Pink Tree x 2

 

I have been painting our pink trees with watercolors but have been following my friend, Tina Koyama's postings about all her trees in bloom with interest. She has been using watercolor pencils. Originally she was drawing the blossoms with her watercolor (Inktense Pencils) and spritzing the area with water. Recently she started spritzing the page and then adding the color with the pencil. She got a different result each way. I attempted to do the same, spritzing my paper and then adding the color with the watercolor pencils. However in my case I didn't leave it alone. I wanted stronger color so I added additional color over the pencils with my regular palette of watercolors.

Here is the first attempt. You can see the color got away from me in the spritzing on the bottom right.

I did a second sketch across a double page spread in the square Arteza sketchbook I have been using for a project. I am happy with the way both of these came out. Maybe I'll try this method again in the future. Our pink trees are disappearing and all the spring green leaves are opening in their place. I'm sorry to see them go.

 Thanks, Tina, for your inspiration.

At the Metropolitan Museum

Last weekend I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC with some of my sketching friends. I sketched some ancient Cypriot artwork. These were done with dry watercolor pencils.

After lunch I stood on one of the balconies overlooking the Great Hall to sketch the view.

Sketches from the Met - Part II

After lunch at the Metropolitan Museum of Art we moved to the American Wing which is filled with light and gorgeous sculptures. This was part of a fireplace mantle that originally dominated the entrance hall in the Vanderbilt Mansion on 5th Avenue. It was sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gardens. There is a matching piece on the other side of the mantle. I liked this side better. I used my watercolor pencils for this.

Next I did a free-standing sculpture. I used my watercolor pencil and started to use my ink brush, only to be told by the guard that I could use "pencils only." I had to finish the ink when we all met downstairs in the cafe. I included some of the background of the room and a few Met visitors.

30 in 30 - Day 20 - Barney

It is hard to believe that we are on Day 20 of the "30 Paintings in 30 Days" Challenge. This is Barney who recently left this world. He was the pet of my friend, Rhea's friend, Steve. Doing a white dog wasn't easy. This was one with watercolors, watercolor pencils, and touches of white oil pastel.

Feel free to hop over to Leslie Saeta's blog and check out the great paintings the other artists have been painting for the challenge. https://www.saetastudio.com/30-in-30-blog

Here is another sketch done at the Queens Museum last Sunday. This is the view looking out of the cafe toward the Unisphere located in Flushing Meadow Park which surrounds the museum. The Unisphere was part of the 1963-64 World's Fair in NY.

I did a sketch of a few people sitting in the cafe too. The little girl barely stayed still for me to sketch her.

30 in 30 - Day 18 - Enzo

For Day 18 of the "30 Paintings in 30 Days" Challenge I took on a spotted cat. The reference was sent to me by my friend, Michele DiPaolo. The cat, Enzo, belongs to her daughter, Nicole. I used watercolors, watercolor pencils and a bit of black ink.

On Sunday I decided I needed a trip to the ocean. I had been down to the bay but not the ocean since the year started. My destination was the Fire Island Lighthouse at Robert Moses State Park. It was a very cold day, so I dressed in lots of layers, grabbed a sketchbook and only a few sketching tools and headed off for a sketch walk. Each sketch I did took about 5 - 10 minutes. By that point my fingers needed the warmth of my pockets.

First I sketched with a twig and ink...a view of the dunes.

 

Next I used my watercolor pencils.

I could see the lighthouse in the distance and was thinking to myself...too bad they don't have a cafe inside the lighthouse...by the time I get there a cup of coffee would be nice. To my surprise they had hot chocolate set up as you entered the lighthouse. What a nice touch!

This sketch was done with my platinum preppy pen.

Around the back of the lighthouse is a short boardwalk that leads to the bay. That was my final sketch done with a Le Pen in brown. For some reason the ink turns a burgundy color when water is added.

After this sketch I walked a bit faster back to the parking area. The walk round-trip is probably about a mile and a half...good exercise.

30 in 30 - Day 11 - Budah and Jade

Today is day 11 of the "30 Paintings in 30 Days" Challenge. Today I am posting my painting of Budah and Jade, two Siamese cats, done from a photo reference by my friend, Donna Howard. Donna also has a third cat but I couldn't possibly fit all three of them in the painting. Again I used watercolors, watercolor pencils, and an ink brush.

If you would like to see the work by the other artists participating in the challenge you can see them here: https://www.saetastudio.com/30-in-30-blog

On our return trip from Maine I was able to fit in a few sketches. First I sketched Bob's Clam Hut in Kittery, Maine done after we had our last Maine seafood feast.

These last two were done on the ferry coming back to Long Island.

30 in 30 - Day 10 - Willa

Today means we are 1/3 through the "30 Paintings in 30 Days" Challenge with Leslie Saeta.

https://www.saetastudio.com/30-in-30-blog

Today's Day 10 painting is of Willa who is the pet of my niece, Caity's girlfriend, Kate. I did this one using watercolors, watercolor pencils, and an ink brush.

We got home from Maine last night. Here is another one of the paintings that I did of a view out one of the windows at Tina's house across Hodgdon Street.

30 in 30 Challenge - Day 8 - Daisy (SOLD)

Daisy is another of the three cats owned by my friend, Rhea. It is Rhea's reference photo that I used for today's Day 8 painting for the "30 Paintings in 30 Days" Challenge. This time I used mostly watercolor pencils (chocolate, gunmetal and ultramarine) along with touches of watercolors. So far that's the best I've found to do the textures and colors of the fur on the light colored animals.

Here is a link to the other paintings for the challenge: https://www.saetastudio.com/30-in-30-blog