Lotus

 

A lotus sketch in colored pencil.

Onion

"Onion," colored pencil and soft pastel on 5 x 5 on 98 lb paper

The onion was the most available subject today.  I began this one with a sketch using Dahlia Purple and Parma Violet Prismacolor pencils.  It was time to pull out the PanPastels.  I did a light wash in Violet and then Yellow Ochre.  I added Red Iron Oxide for the darker spots of my onion.  I made my shadows using a combination of those colors, all in pastel, along with a little Neutral Gray.  I used the colored pencil to add some finishing details.

I wanted to use a complimentary color palette to create a recognizable onion.  My main goal was to create realistic color and texture.  I will be creating some onion abstractions in my next sketches.

Beach Scene

"Beach Scene," watercolor on 12 x 9 140 lb paper

I wanted to create an abstract landscape.  

My main focus in this painting was sky- I wanted to give the sky a great deal of depth and interest.  I used wet-on-wet for an underpainting, interweaving blues, violets, reds, oranges and yellows.  After this layer dried, I went over it in two layers of dark blue, then added table salt, as well as rock salt to allow the broken colors to shine through.

For the ocean, I mixed greens and blues, painting wet-on wet to give the impression of waves.

The hill was originally a cadmium lemon.  This created imbalance in the painting, so I neutralized the hill and also gave it more interest by layering a deep blue-violet over the yellow.  I added more salt to give the sand some texture.

Overall, I'm happy with how the painting turned out.  Next time I work a beach scene, I might abstract it further by using cleaner geometric shapes and a simpler color scheme. 

Pond at Dawn

"Pond at Dawn," watercolor on  9x6 140 lb paper

This is a wet-on-wet abstract piece; it was a lot of fun to make.

St. Jude Catholic Church

Pencil sketch on 6 x 9

Here is a little sketch I made in the dark last night.  I need to work on strengthening my perspective drawings.  I will try to do another one next week.

Tye Dye Storm

PanPastel on Strathmore Watercolor Paper 9 x 6

I played with PanPastel a bit at the fountain in front of St. Jude's Catholic Church.  The rain started falling on the paper before I had quite finished.

Frontal Perspective House

I sketched this little frontal perspective house in front of St. Jude's Catholic Church.