Saturday

Around the Corner from Main Street


I went out to paint with my friend Virginia the other day. It was supposed to be 50 degrees and sunny, so we were pretty excited about having a nice day for some plein air work. Well, foiled again! It was freezing cold and overcast. We pulled off onto a side street where there was room to park, and did sketches from the warm comfort of our cars!
This is across a two page spread in my Fabriano Venezia book. It’s getting really difficult to keep this book opened fully enough to sketch and paint across the center. I might have to ditch it for a different journal. I love the paper, but this binding could be a dealbreaker. I’ve cut a piece of foamcore to the width of the open book, and I can clip each side of the journal to the foamcore back to keep it open. I’ll see if this works out over the long run, or if I’ll have to make a change.
I’m also starting to think that I should separate these sketches from my artwork for sale, and post them to a different blog. More on that if and when I get the other blog up and running!

Wednesday

Sketches from the WC WDE


About 9x12 across a two page spread in my Fabriano Venezia journal.
Materials:
Lamy Safari EF fountain pen with Noodler's Bulletproof Black ink
Winsor Newton and Holbein watercolors
A teeeeeny bit of white gouache
Escoda sable brushes sizes 6 and 2

My husband was at a meeting last night, so I figured I'd do a little sketching. I went to the Wetcanvas website to check out the Weekend Drawing Event images, and they looked like a lot of fun! I sketched the first few that grabbed me looking at the computer screen. I did the sketches all in ink first, then went back and painted them with watercolor. Fun, fun.

Monday

Rondo on the Window Ledge


Click image for a clearer, larger picture.
Size is about 9×12, across a two-page spread in my Fabriano Venezia sketchbook.
My dog’s favorite spot is up on the bay window in the living room, where he can survey his kingdom. He can see all the way across the lake, as well as up the driveway. Best of all, it’s near the kitchen, where he never misses an opportunity to sucker somebody into feeding him.
This was done with my little 24-color Koi set and a single waterbrush that comes with the set. I am hoping to do more plein air sketches this year, and this is probably the most convenient way to do it, so I’m practicing. However, I miss the color saturation of my artist grade watercolors.

Wednesday

Sketching Along the Hudson River



About 9×12″
Ink and watercolor in my stitch-bound, Fabriano Venezia book
I heard it was going to be 51 degrees and sunny today, so I packed a big smile and headed out the the Newburg waterfront along the Hudson River to paint with my friend Virginia Donovan. Clearly the weather forecast was merely a trick played on me by the weatherman to get me to give up the comfort of my warm studio. In addition to colder-than-forecasted temperatures, there was a stiff wind blowing.
I thought about painting from my car, but I much preferred the downriver view, which wasn’t visible from the parking lot. Determined to work outside, I donned a heavy coat, hat, and fingerless gloves. I figured I could at least make it through a sketch or two. This one began with a Lamy Safari fountain pen with an EF nib and Noodler’s #41 Brown ink. Once I got the elements placed and the trees drawn, I broke out a waterbrush and a Sakura Koi 24 pan watercolor set.
I was accompanied by some adorable seagulls and the honking of Canadian Geese. There were still large chunks of ice floating by in the river. By the time I finished the sketch, I was feeling pretty warm. I started a small painting which I’ll have to finish in the studio, since we decided to break and go out for lunch. The afternoon was overcast and there were snow flurries on the way home! Nevertheless, it really felt great to get out and do a little plein air work again.
I’ve been doing a lot of sketching lately, though I haven’t been posting most of them. I always feel that things should be displayed in a more “finished” state than what I generally do in a sketch, but lately a lot of people have commented that they love seeing the sketches. If you have an opinion about this, please let me know. One thought I’ve had is to create a second blog and post just the sketches there; then those who are interested in seeing only finished pieces wouldn’t have to subscribe, and those who want to see the sketches can see them on the other site.

Friday

Square Sketches



I haven’t been able to let go of my Fabriano Venezia book yet! There are a number of photos I’m considering working into square format paintings. I decided to test drive some of those compositional ideas as watercolor sketches today.
Here is a photo with my setup. I used a little squirrel mop travel brush for the wash stages on all four sketches, and then dried the pages with a hair dryer. Then I went back with Escoda sables to finish them.
Below is a clickable photo that will show a larger, clearer image when you click on it:
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Soon I’ll have to make the difficult choice of which one to do first as an oil or acrylic painting on a panel. Anybody have a favorite?

