Exciting news! I belong to the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, and our Great Plains Chapter is having an exhibit of natural science illustration at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha in November. I am so thrilled to be a part of this group of wonderful illustrators. If you would like to see beautiful illustrations of the natural world, be sure to check out our exhibit! More details will follow.
As you can imagine, I am hard at work getting artwork ready for the show. I will be sharing some of my book art and calligraphy from my exhibit in Louisiana over the next few months. I had meant to share more over time, but didn't get around to it. While I am working on other things, this would be a great time to do it!
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Watercolor Reference Wheels
We are finally getting some much needed rain. I watched our backyard turfgrass seemingly grow an inch yesterday afternoon after the rains came through.
This is giving me the chance to go through some photos I took last week. This one was very interesting to me while I was out in the forest.
A few weeks back, when we were still getting snow, I made these small wheels with my watercolor paints around the edges. I like this arrangement because it allows me to carry a reference of colors directly into the field without a lot of bulk. I made the wheels based on color groups. Although I (almost) never use watercolors straight from the tube, it makes it a lot easier to see which base to start from, and make some notes right there in front of the flower. Each wheel has space on the front and back.
The green paint that is right next to the Claytonia virginica, or Spring Beauty wildflower, is Daniel Smith's Green Apatite Genuine. I bought it on a whim a few weeks ago because I liked the color on the display. When I tried it out at home, I found that it has a very different look in pale washes and in heavier mass tones.
As you can see, the mass tone was very similar to the leaf color in this lighting.
The color also has an intriguing, sedimentary look on the paper.
So, will this mean I can take a shortcut and use this green? It would save me time in the field not to have to mix a color. I am not sure, yet- I need to become more familiar with it. I use (and like) many different brands of paint, and there are other ways to mix this green, using other paints on my palette. But this one intrigued me, because I had not purchased it with wildflower painting in mind.
This also reinforced how much I like using these wheels. You do have to be familiar with how the paints mix, though.
How do you carry your color references into the field for field sketching?
This is giving me the chance to go through some photos I took last week. This one was very interesting to me while I was out in the forest.
 |
| watercolor sample wheel and Claytonia wildflower |
The green paint that is right next to the Claytonia virginica, or Spring Beauty wildflower, is Daniel Smith's Green Apatite Genuine. I bought it on a whim a few weeks ago because I liked the color on the display. When I tried it out at home, I found that it has a very different look in pale washes and in heavier mass tones.
As you can see, the mass tone was very similar to the leaf color in this lighting.
The color also has an intriguing, sedimentary look on the paper.
So, will this mean I can take a shortcut and use this green? It would save me time in the field not to have to mix a color. I am not sure, yet- I need to become more familiar with it. I use (and like) many different brands of paint, and there are other ways to mix this green, using other paints on my palette. But this one intrigued me, because I had not purchased it with wildflower painting in mind.
This also reinforced how much I like using these wheels. You do have to be familiar with how the paints mix, though.
How do you carry your color references into the field for field sketching?
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Wildflower Watch!
This has been such a long winter. I've been feeling so weary of winter's landscapes. It has been interesting to look back at my photos from last year at this time, and see how green it was.
But, there is hope. Yesterday, it snowed, but the day before, I found this at Fontenelle Forest:
Dutchmen's Breeches. Spring wildflowers!!!
Last year, I saw these flowering about three weeks earlier. I am so glad to see them again. I was also looking for Bloodroot and Spring Beauty, but didn't see them on the trails I checked.
We also saw Ruby-Crowned Kinglets flitting through some bare branches, and saw a duel between a Red Admiral and a Comma butterfly. They flew at each other and tumbled about.
I've always had a special love for wildflowers. My parents have a photo of me from when I was five years old, sitting in a fig tree, holding a handful of Oxalis violacea. Not much has changed, except that I now take photos or paint the flowers instead of picking them.
Do you have a favorite spring wildflower where you live?
But, there is hope. Yesterday, it snowed, but the day before, I found this at Fontenelle Forest:
Dutchmen's Breeches. Spring wildflowers!!!
Last year, I saw these flowering about three weeks earlier. I am so glad to see them again. I was also looking for Bloodroot and Spring Beauty, but didn't see them on the trails I checked.
We also saw Ruby-Crowned Kinglets flitting through some bare branches, and saw a duel between a Red Admiral and a Comma butterfly. They flew at each other and tumbled about.
I've always had a special love for wildflowers. My parents have a photo of me from when I was five years old, sitting in a fig tree, holding a handful of Oxalis violacea. Not much has changed, except that I now take photos or paint the flowers instead of picking them.
Do you have a favorite spring wildflower where you live?
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