Adding more detail with gouache

I actually have not done much watercolor in my life, so this year's 20 minutes a day of art includes a lot of experimentation with watercolor and gouache. I also need a lot of work on the human figure...I don't typically presketch, and I can easily make corrections with oils and acrylics as I go, but watercolor is what it is. So maybe presketching the figure is a good idea if I am using these mediums!

I'm not done with this one yet...but my 20 minutes is up and is is time to have tea with my darling daughter.

How is your 20 minutes going?

A work in progress

The arboretum at UC Davis. I probably should have started with a pencil sketch to get the body proportions right. Oh well!

Thank you, Chico Paper Company!

I asked for a miracle, and they delivered. They did a gorgeous framing job in three hours so I could give this little drawing to Jim and Kami tonight at our big family dinner. If you need anything framed in Chico, this is the place to go!

Monotone version

I am not sure which one I like better between the two. I am going to have one of these framed for a gift for Jim and Kami as an early Wedding present.

Christmas morning at Jim and Kami's

I am in California having an amazing reunion with my 6 living siblings! AND my daughter, and my new son. Pretty much in heaven.

The Crossword Puzzle

Sumi Ink and a broken Plume :  (

Darn. I guess I will have to go back to Paris  :  )

A 20 minute self portrait

...while my client sat under the dryer I did this. Happy Solstice, everyone!

My 20 minutes...a recipe for YOU!

Surrounded by love, laughter, and LIGHT! Happy Christmas, everyone!

For my niece Trisha!

Is this the place you saw that you put on FaceBook? The place you wanted to go? I think it is Hallstatt, Austria! Been there...  done that....got the painting!  Love ya! Aunt Sue

A little art show for you!

 My view from my hammock while camping in Alaska! Acrylic on canvas covered board.

 My view from our apartment in Cochem, Germany in the Mosel River. Acrylic on canvas covered board.

 A quick charcoal drawing in Lille, France.

 A gift for our waiter in Amboise, France.

 A tiny acrylic painting looking out of the window at 1am in Paris.

 A quick pastel on sandpaper drawing of my favorite person in the world...drawn in Edinburgh, Scotland.

 A very tiny pen and ink and colored pencil drawing of Neuschwanstien Castle in Germany.

 A tiny drawing done while waiting to enter the Theatre Sebastopol in Lille, France. We went there specifically to see Lara Fabian in concert. I hoped to give this to her, but had no opportunity to do so.

I thought you might enjoy seeing some work that I have done this past year on my travels. I bring with me the following in my tiny art box: 6 tubes of acrylic paint, 4 x 6 canvas covered boards, a piece of glass for a palette, paint brushes, NuPastel chalk pastels and fine grit black sandpaper to do pastels on, a package of handi-wipes, smooth vellum, art pens, and colored pencils. These all fit nicely in a 5 x 7 x 7 tupperware-like container with a handle. Since I am only 4'10", it also serves as my foot platform while sitting on the plane. As you can see, these are all quickly done works in a small format. And I enjoy using a variety of mediums. I save my oil paints for my studio only.

My Mini Art Studio

As with most things in life, preparedness makes a difference for your success in any situation. In order to spend 20 minutes a day doing art, I realized that being ready to draw anywhere was my ticket. So I bought a small bag just big enough to hold my watercolor postcard pad, and then added my plume de becasse, a Faber-Castell artist's pen, a teeny bottle of Winsor-Newton ink, my aqua-mini watercolor set, a teeny knife to remove the paper from my drawing pad, a tiny bottle to fill with water as I needed it, and a couple of napkins. That's it! and I carry it everywhere! Sometimes I only have 5 minutes, so I use my artist's pen. If I have more time, I bring out the ink and plume. My challenge to you today is to think about how you can be prepared to practise your craft with minimal set-up time. It has made all the difference for me!

My Pretty Desk

While FaceTiming my daughter this morning, I thought I would draw my desk a second time, but with my plume de becasse. My earlier version was done with a fine tipped drawing pen, then inked in monotone. I sent the last one to my daughter who now lives in Davis. I will add ink or watercolor tomorrow. Now off to a busy day in the salon!

Amboise, France

Today was a crazy day so I didn't draw at all, so I thought I would post a little acrylic painting I did last year while I was traveling through the Loire valley visiting castles. The owners of this charming chateau (Les Fleurons in Amboise) are so wonderful. And the chateau is sandwiched between the castle and the river, with amazing views from every window! I did this little painting during the three days we stayed there, and gave it to them as a gift when we left.  Notice their funny cat at the door...he always wanted either in or out!

Sweet Chalet...my Favorite Artisan Chocolate Shop!

