One of the homework assignments I give my sketchbook journaling students is to paint a variegated wash on a sketchbook page without any thought as to what they might decide to draw later on the page. Then, after the wash dries, they are to begin their sketches, using the earlier wash as a unifying color […]
Category: Sketchbook Journaling
September Garden
With the cooler days we’re having now, I was feeling a little sad to see summer on its way out. I really enjoy all the flowering shrubs and perennials that brighten up our yard in the summertime, and I’m just not ready to say goodbye to them yet. Then I started looking a little closer […]
Mushroom Sleuthing
I was on a quest. A mushroom quest. As I rambled through the woods, I had noticed a few colorful little gems peeking out from under the carpet of dried brown leaves beneath my feet, and that only made me want more. Aquabee Super Delluxe sketchbook, 9″ x 12″, watercolor and Sakura Pigma Micron 01 […]
Step-by-Step Watercolor: Lake Scene
I visited my mother last week at Alpine Lake, West Virginia, and while I was there spent a wonderfully relaxing couple of hours following the walking trail that meanders through the woods along the shoreline. There are so many pretty, sketch-worthy scenes, but I finally chose this one: Stillman & Birn Zeta series sketchbook, 7″ […]
A Dream Fulfilled…Teaching in Tuscany!
Ever since I sketched my way through Italy a year ago, I’ve dreamed of going back one day and taking a group of sketching friends with me. Well, my friends, it’s happening! I’ve been invited to return to Tuscany in 2015 to teach sketchbook journaling, and I’d love for you to come along! In early […]
Summerhill Sketching + Two Delicious Summer Recipes
Yesterday afternoon I hosted my July “Sketching at Summerhill” session. It was a gorgeous summer day around here, with blue skies, puffy clouds, and lots of flowers showing off their colors. We had such a great time sketching, talking, eating, and relaxing, and I thought you might want to take a peek and see what […]
Sketches from “Between the Covers” Art Show
I promised I would show you some of the sketches from the artists who participated in the “Between the Covers” art show that I was involved with at Artbeat gallery. I had a hard time choosing which sketches to share, since there was such a huge variety of styles and subject matter. In the end […]
Bleeding Heart Sketch with Watercolor Calligraphy
Every spring I’m tempted to sketch the bleeding heart plant that grows by our front porch, but I’m usually so busy weeding, pruning, mulching, and planting that I never get around to it. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in the spring with all the yard work and gardening I have to do, but this year […]
Sketching at Phipps
Flowers, friends, food, and sketching – put them all together and you have the makings of a perfect day! Ink and watercolor, 7″ x 10″ Canson sketchbook with 140 lb. paper This past Wednesday, I joined a group of artists from the McMurray Art League on an outing to Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh to see […]
Like A Proud Parent…
I’ve been teaching a lot of classes lately, and it’s been such an incredibly gratifying experience. I feel just like a proud parent when I walk around the classroom and see the fantastic, creative, original work that my students are doing. I learn so much from them! They listen to my ideas and instructions, then […]
