I always knew but recently noticed how the color of the water changes so much in the water reflection of my fountain. I will photograph more pictures of the fountain at different times and post the comparisons. Here are the few I have; Pre evening below.
Daytime
Pre sunset.
Life can be busy sometimes if we let it …..
and a bit overwhelming. If you are an artist and I am assuming you are even if you don’t actually have the time to sit down and paint/draw, but have a great idea for a piece of art…… keep a drawing journal. Jot down small thumbnail pictures or quick sketches for later when you have a bit more time. Look around you there are beautiful pending pictures or ideas everywhere. Last night I had a few hours of silence in this house and it was a welcomed quite. I took the time to sit on my porch and just listen to the birds and watch the sun set. I like to spend the time listening for God to speak into my life [heart]. I worked on my fountain and tried to get it not too leak! I am adding a few pictures of the water, which looks amazing up close. It’d be a hard watercolor I think, not sure what medium I’d use? I will look again tonight to see how the sun comes in over the water. I just love these pictures. I also photographed a bowl of hard-boiled eggs; fabulous shadows and value study. I believe I will work on a drawing of the eggs, maybe wc. The water photos I will work on in the near future; I just want to catch the water when there is more colorfull light. God is so good.
One of the best decision I ever made was to make a space for myself to work on my artwork. I like to call it my studio, makes me feel inspired to create. If I added my sewing machine it would be an old lady’s craft room! Anyway, I cleaned my space tonight and of course I wish it was larger…..but I am grateful for what I have. My dollhouse is in the other corner to the left. I was thinking of trying to turn my dollhouse’s large table somehow thinking I would have more space…….but I love to look at Zanadu Mansion in all its unfinished splender. 
I just wanted to say a quick Thank you for all the kind words and feedback for my blog site. I am new to blogging and this site; I just wanted to show-case my artwork. I did read every comment made and approved them, but I am not sure where to read them after they get approved or are posted? LOL! I am getting there.
It has been a long journey getting to this point and at times I tell ya I wanted to give up! It only has been the past year that I actually felt like putting forth effort, if that makes sense? Like I did write on my blog somewhere that between being Super Mom, the captain of this House and my health there wasn’t any time for me! And if there isn’t anytime for me I can’t give something or anything away if I don’t have it myself. We all want to be a better parent, a better spouse, and or sister etc. I love Joyce Meyer and she says; ” You can’t give something away you don’t have”. Example: you can’t give love if you don’t love yourself or you can’t give respect to someone if you don’t respect yourself. The big one is: Hurting people hurt people! IDK……my point is I am a happier person if I can create my art and feel good about myself creating. I try to watch Joyce Meyer everyday and study The Word [Bible] with her and except the love God has for me through His Son Jesus. I have learned that { I } we do not have all the answers to life; Why did that happen? or why am I in this situation? etc. God lets things happen in our lives so we draw closer to Him and learn to Trust Him with absolute Faith. I wouldn’t be standing if not for my Lord and Savior Jesus.
I have no idea why I am writing this but in short story someone out there in cyber space must need to read this:
I always wanted to be a Mom. God knows our hearts. I was Not able to have children because of Endometriosis and I lost count of how many surgeries later. I knew that I knew that the Lord God ways are not ours. I had to release my Faith in prayer and believe what God says about circumstances. Look up Matthew 7-24. The scriptures states anyone who stands on Christ will not fall. My first child was born on 7-24 time. My second child was born on day 7-24 and my third child was born in room 724. Do Not ever say there is no God or Jesus. If you are one of those people who say; “OH….not me” where is He in my life? Well, shut up, stop believing the devil, and invite Jesus into your heart and see not what you lose but how your life will change for the better. As simple as; “Jesus, I invite you to come into my heart, I am a sinner, please forgive me and I make you my Lord and Savior”. Aman. Watch your life change for the better.
This is an updated picture of a graphite drawing in process by Joan. The kitty’s name is Ms. Belle a real loveable stinker I am told. In the composition notice how the detailed sofa wooden arm design balances out the pillow riffle. It is the similar shapes that compliment each other. The design on the sofa material works because of the repetitive shapes and constantly of design. In good composition there should be movement throughout the drawing. There should be shapes, lines and form leading your eye into the picture and out of the picture. Notice how the piping on the sofa takes your eye across the composition. As Joan works on this drawing she is learning to understand value scale and how it relates to the composition concerning depth in shadows. Once the drawing is completed as far as the finishing of the drawing itself, I will teach Joan how to take the realism to the next level. Please follow my blog for updates on the “How Too’s” in realism art.
I like to spell watercolour with a “U”, feels more artist like! Anyway, I worked for about an hour on this morning, adding and working up the realism. Now, I need to let it sit for a day or so and give my eyes a rest. Plus, I want to let the paint really dry and take hold and settle. Once that happens I will go back into it add ridiculous realism. Certainly, the painting can stay as is and be called finished, but I need to take it to the next level.
I thought about this many times why I need to take my artwork into realism and I came to the conclusion that I can not change what kind of artist God made me or gave me the eyes to see as an artist; I can only work hard with what I do know as an artist and honor God, enhance, plus develop what I know as an artist and take my artwork to the next level. I have been working hard in Life drawing and actually seeing results I enjoy, so that is a good thing. Two minute poses are hard for me because I want to draw not sketch gesture drawings. I don’t know if it is that I only had about thousand hours spent in life drawing classes or I am at a point I can skip that section of class? Good question. All I do know is that I Thank God for my life and what He is doing in it, especially as an artist. Without The Lord I would Not be standing, all my Blessing are because of Him whom died on that cross at Calvary for me.
