Day 24 - Big Bear Lake Watercolor Landscape

This wet-into-wet landscape was inspired by a recent trip to Big Bear Lake. My husband and I took the kids to preschool and babysitter and went to Big Bear for some quality kid-free time. We rented a canoe and had lunch on the lake. The weather was beautiful: it was in the 70s, mostly overcast with spectacular clouds that were reflecting in the lake, and an occasional mild breeze. Afterwards, we set up a hammock near the lake and enjoyed just hanging out and doing nothing. A good day :)

11x15" Watercolor on Lanaquarelle watercolor paper. $95. Buy here. 

Day 23 - An Avalon Street in Ink and Watercolor

More Catalina! The city of Avalon, to be specific, the little street called East Whittley Avenue. I snapped the reference photo while pushing a double stroller with both of my kids in it up that hill.

East Whittley Ave. 7.5 x 8.75". Ink and watercolor on hot press paper. $75 (special pricing until October 1). Buy here. 

As predicted, I had no time or energy to do a daily painting yesterday. I had an amazing second (and last) day of my portrait painting workshop and I'm super proud of what my students were able to accomplish. However, I was also experiencing symptoms of a cold and of being very much pregnant, so by the end of the day, I was dead. With a little over a month left until we get to meet baby #3, I am glad to stop being so active and lay low for a while. Of course, I will want back in the saddle before I know it...but for now, I feel like taking a break. 

Day 21 - Mission San Luis Rey

I spent the whole day teaching the first half of my portrait painting workshop and hanging out with the husband and kids in the evening, so I am cheating today. This sketch of the Mission San Luis Rey is from a few months ago, when we visited San Diego. Miraculously, I think I was even able to finish the sketch on site.

Watercolor and ink pen on paper. 6x11" 

I'm teaching the second day of the workshop tomorrow, so I may not have an opportunity for a new daily painting again. Good thing I have a ton of unpublished pieces...On the other hand, I am still reliving the Catalina trip and want to paint a few things based on my photos from there.

Day 20 - Santa Catalina Island!

Aaaand I'm back! This week, we went on a family mini-vacation on the Santa Catalina Island. It was exhausting, as our baby daughter pretty much refused to sleep and was throwing tantrums left and right (not at all typical for her). But it was also great. I enjoyed plugging off the daily life, the housework, the art business, the social interaction, even just for a few days. And, of course, the island is beautiful. It would be fantastic to return there just by myself, or at least without kids, on a plein air trip.

Eureka! I should organize a plein air workshop there! Hmm...

The Casino (which is not a casino but a movie theater) in Avalon. Pen and watercolor on paper.  

The uncropped version, with my daughter's contribution on the left :) 

A quick note to blog subscribers

Good news! If you don't like getting an email from me every day for the rest of the month, please scroll to the bottom of the email and click "update subscription preferences." This will let you choose to receive my emails once a week instead of every time a new blog post is added. Thanks for reading!

Day 15 - Another High Desert Skyscape

This is the desert. So, by definition, we don't get much in terms of precipitation. When everyone else around us gets rained on, we are being teased by spectacular clouds. So, those who decide to be positive and embrace the fact that they live in the very hot middle-of-nowhere, become attached to the clouds...Particularly the sunrises and sunsets :)

Watercolor on paper. 11x15". $95. Buy here.  

Day 14 - A Mean Black Cloud

Oh, I don't know...It's a cloud :)  Also looks a bit like a Mean Gray Wolf...

Watercolor on paper. 11x15" 

It's pretty much the halfway point in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge today. I can say that I felt a lot more energetic and ambitious at the beginning! Now, it's more about having the will power while the excitement dwindles away. I can do this!

On the other hand, I may not be able to do this in the next three days. Tomorrow is my birthday and we are going on a mini-vacation to Catalina island here off the coast of California. I will be taking both kids to the island tomorrow and my husband will join us on Tuesday morning. So...like I said, I may not have an opportunity to paint. Even if I don't, though, I should come back plenty inspired :) 

Day 12 and 13 - Tide Pool Abstraction on Yupo

I'm catching up today, hence a two-painting post! And, of course, these two paintings were painted pretty much simultaneously, so it makes sense to put them in the same post.

Tide Pool I. 9.5 x 6" Watercolor and Nupastel on Yupo. $65 (special pricing until October 1st). Buy here.

Once again, I was inspired by a photo from my field trip to Point Reyes. Crevices in rocks full of amazing treasures. Tide pools.

Tide Pool II. 9.5 x 6". Watercolor and Nupastel on Yupo. $65 (special pricing only until October 1st). Buy here. 

I find myself drawn to diptychs and triptychs lately. They are not quite a series yet but maybe doors into future series. I have also been working larger - which is hard to tell based on these little daily paintings but the fact is, I feel more comfortable scaling up. Both working in series and painting larger are straight from my goals list two years or so ago. So...it feels good seeing myself moving towards my own goals as an artist.  

Tide Pool paintings side by side. 