Have you been to Sweet Chalet yet? Yes, it is a bit hard to find...you will find it upstairs in the freestanding building by the Pink Mall on Dimond. Here you will find the most beautiful and delicious artisan made hand painted Aurora Chocolate Bonbons! Some say they are too beautiful to eat...but they are too delicious to simply look at. GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT by the way! Ingrid trained in Paris to become an artisan chocolatier, worked in Beverly Hills creating delectibles, and then POOF! Here she is in Alaska, blessing us all with her beautiful tasty treats! Please do yourself a favor and stop in to see her artful creations. Check out her website at www.sweetchaletalaska.com

More sketching while watching TV

It is tough to draw moving objects, and even harder to make it look like a specific person! This is supposed to be Jim Caviezel in "Person of Interest." Not a good likeness, but a good exercise, nevertheless. I love "urban sketching," but my goal for this upcoming year is to work on portraiture. These exercises are for the sole purpose of developing my eye for features.

By the way, how is your 20 minutes going?

Watching the movie "The Best Offer" with Geoffery Post

Got the flu or something today, so laying low. Cuddled up on the couch and sketching a bit during the movie...it is a great film! 5 stars. One of my favorite movies now! How is it that I had never heard of it?

My 20 minutes today...

...was spent dusting off my guitar, quickly tuning it, downloading a recording app and recording a song I wrote when I was 22 years old. Wow am I rusty! It was fun, though. I sent the music clip to my little sister (who was my singing buddy back in the day) even though the music was pretty terrible. The lyrics are cool, though, so hopefully was an encouragement to her. It is called "I am a Masterpiece," and is a reminder that WE ALL are Masterpieces, created by GOD to be exactly who we are. We can always try to live more Godly lives, but our personalities and physical bodies are "woven in the darkness of our mother's womb" and we are "skillfully and wonderfully made!"

So my encouragement to you is, be the best YOU that you can be. The world needs you.

My Favorite Bakery in COLOR!

I wanted to paint all day, but it was a busy Saturday in the salon and had to wait until we closed. There's Frieda in the back...and her mom is a ghost in the corner! Can't really see the ghost in this photo. But I have heard they don't photograph well anyway.

I started to color the bakery...

...but I forgot to take a picture and left it at work! Going to bed! I will post a picture tomorrow! Sleep well!

My FAVORITE bakery in Anchorage, Alaska!

Flying Dutchman! I am hooked on the merengues. I think I spelled it wrong, but oh well...They are YUMMY. A hint of Freida back in the kitchen...I am an abstract illustrator, so you have to use your imagination! Color to come!

Black Cup Final

I changed two things. Can you tell?

I gotta stop now and go home!

Better, I think. You think so?

I am experimenting with overlaying watercolors

My Black Cup drawing needed dimension, so I started overlaying watercolors.
Here's version 2:

So then I added MORE...

Today at Black Cup

I love this place. It is always hopping! Filled with creative types. Fun to sit silently and listen to the conversations around me!

Spending my 20 minutes reflecting

This is a miniature acrylic painting I did two years ago called "Storm at Sea," given to our dear friend Spenser. I saw him looking at it at one of my shows, and wanted him to have it. I love to give away my art. My artwork will outlive me and I hope and pray that when they look at my art, they will always remember me as a human that sought to bring out the best in people.

I have a life motto: "live a life worth remembering." This year, I have begun adding a teeny forget-me-not flower in my signature, a reminder to always try to live a life worth remembering.

A little color

How is your 20 minutes going? I have had only teeny blocks of time and energy this week and have used those minutes for focusing on minimalist drawing skills and just touches of color. I find it encouraging that I can accomplish something in such little time. My drawing skills are improving and so is my ability to work with watercolors. When I paint with acrylics or oils, I feel in control. But watercolor does not behave itself, so I am at the mercy of what it has a mind to do. Like a collaboration. And less is definitely more, like in airbrush makeup!

A 5 Minute Drawing

One of our clients was waiting near the close of day, so I took out my pen to sketch her before her daughter arrived. The sky was really beautiful behind her. I will try to add some color to this tomorrow.

A Four Minute Drawing

...as I waited for enchiladas to be boxed up for take out! Then, dimension added with eye shaddow from my makeup palette!

This was done with my homemade Plume brush

Not my best painting ever, but the plume worked pretty well, although it is softer and harder to control than my Plume de Becasse from Sennelier in Paris. If the world keeps getting more dangerous, I'm not sure when I will get back to Senellier to buy replacement plumes. We hope to go back next year for our 30th wedding anniversary.

Making my own Plume de Becasse

It isn't a woodcock feather, but we will see how this stout little feather will work for me once the glue dries. As soon as that happens, I will test it with my drawing ink. If it is a success, I will paint the handle with my signmaker's enamel to give it a nice finish and protect it from the water.

