Snowy Landscape

On my own I would never choose to paint a snowy landscape scene. It was definitely challenging to leave a significant amount of the paper white. I used masking fluid on the bard, fence, and fence posts to keep specific parts white. I like how the front fence and gate turned out, but the rest was a learning experience.

Sunset

My husband asked me to paint him a sunset on a scrap of paper I had...this is what I came up with. It's primitive, but I did it without a reference image and in only a couple minutes of painting.

Candles & Chalk

We used chalk for the background of our candle painting in class. while the watercolor was still a little wet, we scrapped chalk onto it. This was so fun to do and has such a neat effect.

Pear Watercolor

For my watercolor homework assignment, I tried my hand at a pear. It's a little rough around the edges and the stem is a little too dark, but it's pretty good for me overall. I enjoyed the speckling of the pear with my toothbrush.

Apple Watercolor

This is my second attempt at painting an apple with watercolors. My first attempt I was way too cocky and thought painting an apple would be a breeze. Let's just say it didn't even look like an apple by the time I was done. 

With this apple, my colors and shape are much more apple-like. At least if I showed you a picture of it, you would recognize it's an apple.

Valentine's Day Card

Since I'm learning to watercolor, I decided to make my hubby a Valentine's Day card with an original watercolor painting. I love the hearts, but it's a little girly for a man, so I accompanied the card with a bottle of whiskey.

Abstract Watercolor

I love abstract watercolor paintings, so I gave one a try. I scanned the painting in and it's not quite as deep in color as the original...this might need to be tweaked in Photoshop.

Working mainly with a wet-on-wet technique, I used multiple washes to get the final effect. I feel like it's not quite finished though. Maybe it needs to be in a series, or a frame, or have an ink illustration on it.

Mixing Tray

 

Even the mixing tray can look so pretty by the end of a painting.

The Creative Habit

I just finished reading The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp. It was a quick read about how she, a famous ballet choreographer, maintains and improves her creativity. Here's what I took from the book:

1. Getting started with your creative endeavor on any given day is hard. Create a routine that kickstarts your creative process without having to think about it. I know I have a hard time getting started with my watercolor painting. Even though I love the process once I get going, I seemed to get sidetracked so easily. Suddenly laundry seems appealing.
2. Practice. Practice. Practice. But with purpose.
3. Work on the aspects of your creative endeavor that you're not good at. I've got lots to work on.
4. Find out what your creative DNA is and work with it, not against it. When it comes to photography, I naturally gravitate toward macro shots. I'm interested to see if I prefer up close images when it comes to watercolor painting.
5. Skill is the basis to execute. This is exactly why I'm taking my watercolor class.

There's plenty more in the book too.

Super Mario Brothers Plant

This past Halloween, a couple of my coworkers and myself dressed up as Super Mario Brothers characters. We totally won best costume. Not only that, but we decorated my coworker's cubicle as if it was a Super Mario Brothers landscape. So for his birthday, I made him a card of the plant. I think I got a little to carried away with the splatter. I wanted it to be noticeable, but with darker and larger spots.

Just for Fun

I couldn't let this little scrap of watercolor paper go to waste, so I had a little fun.