stop and start without worrying about what is going to happen to your paint, your piece, your brushes while you are away from your project. Here are a couple of pencil projects.

Fruit Still Life (Colored Pencil on card stock)

Strawberry Patch (Colored Pencil on Papier Mache Box)