Goddess

A beautiful sunny day in the verdant shade of my courtyard. Serenity in a chaotic world.

Canada Day 2013

Face

Here is some fun experimentation with photographs and watercolour washes. I'm thinking about taking photos like this on the plane with me so I have something to work on during our long flight. Endless possibilities.

Ditch What Isn't Working

I've had a few colours in my palette that I just don't like. Indian Red is dull and doesn't mix well. Permanent Mauve is a yucky, grainy colour that does not play well with others either. So, against my thrifty nature, I scraped them out of my palette and replaced them with luminous Quinacridone Gold and vibrant Phthalo Turquoise. (Who could not love a colour whose name starts with PHTH!?)

But in honour of not just wasting those colours, I laid down a wash of each and played with faces from a book called Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference for Artists by Mark Simon. And I included a welcome to Phthalo Turquoise just to get off on the right foot

Good bye Indian Red 

Ciao Permanent Mauve

Welcome Phthalo Turquoise

Urban Sketching at Trout Lake Market

The Vancouver Urban Sketchers met at the Trout Lake Farmers Market today. We were blessed with sunshine and a hive of activity: local produce, baking, honey, pottery, food trucks, buskers and zillions of bikes everywhere. It was great to see Vancouverites out with their little kids on bikes.


 One member of the sketching group put herself right in the middle of the main aisle and people streamed around her like she was a bridge foot in the river. She got a great perspective of people coming towards her. I, as usual, was shy about drawing in a throng of people so I sat in the shade of a tree, looking into a back alley near the market. I could hear a guy playing etherial music on a barred instrument, kids playing hide and seek with a dog, conversations about birthday parties and one sweet dad letting his tiny son discover how to open a bike lock. My drawing of a yellow camper van went pretty well, until a guy with a huge green kid carrier parked his bike right in front of my view, literally 3 feet in front of me. Never mind. I was nearly done, so I just had to keep peeking over the obstacle until I was finished.

Who Are You?

Trying to look deep into my computer towards a parallel universe. 

I'm curious. Really. Who are you? Would you leave a comment?

The internet is such an amazing thing. I can be in touch with friends and family instantly, even though they live far away and in different time zones. I can visit people's blogs and websites to get a view on what they are doing creatively. The internet allows for the great democratization of the creative process, as long as you have access to a computer and a scanner. (I see that is a huge barrier for some but even in places where people have less money, access to internet cafes is often possible.) Creative souls are madly posting images of every form of expression: painting, drawing, quilting, photography, music... The list is only limited by the imagination.  People are more able than ever to get their creative ideas out to the great un-juried show of the ether world.

And I am learning that the internet takes it many steps further. I can see how many people look at this blog and from which counties and from which referring URLs ( if I cared about that.) I set this blog up so that I could share my interest in illustrated journalling with my mom, sister and a few close friends. It has been so satisfying to have an easy way to do show and tell across the miles.

Now, thanks to the "stats" on blog spot, I can see I've had page views from Canada, Russia, the US and UK, Germany, France, South Korea, China, Ireland and Japan. I find that just incredible. But here is the rub. Who are you? All you people from around the world?  Did you stumble on my blog page by accident as you hit the "next blog" button? Or did you find it some other way?  And are you an illustrated journal keeper? Would you consider leaving a comment so I have some idea who you are? Do you have a blog or a website? Do you speak English?

 Oh, and keep the creative juices flowing.

A Boost from Painters at Painters

Painting Outside: Rose Buds at the Front Gate.

Waiting for the Argyle Music Concert - Looking for light, medium and dark.

Recently I spent the weekend with a couple of arty friends at Painters Lodge in Campbell River, BC.  Every year, around 30 artists get together to paint plein air, give seminars and show their work to an enthusiastic mix of other pros, amateurs and appreciators. The weather was beautiful on the pebbly coast of Vancouver Island, looking across to Quadra Island. Bald eagles, seals, full moon, snowy mountains in the distance...we had the whole shebang. Seeing the talent of the gathered artists was a little daunting, but their really open and sincere attitudes was refreshing. To an artist, they seemed to be really happy to share tips, ideas and encouragement.

There were several key things I took away from the weekend:
1. Talent is important but no one improves without really dedicating time and focused effort. Sounds like a cliche because it is absolutely true.

2. The value of a painting is key. (and I don't mean money) Doesn't really matter if you are true to the exact colour but you have to get a range of light, medium and dark values to make a painting pop. Quick pencil thumbnail value sketches are a great starting point to see if the range of values is there. Squint if necessary.

3. Limit your colour palette. Things are less likely to get scattered if there are fewer colours.

4. And finally, do lots of painting from real life and if possible plein air rather than working from photos.

So in the spirit of lifelong learning, I continue to see it and sketch it.

Tug Boat at Lonsdale Quay

Wonky Tug

I met with the Urban Sketchers today at Lonsdale Quay. There were about 10 of us, sitting on the deck near the fountain as tourists milled around. The pan pipe guy played watery music and the sun shone on us towards the end of the session. We had a good chance to show sketchbooks, swap tips and connect. What amazes me about sketching with the group, or even alone as it turns out, is that I don't feel self conscious at all. Once I get drawing, the people blend into the background and I become oblivious to whether anyone is watching or not. It is a little disconcerting when people stand in front of the view I am working on but they usually clue in when I start peering around them!