A Weekend Out & About

Short excursion this weekend as the weather was partly sunny and warmer. A pocket size sketchbook and I had a nice sit near the shores of Lake Champlain. The different hues of the icy waters is what I study most.

On the way home, at the very top of a tree, I catch a sudden checking the side of the road glimpse of a bald eagle. There is no area to stop and take a look. Farther down Route 17, I pull into the Dead Creek boat launch lot hoping the eagle will take flight my way. The eagle did not. 

Alas, the camera I had with me is my iphone 13 with a mere 5X zoom; and, a super lousy program that does not have the feature of plugging the phone into a device to upload the pictures. Photos are store in the where is it icloud on the phone. I have to email photos to myself, then open them. The sizes are always very small and blurry. Boo to Apple iphone 13.

It was surreal to hear geese in the middle of winter. I'm guessing maybe spring is closer than expected.

The warmer weather is eerie, nice but strange. Seeing sunhine so often is a blessing. It has been a slow going for me lately. Lots of laundry and blog reading to catch up on.

Have a wonderful week!

Art In Autumn Redux

Autumn in Vermont 2019

I was undecided about going on an foliage excursion this year until I took a look at what I have posted in the past. This year's tours will range from walking to going into the mountains.  Weather permitting. 

What do I want from autumn is the theme. An important part of the season is not just the foliage. It is also the many people that gather with the common desire to embrace the beauty of Nature while harvesting the experience that with others, they build the autumnal community of leaf peepers. People smile at each other. License plates from all over. Pumpkins everywhere. Apples galore. And, touching my heart, are some of the best fall jackets in the world. 

Vermont, New England, Upstate New York, the whole Northeast region is pure magic in the fall.

Reposted from September 3, 2020, Art in Autumn (edited)

Notes for Autumn Art Excursions

1.    Write down pictures that I want to take. 
2.    Use a perspective frame to focus on composition. 
3.    Of the same scenes and subjects, draw ink, pencil, watercolor and color pencil sketches.  
4.    Set a schedule for hours of the day and specific locations. 
5.    Seek out the best spider web on the planet, but don't get too close. 

6.    Sketch leaf people scenes and buildings

7.    Splurge on a good coffee to fill the thermos from home

8.    Don't harvest locations like apples. Spend time embracing the atmosphere of one place at a time.

9.    Include early foliage as well as post peak foliage photographs when possible

 Are you planning an autumn excursion? 

Lincoln Road, Bristol Vermont 2020

Cranking Up the Good Old Creativity

Journal Sketch

A quick sloppyish sketch reminds me of how much fun creating art can be. During Spring cleaning, blank books given to me as a gifts, surface with a sparkle of happiness.

I expect an abundance of April showers this year. Rainy weather is inspirational to me, a time to be crafty creative with glue, scissors, and paint. Many of the stamped, painted, textured journal pages I see on blogs are small abstract artworks. Time for me to give artistic journal pages a try.

Raindrops Splashing

Being crafty can turn a rainy week-end into days to remember. 

In preparation for inclement Spring weather, a pair of rubber boots that don't leak was number one because all my other boots have leaks. My go to ballet flats soak up water like a sponge. Thus, it is likely I might be seen wearing shorts and unflattering rubber pull on ankle boots this summer. (I am grateful aging changes includes not being as picky about how I look fashion wise.) 

What are your fashion plans for Spring? Are you prepared? Do you wear rain boots?

Sketching: The Difference a Line Makes

 

View 2. After

The Hm? Look. Before

The scalp line in the first sketch is rounded, (right side). In the 2nd photo,  that scalp line is not rounded, making the face look square. A small adjustment can make a difference. 

Daily drawing takes time to blend in as an every day exercise. The key to its success is to adjust in a kind way without feeling bad about missing a day or days. 

I'm going to take my own advice by keeping my sketchbook within easy reach. 

Today, I used a drawing pen (instead of a ballpoint pen) with a relaxing slow hand, not the light quick sketch style of my last pen portrait, Reading. 

Both drawings are done from a photo. It was fun taking selfies at the optometrist's office waiting room. In the future, I'll work on happier selfies to sketch from.