This is a tiny wing feather, attached to a bamboo skewer, glued with gorilla glue and carefully wrapped with strong thread.

Happy teapot in my kitchen

This teapot belonged to my daughter Aly and she left it for me when she moved to California earlier this year. One of the many things I look at each day which makes me miss her! It is bright and adorable just like my Aly!  :  )

A quick watercolor with my Sennelier set

It was such a beautiful day today. The fresh snow and the golden sky inspired me to paint. The words around the painting are lyrics from John Denver's song "Aspenglow."
See the sunlight through the pine...taste the warm of winter wine...dream of softly falling snow...winters gold, aspenglow...winters gold, aspenglow

I am so blessed in my life and it runs over. Alaska is dark and cold this time of year, but also breathtakingly beautiful. Find the beauty in your life today!

My new Sennelier paint box!

 I only had enough time today to unwrap my 24 half pans, organize them in the box, and laminate the tiny wrappers so I can keep the colors straight. Maybe tomorrow I will finally paint!

My 20 minutes today...

...was spent gently plucking the tiny feathers off of a sweet little sparrow that ended its life today by crashing into our window. Maybe it is weird, but since I have been enjoying my plume de becasse so much, I thought I might be able to use this poor little bird's feathers to make a new brush for myself. And to make its death a bit less tragic, I may be able to create some beautiful art from its tiny feathers.

I will keep you posted.

Button is very excited about it.

My 20 minutes today

Although I had more errands than I could get done before work today, I stopped for a musubi (I still can't believe I like the stuff after growing up on spam!) and a breve and drew this scene. I am very excited to try my new watercolor set and experiment with 24 colors instead of the 8 I have been using in my mini set from Sennelier. I found a beautiful three level box set which included 24 half pans of colors, two squirrel brushes, a graphite pencil, embroidered Sennelier cloth, and a ceramic pallet. I ordered it from Blick and it was here in three days! Next time you see this drawing, it with be in CoLoR!!!

My Hemingway Cat

This was drawn a few years ago using ink and colored pencil...Hemingway LOVED polydactyl cats, and if you go to Key West, make sure you go to the Hemingway House. The place is still crawling with polydactyl cats. Here, you can count Button's toes...all 23 of them! He even has 5 instead of the usual 4 on the back feet.

Quick draw

No, I wasn't testing to see how fast I could draw my pistol...I was trying to draw my polydactyl cat  Button before he fled the scene! He kept moving his head into a profile position to peek through the blinds, so this was HARD! He hangs out by this window every day STILL looking for the sparrow that was eating her way through the siding to make her nest. Last SPRING.

MetrOasis, my home away from HOME!

My dear friend Amanda helped me figure out what my palette was missing so I can make a beautiful purple next time... but I had to settle for blue walls this time!

Last Wednesday's 20 minutes

I went into Black Cup and it was so crowded! I did not have a choice of where to sit, so I just drew what I saw. Baristas were on my right. Nice place to get a good cup of coffee!

So how's your 20 minutes going?

The purpose of this blog is to encourage you to spend 20 minutes a day doing that thing that gets put on the back burner because everything else feels more important. Are you a writer? an artist? a musician? a __________? but not taking the time to do that thing that brings you joy? Carve out 20 minutes each day to do it. I attempted to do this since the beginning of October, and you know what? I didn't draw every day. But I'm not beating myself up over it...I have drawn more in one month than I have done in five years!

I Miss Aly!

We had tea here every week for 7 YEARS!  It's not the same without her!...hence the empty portrayal of the place that is usually bustling with people!

This is what happens when I draw without focus!

Kind of surreal, isn't it? ...me and Dali...we be mates!

What did I do this last week?

My drawing was very minimal, because my focus was off. We had orientation this week, and my heart just wasn't into getting my art stuff out...I attempted to draw at Starbucks while simultaneously FaceTiming my daughter, and the perspective got all skewed. It was actually a really strange experiment. I was able to concentrate fairly well on her, but not on what my eyes were seeing. Like my hand was drawing without my eyes and brain communicating. I will take a picture and show you. I wasn't on drugs. Honest.

Sennelier Aqua-mini, I LOVE YOU!

This handy little water color set is NOT your "I'M 5 YEARS OLD AND I AM DOING ART!" set. NO no no sirrie! It may look like that... but these are high quality pigments, well worth the price you pay for an amazing set that you can take with you. Included inside: an outrageous high quality teenie paint brush.  Thank you, Yuming Zhu, for showing me this set in your travel kit!

Today's plume de becasse

I am going to try to add some color to this one later.

Plume de becasse and watercolor

Breakfast. Need I say more?