Edinburgh WDE

WDE reference by Triduana

pencil in 4x6 sketchbook

I went to Edinburgh in 1985 but I made the newbie mistake of buying an SLR camera just before my trip. I'd never used one before, but I took a photography class after I got home.  I think did manage to shoot one roll of film before I left for the trip.  Anyway, I mis-loaded the film several times that trip and developed 3 or 4 blank rolls of film.  I was able to retake most of the London pics before I went home, so Scotland, Netherlands, Germany and Venice has lived on in my memory.  This reference of Edinburgh is typical of what I remember of that city as we drove around in circles, dead reckoning our way to the castle.  Traveling was so much more of an adventure before Google Maps.

The very last time I mis-loaded the SLR camera was on the Great Wall of China in 2007.  Fortunately, I got a few digital snapshots on a 6Mb point-n-shoot.  Lessons learned:  After the China trip, I went and got a digital SLR and after the Europe trip, I have always traveled with more than one camera. 

OMG, time for art!

Long time no sketch, I didn't even have time in May when I went on vacation.  Two pencil warm ups and a figure in charcoal.  8x6 inch sketchbook I started in 2013 with the intention to finish that year, sheesh.

 

Dragonfly

Reference from Scattykat's WDE 6/16/14.  Chinese Ink applied with a BBQ stick in my 4x6 inch sketchbook.

WDE Daisy

Reference from Lisilk 6/8/14 WDE weekend.  Watercolor in my 5.5x10in home made watercolor (Arches paper) sketchbook.  The light shadows in the petals got washed out by the scanner.

Watercolor only sketches

 

 

References from Lisilk's WDE in the 9x12 watermedia sketchbook.  Only two more pages to put it to bed.  My latest kick is watercolor only sketches.  I started down my art journey with watercolors.  I had a great first watercolor, beginner's luck.  Everything after that was crap.  I threw out the watercolors and hit the drawing board, literally.  I learned to draw.  I mean, I've always been able to draw, but for the first time I started developing what basic talent I had.  Now I want color.  It seems all I've ever had time for outside the classroom was for sketching.  I tried to travel with color pencils, oil pastels, watercolor crayons, acrylic -- I can't use any of them even when I'm not on a tour group.  Root cause: Mom has a small bladder.  For lightweight, for quick sketch, for on-the-move, it has to be watercolor.  I've tried bringing oil pastels, watercolor pencils, acrylic -- They're all cumbersome if I can't just sit down and paint in peace.  I get no peace.  So I'm trying to get bright color with watercolor.  I don't get it yet.

Koi

Reference from Wetcanvas's Mar21 WDE in my 9x12 mixed media sketchbook.  Hmm, looks better in person than on the screen.

another iPAD sketch

I wasn't happy with this "Oil Painter" app because I don't like the color choices, they're all too bright, and not happy with the tools.  They're too childish, and I think that was the original intent of the app, made for kids.  So now I've tried something more serious with it.  I think I can make it work with more practice to learn to pull more detail out and mix the colors I want from what they offer.   There isn't much choice for oil painting, this probably the only "free" app.  I've tried ArtRage free for a PC, not free for iPAD. Parrot from this week's WDE reference.

More Mola

This week's WDE references were from Panama.  I wish I could explore a country more in-depth but a superficial peek is getting to be more than my "travel companion" can handle.  I interpreted a couple WDE references to the Mola style.  The long weekend was exhausting, so these were relaxing.  Acrylic paints in the 9x12 inch wetmedia sketchbook.

Weekend art

 Donkey & Friend - or maybe it's a mule, I can't tell the difference.  From this week's WDE invitation.  Acrylics in the Smash.

The Smash journal has really fired up my creativity.  Since I got the journal, I've been painting/sketching again in my other sketchbooks.  I had three other paintings this weekend!  I don't show them all, that's not the point.  I feel good when the art flows, good or not.  Oh, this is conte pastels in the 6x8 inch drawing sketchbook (one of the 2011 goals)

Carabao

This was last week's WDE, acrylics in the 6x8 inch sketchbook.  I struggled with it and the elephant reference.  It shows. 

I went to the Philippines in 1987 and my uncle arranged a side trip to see the Banaui rice terraces.  Incredible manmade feat!  The brightest green I'd ever seen, even greener than Ireland.  So I was hiking down one of the mountains to see the terraces up close and there was a tribal village down at the bottom of the valley.  Halfway down as I was coming down to another terrace, I smelled this awful stench that wasn't toilet but definately fertilizer.  I turned around and it was a huge water buffalo staring at me.  It was knee deep in the water-filled rice paddy and munching on a mouth full of long grass.  They say smell is one of the greatest memories we have.  Just seeing this reference brought back that stinky memory.

