What's in My Purse?

I've notice a common post of fashion bloggers..."What's in my purse?". I burst out laughing today when I was trying to secure a rental car and had to remove the contents of my purse to find my ID. I pulled out markers, paint brushes, an assortment of wonderful pens, a sponge (it has never been used), Sharpies, 2 tubes of watercolor paint (Opera and Crimson Lake), 2 watercolor tablets, drawing pencils, a ruler and all the girly stuff (lipstick, mascara, powder, a brush). I don't have a large purse so you must picture a scene similar to the circus act when a bunch of clowns get out of a VW. I kept pulling out items and it was shocking! The guys behind the counter wanted to know if I carried it around with me all the time. I wanted to say, "No! Of course not!" but really I do. So tonight I cleaned out my purse and did a little sketch of what was left. 

I travel a lot so I keep my suitcase in the car. I  have my laptop bag for work and I keep a little bag with my paints. I'll have to paint those bags sometime soon. 

Thank you for peeking in my sketchbook!

Color Chart...

I was so impressed with the colors in the last painting I decided to do a color chart with my new paints. I'm using Holbein watercolors and have purchased 11 colors. The colors are so vivid and bright it makes painting exciting!

Thank you for letting me share my new paints!

Party Time...

I had the "opportunity" to supervise my nephew's birthday party a Stars and Strikes. Stars and Strikes is loud and no matter where you sit there is a never ending, awful, banging sound. Combine that with about 50 people screaming it makes for a serious headache! I sat with my Moleskine and watercolor set and painted the brightly colored game machines. We ate some serious junk food and the boys had some serious fun. Now they are here having an epic Nerf battle in the dark outside. I wish I had a little of their energy! 

Thank you for peeking into my sketchbook!

Product of a Cold Night...

Tonight I took advantage of the little ice storm and stayed in to paint. I added to my tractor collection an Allis Chalmers. I enjoyed working on the distressed wood of the barn. I think I learned a lot by painting it.  I need to loosen up my style but I have trouble with the need to control everything! 

I like the brightness of this watercolor. I tried to keep things light and it makes it look so much better. You can really see the difference when you put my last 2 paintings next to one another.

I also got a few new paint colors today. 

Pretty and rich Holbein!!!

Thank you for peeking in my sketchbook!

A Storm is Coming...

Tomorrow could bring some icy weather to my little house. I put on a soft sweater, wet my brush, and went to work on a painting I started a few weeks ago. As I painted I could hear the wind outside my window and it has made for a very peaceful evening. I saw a picture of an ultra cute Farmall Tractor and just had to paint it. We used to have John Deere tractors but I have to admit I like the design of the Farmalls better. I hope you enjoy my painting, "Spring at the Farm". 

Thanks for reading!

Georgia Weather...

The weather here in the big peach is driving me crazy! Yesterday I had an appointment in Elberton, Georgia and when I came out of the meeting it was 76 degrees and sunny. By the time I got home it was freezing and pouring down rain. I have several coats in my car because I put one on in the morning and shed it by lunch. Winter is my least favorite season because it is so gray and dark. I'm a sunshine person. I crave sunshine and light. 

To perk me up I pulled out all my favorites and sketched them. 

From the top to the bottom...

#1...my homemade leather pen roll. I saw a leather pencil roll on Pinterest that I loved but couldn't afford. Here is a picture of the pencil roll I couldn't afford...

I decided it couldn't be that hard to make my own. I looked at a few stores for leather and finally found a bag of leather scraps at Hobby Lobby for $4.00 and I had a 40% off coupon. After a little bit of digging in the bag I discovered the softest piece of leather which would be perfect!

I believe it cost a little over $2.00 to make a beautiful pen roll for my Sharpies! I also have a place inside for my little ruler, a drawing pencil and an eraser. The best part is it is soooo soft!

#2 my little ruler...I have several metal Westcott rulers. I keep a little one with me all the time.

#3 & 4 my favorite paint brushes...If I could only pick 2 brushes to keep it would be these two. They are small bristle Princeton Snap brushes. I am very rough with them and they have held their own despite my abuse!

#5 a sketching pencil...I believe this pencil has an HB lead and it is light enough to watercolor over. I really like dark graphite pencils because of the way they feel when you pull them over the paper, but they are messy and don't work well with watercolors so I travel with a good ole' HB.

#6 my all time favorite pen...This is absolutely my all time favorite pen, the Uni-Ball Gel Impact 207 medium point pen! I will not let anyone use my pen. It has a wonderfully thick bold line. The gel ink makes a beautiful mark on the paper.

#7 my Exacto knife...Who can't live without an Exacto knife! 

#8 Sharpies...I think I have had a Sharpie in my purse since I entered high school! I love them. My favorite is ultra fine point permanent marker.

But...did you know you can order personalized Sharpies? Go to http://www.mysharpie.com/store/pc/home.asp and check it out. 

Thank you for letting me share with you...I hope the weather where you are is better than here!

Overcoming Artist Block

I have been experiencing some severe artist block (oh, and some big work projects). The block stems from a big block of black paint.

The big blob of black paint in my January painting. It made me question everything. I had to dig in my drawer of sketchbooks and look at my old sketches to reaffirm my desire to sketch and paint. My "real world" job is so different from sketching and when I get a little paint on my hands it instantly relaxes me. I had to take time to remember why I do it! 

I made a few very bad drawings and when my new calligraphy practice books came in I worked in them. 

Now I have a beautiful idea for a valentine card and have been working on painting my ideas. 

I'm struggling with the faces. I will keep on working...

Thanks for letting me share!

Friday's Fabulous Finds

I don't have 5 "Finds" today but I do have some fabulous things to share. 

Addison Hill

Addison Hill is recent graduate from SCAD and a young photographer in Georgia. His photos are beautiful. My favorite (below), pictures his wife who is completely opposite from the character in the photo.

David Tripp

I am enjoying watching David Tripp work on a new painting (through the posts on his blog). I like the in-depth descriptions and the nostalgic composition. His techniques and the quality of his shading make the subject jump off the page.  

Jane LaFazio

I love, love, love these dishes! What a way to use my art to create something beautiful for my family. I want to do this soon! Great idea, Jane!

I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

January...

My big idea of creating a painting for each month isn't going so well. The composition needs work. While I like each section of the painting, the black of the night scene is so dark it conflicts with the other scenes. I'm going to finish it up but I'm not sure it will be one of my favorites. I'll post the final project when it is finished.

Thank you for reading.

Connected...

The word of the day is "connected". One of my New Year's resolutions is to get healthy so I purchased a Fitbit Zip. It is a little fitness tracker gadget which tracks my success reaching my goal. I had to laugh when I was in the car today...I had my cell phone and the Fitbit Zip clipped to my waistband, my tablet in its mount, and I made a phone call using the Bluetooth feature in my car. To sum it up, I was connected! 

Sketching is a way to disconnect from all these gadgets and let go. The minute I touch the brush I can turn everything off. I feel freed and can move the colors anyway I choose. I can expand my focus from a screen to the beauty of a moment in time. 

Sometimes it is important to disconnect, unplug, turn off to tune in!

Thank you for reading.