One very important fact; Do Not ever think Your Art is not worth creating! Being an Artist is a gift from God. {period}. Do Not let the devil set your a** up! Take the time to look around sometime; at nature, the birds chirping, a child’s smile or your own life. What obstacles you have overcome in life and are still standing. Do not ever think “Where is God?”, He is and was right there with you the whole time. He is the Creator and what an Artist is He. So, if you are an artist and reading this right now realize that God gave you a part of Himself; the artist. What is important to you is important to God.
I really like the scarf and the way the folds are. I want to enhance the pattern yet and I will come back to it in a day or so. Right now I am going to try to downsize this easel my Dad made me when I was in college. The problem is it so big! My Dad always made things for giants! Once he made a picnic table that when you sat down at it the actual table top was at your chin! No lie! lol. Funny stuff. Wish I had a picture of that. So, I probably could make two easel just with the one. 
This is how far I was able to get on this watercolor of Audrey. I just started to paint in the foundation for the patterns. I am not following the actual photo pattern, using the photo as a guide. There are about four layers at least for the realism. At this point I am happy with the progress. I am changing the age and face lines some as well.
Came home a bit early from Life drawing to put another layer of color on. The scarf is coming along well. Once this dries well I will go back into it to finish.
This was a 30 minutes sketch drawn on Strathmore artist paper which has a tooth; more likely to use with pastels. I enjoy working on this embossed cold press paper which has a surface or texture mimicking a golf ball divots. Look closely at the dotty result from the paper’s texture. At first, when sketching it is tempting to toss the sketch into the garbage! It is not similar to drawing on newsprint, the texture doesn’t allow detail at first. Continue to work the sketch for the first 10 minutes or so. Here I used vine [soft] and compressed charcoal [hard] which allowed the shadows [in vine] to smear brilliantly. Still needs to be cleaned up and worked a bit more. The nose is a little too long, but I can’t change that now. This is still a good work sketch with a good likeness, so until he models for the class again this was a good practice.
I noticed how some of the other artist were drawing and most just sketch in a gestural approach. One person was drawing in the Geometric Simplification [in shapes or blocking], or simple contour drawing lines [ outside lines of forms].
I always start by drawing an eye and then the next eye. Get them in proper alignment and work from the center of the face outwards. If you draw the contour line [outside] of the face first, then you make it very hard for yourself to “Fit” in the eyes, nose and mouth in proper relationship to each other or you will erase the contour line you put in already. Do not ever draw the chin for example smaller than it really is just to fit into the outside contour line you’ve drawn, erase the outside line. This model is very fit and in good shape, so the muscle lines are linear and defined in form which allows you to study the figure in proper proportions vs. an over weight model where you need to know the skeleton and look for core lines to start. It is easier to sketch defined form for a 30 minute pose if the model is fit. During a 30 minute pose the time will allow for a Tonal drawing meaning a value range study from lights to darks and allow for more detail or realism.
Recent page has been added to the Life drawing category of two beautiful portraits. I will add one picture featured below sketched in the un-reveling nude figure fashion since this is pictured on a post page. Drawn on Strathmore artist cream color paper with basic charcoal in a 15 minute pose by a professional model. Without a photograph to view the expression was captured beautifully. The hand needs some improvement as far as detail to shape and shadows, but overall the sketch came out well. I find myself wanting to add more realistic detail at the fifteen minute duration poses. At this point I can render a fairly nice sketch, after this point I would need to use charcoal pencils to get tighter detail for more control of the medium. I also would use a different hot pressed surface paper for a longer posed sketch, a smoother surface would give me and allow more control with realistic detail.
If you double-click on the picture you can see the surface of cold press paper and how the charcoal goes on that surface. The paper was bought on clearance and I usually do not use cold press for life drawing, if I were in a pinch and wanted to work this drawing longer into a realistic sketch {sometimes a model will pose several minutes longer or come back to a difficult pose later} spray workable fixatif would follow next and then charcoal pencils which would allow a slight more amount of detail without taking up what was already down. 
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This color study has been a “Hoot” experimenting with color. I had an idea about what I wanted it to look like, but I really enjoy the colors and play on light. The colors are so more vivid in person. I have no idea why the colors here are not as bright as shown below. The size is a bit large for me as well, I usually paint wc in tight realism. I am not completely finished….I need to work up the door knob and detail a few things yet. But, for the moment I am going to sit this aside in my studio and just look at it for a while before I go back into it. The title will be “December shadow”. I looked to see if I could re-photograph this shot and the light and shadow are not there at this point in time. The angle of the sun changes the shadows. I took this picture in December, so the name is perfect..
This painting has become a color study of sorts. I came across these English watercolors from the 40’s and 50’s and they are extremely translucent, transparent and bizarre to work with. Not what an experienced watercolor artist would expect from the medium. The pictures do not capture the brightness or vividness that the colors really are. I want to work this to a point where all colors can be seen through a monotone color palette. I rarely paint so freely; not sure if I like this or not? What do you think?
Roxanne 