Painted Thoughts Blog

Daily Practice: Paris Pooch!

Watercolor Sketch* in Paris Sketchbook

Isn't he cute?! Walking around the city* this afternoon, I could not help but notice all the dogs! They're everywhere! The hardest part was figuring out which one to sketch. This little guy was very well behaved and patient - he knew if he sat still just a little bit longer, he was going to get a treat from the nice stranger! And he did, after the stranger checked with his person!

This is a watercolor sketch in my Paris sketchbook. It took about 45 minutes total. Maybe 10 minutes sketching with another 35 painting. I will probably strengthen some of the darks when I get back to my imaginary hotel room tonight.

Details for An Imaginary Trip to Paris online class will be announced this week - I am hoping for September 1st! I will announce the web site here on the blog along with the link as soon as it is finalized and goes live. It has been worth the wait to get the details right - I know this is going to be an awesome class and will be lots of fun! Thanks for your patience in waiting for the details.

*This sketch is in preparation for An Imaginary Trip to Paris starting September 21st which will be a sketching and painting holiday for those who join me! (I'm not really in Paris, darn it!) More information coming this week!

5 Creative Thought(s)

, by Laure Ferlita

Daily Practice

Daily Practice: Can You Feel It?

A slight softening of the air? A deepening of blue in the sky? A hint of wood smoke in the air? A gentle slowing of time? An urge to wear a sweater when going for an evening stroll? Twilight coming earlier? Subtle changes in the trees, in their leaves?

Just a fleeting glimpse . . . .

8 Creative Thought(s)

, by Laure Ferlita

artistic growth

Sometimes It Works, Sometimes It Doesn't

Watercolor sketch with added Micron pen linework

Strolling around a quaint neighborhood, I came across this lovely bicycle sitting in a courtyard! Paris* is full of bikes, but most of them are quite modern looking. I wanted something with a little more . . . . personality. This seem to fit the bill. I sat across the street (the courtyard was locked and I didn't want to go in without asking permission) and sketched the bike. When I reached in my bag for my waterbrush I realized I had left it back in my room! Drats!!

Since I had already taken a photo of it, I left and continued to mosey around the neighborhood. Once I returned to my room, I painted most of this from memory with an occasional glance at the digital camera display (I didn't want to run down the camera batteries). Memory is faulty and I realized too late I had not really sketched enough info when I was at the courtyard. The background was and still is missing and so I improvised a little. And didn't do so great.

Am I disappointed? No, not really. It's a sketch from my trip. Will I remember the courtyard and the bike? You bet! I'll remember that it was kind of overcast with a slight breeze and there weren't too many people about when I sat on the sidewalk across the street to sketch the bike. Could the sketch have been better? Oh, yes, in a myriad of ways, some obvious, some only obvious to me, but it definitely could have more of a wow factor. As always, I learn every time I put brush or pencil to paper! Now, on to the next adventure!

*This sketch is in preparation for An Imaginary Trip to Paris starting September 21st, which will be a sketching and painting holiday for those who join me! (I'm not really in Paris, darn it!) More information coming very soon.

10 Creative Thought(s)

, by Laure Ferlita

art tips

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3, Testing . . . .

You may remember from the Eiffel Tower sketch that I was not too happy with the pen that I used because of how much it bled when I washed over the lines with clean water. Since then, I've been gathering up any gel ink pen I could find in the house and testing* it. There have been some surprising results!

You would think all black gel ink made by one company, under the same brand, would be the same throughout the product line, but they're not. If you look at the first four pens tested (upper right) you'll see they're all Uniball. The second pen down turned out to be a favorite as the bleeding was minimal and the ink has a slight blue (cool) cast. As I tested Kohr-I-Noor, Gelly Rollers, Pentel, Faber Castell, Pilot, Yafa, Foray, Papermate, Pilot, Itoya and a bunch of no-name black ink pens, I found the same variations in ink and the amount of bleed I got.

By testing out my materials BEFORE I'm on location again, I will (hopefully) eliminate anymore (unpleasant) surprises and may even be able to use the info to my advantage. Say if I want a pen that really bleeds, I would choose one of the Pilots. If I want just a little bit of bleeding, I would wait until the ink was drier, regardless of the pen I was using.

* To test the pens, I wrote the name of the pen on wc paper, then a scribble, some dots and a line or lines. I then immediately washed over the scribbles, dots, and lines with clear water. After the writing had an opportunity to dry (about 30 minutes) I washed over the names to see if they would bleed. The majority of the inks, once thoroughly dry, bled very little.

7 Creative Thought(s)

, by Laure Ferlita

classes

The Butler Takes the Metro

I wanted to make sure that I knew my way back to the Metro (Paris' Rapid Transit System), so I asked the waiter for directions. Lucky for me he spoke far better English than I do French! I have been enchanted with the Metro signs all over the city - many have an Art Nouveau style. This was the first one I've sketched but probably not the last. I added the background to the waiter and the sign back in my imaginary* hotel room. Again, about 15 minutes, start to finish.