Thursday

Fabriano Venezia Sketchbook Journal


I recently got this Fabriano Venezia journal and have been looking forward to dipping into it. New journals are always a little intimidating until a few pages are underway. The nicer the paper, the harder it is to get started in them! Leaving the first page blank often helps, so I skipped over that one and filled the next two pages with some watercolor sketches.
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This journal is stitch bound, with very thick pages that take ink and watercolor quite well. I’m impressed with it so far, and looking forward to trying some other mediums with it, though I suspect it will remain mostly an ink/watercolor journal. It is currently at the top of my “favorite journals” list! One negative thing worth noting is that the journal does not open as flat as a Moleskine does. It’s so easy to draw/paint across two pages on the Moleskines; not so much on this one.
In the photo above, you can see my little half pan box. This is actually only supposed to contain 12 half pans, with the center section empty for a travel brush, but I reconfigured it with 18 half pans and a whole pan that holds my little piece of sponge. When doing these quick sketches, I like having lots of colors. The two brushes shown are Escoda sable travel brushes. They come apart and the brush can go inside the gold sleeve, protecting it for travel. Last time I traveled with them though, they drove the security people crazy on the Xray machine!
Here’s an image that you can click on to enlarge it and see the pages better:
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The butterfly was sketched from a New York Times article on Bladimir Nabakov’s butterfly research, and the little still life is from a sketching Scavenger Hunt posted to the Artwork from Life forum on Wetcanvas.

Painting Shades of Gray in Devil's Kitchen


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I went back to Devil’s Kitchen in Platte Clove, this time to capture some of the strong contrasts in the morning light. Remember this little container, filled with Golden’s Neutral Gray Heavy Body Acrylics? The lid supports my Shades of Gray watercolor sketchbook, and having the premixed shades and tints has turned value sketching from a chore into one of my favorite ways to paint.
Here’s a picture of just the sketch. You can click it to enlarge it. The actual size is about 6×9″.
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The deep chasm in the right foreground is called Hell’s Hole. My goal was to take the viewer along that chasm and under the bridge, to the waterfall beyond. Although I’d not planned to do a color version of this scene, now that I’ve seen it in black and white, I really want to go back and do it again in color.
If you click here, you can see this bridge painted in oils from the other side on my Hudson Valley Painter site!

Wednesday

Road Beside the Red Barns --- Monochrome Value Study


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This is another entry in my Shades of Gray, monochrome value study book. It was painted en plein air while out sketching with my friend Karen the other day. I’d already done the full color sketch of the red barns (which I posted a couple of days ago), and was waiting for Karen to finish up her painting. That was the perfect opportunity to pull out my container with the acrylic values already laid out and look for a second composition. I loved this curvy road going off into the distance, and it presented me with a wide range of values to work with.

Monday

Sketching Barns


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I went out painting with my friend Karen on Friday, and decided to do some sketches rather than a focused effort on a single painting. This was my first sketch of the day — beautiful barns up on the hillside that we’d been admiring on our painting outings for quite some time. This one was done with Golden Fluid Acrylics in my 10×10″ Kraft paper sketchbook.

Friday

Painting Black and White Oils


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6×8″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.
The little monochrome painting above was done at a pond up the road from me that has wonderful mountain views. I asked for permission to park and paint there, and the gentleman in the driveway said that his wife was also an artist, and that I should go knock on her studio door and say hi! Well, I did that and made another new artist friend in the area! It turns out that she will be in a show with me next weekend. Such a small world! Her studio overlooks this dramatic view, and she had an especially beautiful winter scene that she’d done from the window.
I used the opportunity to do a monochrome painting, then a limited palette painting. I’ll go back again and do a full color version.
In addition to the value paintings I’ve been doing in acrylic, I have an oil painting setup to do monochrome studies easily and quickly in oils. I use the Judson’s Guerrilla Painter 6×8 watercolor box, Gamblin Light, Medium and Dark Portland Grays, plus Ivory Black and Titanium White. I also keep three colors in here for limited palette studies: Transparent Yellow Oxide, Transparent Red Oxide and Ultramarine Blue. (You can click this image to enlarge it a bit.) It has a cover, and fits right inside my 6×8″ Guerrilla pochade box.
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Thursday

Painting Monochrome at Home --- Shades of Gray Number 3


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Golden Neutral Gray Heavy Body Acrylics in a watercolor sketchbook
I’m starting to really love doing these monochrome studies. They are such wonderful practice for improving the way we see values. Having the pre-mixed Neutral Grays has made all the difference in the world, and has turned this from a tedious chore into a fascinating adventure.
I sat outside in the yard in a comfortable chair after standing up and painting all morning, and painted this study under the shade of my favorite tree, with a cool breeze blowing.

Monday

Monochrome Morning in the Back Yard


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Continuing on with my monochrome value studies in acrylics, this one was added to my Shades of Gray sketchbook this morning. This was also done with the Golden Neutral Gray acrylics plus black and white. I think I’m starting to really enjoy these, much to my surprise!

Tuesday

Shades of Gray --- An Approach to Value Studies



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I set out Golden Heavy Body Acrylic Titanium White, Carbon Black, and all the Neutral Grays in between that Golden makes in a plastic container with compartments and a seal. Value studies are so important, but premixing all those grays ahead of time can be cumbersome enough to put it off time and time again. Now I have no excuses, and this container makes it so easy to pop the lid and paint at a moment’s notice.
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This book is about 6×9″. I’m reserving it for my value studies in acrylic, and have dubbed it “Shades of Gray”.
Here’s the first page. The cow was painted from a photo I took on Friday. The little landscape was painted here by the lakeshore this morning.
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Thursday

Signs of Spring


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Gouache in my 10×10″ kraft paper art journal
Text: The forsythia came and went before I even had a chance to paint it this spring. I only saw my beautiful hyacinths blooming in the distance from the studio window! I went outside the studio this morning and cut these lilac blooms, determined to capture some of the essence of spring from my yard before it was too late! Hopefully the cherry blossoms at Boscobel will still be blooming tomorrow.

