Longaberger Cup Again

These are two facing pages in my Aquabee sketchbook. Alas, more art done at work - the perils of the proverbial day job. Oh if only I could paint freely all day every day. Life would be so much "brighter." LOL

Roses in Cobalt Blue Bottle

Study 1-4 in that order
A lady at work shared her roses with me (her son works at a florist). I painted these in my Aquabee 6x9 sketchbook. (I love that thing!) I used Yarka Professional Watercolors. Okay, I did these at work - I know it's a terrible confession - but it was a slow day and these roses were calling to me. You see, I have a teacup on my desk that looks like - just that - a teacup, but I put water in it and use it to paint - I sort of hide behind the door to my boss' office and set everything up on my desk beside the computer. An artist has to do what an artist has to do!

As you can see it was the cobalt blue bottle that really called to me to paint it. I kept cutting the roses off - I love cobalt blue bottles and don't care that much for roses. But after a critique from a coworker and friend, I did the last study and cut the bottle off instead of the flowers. I also loosened up quite a bit and didn't draw beforehand - just painted directly.

We're Famous!

We arrived Saturday, June 17, 2006, at the Boone in June Trade Show sponsored by Cheap Joe's Art Supply and stopped at the information/welcome table. I picked up the trade show brochure and began flipping through it from the back and I saw this woman who looked exactly like me. I thought, "Wow, that woman looks just like me," and then I saw Grace next to me. - I yelled "that's US!" The Cheap Joe's employee at the information table got excited and said that she would have to tell her graphics department that she met us; then she got our autographs (LOL)! I just can't believe OUR picture made it into that brochure out of ALL the hundreds of people who were there last year! We sat down to try out the Cheap Joe's American Journey paints first thing when we went in last year - and here we are - the moment captured in a brochure which was seen by everybody who came this year! WOW!!

Longaberger Mug - Tomato

I did this at work Friday. This is my new Longaberger Tomato Coffee/Tea Mug. It's become my favorite cup. I carry it around everywhere. It was sitting on my desk at work and I took a break to sketch it. First I drew a contour drawing in Pilot Precise V5 pen (not waterproof). Then I added black Caran d'Ache Neocolor II for the shadow areas. Then once that was dry, I went back in with Prismacolor Scarlet Lake, Pale Vermilion, Carmine Red, Crimson Red, and Orange. I then added a few other colors in the Neocolor II crayons. It's a bit too dark, but overall it's an interesting sketch. So much fun to do! Sometimes I'm at my office (I'm an executive secretary) and I just feel like if I don't sketch I'm going to simply explode. So I have a bunch of Prismacolor colored pencils and Sharpie's on my desk at all times, and I carry my sketch bag with me everywhere for these "emergencies"! In my sketch bag are 4x6 pieces of watercolor paper, sketchbooks, Yarka Professional watercolor palette, Prismacolor Markers - at least 20, a glue stick, a kneaded rubber eraser, a Faber Castell PITT Artist Pen 02, a woodless graphite pencil, Prismacolor pencils in all my favorite colors, a child's watercolor palette emptied out and filled with my tube colors, brushes, my Niji waterbrush, a container for water, a small squirt bottle, and - last but not least - my Caran d'Ache Neocolor II crayons. Whew! Can you believe all that fits just fine in a cloth bag with pockets all the way around that I picked up at a yard sale for $5!

I went to Cheap Joe's Art Stuff Tradeshow yesterday and got a 24 set of Derwent INKTENSE pencils!! I am so excited! Laura Frankstone introduced them on her blogsite and I just had to have them. I can't wait to do a sketch with them and post it. Might be tomorrow though. Right now I must have a nap. My weekend was just too exciting!!!

Second Post Today!

We all went down to the creek this afternoon. Mama, my two older sisters who came to visit, my neice and daughter. Boy what a sight we must have been! Drinks, a quilt, an umbrella for shade, and a basket of sketch supplies. I wish we'd had a video camera; we would have won some money! I did these two sketches in pencil (5B Stabilo), my Niji waterbrush and Yarka Professional watercolors. So easy to pack up and carry. I love the waterbrushes. I hope to pick up a couple more at the trade show this weekend!
On the way back from the creek (we were walking my family up and then Grace and I were going back down to stay until dark), my sister almost stepped on a SNAKE! Well I might like to paint, but a naturalist I am not. I love all nature EXCEPT things that crawl and slither, bite, and sting. It scared the living daylights out of me! It slithered across the cow pasture toward the creek - and my sketch basket and quilt I had left on the creek bank!! I decided once I had climbed the hill to safety that I was not going back even if it ate my art supplies! My sweet neighbor, who also happens to be my landlord, went down in his truck and brought all my supplies back up to me - my knight in shining armor! I don't know when I'll go back to that creek, but I think you'll start to see a lot more paintings of the mountain view from my front porch!!!! My zinnias will be up and blooming soon, so that will be a safe subject as well.

I displayed my art and demonstrated at the Leaf and String Festival in Galax this past weekend. I did this at the show; it was the view out the window - of a window - across the street. I sketched it in pencil in my sketchbook and then painted it in watercolor.

I did well at the show. I sold 5 pieces, which is not great, but it's better than some of my fellow artists - one of which had sold ZERO. I felt bad for her, but I must admit to being thrilled with the interest shone in my work and in the extra money.

I plan to go to Cheap Joe's Art Supply Trade Show in Boone, NC this weekend, June 17. That is one of the highlights of my summer ! I love the town - only about an hour from me - and seeing all the demonstrations there, and of course all the ART SUPPLIES!


I did the next two sketches in the park. Grace, my daughter, and I went last Saturday. Canadian Geese! There were even three little babies. The park has a creek and it is absolutely beautiful there. The geese were an added surprise.

I got up pretty close and was able to do a fairly detailed sketch below.

6/2/06 Tree at lunch in park

I did this at lunch today in the park. Again using pencil and watercolor. The scanner made my colors a bit more garrish than they really are in the sketch, but oh well...

6/1/06 sketch - inspired by Laura Frankstone

I used to sketch a lot in pencil and watercolor. Seeing Laura's website made me want to go back to that. I did this from a photo at lunch today. I used a 9B woodless graphite pencil and Yarka Professional watercolors. This is a photo that I took of flowers I picked a couple of years ago on the roadside going home from work, in a McCoy pitcher I picked up at a flea market.
I am so inspired by Cezanne's watercolor and pencil paintings. I am definitely going back to this medium for a while. In doing my "doodles" I am missing the close observation and realistic sketching. There is nothing better than sketching en plein air in the summertime! I used to go on the backroads during my lunchtime and sketch. So I have a new goal - to post at least 2 or 3 a week like this.