DandyLion Roars

Acrylic in the self-made sketchbook.  I'm really happy with my acrylics lately.  Only 3 pages left.  Reference from this week's WDE.  I tried to upload there but WC login seems to be disabled.  Ahhh, that explains why nobody else has uploaded their WDE and why there's no new list in the Scavenger Hunt.

WDE ACEOs

Double page spread in the SMASH journal. I got the Smash journal because it had ready to go backgrounds.  I'm not liking collage (media) because of all the stuff you have to accumulate.  I've got the skills to paint little icons & sticker-sized graphics. However, you can't do watercolor or gouache or inktense directly on the page.  It just beads up.  For the acrylic, I thought about painting squares of gesso but then I can't use the other media if I feel like it.  So I cut up some ATC size blank watercolor paper.  No, I won't be trading these, they're already glued (Mod Podge) to the pages.

That's another thing, not all glue is good.  I had rubber cement, but it was over 4 years old and had reduced to a tough rubber snot-like substance.  I had stick glue.  It had dried up, too.  The SMASH glue is stick glue--it'll probably fall off in a couple years.  Mod Podge is the way to go!  Ooo, I just saw my hot glue gun hanging from my art table.  That'll be good for heavier attachments.

WDE from 4-1-12

Chinese Ink in the 6x8 sketchbook. I actually did a couple more 6x8's for a total of 5 references.

First 2011 goal

Yay, finished one of the sketchbooks on my list, the 4x6 inch aquabee. Actually I've also put away two others, but they were writing journals that are more private and I don't usually put up on the web. I think this is Sketchbook #12 in my list of completed sketchbooks. I did actually do several more sketches. I tried to collage them in photoshop but that ended in frustration for lack of time. Mom came in and started demanding more of my time while I was working on it.

WDE pelican

Something from this week's WDE references. I haven't done WDE for over a year. Acrylic in the 4x6 inch Aquabee. I'm really happy with it considering I don't have black paint with me. I probably won't be uploading this to Wetcanvas, no time to comment on the other WDE work. I think that means I'm relaxed if I can crank out art as easily as I'm doing this weekend.

Edit: Improved some things, better scan.

OP #95 of 100

Reference is "Dee" from the WDE that EP is hosting this weekend. Also attempting the challenge at using primary colors only. 30 minutes, oil pastels in the 4x6 inch Aquabee. I'll post this to artsomofo with the sock monkeys and I'm still "minus two scans" but minus one art.

Many firsts

Used Li's (lisilk) WDE reference to attempt many firsts:

First ATC/ACEO size.

First gouache.

First time to use the Pentalic w/c paper.

Attempted the pop art challenge, using Blue Dog as inspiration.

His name is Buddy, nicknamed Boo-Boo, a Queensland Heeler.

I don't do salad.

His name is Andy. There's a resemblance but I don't know if he still looks as close to three years old as the reference, I think he looks a tad older. (Oldrockchick) Lin's son didn't want to eat his veggies many years ago. I hope I got the facial expression, even if his eyes aren't quite right (O_o) Graphite in my big sketch book. Original sketch is 6x8 inches.

English Rose

Another acrylic 4x4 from the WDE hosted by Lin (oldrockchick). I think it looks better from a distance so I'm putting it high up on my wall. I don't think I've ever successfully painted a rose before. I sketched a nice ink pen quickie once, while waiting for my turn at a mammogram. TMI?

Crowned Crane

This is acrylic paint on 4x4 inch canvas from this week's WDE hosted by the forum team, I think.
Before I moved my sketch blog, at the beginning of the year, I had a goal to do one small finished painting a week, with allowances for more time to do bigger finished work. If I couldn't do that, I was going to take an art class at the college because that always seems to get my paint flowing. Well, I haven't been painting since my plein air frustration in Maui and I can't, under my current circumstances, commit to a class for the whole semester but I've got permission to drop into the Life Painting class (figure painting). It's already getting me thinking about painting alot.

Also on my 2009 art goals: Finish my 100 OP sketch challenge by the end of the year and continue on my 100 acrylic sketches. Hopefully I'm back on track with the one small painting a week and I've got 6 more OP's to go.