Major Change !!! Added a New Colour to my Palette - Painting & Drawing Tips

Do you have a Basic Palette?  

A collection of colours that are your 'Go To' colours? 

CHICKADEE: WINTER WHISPERS - 11 X 14,  $600 Varnished Watercolour on Wood Cradle 

 

As an Outdoor Sketcher, you know you must pack light and work quickly. Light, weather and life keeps you on the go.  So a small well set up Travel Palette is vital to your success.  

Several years ago I moved to my present Travel Kit - see My Really SMALLmendous Art Kit.  It has proven to be Amazing!  My palette is small enough for light weight travel and big enough to meet any challenge.   I have used it while balancing on a rocky ledge, floating in my kayak, and relaxing comfortably on an airplane. It has come through with flying colours.  

My Trusty Paint Palette - notice the 1 empty pan

The most important element of my travel kit is my paint palette.  It's where the main action happens. It holds 12 paint pans.  But as you can see, one is empty.  I have left it that way for some time.  Unsure of what I wanted to put there.  

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*** Further discussion can be found on my YouTube video: Great News!! A new Colour for my Travel Palette 

*** Looking To Join Me for Online Drawing Lessons? 3 Live Online Classes in February. See below for more information

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Yes, I use other colours besides these when painting in my studio but  . . .

You know what it's like.  You pull in a new colour for those one or two paintings.  The colour works for them but then you don't seem to use it again for awhile.  It seemed very important to me to find 'the right colour' to fill that spot.  

Well I found it!!!  

The winner is "Payne's Gray" (PG).   I can't say it was a new colour to me.  It has certainly been in the mix on my large studio palette. But I seemed to always shy away from it.  I was concerned I would end up with 'mud' when mixing it with other colours.  I would now like to apologize to that Gray.  I was wrong. 

Note the Great Greens, Purples and Browns

It really come to the forefront when I was looking for a quick dark.  In Outdoor sketching you often do not have time to mix a lot of colours. The instant 'blacks' that I tried were just too black and didn't seem to mix well with my other colours.  (I know we all have our own preference for how we depict  shadows.  Often I want them warm and I just found the blacks too cold)  I found that Payne's Gray gave me a great dark and also one I could 'push' in any direction: warm or cold.  

Loved the mixes with the blues and reds, both mixed and glazed over

Payne's Gray mixes really well with my other colours in my palette.  Most of the colours are transparent, non-staining colours. Adding PG to them muted the hues.  I especially loved the new blues, browns and greens I could quickly mix

.  

Rocky Shore on Gabriola Island - Note the great variety of greens in the tree.  

By itself, PG presents a lovely variety of blue to gray hues that can be both warm and cool.  But when the paint is thick, it gives a really dark colour. 

As a person that loves to use lots of glazing with my watercolours, PG responds really well.  Check out the branch that my Chickadee rests on, in my painting at the top of this post. ↑↑↑ Look at the lovely gray it makes for the branch and note the rosy colouring in the shadows.  So Neat.  

I would love to know what some of your "Go To" colours are.  

See Below my Online Drawing Classes for February 2024 and let me know if you are interested in my Outdoor Sketching Classes this summer or the all inclusive 4 Day Art Retreat,  June 21-24

Enhance Your Drawing Skills

Come Draw with Me 

“I attended an online drawing class from Wendy. I loved it and learned so much. She is very thorough and provides terrific feedback on your works of art. I highly recommend it.”

Ready to Enhance your Drawing Skills and Explore new Mark-making Techniques in a relaxed, fun setting? 

During your Lessons You will:

- Learn when it’s best to erase and when to wait

- Dive into the little Secrets that make drawing a success

- See how light can transform your subjects

- Make friends with your inner critic and make it work for you

- Nail down that perfect perspective and proportion

- Use lines, shapes, and shadows to guide your viewer’s eyes and keep them engaged in your work

Online Drawing Classes

Feb 15, 22, & 29, 2024, 5:30-7:30pm (PT)

Early Bird $75 Before Feb 12, $90 after

Contact Wendy toRegister 
Gift Certificates Available 

Always  Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work, 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

  

Wendy

Use Colour & Shapes to Build your Composition Skills - Painting & Drawing Tips

Do you LOVE the FALL COLOURS?  

Colour & Shapes lead to New Inspiration

Sometimes I think Canada is the only country in the world that obsesses with the colour of leaves in the fall.  Maybe it's because of the masses of reds and yellows that are everywhere.  Or the fact that we have large, dense forests that glow with colour.  Or the energy from the sunlight dancing with the colours above our head.  

