“Elephant in the Sun” – © 2010 Sydney Harper
Ink and watercolor on Bristol – 9 x 12 inches
About a year and a half ago, I spent the day at the zoo in Atlanta, Georgia taking lots of pictures. I assume a lot of that red-orange color came from the red clay they have in the area. These photos have been good inspiration for those times when I don’t know what to draw.
I have plenty of watercolor paper but it’s all cold-press and I don’t particularly like to draw on cold-press. So I thought I would try Bristol. I like drawing on Bristol but I’ve never tried watercolor. It has an unusual combination of being slick and absorbent at the same time. It was a little frustrating at times but not too bad. I think I’m going to put hot-press watercolor paper on my “To Buy” list.
Word of the Year
I realized that I hadn’t posted my word of the year for 2010 yet. I got the Word of the Year idea from Christine Kane’s Blog. My word for last year was Delight. Most of last year was anything but Delightful though. Then I realized that most of last year was about getting myself in a place where I could experience more delight. So far this year has been much much better than last year.
That brings me to this year’s Word of Year – Abundance. I’m necessarily talking about things and money, although they’re nice too. It’s also about abundant fun, friends, success, health, etc. Basically I’m looking for more of the good things in life that I was lacking last year. So bring it on!
3 comments:
I like that one! (the elephant)
Abundant abundance abounds. :)
I'm curious about cold press vs. hot press papers. I've never heard of them. Bristol sounds familiar, though.
I wish you lots of abundance this year, in all areas! I think it's a great idea to choose a word or theme to aspire to. My word this year is confidence. I need more of that in all areas, but especially writing. :)
I answered the question about hot-press and cold-press in email. Then I thought others might be interested in the answer so I'm giving it here too.
Watercolor paper usually comes in cold-press, hot-press and rough. For hot-press, the paper is run through a press with heat so that it has a very smooth surface. In cold-press, the paper is run through a press but without any heat. It has a little bit of texture to the surface. Cold-press paper is probably most often used for watercolor. There is also rough or non-pressed paper, which has the most texture. Bristol paper or Bristol board is a heavy weight paper, almost the weight of poster board but better quality. It's often used for illustration and drawing.
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