Pastels and Watercolors (and a few other art media)

[SquarePeg]

@snowbear : could she sketch something in with ink? What that something might be, I don't know. Definition of the hill below the treeline, maybe? The burnt sienna looks like it could be massaged into rough terrain, maybe.

Do you have a vision for how you want the scene to look, Sharon?

Originally wanted the burnt sienna to be a rocky, rough edge but the rocks were too detailed and didn’t go with the loose trees and cliff so I washed it out. The beginning of the overworking!!!

This might just need to be a do over with the trees and cliff on their own with some type of minimalistic sky.

 

[snowbear]

I like the looseness of the trees and what I take as reflections but, yeah, the mountain on the left is a bit out of place for the rest.

If you are layering, make sure the previous layer is dry before adding another, otherwise you're just working wet-on-wet and risk muddying thoings up.

Yes, you can add ink but the same thing - let previous stuff dry first. Another thought, for future, is get a basic set (8-12) of watercolor / water-soluble pencils. When wc is dry (theme of the week), you can draw in details, then do a light water wash (use a small brush) over the pencil; to tie things together.

I have a 12-pencil set by Derwent that work well enough. I also have a 36-pencil set of Prismacolors that I am saving until the Derwents are gone.

 

[SquarePeg]

Well I let it sit for a few days and then decided to see if I could make it any better. Not perfect but it was a good exercise in trying to be creative and work around my mistakes. I may actually use the tree root effect on another project so that was helpful.

This is the first week’s lesson from a free online “watercolor sketching” course I signed up for. This line and wash type of technique is not really my main interest but I’m hoping to practice some drawing skills and work on my color mixing. Also the lessons are only available for 48 hours after release so it removes endless procrastination from the equation. And hey free is free!

 

[SquarePeg]

Dahlia doodles - I may transfer this to watercolor paper and give it a go. Definitely a stretch of my painting skills - not sure if I’m up to it yet.

 

[snowbear]

You can do it. Not a lot different from your last one. Just do light layer/wash first, then once that dries, came back in a little heavier (darker). It may take a few layers bt it will be fine. Lightest near the tips, darker/heavier towards the center.

 

[terri]

Well I let it sit for a few days and then decided to see if I could make it any better. Not perfect but it was a good exercise in trying to be creative and work around my mistakes. I may actually use the tree root effect on another project so that was helpful.

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This is the first week’s lesson from a free online “watercolor sketching” course I signed up for. This line and wash type of technique is not really my main interest but I’m hoping to practice some drawing skills and work on my color mixing. Also the lessons are only available for 48 hours after release so it removes endless procrastination from the equation. And hey free is free!


View attachment 271603

I really like the tree roots, and think this one's an overall improvement.

You're too harsh on your sketches - there's nothing wrong with your flower! Love the wash. I also love thin lines in watercolor. Yum!

 

[terri]

Dahlia doodles - I may transfer this to watercolor paper and give it a go. Definitely a stretch of my painting skills - not sure if I’m up to it yet.

View attachment 271640

This is really good!

 

[SquarePeg]

I really like the tree roots, and think this one's an overall improvement.

You're too harsh on your sketches - there's nothing wrong with your flower! Love the wash. I also love thin lines in watercolor. Yum!

The class has definitely got me thinking more about perspective and shadows.

This is really good!

Thanks! I drew it based on one of my photos. Had only a black ink pen with me so that made me slow down and be careful!

 

[SquarePeg]

Lessons 2 and 3 from the watercolor sketching class. These were fun to paint and I feel more confident in my drawings. The window would have been better drawn smaller on that size paper as I squeezed the top.

Also went to Blicks this morning. Heaven!

 

[terri]

One of the worst best things about living in my area is that there's a Blick's 10 minutes up the road. I've dropped a lot of dollars there over the last several months. Way too easy!

@SquarePeg : These turned out great! You've gotten so much better, and I think you're starting to see that yourself! Love the little Valentine heart. So cute!

The window looks good too. It's a good sketch and I like the palette. I've heard even seasoned sketchers get carried away with something and run out of "top" or bottom - annoying but so easy to have happen!

When I had the presence of mind to think about it in advance, I used to make a small mark on my paper (sketching in oil pastels) as a visual aid to NOT GO HIGHER when first sketching something out. I bumped into it a lot and, depending how far along I was, could drop back and fix it or just say, Crap!! and keep going.

 

[SquarePeg]

One of the worst best things about living in my area is that there's a Blick's 10 minutes up the road. I've dropped a lot of dollars there over the last several months. Way too easy!

 

[SquarePeg]

The latest. Not the greatest bird but it was my first attempt and I like the way the background turned out.

 

[snowbear]

I went to the DC Blick after my last conference session. I picked up a couple short handled brushed s (a mop and a fan) but they didn't have any Moonglow in stock. I'll have to order that.

 

[terri]

The latest. Not the greatest bird but it was my first attempt and I like the way the background turned out.

View attachment 271796

He's a cute little bird - nice and plump. The branch looks terrific, and I agree that background turned out beautifully.

 

[SquarePeg]

Tried some more birds yesterday. I hoped having some of them leaning forward would give them some movement but haven’t quite gotten it right. I think it’s the heads and of course they are all well fed lol. The third one came out looking like a chicken.