WHATEVER, Canadians do love leaves.  . .  (Well except when they need to rake them!) 

When I am out walking I am often drawn to the leaves.  I love the bouquet of colours.  Before I know it, my hands are full of leaves by the time I get home. 

So, of course I have to do something with them. . . .

I pressed these leaves while they dried, to keep them flat

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*** Further discussion can be found on my YouTube video: How to Take Charge of Colour and Shape.   

*** Looking for Online Drawing Lessons?  See below for more information. 

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I decided to work with Colour and Shapes rather than my usual practice of drawing.   First I placed a few of the leave on my page to create an interesting arrangement.  ( I didn't overlap any but I think I will try that next time.) 

Placed leaves on my page to make an interesting arrangement

When the leaves were in place I traced them.  

Tracing means you can quickly get to Colour and Shapes 

As you can see I worked at various stages on the same pages.  I find it encouraging to move back and forth from drawing to painting.  Often interesting things develop, as once one area is completed it is easier to see what more is needed.  Remember,  this is experimenting so there is no strict order.

I like to move back and forth from drawing, colouring to designing

I used my brush pens, micron pens and watercolour to complete my design.  You can use whatever mediums you have on hand.  This is also a great time to try some you haven't used before, to test them out.  

Brush Pens weren't waterproof, so had to keep that in mind

I decided to experiment with the washi tape.  I usually use painter's tape but that can sometimes damage the paper when I lift it.  I found the washi tape was quick, gave a nice sharp edge and could be used over and over.  

Got nice sharp edges with the Washi Tape

As much as I enjoy the practice I must tell you, THIS is not for the Faint at Heart.  

Working with Colour and Shapes can be VERY CHALLENGING.  As you work along it becomes challenging to keep things cohesive, interesting and eye catching.  I found myself studying my pages, questioning how to move the design forward: Introduce a new colour; add another shape; draw more detail; outline.   Challenging.  

Enhance Your Drawing Skills

Come Draw with Me 

“I attended an online drawing class from Wendy. I loved it and learned so much. She is very thorough and provides terrific feedback on your works of art. I highly recommend it.”

Ready to Enhance your Drawing Skills and Explore new Mark-making Techniques in a relaxed, fun setting? 

During your Lessons You will:

- Learn when it’s best to erase and when to wait

- Dive into the little Secrets that make drawing a success

- See how light can transform your subjects

- Make friends with your inner critic and make it work for you

- Nail down that perfect perspective and proportion

- Use lines, shapes, and shadows to guide your viewer’s eyes and keep them engaged in your work

Online Drawing Classes

Feb 15, 22, & 29, 2024, 5:30-7:30pm (PT)

Early Bird $75 Before Feb 12, $90 after

Contact Wendy toRegister 
Gift Certificates Available 

Always  Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work, 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

  

Wendy

How to turn a GREEN TREE into an interesting colourful, Painting - Painting & Drawing Tips

Here ON the West Coast trees are GREEN.  All Summer!! Many of them all winter too. 

So how can that be COLOURFUL?!

Part of an Old Garry Oak Tree I found on the Trail

I must admit, I love the trees here on the coast.  As a kid I loved to climb them. And of course the forts. Secret Forts, of course.  Up in the branches or buried in the bushes. My special place.  As an adult I still feel  there is just something about being around trees that calms and centers me.  I know I am not alone.  

However, when it comes time to draw and paint trees everything changes . . . .

Part of a beautiful old Gary Oak Tree I found on the trail

Trees are a Challenge. . .

As a subject they are very complex. And in the summer, they are all GREEN. This makes them even harder to work with. 

Over time I have found a few things that have helped me.  
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*** Further discussion can be found on my YouTube video: How to turn a Complex Tree into Art

*** Looking for Private Drawing Lessons?  See below for more information. 

________________________________________________________________

I did some hiking while on Gabriola Island this summer and came across this big, old Gary Oat Tree.  It was certainly a stranger on the island as they are usually only found close to the salt water on the southern part of Vancouver Island.  This one had fallen over many years ago and was still thriving. Horizontally rather then Vertically.  A real testament of survival.  

Look for the branch structure to get your bearings 

I was really drawn to the tree and felt I needed to draw it.  Because it was so big and I wanted to zoom in on it, I decided to paint only half of the tree.  (yes there is way more of the tree on the left side.  Remember it is laying down) 

The leaves are in clumps.  

