Pouring, another step in my process

This is the tedious part.  It's not so much when I'm doing something with only a few shapes but when I get several as there are in this church it's tedious.  I've transfered the traced image to the watercolor paper; however, when you trace something using the 6 to 8B pencil there is a lot of graphite and it is sitting on top of the paper... one wash and you have graphite mixed with the paint and you've lost the image.   So I go over the lines carefull with a harder pencil then, using a kneaded eraser, I push down with the eraser lifting the loose graphite.  Once all this is done I'll be ready to do my first pour since I've decided I don't want any white.  Since this is laborious and I'm ADD, I have another one going at the same time...  not so many shapes in this one...

The next step

Moving along to the next step in the process. You see it reversed. I decided it could be reversed because the place is not important, it was the blue door with the wonderful hinges that I was in love with so that saved me a step. I put the traced image down on my paper and gone right over the lines. Now I will be able to do it again sometime... but with the door on the other side. All I have to do is turn it over and go over the traced lines again All of this part is done with a 5 or 6B pencil so the lines will transfer.

The next thing to think about... do I want to save any whites or do I put a wash over the entire sheet before moving on. I'm leaning toward a wash but not certain yet.

The next step in the process

I've finished the drawing in my sketchbook. Now that it's done I've decided I didn't want those grave stones so prominent so you'll notice I lightened them a tad (or maybe you didn't notice so I'm telling you.). I do like that they are crosses but in the painting I don't want that it's graves to be prominent. My next step is to scan the page in the sketchbook, enlarge it and trace it onto vellum or tracing paper. I trace because I don't want to damage the watercolor paper and that may happen if I try to draw it again. Besides, I've done the drawing, I don't feel a need to do it twice. OK...I've done it again. I have no idea why part of this text is underlined and therefore no idea how to get rid of the underline. (I just looked at the post on my site and the underline only shows up when I run the mouse over it... who knows why?

Now I'm off for a few days of skiing... the last chance this year. When I get back I'll work on the next step.

I've been celebrating all week ... it's my birthday month and this past week was the actual birthday week. I did a lot of sketching and looking but no major work completed. However, I did get one started and I thought some of you who pop in to see what I'm doing might be interested in seeing my process.... so I've posted the start. This will eventually become a poured watercolor piece but there are many decisions yet to be made before I start the actual painting. The drawing is approximately 7 x 7 in my sketchbook. I'm working out the values. Once that is complete I'll determine the colors I'm going to use and the size the actual piece might be. One thing I know already, the door will stay blue though it may not be that blue. It was the blue door that got my attention first so I plan to keep it. The painting may be the same size as the sketch but not necessarily. I've also posted the photo I'm working from so you'll have an idea where I'm going...

Off the wall art and a colorful bowl

I haven't accomplished a major piece of art this week but I've been having fun experimenting... first with a couple of challenges from a wet canvas artist friend....  use a black and white photo as reference and add your own color was one challenge.  I did two of those.... I used crayons... a small traveling set.

The second challenge was to do a blind contour drawing and then embellish as you felt like it... I felt like making it look a little more like the person I was drawing...

And finally, the creativity challenge.  This wasn't intended to be part of the March Challenge... Dream... but when I looked at what I wrote in the middle of the bowl I realized the challenge was on my mind. I was looking for color, I wanted a colorful bowl to put on my office coffee table and I didn't want to buy one so I made this one out of paper. In the process I got rid of some old magazines to boot.

Now back to painting....

Creativity challenge, a mixed media piece

The creativity challenge for February is words... this started with a transfer of the text from the challenge, then I added the mailboxes because mailboxes mean letters and because they reminded me of the mailboxes at the end of my street growing up. After that it still needed something so I added some glazes to get some value contrast. Finally I did one more transfer... I printed an image of an old envelope on silk and added that to the piece. I think I'm done but won't know for certain until I look at it for awhile. I liked the challenge... it took me out of my comfort zone for sure.

Another pour and the creative everyday challenge

This is the pour... I'm not sure it's finished.  I've just taken all of the mask off so it's the first I've actually seen all of it.  If you haven't read about my pouring it's a series of masking and pouring paint so by the time I'm done only the darkest color is visable to me.  I'll put this aside for awhile, get it out again in a week or so and look at it with fresh eyes. 

Meanwhile, I'm working on another pour and the creative every day challenge.  This is what I've done so for with the February Challenge... Words.  I've put all of the images together in one j-peg .... a mandela, a quote over my office door, love spelled out in copper and a start for a mixed media painting.