I colored it in

Coloring between the lines

I decided, what the heck, starting a new technique requires a little boldness. what’s the worst that could happen? Maybe it would end up in the circular file, but I’ve finally realized that that is okay. If nothing ever ends up there, you aren’t growing in the work.

According to the teaching video I watched, you are supposed to be able to spritz the picture lightly to fix the lines that weren’t touched when the initial water brushwork was done.  Somehow, I couldn’t manage it properly and the inked lines still flowed.  I ended up just going with it, coloring between the lines, almost like in a coloring book.  I didn’t get too freaked out when I inevitably went too close and the ink ran, but I did try to minimize it and then remove what extra flow I could.

I like it and I don’t.  I’m just going to have to let it sit for a while and decide later. It does have a little bit of the feel of a coloring book, but not necessarily in a bad way.  I probably just need to experiment more and not get myself stuck.

A new technique

Quick pencil sketch

Well, what do you think of this? While reading a post from Carol King’s blog (listed in my blogroll and dated 6/12/15), I saw a link to a drawing technique using the Speedball Elegant Writer Calligraphy Marker.  After watching the linked video, I thought it might be interesting to use for some loose architecturals.  I looked through the photos from our trip to Europe in 2000 to see if I could find something suitable. At that time my husband’s timber frame company had cut a frame here in Indiana, shipped it to Germany, and then the whole crew went over to erect it.  I went over with our son Justin when they were finished and we spent a few days driving around the country.  What a great time we had.  I remembered I had taken some shots of narrow streets with the most incredible architecture you could imagine and found this one to use.

Speedball writer technique

I did a very quick sketch, not taking the exacting care I normally would, even changing some things to make it a little simpler (gasp!) for the first attempt.  There is a slight beveled edge to the pen tip for calligraphy usage so I was able to vary the strokes somewhat.  That was a little disconcerting at first, but I worked with it and came to a nice accommodation.  I let it sit for a day and then just went ahead and did the water wash in a more slap dash manner than I would normally use.  Wow, I really like it!  At one level, this really appeals to my sense of positive/negative spaces. I also like the randomness of the slight color changes.  When the water is washed on, the ink changes from black to shades of dark blue, light blue, and mauve in an unpredictable way.  Once the ink has set from the water wash and a light mist spray, you can then add regular watercolors if desired.

I can see a series of Germany architectural drawings and maybe a few florals coming up and a new set of listings in my etsy store.  This is just the inspiration I have been needing.

I really would appreciate some feedback and votes -add regular watercolor to it or not – so go right ahead and tell give me your opinion, even if you’ve never commented before.  I will total up the pro and con choices and let you know.  I am going to try more of these for sure.

Jackpot

Black raspberries from the field

Those that have followed my blog for the last few years know that when berry season rolls around during the summer, everything else takes second place.  The black raspberries are first, in late June, with the blackberries coming in late July. I’ve been keeping an eye out on a patch near the road  and went out today for the initial picking, I think this is the best I have ever done for the effort involved. In under an hour, I picked close to one gallon from a single patch that had to be less than 8’x12′.  Anyone who has picked wild black raspberries knows this is phenomenal.  I felt like I was picking in a commercial plot.  Many of the berries were large – fingernail size –  often with 4 or 5 in a single bunch.  I didn’t even get to the other good patches from last year.  Had I had another hour to spend, I bet I would have gotten at least another 1/2 gallon.  I could barely drag myself away, but tomorrow is another day, as long as it’s not too wet.

A black bear was reported in northern Indiana earlier this month – probably the first in over a 100 years.  He better not come down here and try to claim my berries.  We would have quite the disagreement over that.

Oh, deer!

New fawn

I went to my kitchen sink this evening with supper dishes in hand and in a sweet surprise, I saw a very young fawn walking through the front flower beds. It was dwarfed by the cone flowers, black eyed Susan’s, and even the bird bath as it meandered through the flowers, checking everything carefully before skittering out.

Mom and baby

Fortunately, I had heard this morning that a doe was wandering around with a new baby and I had brought up my camera with the telephoto lens already attached. I ran to the living room to get it and when I got back, the fawn had rejoined its mother.  It skipped about the yard, more I think from the gnats and flies circling it than from playfulness or fear.  I could see quite the swarm flying around both of them.  Mom finally edged her baby back into the woods and I went back to the dishes.

Purple Jasper

Purple Jasper

What a lively central square this Indiana small town has.  I have loved doing these three streetscapes.  The unusual color combinations have been fun.  The stores in this one have to peek out from behind the tree and the planter, but you can still see the purple quite nicely.  I don’t know about you, but I think lilac is a great color choice for an ice cream store.

The upper area has some decorative brick and stone work to create uniqueness in the masonry facade.  All in all, I’d like to compliment the architects who designed this set of buildings.  This town square is one of the reasons I love architectural drawing.

Back to Jasper

Jasper corner

I sent out the commission last week and received word that they liked it.  It’s always nice to hear that.  I have spent most mornings working out in the flower beds since it left and my hands and elbows are somewhat worse for the wear.  To much torque on the joints.  It is drying out again, so I will get a break until we get some rain.

This week it’s back to Jasper.  It will be a combination of red brick on the second story and light and dark lilac on the ice cream store.  I still have to fiddle a little bit the the black/white balance, probably in the tree area.  Then I’m onto the watercolors.  It will be fun to use shades of purple in an architectural painting.  And it’s true to life!