Using the branches to get the structure and size of the tree I set up my drawing.  After that I used a loose line to create the clumps of leaves, trying to keep the tree loose and lively.  

The branches give structure to the clumps of leaves 

Because of the complexity of the branches I opted to paint the main branches first so I could clump the leaves around them.  

Seeing the branches with the clumps helps to set up the drawing

When it came to painting the clumps of leaves I moved around the tree focusing on 3 things:

- 3 colours for the sunny bright areas on the tree (Sorry, I know they are a little hard to see in the reference picture as it is reduced down to such a small size)

- 3 colours for the dark shadowy areas of the branches  

- focused on each clump moving from dark to light in value, temperature and colour (so each clump has 6 colour changes) 

You'll notice I did the same with the branches  and ground in trying to create depth and texture.  I like to challenge myself to have at least 3 difference colours in any shape.  This ensures I have warm and cold colours as the shape moves from light to dark.  

**Special Note: I was also experimenting with using other colours.  I decided rather than have white for my white areas, I used a light shade of my turquoise blue.  The jury is still out on whether I like it there or not but it does make for interesting colour in the leaves.  

Do you have special colours you use to deal with GREEN leaves?

Come Draw with Me 

“I offer Private Drawing Lessons in my Langley Studio throughout the year.”

Ready to Enhance your Drawing Skills and Explore new Mark-making Techniques in a relaxed, fun setting? 

Lesson Format: 3 session Packages of 2.5 hours each on a Flexible Schedule

Cost: $250 + $12.50tx

During your Lessons You will:

- Learn when it’s best to erase and when to wait

- Dive into the little Secrets that make drawing a success

- See how light can transform your subjects

- Make friends with your inner critic and make it work for you

- Nail down that perfect perspective and proportion

- Use lines, shapes, and shadows to guide your viewer’s eyes and keep them engaged in your work

Contact Wendy to Register 
Gift Certificates Available 

Always  Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work, 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy 
  

Wendy

What’s it like to do An Art Residency? - Painting and Drawing Tips

Just Arrived to our New Temporary Home

This past September I had an amazing Art Experience!! 

I was on an Art Residency on Gabriola Island for a week.  My sister and I stayed in a wonderful 1 bedroom house with a separate studio in a rustic farm setting. 

It was Awesome! . .

 As I shared my experience with friends and other artists, it became obvious that many do not really know what being ‘in a residency’ is all about.  It is understandable, no two Art Residencies are the same. 

 Knowing more about Residencies can be a real boon for artist. Going on an Art Residency can really charge your Art Practice. 

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*** STILL TIME TO Join me for Online Drawing Lessons, October 12, 19, & 26, 2023.  Enhance Your Drawing Skills –Light, Line, & Shadows can make your work Come Alive. See below for Registration & Information. 

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Ready for a Day Trip: A Sketching/Photo Shoot Hike

What is an Art Residency?

This is an opportunity for you, the artist, to move to the residency location for a specific period of time to work on your practice.  The cost can range from subsidized living to being paid a salary. These are meant to support both the professional and emerging artist.  

 There are 2 main types of Residencies:

1.     Work & Engage Residency: You are provided with housing, a work space and time to develop your own practice.  You may be alone or sharing accommodations with several other artists.  There may be a requirement to interact with the public in the form of lessons, demos or art talks.  The Residency may also require you stage a show at the end. Usually you would receive your accommodations free, a stipend or moneys from your lessons and sales at your show. 

On the Trail, Awesome ideas for sketching & painting 

In August, 2014, I was in this type of Residency as an Artist in Residence at Mount Revelstoke National Park.   I was with 2 other artists.  We had a beautiful studio to work in and needed to be available for the public to view us “working” for several hours a day.  We also needed to prepare for a show that was to occur approximately 2.5 months after our stay.  You can read about my experience in a series of 3 blogs starting here: August 4, post "Look Out Bugs Here I Come"

2.     Work Only Residency: This type does not involve any level of community engagement but is rather an opportunity for you to focus on your practice without interruptions.  The accommodations may be free or subsidized. The Gabriola Art Residency was this type.  

Sketching on the Beach

I have experienced both types of Residencies.  

The Experience has really resulted in New Inspiration; New Contacts in the Art World; New Exposure for my work; New Ways for me to Challenge Myself and my Personal Growth; and most of all the Confidence and Impetus to pursue more in my work.

On Sept 7, my sister and I headed over to Gabriola Island.  This was the second type of Art Residency.  There was no obligation to interact with the community.  (I was only there for a week, but if I was longer, I think I would have set up some public activities.)

