I’ve been working on both versions of my art journal workshop exercise off and on for the past few days, squeezing in a scribble here, a smudge there, and a swipe of the paintbrush in passing. Right now my desk is covered in supplies — my color journal and my art journal, various watercolor pencils and watercolor crayons, pens, brushes, paints, and various other implements of artistic nature. And — most significantly for this story…
My first attempt at the Strathmore Visual Journal workshop exercise was less than satisfying. I didn’t like working with the oil pastels. I thought the charcoal dirtied up the page. I didn’t have gesso, so I used a semi-opaque watercolor instead. So I decided I needed a do-over, using materials that I’m more comfortable with. After all, they keep saying it’s all about the process, right? Steps from Lesson 1 I resized the sketches and…
“I didn’t do it!” by Allison Stein.ACEO 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches, watercolor on Arches 140# cold pressed paper. I posted this little darling to my ETSY shop last week. I used a combination of watercolor and watercolor pencil. The texture was created with salt. I love the expressiveness of the eyes and the color, but I do believe I’ve reached the limit of how big I should make them.
Three ACEOs to ponder. All of which should be posted soon in my Etsy store. Pretty Cleo, 2.5″x3.5″ ACEO, watercolor on 140# Arches “Pretty Cleo” is another attempt at an image I posted a few months ago. She’s a cutie, isn’t she? The Twilight Castle, 2.5″x3.5″ ACEO, watercolor and watercolor pencil on 140# Canson This ACEO started as I contemplated castles and landscapes. I need to start adding more environments to my work. My imagination…
Penciled Peppers 1, 4×6, watercolor pencil on Canson 140# Penciled Peppers 2 and 3, 2.5 x 3.5 (ACEO), watercolor pencil on Canson 140# I stumbled on a great deal at the outlet store — a set of 24 Derwent watercolor pencils for a pittance. Here is a 4×6 pencil painting of three peppers, drawn from life. (And they were tasty, too.) I also did two small ACEO-sized pencil paintings of the peppers, from different angles.…
