Flowering Tea

Hi everyone, 

 Happy May!  We've been having a few lovely warm, sunny days. It's so liberating to be out and

about without winter clothing.  I've been traveling without my camera, so I don't have any pictures other than cell phone pics of the wild flowers. They are everywhere this year and in places where I haven't seen wildflowers before. A bumper crop. Lovely!

 Since I love tea and flowers, it will come as no surprise that I like blooming tea.  Normally, I brew two pots from one flower ball, but apparently you can brew three. I love the colour and if you like green tea it's tasty, too.

 Transcending Beauty ~ Green tea, jasmine and lily flowers.  It takes 45 minutes to tie a flowering tea ball.  Once you add hot water, a quarter sized ball quickly unfurls in the pot before your eyes.

                                                                  

For the drawing board, two fresh sprigs of reasonable priced Tiger Lilies from the florist.

                                                    

           

Art for art's sake...

                              Hawthorn berries The frost-bitten berries turn bright orange in the fall.

   Trying out Bockingford hot press 300g/140lb. watercolour paper.  I decided on a practice run before I start a Crab Apple painting. I've transferred the drawing to the Bockingford paper, but since I have one good Fabriano block left, I think I'll stick with the tried and true. In the meantime, I'll keep practicing on Bockingford. I'm trying to familiarize myself with it because the Fabriano company is still working out some issues. 

Bockingford is nice and sturdy. You can lift colour well too, but just at the right time. I found it's tricky to add more colour to a wet into wet wash that, because of a fraction of a smidgen of too much water, doesn't like to be disturbed.

 I've also tried Moulin du Roy hot press by Canson.  It's very smooth much like illustration board so it's easy for a wet into wet wash to dry out too quickly.  Windsor and Newton's Blending Medium slows the drying time. I haven't tried mine yet.  Recently, I heard that some people are having great success using the wrong side of the Moulin du Roy.  My O my, the intrigues of paper!

I am enjoying Season 4 of  When Calls the Heart. If you haven't seen it, it's a wonderful Hallmark production.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the week...

Watercolour ~ In The Tropics

Hi,

Generally I don't keep track of the time it takes me to complete a painting, because timing yourself can take the fun out of it. But in case you are wondering, I worked on this painting for over thirty hours. Seems long doesn't it? But for me it was rather fast. Detail takes a long time. A looser style might be faster, but I know a lot of control goes into it. 

The finished painting compete with the delightful mess I make.

If you are new to painting, it's not wise to set your work station up like mine. As you can see I use foam board as a drawing board and balance it on the end of the tray that holds the water. That, of course, means that each time I wet the brush, or dip it into the clean water I pull it back across the paper. That could be disastrous, especially if you are using brushes that don't hold the paint well. 

The ideal set up: if you are right handed the water should be on the right hand side and vice versa for left handed people.  I learned that later, but love my set up so I don't want to change it. ( Definitely one of those don't do as I do things.)

Somewhere in the middle of things...

Please excuse my picture taking today. I have a bully of a cold.  I have not had a cold for a long time, and I had forgotten just how undignified they really are. If Rudolph could see me now, I know he would be envious of my nose. Swathed in comfortable clothes, all I am really missing is the moose slippers. Being a Canadian girl, I really should own a pair. My son said, "You don't complain." (and then after a long pause) said, "Much Mom." The poor young man missed his calling, he should be in the diplomatic core. 

Up next:

A prayer plant. A first for me. It's so beautiful.  I've drawn a leaf to paint. I am thinking the lighter one might be easier, but O those dark greens with the pink are glorious.

Enjoy the week...  

"If you love nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

Vincent Van Gogh

Books, Books, Books and A WIP

It's world book day so I thought I'd post today since books are important to me. Where would I be without books? Good question. And it's a question that I can't answer definitively, or short and sweetly. I will say, I'd be a whole lot poorer. Over my reading life, books have allowed me to armchair travel; they have also given me joy, understanding, and I hope enhanced my compassion. They have provided me with many different ways of looking at the world and the people in it. Further, I am sure that certain books have save me a few times.

Looking up at my poetry shelf, I'd  also say that, for me, books have, thankfully, been The Road Taken.

So today, I like to say a great big thank you to all the writers and illustrators out there who have poured out their hearts and souls into their work.

~ If you feel so inclined, I'd love to hear you thoughts about books and a few of your favourite titles. 

One of my favorites: Love in The Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends." 

Charles W. Eliot

One of the books I'm currently reading with a lovely blue jacket.

Not a book but plants have the power to uplift too.

On my Desk . . .WIP

 

It's coming along. Hopefully four colourful birds will tweet their way around this watercolour painting. 

These days I'm working by daylight. Unfortunately, I had to send back my daylight lamp. It was  wonderful--you might say illuminating, but it hurt my sensitive eyes so much that I couldn't use it. So...it's back to the drawing board before the light fades.