My focus: to create Social Media content around my practice in Outdoor Sketching. 

Gabriela Island is a small rural island off the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. My sister, Sherry came with me to be my photographer. 

I am sure It was the fastest 7 days I have ever experienced. 

Lots of Awesome places to set up to Sketch & have a Photo Shoot

As a nature sketcher I was looking for shots depicting my process.  We were able to get numerous photo shots as we:

    -    Hiked the trails scouting out landscape references and sketching locations
-    Kayaked the little bays along the coastal waters scouting out waterscape references and sketching locations
-    Visited the museum and botanical gardens to see and learn about the foliage
-    Video taped and photographed me as I painted rocks, plants and trees
-    Posted daily on our progress on two social media sites
-    Talked with local farmers about the types of plants cultivated on the island

Who is not inspired to paint nature when days end like this!!

Yes, we were busy but we also really enjoyed ourselves.  Exploring nature with my sketchbook is my passion.  My sister loves the outdoors but is not a sketcher.  She did however, find she learned a lot about conducting photo shoots in nature. 

Got there great sketch of a Garry Oak Tree, a rare find on the coast

Many places that post Artist Calls also include Art Residencies in these Calls. One place I have found residencies in British Columbia is in The Artist Journal. Even if the call has closed you can learn more about it for the next year.  Res Artis has Open Calls for places around the world.   

Come Draw with Me 

Enhance Your Drawing Skills --  Light, Line, & Shadows can make your work Come Alive

Date: Thursday, October 12, 19 & 26, 6:30-8:30pm PST.

Cost: Early Bird $60 Before Oct 8, $75 after

Registration: Wendy@artbywendy.com

    Experience new ways to interpret your line; Explore the magic of playing with light and shadow with Wendy in this series of 3 Online Zoom Classes.  Classes are 2 hr with access to recordings for limited time, individual discussion on weekly projects and limited class size.  Beginners to Advanced Welcome

These are Live Group Classes including, 

     ·            A Fun, Relaxing Atmosphere for Making Your Mark

·               When to Erase and when to Wait 

·               Making a A Setup Drawing that Works 

·               Understanding the Subtle Points that create Success in the Drawing

·               Exploring how Light affects the Shadows in your subject 

·               How to Harness Your Inner Critique so he works with you

·               Use your Line, Shapes and Shadows to Control the Eye Movement and keep your viewers in your space

Contact Wendy to Register 
Gift Certificates Available 
"Thank you for a great workshop!  I have enjoyed myself and learned a lot and am loving my pencil!" Patricia, artist
  

Wendy

Is the Creative Process really just one BIG BUMPY ROAD??

Magnolias in the Sunshine - 16 x 20 Vanished Watercolour on Wood Canvas  $850

I am sure you have heard that the Creative Process is a Joyful One.  You’re Lost in the Moment.   It's full of Excitement.  The feeling of Success can sometimes be Overwhelming.  I am here to tell you, The Creative Process is all that and more. 

 However, it does have its Dark side. . .

 One that can take you deep into Despair.

 That can’t be right, you are thinking.  Excitement, Joy, Euphoria are just a few of the words that you hear from Creatives all the time.  And yes, you will hear those words from me as well. 

 But remember, the Creative Process is a Journey.  And like all Journey’s it has its ups and downs.  The ‘Downs” can be setbacks or stoppers. How you react to those moments will certainly affect your outcome. 
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*** Join me for Online Drawing Lessons, October 12, 19, & 26, 2023.  Enhance Your Drawing Skills –Light, Line, & Shadows can make your work Come Alive. See below for Registration & Information. 

***See my YouTube Video with further discussion: Magnolias, One Painting's Hard Fought Creative Journey.  

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 Let me explain as I take you on my Creative Journey to paint, Magnolias in the Sunshine. 

See what I mean?  Fun to create that light with Pencil.  

Early spring finds me collecting and photographing the first colours of the season.  The Magnolias are part of that group. I got some great pictures of the flowers and decided I wanted to draw them.

At first it was only sketchbook stuff.  It was fun to try and create ‘white’ petals with a grey pencil.   I found the more I drew them the more I wanted to do.

 I decided to paint them.

 There is a wonderful feeling of excitement, as plans are made for the ‘new project’.  I was bursting with ideas.  After all the practice drawings I had done, I felt confident and ready to roll. 

Threw Down my colours and 'got-at-it'.

The work began in earnest.  Size determined.  Colours chosen.  Composition decided.  Type of paper chosen.  Everything was a go!!