I added the sign to the page with the waiter because neither image is or was a complete painting. They're both little vignettes of things I see that delight me while I make my way around the city. I neglected to mention in yesterday's post that the only brush I'm using is a waterbrush - it is a brush tip attached to a water reservoir which is also the handle. These brushes are marvelous for painting on location as it eliminates the need for a water source, but you do need extra paper towels!

I'm sure there will be more of these little scenes I'll want to add (to the upper left) as I find them, and of course, the fing is half the fun!

5 Creative Thought(s)

, by Laure Ferlita

art tips

The Butler Did It!

Or, at least that's what himself said when he saw this sketch! I popped into a little out-of-the-way cafe in Paris* for a few minutes today. They weren't very busy and this gentlemen was taking advantage of the lull. He was actually leaning up against a table with his other arm, but I didn't get that far. I'll put it in a little later though. I wanted to see how much I could get down and get color on in 15 minutes or so and this is the result.

When painting on location,* it is seldom that folks hold still or one pose for very long. That adds to the challenge of capturing a likeness! Would this guy recognize himself? Probably. Would he say it looks just like him? Not so much.

Things I like: The light was on his back and I think I did a good job on the values of the apron, shirt, pants and vest.

Things I would do differently: Could have had slightly stronger values on the shirt, arm and his face. I need to familiarize myself with my paint colors to get a more natural looking skin tone. Proportions could be a little better. He also needs a floor and some furniture to place him in a cafe!

5 Creative Thought(s)

, by Laure Ferlita

artistic growth

Do You Belong . . . .

. . . to a great art organization? What makes it great or different or special?

Do you play a role in that organization? What might it be? How do you contribute?

I am searching for ideas and information on what makes an art organization a [great] living, breathing, growing organism. The kind of organization that you and everyone else WANTs to belong to, to be a part of, to contribute to its growth and well being, as well as be a proud, card-carrying, paint-brush swinging, pencil-dancing, art member!

Any ideas?

Your feedback and ideas are greatly appreciated!!

1 Creative Thought(s)

, by Laure Ferlita

artistic growth

Summertime in Paris

Took some time out from the frantic pace of weekend life to sketch the Eiffel Tower. I was experimenting with combining ink and watercolors on watercolor paper. A bit labor intensive for using on site. I first sketched the tower and trees in pencil. Then I went back and laid in the sky wash. Blotted it with tissues to get the clouds. Then washed in the trees. If you look closely, you can see where the trees bled into the sky wash. Oops.

To make the bleed look like it was part of the sketch and not a mistake, I waited until it was dry and then added some darker color so the bleeds appear as a second row of trees. (Click to enlarge.) I then washed in the foreground (lawn). After everything was nearly dry again (oops! the ink started to bleed), I started inking in the tower, building and trees. I washed over the ink to blur the lines (even more) so that they too had a watercolor feel. Start to finish took about two hours.

Things I like: The strong contrast between the building and the landscape, the depth and scale captured within the piece and that second row of bleeding trees!

Things I would do different: Probably not so much ink, or maybe no ink. Maybe not wash the ink lines.

I will be trying other media to see what will work best for capturing the essence of the scene but without so much labor. Time is fleeting when you're on location. I want to make sure that whatever media I finally settle on will allow me ample time to capture the scene with enough information that IF I had too, I could finish the piece later from memory.

10 Creative Thought(s)

, by Laure Ferlita

classes

Come Play With Me!

Announcing . . . .

The plane will be lifting off on Monday, September 21st, and landing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport! We'll spend 8* glorious days* and 7 gorgeous nights in the wonderful city of light! We'll be sketching** and painting** at quaint cafes and courtyards, museums and street scenes with an occasional surprise thrown in here and there!

Learn to sketch in airports and on location, to pack light, which tools to bring and how to get the most out of those supplies, as well as how to capture the essence of a scene in under two hours! You'll come home with a sketchbook full of memories and ideas for future trips! Best of all, we'll be taking the trip from our very own computers! Come play with me!!

I will be sharing the details over the next few weeks as things are firmed up. Sound like fun?! Care to join in?!! Please check your calendars, get ready to book your flights and share a "painted adventure" with me and eleven new art friends*!

*The class will be for a period of 8 weeks starting Monday, September 21st and ending on Sunday, November 15th, 2009. Each week will represent a different "day" with several locations to sketch and paint as well as tips, tricks, and techniques for getting the most out of a painting adventure! Class size will be limited to a total of twelve students.

**This class will be open to all media with an emphasis on adding and working with color.

12 Creative Thought(s)

, by Laure Ferlita

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Daily Practice: Paris Pooch!

Daily Practice: Can You Feel It?

Sometimes It Works, Sometimes It Doesn't

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3, Testing . . . .

The Butler Takes the Metro

The Butler Did It!

Do You Belong . . . .

Summertime in Paris

Come Play With Me!

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