“One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the       power to change us.”💗

Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

 (haven't read it but what a great quote)

 Have a lovely weekend...

A Shadow Box and Gift Tags

Hi!

I've been meaning to post, but the fact is there hasn't been a whole lot going on. Mostly I've been drawing, and impatiently waiting for my watercolour paper to arrive. The paper that I bought in the fall and did  love to use turned out to be defective. The company is working on it, but who knows when they will have it fixed.
 In the meantime, I've been trying out other wc paper without success.  Recently, two Bockingford blocks arrived and I've transferred a crab apple drawing. For the past week, I've been avoiding trying it out.  Maybe it's that twelve times bitten, or should I say twelve times disappointed thing going on. Who knows? But tomorrow, tomorrow is the day for sure.


Colours fit for Easter...

More gift tags. They are fun to paint, but as I've mentioned before really messy to make.  I used coarse and fine salt, and splashed one with rubbing alcohol for a different look.

The reverse.

One of the two Maestros paintings that didn't quite work out. Since Michaels had a 50% sale on shadow boxes, I thought I'd try to selvedge this fellow.

You may remember the other one...

On the needles . . .

A beret using a pattern that I am making up as I go along. Now to figure out the decreases. I hope it works!

And . . .

A compilation of items I gathered while walking. I foresee a rainy day drawing.

And there have been more winter walks. . .

 Where the wild fern grows and soon well, maybe not so soon, but soon, once again, it will look like this...

I know. Call me obsessed.  If you've been reading along, you'll know that the ferns are one of my winter picture posting habits. Uplifting or what? I love these so!

On our walk, we spotted a dove, but when the poor creature saw us she shrieked and bolted in fear.

'Til next time... 

"May this lovely day, bring in loads of joy and sweetness in you life.
May your beautiful face shower smiles and shine the world with brightness." 

 Author Unknown

Fall Foliage/A Little Space/ Watercolour

October 18, 2016

What a gorgeous fall. As you can see, the leaves are extremely vivid. No colour enhancement required. Unfortunately, I only have one cell phone picture of the beautiful red leaves, although I do love the orange/red too. I'd like to take a few more pics before the rain and wind casts all the beauty away. How beautiful is it? So beautiful that even I am quiet as we drive along. 

When I look around, I can't help but feel gratitude for such a beautiful, peaceful season.

A favourite fall quote coming up. I post it every year. Apparently I can't help it.

  "Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from an autumn tree."

~ Emily Bronte

A Little Space

If you've been reading along, you may have noticed that I've been painting at the end of my dining room table.  Functional but not always convenient; after a lot of looking, I finally picked out a desk. Although small, it's a surprisingly spacious. Abigail is the given name of my secretary. (Given by the store that is.)  Unfortunately, it suffered a few bumps on the way here, so it looks a little shabby. But each day the look grows on me a little, although I was initially disappointed.  However, the company offered a discount or new parts. I am leaning towards the discount. Since it arrived, I've been drawing, painting and staring off into space  and musing here whenever I can. I love my little space!

I found the fresh water clam shells on the river bank this summer.  I think a bird must have munched it for lunch.  Such pretty, delicate shells and they are endangered, so what a lucky find.

Along with my own watercolours, I've been slowly collecting a few prints from artists whose work  I admire. I have a few more to hang. Perhaps the large one to the left?

A Resplendent Quetzal ~ Watercolour on Arches Paper


If all goes well, I hope to have Giclee prints made from the above painting, The Pretty Pair, and The Maestro. At the moment, I am looking for a great Giclee print shop. If you happen to know of one in Canada or the U.S., chime in.  Hopefully, the prints will be available in my Tictail shoppe in time for Christmas.

Have a lovely week...

Watercolour Card

 May 31, 2016

I've been doing a little blog spring cleaning. After three years and just a few changes here and there it was definitely time. A favicon would be nice too.  I've also been thinking of starting an art blog, but as you know they do take time. For me, time probably better spend painting since I can't seem to stick to one subject.

You may remember the Maestro from an earlier post.  Because the painting was not working for one reason or another, I ended up painting three versions.  I didn't want to throw out the birds because I put a lot of work into them. Thanks to a suggestion from my lovely friend, Soma I decided to make a card.  My rotary paper cutter is small, but I managed to cut the card stock and it looks straight. (I've seen so many beautiful cards on blogs that I visit. I could use a lesson.) Thankfully, I was lucky to find card stock in my craft supply suitcase and an envelope that fits.

Although this suitcase looks new, it reminds me of old travel cases.

I love the pictures on the inside.

I may make another card and paint the background, or perhaps I'll make a shadow box. Watercolour paper would work too. Perhaps I'll find a treasure to help me out inside the suitcase: a case full of surprises, almost magical it seems, because I toss a few things in now and then and rarely look inside.