Day 11 - Point Reyes

I couldn't find the time post this yesterday, so I guess it means two posts today! The painting is based on a photo I took on a foggy morning at Point Reyes. It didn't turn out quite as foggy or gray as the photo...but I still like it. I also did a couple of value sketches beforehand and changed my mind a few times during the painting process. And cropped the finished painting. Maybe will give it another go at some point.

Point Reyes. Watercolor on paper. 11 x 11". $65. Buy here.

The uncropped version. 

Day 10 - An Apple Tree Ink and Watercolor Sketch

in

One of these days I will make a blog post about making a watercolor sketchbook. Especially since my current handmade sketchbook is almost full and I need to make a new one! The sketch below is also from the UC Riverside Botanic Gardens paintout. I started it there but was too hot and otherwise pregnantly uncomfortable to finish. So I finished it today.

Apple Tree. Watercolor and ink on watercolor paper.  

I liked this apple tree on my first walk-through of the gardens and made sure to return to it at the end of the paintout. I was hoping for a more interesting light and for a shaded spot for me to set up my easel but things don't always work exactly the way you want them to when you're doing plein air. The tree was in the shadow and I was pretty much in sunlight.

Day 9 - A Landscape with a bit of Fauve

in

First of all, a note to my blog subscribers. I had several people unsubscribe in the last week, most likely because they don't like getting an email from me every single day. If that is the case with you, please let me know before you unsubscribe. I can change the frequency of the updates you would receive. So, if daily dose of me is too much, but you would still like to hear form me once a week or once a month, just say so! 

Also, once the current 30 Paintings in 30 Days project is over, I will definitely not blog every day. So hang in there :) 

Untitled. 15 x 11" Watercolor on paper. Sold. Buy prints here.

This colorful landscape (or abstract?) is another fruit of my outing yesterday. I'm not sure what to call it yet.. . I feel that the better I get at expressing things visually, the worse my verbal ability gets. Or maybe it's about using up too much creativity on painting and not having anything left when it's time to choose a title :). Who knows? Anyway, I'm looking for your suggestions and impressions! Thanks in advance.

Day 8 - Under the Fig Tree Plein Air Watercolor Painting

in

I went to the University of California Riverside Botanic Gardens to get some plein air time this morning. It's a bit of a drive for me (everything is a drive when you live in the middle of nowhere...) and it was hot. I was exhausted after just three hours. But I do like painting from life (as opposed to painting from photos) and most of the time, it's worth the drive and the discomfort. I had another artist with me, Barbara Parish, and we had a good time chatting and learning about each other. Barbara and I met through my High Desert Art Meetup group.

"Under the Fig Tree" - 11 x 15" Watercolor on paper. $95. Buy here. 

I spent the first hour figuring the place out and walking the trails (which get pretty steep, by the way!) And looking for a nice shaded place with a view. This area with large leafy trees fit the bill, so I set up my easel and got to work. The painting above was the second one I did at that location. I will post the first one tomorrow.

Day 7 - more Yupo!

in

Another busy day today. I had my last class of an Intro to Watercolor course, which was a little bit sad. This has been one of my favorite groups of students so far: interested, committed, talented, and hard-working. An excellent combination for any new thing to learn, but watercolor especially. I loved working with them and hope to see them back for more in the future :)

6x6" Watercolor and Nupastel on Yupo. 

My daily painting today is actually a little demo I did in class, just showing different stuff you can do with Yupo. It's not a finished painting but I like it so far and I may work on it some more (at some obscure later date...hmm...let's not go into details here).  

Tomorrow, I plan on driving to the UC Riverside Botanic Gardens for a paintout. So it should be a good productive morning, or at least an interesting one.  

Day 6 - A sketch of some bird of paradise trees

in

I had a doctor's appointment this morning. No big deal, just a routine 7-month pregnancy checkup (yep, in case you didn't know...I'm pregnant). Well, I ended up spending most of the day at the hospital! I've been having some issues including an episode of what looked suspiciously like preterm labor, so they wanted to run a couple of tests and an ultrasound to make sure nothing funny is happening. I'm all good, just need to slow down and get plenty of rest...Easier said than done.

Marker on kraft paper. 

Anyway, I didn't get to paint today yet (I may still, after the kids go to bed), but I did bring my sketchbook with me and doodled a little. The Kaiser hospital I went to has a really nice area between the buildings, with water features and lots of plants. While I was waiting on one thing or another, I sketched this group of bird of paradise trees . They also inspired all kinds of abstract ideas, so I intend to revisit these shapes soon :).

Day 5 - A Silver Lakes Sunset

We've had some amazing clouds here lately, which are a total distraction to me when I'm driving. Dangerous stuff!  

10.5 x 13.5" Watercolor on paper. $95. Buy here. 

I painted this one from a photo that I took yesterday, just up the road from my house where the road ends and the creosote bush begins. This is attempt #2. The first one didn't turn out well at all and is now resting in my recycling bin. Oh well. Something that I learned from my initiation into pottery this summer is that when a ball of clay is refusing to center itself on the wheel, you just keep pushing. When a bowl turns into a "catawompus", you scrape it off and begin a new one.

