AEDM: Days 7, 8 and 9

Well I kind of crashed and burned last week with Art Every Day. I had a couple of really busy days which led to little time and a need for sleep. Then I got discouraged because I didn't do art. But I decided to try and make up those days so expect things to be badly out of sync for a while.

Christmas Cactus
watercolor, 5 x 5 inches

Day 7: It looks like my Christmas Cactus is going to be a Thanksgiving cactus this year. I noticed the other day that it is full of buds. I neglected it for a while this summer so it's good see it's going to bloom anyway.

Leaf prints, watercolor and ink

Day 8: A quick little leaf print with my gingko leaves. They were actually a little too dry to do prints at this point, so I decided to highlight the leaf shapes with ink.

Piggy Bank
Watercolor and a little ink, 5 x 5 inches

Day 9: The other things I've been doing with some of these paintings is trying out some watercolor paper samples. The paper here was not one my favorites but it turned into a nice little painting anyway. I'll have to try painting this little pig again sometime. I love the reflection of colors on this little guy.

AEDM Days 5-6

I'm still hanging in there with art every day. Some days I have more time to spend. Other days I'm in the mood to experiment a bit. Lately I've been in an experimental mood. Day 6 was an experiment with watercolor paper. I have a lot of small watercolor paper samples. I like the way it turned out but I'm not too crazy about the paper. Okay, I hated it. 

Crabapple by Sydney Harper
Ink and watercolor, 5 x 5 inches

On Day 5 I was feeling a little more freeform (and using better paper).

Beautyberry by Sydney Harper
Watercolor, 5 x 5 inches

AEDM Days 3-4

Okay, I'm getting behind on posting so I'm going to try to catch up a bit over the next couple of days. Wednesday, Day 3, was a busy computer day for me. All I could manage was a quick watercolor sketch of some sumac.

I take a lot of photos to use for future paintings. If it's something I like a lot, then I'll print it out and put it in a binder for future use. That's where I got this sketch. It's an easy source for a subject when you're stuck or just to tired to be very creative.

Our downtown area has lots of Ginkgo trees. I love them, especially in the fall when the leaves turn bright yellow. I usually grab a few leaves every fall and bring them back to paint and play with. The other day when I was downtown, I noticed the leaves were turning on one tree so I grabbed a few to paint.

 Ginkgo Leaves by Sydney Harper
Watercolor, 5 x 5 inches

The leaves were still green at the base and turning yellow at the ends. With our strange, dry weather this fall, the leaves have been slow to turn. On some trees they just seemed to dry up and fall off. It looks like the Ginkgo will do well though.

AEDM Day 2: Orchid

Orchid by Sydney Harper
Watercolor, 5x5 inches

Hey, I made it to Day 2 of Art Every Day Month. Day 3 is going to be a quick sketch so I can get a little more sleep tonight. I'm hoping that by the end of the month, I will at least have my painting habit firmly in place, if nothing else.

This is a dendrobium orchid that I've had for many years. It has led a hard life and it still looks wonderful. It has been unpotted by cats and ferrets several times. Other times it has gone without water for a couple of weeks or more. It still produces lovely stalks of blooms. It has done so well in it's current location that I'm kind of afraid to move it. I'm very pleased with how this one came out.

Art Every Day Month – Day 1

Morning Glory by Sydney Harper
watercolor, 5 x 5 inches

I'm going to attempt to do Art Every Day this month. Now I usually sketch most days but I don't always paint every day. So I'm going to try to focus on painting. Warning though, I am notoriously bad at "Whatever alongs". We'll see how it goes. Posting my art will be at least a day behind. Mostly because I like my painting to be dry before I slap them on the scanner.

This week, I'm focusing on flowers and other plants. I like the idea of a theme for each week. Today's painting is a morning glory. I just had to do it in watercolor. Yeah, it also looks like it's going to be a watercolor week too.

Beautyberry

Beautyberry by Sydney Harper
watercolor, 5 x 5 inches

I have an American Beautyberry bush in the backyard that’s one of my favorites. It’s an ordinary shrub for most of the summer with small flowers that aren’t very showy.  This time of year is when it really shines. Right now it’s full of clusters of purple berries. Plus it’s practically indestructible. We have heavy clay soil and unusual weather patterns since I’ve planted it. One year it froze to the ground when we had a late spring hard freeze, but it sprouted back up. Plants have to be sturdy to survive in our yard.

I started this watercolor sketch outside one afternoon, got about halfway, and finished it inside. This summer has been crazy. Painting and drawing has come in fits and spurts. Things seem to be falling into a better routine now so I’m looking forward to more painting time.

 

Virtual Sketch Date: Sunquats

I decided this morning to try this month's Virtual Sketch Date. The reference photo for this month was provided by Leslie Hawes. This was probably a stretch of my colored pencil abilities but I had fun and I learned a lot. It's about 5.5 by 3.5 inches in colored pencil in one of my sketchbooks.

Otherwise, I've been struggling with a painting lately. It's a new surface (gessoed masonite) and somewhat of a different subject matter for me. It's still at the ugly stage but I think I'm getting it whipped into shape.

__

See all of my Virtual Sketch Date posts.

Hidden

Lily of the Valley
copyright - Sydney Harper

I like hidden discoveries. Last year was terrible for plants of all kinds. First we had the late season freaky frost. Then we had a terrible drought all summer. Even the trees struggled. This spring has been completely different. We've had plenty of rain so far. (We could still use more.) Apparently all of the plants were working their magic in soil. They look very healthy. I was afraid my lilies of the valley didn't survive last summer. They did survive though. I found my flourishing bunch under a bush.

On another note, the Illustrators' Partnership has sample letters discussing the Orphan Works Act that you can send to your members of Congress. There are letters for almost every category - visual artists, photographers, illustrators, friends of artists, businesses, the image-making public, and international artists. Some are editable and some are not. You'll find more information and copies of the bills at the Illustrators' Partnership web site.