 

I added a few original watercolour flower cards to my shoppe yesterday.  There's one left. I am hoping to add more prints to the shoppe this fall, so I better start painting.

Enjoy the week!

Shoppe Launch Plus the Maestro

I opened a shop on Tictail. I heard about Tictail on Instagram, and I really liked their store front  designs, coupled with a straight forward setup. They have a wide range of stores--from upscale to individual craft stores. 
At this point, my little corner shoppe has a few prints on offer. (I'll add more prints as time goes on. Hopefully, a few more in blue, too.)  You can find the shoppe here.

The Maestro.
I had originally planned black tie but, being me, I couldn't resist painting his tails blue.

Work in progress. I call this point the breath holding stage ~  one slip of the brush and it could be all over but the crying. 

I used Fabriano Artistico 140 lb watercolour paper. I prefer painting on Fabriano paper because if I drop paint, I can usually lift it without damaging the paper. It's sturdy.

 For music buffs, yes that's a radical treble cleft.  Actually, it's a bird cleft for bird notes. :)

* * * 

There's still time to enter the giveaway for your choice of one of two prints that I am giving away to celebrate my shoppe opening. It's open to new/recent followers as well as those who have been reading along--some for almost three years now. xo  
Thanks to each one of you! 

To enter please leave a comment. Here's the link.

'Til next time. Have a lovely week!

Watercolour ~ Rose Hips

 I recently picked these rose hips along the road side. It was a blustery day and I didn't have anything to cut them with, but, thankfully, after a lot of tugging they came free. Obviously, they survived the winter under a warm blanket of snow.
 When I was finally ready to paint, the rose hips had lost what was left of the round plump look, but I like to have a real plant for reference.
As you can see, as the light changes in a room so does the colour and shadow areas of whatever plant that you might be using as a guide. I thought about adding a grey shadow underneath the rose hips but decided to leave it. However, it would add a touch of realism.

Because I used heavy paper, which is difficult to cut, I didn't have the nerve to try and deckle the top edge so I left it.

Next: a Trillium. I'd like to paint a few more cards for Easter...a daffodil and a rose?  Perhaps. I haven't quite decided yet.


Thanks for reading along...Enjoy the week.

Pretty to Look At

On Sunday, after almost a full day spent painting, I decided it was time for a treat.
These French macarons look so good, no? Wished I could say, yes. They are a too sweet for me but, my, they are pretty.  I do, however, love French butter cakes or Madeleines and even though I made some for Christmas, to appease the sweet tooth, I reckon I will whip up another batch.

Taken last summer. The fan was a gift that I received a couple of years ago from you know who. Thanks again.  I've always wanted one.

 Next week my red Amaryllis will bloom, I hope.

A sample of what's on my desk. He's not quite they way I wanted him, so I have another one on the board, waiting for his watercolour bird bath.

* * *

I was happy to watch the first episode of the last series of Downton Abbey.  I've heard that Mr. Fellowes is considering making a Downton movie for television. I hope he does! 
In case you don't know, he's also writing another historical drama named Belgravia. It begins in April, but apparently it will be on an app., weekly with eleven enhanced episodes. You can either read or listen. Sounds neat.

'Til Next Time...

For the Birds

"All is Bright"

If you've been reading along, you will know that I love birds. I'm always happy to go to the woods to watch them or just sit somewhere and listen to them sing. In the winter the world is quieter, but, just now, the little chickadees are still singing their happy song. 

You may remember this little fellow. I originally painted him last year using mostly FW inks; however,  because he tickles my fancy so much, I decided to give him another go using mostly watercolours.

I've drawn five birds recently. Four of them border on the exotic; two are from Africa, and all have bits and bobs from my imagination. I hope to start painting them early in the New Year.

The Maestro

A preliminary sketch also to be painted in the New Year. I outlined this little fellow in red  so that he would show up better. A steady hand helps. Mine wavers as soon as I concentrate on drawing a straight line. It's like carrying a large tray of tea and looking down at it and then, sometimes, it can be all over but the crying. :)

But I digress... I think this birdie is about to conduct The Magic Flute, or is that lyre?

Lady Slipper with bluebells on Fabriano Artistico 300lb (640gsm) hot press paper. I'd like to scale this up and add more flowers...some day.  This is the first time I used Fabriano's heavy paper. What a difference in how the paint flows on different weights and makes of paper.

 

There's also a small drawing of a part of my Christmas Cactus ready to be painted on a cold pressed watercolour card for someone.

 If you are preparing for Christmas, I hope all is running along like clockwork. Things are ticking along here and I am having fun. I'll be making cookies etc. this weekend. It's  such a lovely time of year! 

Enjoy...