~ choice of paper , do matter in watercoloring ~

In the mood for painting and in a hurry to create, I grabbed whatever paper on hand and tried some watercolor glazing for 2 sunset sceneries as captured from outside Jon's bedroom window ~

Full of optimism, I even contemplated doing 2 pieces of art simultaneously because I thought it shld be no big deal since they were of similar compositions !
Aaaah, the confidence and folly of a novice's naivety~

once I applied the first glaze~oops, the paper almost immediately started to buckle with uneven patches of wetness….checking the grammage to be only 160gsm….

I knew something was wrong~

Nevertheless I decided to continue with the art attempts ~

No prizes to guess that IT turned out to be a huge mistake ….. disastrous aaargh….

2 hours of hard work gone down the gutters, not to mention 2 pieces of work ruined all in one go +_+

1. this painting below almost gave me a hole for a sun when removing the masking tape

2. this painting below which is what I liked more out of the two attempted alas tore when removing it from the mounting board for photography

yes, pursuing water color art is a long journey of learning in progress….
choice of paper do matter alot….my Eureka moment!

Lesson 10: techniques of creating textures

Ms Shia opened up her tin of "junk"….old toothbrush, scraps of old carton, plastic, rag, sponge, iron nail, wire netting, candle, glue, white crayon…
She also couldnt resist commenting that all these tools for creating watercolor texture…. there is no need for us to go shopping today!! Hahaha
We…her students with the exception of today have been going to the art shop for straight 8 weeks to buy art supplies~
I for one notice that my bag is getting bulkier when coming to classes…hahaha!

Tho truth be told, it was part necessity but mostly it was for social networking and for us to get to know each other better ~ LOLs

Well, as the morning progresses and Ms Shia proceeded to show us various techniques …it was reminiscent of my sons' kindergarden days….remember the days of cutting shapes from fruits or vegetables like potatoes, carrots , ladies fingers to make stencil prints?

Of course, Ms Shia's techniques were more edgy , less messy but just as fun~ some examples which I reproduced below:

textures made by painting 3 layers, each time covering some parts with scraps of newspaper

textures made by scrapping with the back of the brush or pointed object e.g nail tip while the paint was still wet

effect of dabbing paints using old toothbrush

effect of flicking spots of paint from the brush using fingernail

creating a mass by twirling dry paint from chinese brush on wet wash

drawing fine lines using dry paint from flattened chinese brush

using plastic card to draw the window frame lines and wax candles for effecting window slats

last but not least , this is my favourite….poking paint (various wetness to get various effects) thru the sieve of wire netting

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After all the experimenting, we had to use the techniques learnt today to create a realistic composition….

I took the easy way out by painting the scenery from the classroom window

★the rooftop was done using corrugated carton

★ the window frame using plastic card edge

★ the clouds using dry chinese brush and sprayed with water

★ the trees were painted using candle waxing and back of brush to scrap the lines…..

OMG today we really had to get in deep and dirty into our art…

As yet I still could not brush out the paint pigments from my index fingernail yet!!

for the love of the rose…

I was looking thru my own favourite photo stock of roses……with the intention of trying to paint it in watercolor.

While researching on how to properly prepare glazing for watercolors, I found Susie Short's article to be the best and

easily understood by a novice like myself…..because she made it look so simple….

http://www.susieshort.net/rose-demo.html


Then I thought that maybe video tutorials might better reinforced the glazing principles but oh lord, the couple of demos
available just took forever to load so I was diverted to search instead for roses and wow, I was blown away by these 2
were fantabulous demos …


This one shows how the rose was beautifully painted digitally~ awsome, talented, refreshing indeed





This one shows the effect of painting roses wet on wet on Rice paper….mmm, so delicately artistically drawn, mesmerizing to me~






Thank Goodness for the cyber technology these days…..of course we still need to buy books from the bookshops but we
dont need to buy so many these days!!


* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.*

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour

I threw away one hour's work of drawing Max in disgust….OMG, it was impossible to draw so much fur~

Poor Max after my rendition looked more like a monkey than a proud gladiator-like German Shepherd from pure breed stock of distinction~ aaaargh.

And as I listened to Steve Jobs 2005 Stanford Commencement Address over and over again while drawing….btw I really love his motivational messages to the new graduates even though the message was more than 5 yrs old…fast forward to 2010, in its entirety the address was still relevant and truly inspirational !

And what I hear , I also see connection to my dismal failure of attempting to draw Max:
"Dont lose faith…."
Yes, I shall keep looking….

For now, I will surrender but I will keep trying some time soon….

For now, I will hv to be satisfied that the best I can sketch my beloved GSDs is this illustration of my darling Roxy ♥♥♥

sketch on natural charcoal

title: beloved ROXY

Ⓒmichellechoongkhoo

and then I received this in my email

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon,
And some days you're the statue.*

~~

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour*.

Happy Mother's Day 2010

capturing the likeness of Elmo~graphite and charcoals

continuing the study of JD Hillberry's book "Drawing Realistic Textures in Pencils"~
FUR : At first glance, drawing fur looks intimidating….

Absolutely!
Elmo's cutie pie face has been staring at me from my desktop wallpaper for months now….each time I see it, I wanted to draw him .
but somehow I kept proscastinating because I wanted to draw my darling well and I didnt hv the confidence yet ~

Today, as I walked into my room and saw the beautiful filing cabinet that my carpentar has made for me…..which was despite my designer's doubts that the contrasting veneers I selected might work ….tho' I was quietly adamant that I wanted it done the way I envisoned it and I trusted my eye. Looking at my beautiful cabinet sitting in my master bedroom looking so beautiful was a great feeling~

That confidence of being proven right and perhaps partly also the effects of the caffein from the iced Kemaman coffee that I drank during "yum cha" (Cantonese word for drinking tea) with the girls after lessons and shopping ~ made me decide today to plunge headlong to sketch Elmo.
Preparing the table and art supplies…...

Dont you think Elmo looks absolutely handsome in his photos?

Now u see why I absolutely must attempt to capture his likeness?

partial work done , took a break for dinner

5½" x 8¼", graphite n charcoals

160gsm, acid free cartridge paper

title: ELMO

Ⓒmichellechoongkhoo

make lots of art, make lots of mistakes~learn from the process...

Things that speak to me from artbizblog….
Quotes: Alyson Stanfield :


"FINAL WORD: Get back in the studio and make art. Make lots of art. Make lots of mistakes. Learn from the process ….

2 GUIDELINES FOR YOUR STUDIO TIME

1) Make it regular–whether it’s the same time every day, the same number of hours each week, or on the same days of the week. Not a morning person? Then for Pete’s sake, don’t say you’re going to get up early and go to the studio. Schedule your studio time when you are most creative and productive.

I’d love to say that all you need is passion and excitement about your art, but you also must have a healthy dose of discipline to channel that enthusiasm. Don’t believe me? Read Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin. Colvin shows how two people with equal parts talent take very different paths when one of them commits to a deliberate practice. And if you want to see discipline instilled in a lifelong artist, check out The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp.

2) Keep it sacred. Don’t let anyone or anything interfere with your studio time. I’ve read about a few artists lately who wouldn’t allow phones in their studios for fear that they could become a distraction. It’s also important to be able to turn down requests and invitations that would take you away from your studio time."

even though for now art is still a hobby and not a career, nevertheless the principles still stand true~ and I hear it loud and clear ;)

and so yesss, I will dedicate every Wednesday to be my art studio day~ to paint and to make art, lots of art, make lots of mistakes and learn from the process….:P

Today I painted my lotuses:

9½" x 11½"

title: Valencia blooms

Ⓒmichellechoongkhoo

6½" x 5½"

title: Lotus

Ⓒmichellechoongkhoo

experimenting with mixed mediums

playing with my new prima color pens and tinted charcoals to see how they blend for sketching.