Day 3 - Palomar watercolor on Yupo

in

Today, I focused on abstract shapes in a landscape. I worked from a photo that I took on a camping weekend at the Palomar Mountain (near San Diego). I made a few sketches and a not-so-successful watercolor painting before arriving at this piece.

Palomar. 10x10" watercolor and Nupastel on Yupo. Currently not for sale. 

I used a bit of Nupastel in addition to watercolor. You can see the squarish marks from where I dragged the piece of pastel on its side, in the tree foliage and the path. I will probably rework this again. One of the wonderful things about Yupo is that it allows you to wipe off (or just wash off under the faucet) most, if not all, of the watercolor.

What's on My Palette?

in

So glad you asked :)! My watercolor palette is a perpetual work-in-progress and I think it will be fun reviewing it once in a while. As of today, this is what it looks like:

It's a John Pike's palette and I'm quite happy with the number of wells, their size, and the ample mixing area. I rarely use the lid for mixing.  

Click on the image to view John Pike's palette on Amazon.com

Okay, the interesting part. Colors, from left to right: 

(Colors in bold larger font are ones I use most. The links are affiliate links and will take you to DickBlick.com. If you buy something, I will get a small percentage for sending you their way. Thanks in advance!) 

Blick Dioxazine Violet.

 

I put it in there more out of habit than out of need. I pretty much never touch it anymore, but dixazine purple used to always come with my St Petersburg pan watercolors, so I've used it for years.

Winsor & Newton Cobalt Blue.

I use it when I want a slightly lighter and more opaque version ofFrench Ultramarine.  

Winsor & Newton French Ultramarine.

The paint I should probably buy by the bucket. In the absence of buckets, I get the largest tube available (37 ml). And it gets used all the time.  

Utrecht Cobalt Turquoise.

One of those random colors I have and occasionally use. Makes a very delicate violet color when mixed with Quinacridone Red.

Blick Phthalo Blue.

I have a complicated relationship with this one. I love it for giving me nice, transparent darks and brilliant greens, but I hate it for not drying fast enough on the palette and invading every single color while I'm on the move and the palette is not just sitting on a flat surface. It's also a bit of a pain to clean up and it's a staining color (so, don't put it where you think you might need to lift paint later). I am considering either keeping it in a separate container or just bringing a tube when I need it.

Holbein Verditer Blue.

Used occasionally. A semi-opaque, easy-on-the-eye color. Thanks to Tom Schaller for introducing me to this one.  The well next to it holds the remains of American Journey Manganese Blue, which turned out to be kind of dull and very crumbly. Not at all the same thing as Winsor & Newton Manganese Blue.

Daniel Smith Blue Apatite Genuine.

Another random color I use very rarely. Super-granulating, bluish dark gray. I like it, I just don't often paint something that would call for it.

 

Same goes for

Daniel Smith Indanthrone Blue.

Beautiful, transparent dark blue. Reminds me of writing ink.

Daniel Smith Quinacridone Red .

This is my primary red color. I can warm it up with a yellow or cool it down with a blue. It mixes well with pretty much anything. I tried this color in other brands and it works just as well. Quinacridone Magenta used to be in the well next to this one, but I found it to be a bit redundant. The other well next to it used to hold Daniel Smith Rhodonite Genuine. A pretty color, but it crumbles like crazy when it dries on the palette and I can't say it's essential. I also read somewhere in forums that Rhodonite shifts in color.

Daniel Smith Quinacridone Sienna.

Love it! Apparently, I also need a new tube of it. Again. The color is a nice rusty orange. Transparent, mixes well with most colors on my palette. Not to be confused with DS Quinacridone Burnt Orange, which is actually a rather boring brown.

Maimeri Blu Cadmium Orange.

A basic orange color, semi-opaque. Not used very frequently but is good to have when I need an intense orange. The well next to it is the above-mentioned Daniel Smith Quinacridone Burnt Orange - which is not an orange at all, and I will be scraping it out and throwing it away.

Next one is my primary yellow well.

Currently it's Daniel Smith New Gamboge  but I'm pretty sure there is some Daniel Smith Hansa Yellow on the bottom. Maybe even some Indian Yellow. I'm not very picky there. The blob in the next well is

Maimeri Blu Raw Sienna.

A bit too brown and boring for my taste, so I will be scraping that one out, too. 

Blick Yellow Ochre. 

A good color to have, but not a necessity. Quite opaque and tends to get chalky.

Winsor & Newton Quinacridone Gold.

Another color I buy a lot of. Wonderfully transparent, somewhat greenish yellow. I tried it in other brands, trying to find the same thing but cheaper, and was less than impressed. Winsor & Newton it is.

That's it! I also own a box of St Petersburg (Yarka, White Nights) pan watercolors, with some pans already emptied and refilled with other stuff, for trips and such, when I would not bring my large palette.  

What about you? What are the staples on your palette? 

P.S. For an excellent concise overview of different watercolor brand paints, check out this Wonderstreet article.