Monday

Betsy's Bouquet


Click image to enlarge:
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10×10″, Golden Fluid Acrylics in my kraft paper art journal
Text:
Betsy’s Bouquet
Thanks to friend and neighbor Betsy Ryder, I got a tour of Ryder Farm today, complete with an invitation to come back and paint anytime. Betsy picked flowers as she walked with me from one beautiful scene to another. She showed me the old farmhouse, which dates back to 1795. Stepping through those doors was like stepping back in time, with old, original furnishings and plein air paintings on the walls done by an ancestor named Ferris.
Trees and flowers there are just beginning to bloom. We checked out peas just sprouting, fruit trees, meadows being converted to hay fields, and views of Peach Lake from the vantage point of the farm. Betsy presented me with the beautiful bouquet after the tour!

Friday

Sketches for the Scavenger Hunt


Click image to enlarge:
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These Wetcanvas Scavenger Hunts are so much fun that I can see how participants could become addicted. I enjoy participating whenever I can. This page was done with a Lamy Safari extra fine ink pen, filled with Noodlers Bulletproof Black Ink, and Winsor Newton watercolors. My dog was Not Happy that I took his squeaky toy away in order to paint it!
If you’d like to check out the other entries to the Scavenger Hunt or participate, click here. Below is a photo of what I was working with. (You can click to enlarge this image too.)
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Thursday

Acrylic Sketch of Leigh


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20×16″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.
I was eager to work in a medium that would enable me to layer quickly today, so I grabbed my Golden OPEN Acrylics and a 16×20 canvas covered board for open studio portraiture. I left most of my acrylics upstate, so had to make due with what I had: Cadmium Yellow Primrose, Pyrrole Red, Transparent Red Oxide, Ultramarine Blue, Carbon Black, and Titanium White.
These paints are just sooooo much fun. I prefer them on paper or smooth hardboard rather than canvas, so next time I’ll have to remember to size some watercolor paper or matboard before I go.
Leigh was a really great and beautiful model. We’ll have her for another sitting in January, so I’ll get to sketch her again!

Monochrome Oil Sketch of Troy


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20×16″, Oils on Canvas covered hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.
You may remember two weeks ago when I sketched Troy in pastel. We had no open studio last Thursday since it was Thanksgiving, but today I went back, oils in hand, for another sketch. I used Rembrandt Ivory Black, Gamblin Torrit Grey, and Winsor Newton Artist Titanium White with a little Winsor Newton Griffin Titanium White mixed in to speed drying. I also used Weber Res-n-gel medium.
Troy will keep the same pose for three weeks, and most of the artists are keeping their spots and working all three weeks on the same painting. I waited until after the posing started for any returning artists to reclaim their previous spots before setting up in a new position, but go figure…. (Yes, you know what’s coming!)… As soon as I got set up, someone came in late and said, “You’re in my spot!”
I didn’t really care where I painted from; I just didn’t want to miss the posing time. There is never enough time with the model! Anyway, this ended up being about two hours of posing time altogether. I always seem to have difficulty getting the head situated exactly where I want it on the canvas. This time, I really took my time with placement and it ended up right where I wanted it to be! Amazing!

Monday

More Bannerman Island Sketches



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These sketches were done on October 21, along with the one I posted that day, although they are displayed out of order. The sketch posted on the 21st is #1. The post above is #3. Below is #2, and the last is #4–my last one of the day and a real quickie.
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I didn’t get a chance to finish up the writing and take the pictures until today. Normally I also type out what I’ve handwritten, but with my hand/arm in a cast, it is a long and painful process to do either (not to mention drawing and painting!) Once I’m out of the cast, I’ll edit this post to include all the text.
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Wednesday

Sketching on Bannerman Island


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10×10″, gouache in my kraft paper sketchbook
I had the good fortune to spend today out in the middle of the Hudson River on Bannerman Island, sketching the castle ruins. Because of my recent hand surgery, I couldn’t carry much gear. I just brought my sketchbook and some gouache. This was my first sketch of the day. The tide was very low, and the boat captain told us it was still going out. So, I walked out on a spit of land that jutted out into the river, and provided a great view looking back at the castle. Apparently the captain was wrong; the tide was coming in, not going out! It wasn’t long before my friend Laura called out to me, “Oh my gosh, Jamie, you’d better move right away!” I’d been so focused on my sketch that I didn’t notice my pathway of land had nearly vanished! I quickly threw my gear into my bag and walked back to land. I had to wade part of the way. When I’d reached shore, the spur of land was entirely underwater. I didn’t get to finish my sketch, but it’s a good thing I left the spot before it was done!