EDM 204 - Something Frosty

Nothing is as frosty as a Wendy's Frosty. I prefer the vanilla ones. I know they are pretty low on the nutrition chart, but every once in a while....

EDM 204 - Something Frosty; 3x3" watercolor & marker

EDM 203 - A Glass of Juice

Watercolor is perfect for capturing the light, sunshiny color of orange juice. If I had a citrus tree, I might overdose on fresh juice.......every day.

EDM 203 - Juice; 3x3" watercolor

WPWW 10 - Treat Yourself

The tenth assignment was to use gouache to paint a sweet treat you've enjoyed recently. The day I did this piece, I had enjoyed a big, bad muffin for breakfast. Comedian Jim Gaffigan says it takes a certain degree of denial to eat muffins for breakfast and not admit that you are having cake for breakfast. Okay, I can live with that. They are certainly a treat, so I went with it for the assignment.

I've never done much with gouache before. It felt a little like upscale poster paint to me. I do like the vibrancy of color.

WPWW 10 - Treat Yourself; gouache on mixed media paper

EDM 202 - A Cookie

I love making cookies; I love eating cookies; I do not plan to open a milk and cookies cafe named "Dunks" anytime soon or ever.

EDM 202 - A Cookie; 3x3" watercolor

Here is my sign for The Zipper Man's shop, originally posted here.

The Zipper Man

EDM 201 - A Stapler

I have absolutely no excuse to offer for this. That sounds a little like an excuse....

EDM 201 - A Stapler; 3x3" watercolor

And, I certainly have no excuse for this, taken after a long portrait sitting.

After a long portrait sitting

Everyday in May 2014

For the second year, I'm participating in the Everyday in May challenge where group members follow a set list of daily prompts and post their paintings to the Facebook group page. It was this challenge last year that pushed me to make painting a daily, or almost daily, discipline, so I am excited to participate again this year. I will again use a small, 3.5"x5" Strathmore Visual Journal, which has 90lb mixed media paper. I really like the size and the paper, and at the end of the month, I'll have another full journal to remind me of this delightful project.

Last year I was deep in planning my daughter's wedding during the EDiM challenge. The wedding took place June 8. I think having the creative outlet and the daily assignment that had nothing to do with the wedding kept me sane through that crazy busy time. Creative activity really can be a the greatest distraction!

Strathmore Visual Journal

WPWW 11 - Grab Your Graphite

The challenge was to draw a hand using pencil. I had to crank this out quickly as the rest of my week is full. Drawing hands is an art course in itself! Such a challenge!

WPWW 11 - A Hand; pencil

WPWW 9 - Vintage Vignettes

The assignment was to use a tool that would give a varied line and draw something with sepia ink. I drew this from a photo I took last weekend in Cape May near the lighthouse. I used Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay ink in sepia and a small liner brush.

WPWW 9 - Vintage Vignettes; sepia ink

EDM 200 - Something Lucky

I am very lucky that I am not a gambler. 'Nuff said.

EDM 200 - Lucky; 3x3" watercolor

WPWW 8 - Kut-n-Paste

The assignment was to create a collage of many elements. I decided to chronicle last weekend's trip to Cape May to celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary. This is more scrapbook page than art, but it will remind me of a perfect weekend!

WPWW8 - Collage; torn paper, photo, & marker

WPWW #7 - Proportions & Proximity

I'm catching up after a couple weeks of being unable to draw or paint, so here is my sight-sized drawing, done with colored pencils and various fine-line markers. Nothing overly inspired, but fun to be back at it.

WPWW 7 - Proportions & Proximity; watercolor & color pencil

EDM 199 - Toes

I already drew my feet once for Everyday Matters. I couldn't bear to do it again, so I decided to draw Pudgy Toes instead of my toes. I've been drawing variations of this big-footed baby for decades. It is the one and only original character that I draw, and this is the only position I draw him (her?) in. My husband always thought this was a great little character, so he'll be amused that Pudgy finally made it into a gallery, of sorts.

EDM 199 - Toes; 3x3" watercolor

Wet Paint Weekly Workout #6 - Panorama in Pastels

The sixth assignment was to paint a panoramic landscape using pan pastels, which can be layered on in the same way oil paint can be. I have a long-standing aversion to all things chalky or greasy, so I own no pastels and have no budget or desire to buy them. So, for the second week in a row, I had to fall back on what I already own. I used watercolors.

Landscapes are uncharted territory for me, so this was a novel experience. I enjoyed loosely sweeping wet colors onto the paper and letting them "do their thing." I drew this while parked in my car and came home to paint it from memory. I'm going to call it "Just Before Spring."

WPWW 6 - Panorama; watercolor & sepia pen

Wet Paint Weekly Workout #5 - Put a Bird on It

The fifth assignment in the Wet Paint Weekly Workout was to paint with paint markers and pastels in the style of modern artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Maybe it's that I find it so hard to connect with Mr. Basquiat's work that I really missed on this assignment. I find his work chaotic and stressful. I don't need more of that in my life! Or, maybe it's that I don't own or like pastels or paint markers that I couldn't pull off this assignment. I REALLY don't like pastels! It's like nails on a blackboard for me. I found out that I'm not the only one who feels this way in the group, which was strangely comforting. It's nice to know I'm not entirely nuts...or at least I'm not alone in my nuttiness.

The truth is that I struggle with highly abstract art, and the only thing harder for me than connecting to it is producing it. I'm sure my interpretation of this assignment is not nearly abstract enough, but I did try a new-to-me product (gum arabic to make the background glossy), and I tried to be bolder with color than I usually am. AND, I put a bird on it!

I was given permission to try this assignment again with a new painting, but I didn't have time, so this one stands.

WPWW 6; Put a Bird on It; watercolor

EDM 198 - Noodles

I thought this would be SO much easier than painting a bowl of the noodles you eat. Silly me! This was surprisingly difficult. Just another reason for me to dislike foam (which I really do!): it's hard to paint that texture!

EDM 198 - Noodles; 3x3" watercolor