Z is for Zooming through November

I'm up to Z - its almost Thanksgiving. Time is flying.

On this busy day, I made some time to draw a series of  one-line images - using my floral paintings on the wall as inspiration.

 I liked the idea of using the one-line approach in a new way. My students will love this, too.

After drawing several sketches, I chose this one to fill with lines and color. I brought it into my digital tools to add a filter of color to enhance the autumn palette of the bouquet.

XY

Yesterday was eXtra busy which is Y I did not post anything. This is today's project - based on a monotype print. Working on the print, I did some overpainting to pop the colors and add detail, but kept the soft loose feel.

I am imagining this bouquet on the Thanksgiving table. 

A is for Art Everyday 2019 (AGAIN)

My Christmas cactus is blooming early (awfully early) this year. I have several - and all are in bloom. This is a treat to see as winter closes in around us.

I can't resist photographing the beautiful shapes - both hard and soft - and then experimenting with a variety of digital editing software.

No matter how much art I create by hand, I am always attracted to the astounding array of art options I find within my technology.

Its nice to be back once again.  Art on!

AaBbCc Dd Delicate Details

Another year another challenge. Done and done.

I missed the last three days, but I do want to post a final piece to complete 2016. This floral photo is so delicate in color, shape and detail - it seems like the perfect way to close this year's challenge.

I don't know what these are - but I loved them the moment I saw them, and captured their beauty with my camera.

Thanks everyone for the beautiful and varied art you have shared. Thanks for kind comments and helpful tips.

Till next year.

Z is for buZZ

Today is Z day, and I have very little to say that relates to this difficult letter - but I do have this glorious rose drawing complete with buzzing bee to share.

This was drawn with color pencil on vellum and then I digitally added a color overlay to give it extra zip and zest.

X is for eXquisite

I found this exquisite double white rose on a single twig of a rose bush hiding among the weeds in my garden last summer. I have never seen a double rose before.

Since I will not be making art today, instead, I will be cooking and eating and celebrating, I am sharing this beautiful sample of nature's art.

Happy Thanksgiving

J is for Just Do It

On this day of jangled nerves, jumbled thoughts and jagged emotions, I am not feeling especially creative. But, because a promise to work this challenge every day is a promise, I know I need to just do something.

Flowers are calm, blue is both beautiful and reflects my mood. This is a small drawing - Caran D'ache on heavy watercolor paper. I tweaked the texture in Photoshop because I can,

Y is for Yellow

Yellow is sunshine and daffodils and springtime and warmth.

Yellow flowers are all of these things and a perfect way to celebrate all the things I am thankful for on this practically pumpkin and turkey feather day.

This image started as a drawing and finished in Photoshop to push the color and contrast. I was seeking to show the light against the darkness - kind of the way I feel these days. There is so much to be grateful for, and so much that is dark and scary out there. Flowers sooth the soul.

Happy Thanksgiving - peace, joy and plenty to all.

R is for Red

Roses are red, and I live in the City of Roses, but I love amaryllis. Roses grow in my garden, but I grow amaryllis bulbs in a sunny garden window. They seem to thrive on my gardening style, also known as benign neglect.

Every year (not at Christmas when they are supposed to bloom, but in deep winter when their beauty and color are most needed)  they thrill me by producing a fabulous circle of huge, glorious red blooms. I have about ten plants that somehow manage to bloom in sequence (clever beauties.)

Year after year I photograph them from every angle and in every light. This piece, created by combining several photos, is my absolute favorite.

So, in honor of R day -  one of my favorite subjects - my beautiful amaryllis.

I love the abstract yet realistic effect - do you see this as flowers?

G is for Geraniums

I paint flowers. One room of my home is filled with bright bouquets on canvas.

Flowers add color and beauty. Their shapes are fascinating and ever changing.Though my painted flowers lack fragrance, they still add cheer and warmth to my home.

Looking at the collection of flower images I have created over the years, I seem to go through phases in floral design; sometimes flat and very abstract, sometimes rounder and fuller forms appear.

One of the ways I feel like I am growing (blooming?) as an artist is to practice drawing and sketching flower forms from life or books. When I feel like I understand the shapes and structure I like to simplifying them until the are abstract enough to appeal to my eye and yet "flowery" enough to read as something that actually grew in nature.

In this sketch I am trying to create flowers in different positions to add interest to the composition. I especially like the little red geranium clusters.

 This is watercolor and markers on cotton paper.

X is for Xtreme Color Xperiment

Lily

Last year, for Art Everyday Month, I followed a course on Mandala making. Many of the participants raved about Inktense pencils - watersoluble color pencils. I bought a set, and have rarely used them. However, since I am regularly playing with my Caran D'ache watersoluble crayons I thought I would Xperiment today to see the effects of the pencils.

I drew one of my favorite flower photos  on good quality watercolor paper - using the outline pencil in the set. Then I began to color - mixing three reds, and orange and yellow for the blossom, greens and browns for the stem and leaf.  The background is a mixture of blues to emphasize all the colors with a strong contrast. Then I added water. All I can say is WOW! The colors are so vibrant. I will definitely be continuing to experiment with these cool tools.

T is for This and That and Trumpets again

Today is Tuesday - the day I try to set aside for class project development. I have been very creative all day, working on three different projects, making changes to existing work, taking a drawing in a new direction and trying new techniques.

Tomorrow, in class with my elder students, we will use Caran D'ache to draw and then paint large flowers on watercolor paper.

I think my lesson will include a demonstration of the  way I build the colors, by layering, first the dominant undercolor, and then building one over another until there is depth, darks and lights, and drama.

So, to practice, I revisited one of my favorite florals - The Trumpets. This is from a photo I took in a botanical garden, and I have always loved the composition of the three flowers.

This time, instead of using pastel, I drew and then them colored with Caran D'ache NeoColorII water soluble crayons. Then I wet it all - blending the colors with a brush and adding more, dry over wet, and then more wet, as needed.

M is for Many

Carnations

Last week the senior class painted in the style of Georgia O"Keeffe. One single flower to fill the page.

Tomorrow the topic will be many. We will draw  a bunch of flowers, real or imagined, to fill the space, using oil pastel on black paper. The challenge will be to draw big,  draw many, not too many details, and use lots of color.. There will be flower pictures for inspiration.

Each of the artists in my class has a distinct style. I look forward to the variety of bouquets that will appear tomorrow.

Carnations was drawn in oil pastels on black sandpaper.