 I love this part of the process.  The decisions are all made.  I can just paint. 

 But then disaster occurred. . .     Everything came to a standstill.

Definitely the Background is not looking Good

My background wasn’t working.  I added layer after layer of paint. But still it appeared blotchy.  And certainly not as soft and satiny as I wanted.  And worst of all, I had a BIG space in the bottom left corner that was just tooooooo empty. 

See what I mean, That corner looks VERY empty😢

 This could be a Stopper in my Journey. . .

 And for a few days it was!

 I have several strategies that use when these moments happen.  First of all, I step away from the painting.  Not a good idea to paint when your frustrated and disappointed. 

I do a bit of research and practice.  I experimented with my background colours on a separate piece of paper.  I discovered:

-    I need to have a wet brush with a nice amount of pigment on it
-    I needed to do one wash over it.  Not try to put thick paint on it and ‘instantly’ make it dark.  Rather be happy with lighter and more even layers. 
-    Not rework an area.  You know, fiddle with it.  That only disturbs the area below
-    Let it really dry between layers.  Easy to be impatient.

My Second Strategy and certainly the most Important One is Look for ENCOURAGERS.

Yes, ways to keep myself encouraged (happy, successful, feeling good with the world).  I decided to jump in and work on the flowers.  That was my favourite part anyway. I love the process of glazing to bring the petals alive.  I started with the right corner because I loved all the things happening there.  

Definitely lots more fun than painting BLUE all day!!

That really made me HAPPY.  I could see my flowers coming to life and best of all looking GOOD. In the meantime I kept adding another layer of blue to the background and even introduced a bit of purple.  I liked the way the deeper purple-blue on the left moved into a deep blue on the right.  

Isn't that Flower in the top right Looking Interesting?

Still working on the background as you can see. Started hinting at flowers and leaves in the background and even came up with ideas for the bottom corner. My big worry now was, they weren't going to be white.  I tried and tried to left off the colour but . . .  

You know with watercolour, you can never really go back to white!!!

I pressed on.  I decided to ignore the bottom corner till more work was done.  I was also hoping once I attached the painting to the wood canvas that some of it would be cut off!!!😆 Ok, I was feeling a little desperate!

Hey, maybe those bottom petals ARE going to be  Okay??

I kept working. 

Yeah!!Things are really coming together!!

Guess What?  Things did work out!  

The bottom petals did get cut off by quite a bit and the remaining petals had colours that tied in well with the rest of the piece.  They did their job too.  Fill the space and lead the eye into the picture.  (notice that sneaky line with the bent petal that moves the eye along?! Neat eh?!)  The background did really improve over time.  Couldn't tell you how many layers it has.  There were still a few light spots but I started to encourage them.  I liked how they suggested more depth. 

I have come to realization that if you want to Challenge Yourself in your Creative Process there will be Bumps on the Road.  The bigger the Challenge, I think the BIGGER the Bumps.  My advice is to Hang-In-There, keep practicing, and always build in ENCOURAGERS in the process.  

***See my YouTube Video with further discussion: Magnolias, One Painting's Hard Fought Creative Journey.  

Come Draw with Me 

Enhance Your Drawing Skills --  Light, Line, & Shadows can make your work Come Alive

Date: Thursday, October 12, 19 & 26, 6:30-8:30pm PST.

Cost: Early Bird $60 Before Oct 8, $75 after

Registration: Wendy@artbywendy.com

    Experience new ways to interpret your line; Explore the magic of playing with light and shadow with Wendy in this series of 3 Online Zoom Classes.  Classes are 2 hr with access to recordings for limited time, individual discussion on weekly projects and limited class size.  Beginners to Advanced Welcome

These are Live Group Classes including, 

     ·            A Fun, Relaxing Atmosphere for Making Your Mark

·               When to Erase and when to Wait 

·               Making a A Setup Drawing that Works 

·               Understanding the Subtle Points that create Success in the Drawing

·               Exploring how Light affects the Shadows in your subject 

·               How to Harness Your Inner Critique so he works with you

·               Use your Line, Shapes and Shadows to Control the Eye Movement and keep your viewers in your space

Contact Wendy to Register 
Gift Certificates Available 
"Thank you for a great workshop!  I have enjoyed myself and learned a lot and am loving my pencil!" Patricia, artist
  

Always  Available at Art by Wendy's Studio

Original work, Commissions, Private Drawing Lessons, Prints and Cards of her Work, 

Be sure to like and share my posts.  You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email 

Have a great Artful Day,

Wendy