paint party Friday.... watching paint dry

learned from Tamara LaPorte

 At first I thought, maybe I won't share my paintings... but I feel I've learned so much from the Sketchbook Revival artists that I want to remember. Plus the two week lessons got me painting again. 

Isn't she pretty??? The lesson was taught by Tamara LaPorte and I like her style a lot. Of course it's got my own details, and brush strokes and reflects all the tiny decisions made when creating artwork.

I am so grateful for teachers who are generous with lessons for us, not just on Sketchook revival but all the time like Tamara, Shayda Campbell, CeeCee creates, and Joanna Basford, who teaches me to simplify when drawing

I enjoy using a variety of materials to color in her weekly calendar pages!!

teetering in front of the computer while it plays podcasts

Not finished yet but then the week isn't over either!

at first I thought I was just wasting time coloring but y'all, I'm learning shading, highlights, how watercolor pencils blend together, how fineliner pens accent and how they look different on the page. How one color looks next to another, how to create depth, and it's just plain soothing to color

this lesson looked very different from my work, but I wrote some bullet points right on the sketchbook page to remember the leader's suggestions. I learned the importance of horizon line, and graying out color to suggest distance. I also like the look of words over a painting. I'm becoming influenced by living in Colorado I think 

the lessons sound unappealing in the synopsis but I have learned something from each one. This one was labeled clothing for characters. When I got there I realized she was teaching us how she creates the concept of checks, plaid, quilted etc and I feel richer knowing what to do to my quilt art to give the illusion of clothing now. 

There is so much to learn isn't there?

I cannot remember who taught this, and I didn't respond to her teaching style at all, but... but... I like my bird and the composition and the approach. I'm not saying I'll remember the lesson but I'm saying each time I stretch to learn, it changes me and adds new ideas into the creative pool. That image is washed out but the real page is subtle but quite dynamic at the same time. I can't get this new software to do what I want for the blog.

Again, I didn't love this lesson but while she spoke and demonstrated I played with the watercolor paints... enjoyed pressing the black velvet #8 round brush in different angles to make the wild garden scenes here. I painted the top one, then went back to try painting it again to send to a friend... I enjoyed the differences in the two, and the second one was much faster to paint. 

I love to go back with gray, black and white pens to add little extras... sometimes I'm afraid to mess something up but that contrast always adds to the composition... no worries! 

all the sketchbook presentations included free follow up lessons (some time limited) by each person. I am hoping to follow up on those in the following weeks. 

Mainly I encourage you to find an online resource to help you stretch during our alone time. I also watched Elizabeth Gilbert talking about creativity this week. One sound bite was that we all have fears.You can't totally get rid of it.

The challenge is that if fear is riding along your journey, put him in the backseat and turn up the radio. Don't let fear drive.

linking to

https://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.com/