Sketchbook Sunday Portrait of a Woman & Brush Winners Announced!

Hi friends! First up let me announce the 10 winners of their choice of a Mythos brush set from Royal & Langnickel from last weeks post: Gilbert, Kennedy Ramos, Annette Fournier, Sparklegirl59, Lizzie Saunders-Pacheco, Georgia Franko, Karla Lindblad, Linda DB, srwilderart and Bonnie Warren! *Winners, I replied to your comment and sent you an email to the address on your account you make comments with. Follow the instructions in your email to receive the set of your choosing.

Today for Sketchbook Sunday we have a portrait of a woman in watercolor. Sorry the post is so late, I was thoroughly enjoying a lazy Sunday. I picked up a few used paperbacks at the bookstore yesterday and today I finished one (The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor) and then I took a nap! Life is good:) Anyhow, here is this weeks Sketchbook Sunday Time Lapse.

Supplies (affiliate links may be used)

• Watercolor pencils (skin tones)
• Watercolors (Renesans tube paints) Yellow ochre, quin red, card red medium, cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna
• Hot press watercolor paper (Fluid 100 6″x8″)
• White gel pen (Uniball Signo)
• Colored pencils (if desired)

By the way I just posted a real-time version of last week’s Sketchbook Sunday project (Chicken in Gouache) in Critique Club if anyone is interested. *Critique Club is a group in my Teachable school where members can share the paintings they are working on or have finished for critique and I also post real-time version of 2 of my Sketchbook Sunday projects as step by step narrated lessons. Cost is $5 a month and all levels and media are welcome to join.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and til next time happy crafting!

 

 

 

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Snowy Sunrise Watercolor For Beginners

Hi friends! Today I have a nice and easy watercolor tutorial for you!

I shared this photo on Instagram the other day of the view out my window at sunrise. I loved the color of the sky!

A few Instagram friends asked me to do a watercolor tutorial of it so I did! Enjoy!

Supplies (Affiliate links may be used)

• Watercolors (Renesans) Magenta, Indian Yellow, Cerulean Blue, Hookers Green Dark, Sepia, White
• Watercolor Paper Fluid Hot Press 6″x8″
• Brushes: #12 & #6 round, 3/8″ dagger, 1″ flat for wetting paper (feel free to use whatever size and shaped you prefer) And a stiff brush such as an old toothbrush for spattering.

This painting is great for beginners or seasoned painters who want a little warm up. It was fun to paint and I really enjoyed this paper and look forward to using it again. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Brush Set Giveaway! Chicken Sketchbook Sunday & Tips for Working with Gouache!

Hi friends! I had so much fun playing with gouache in my sketchbook today. I forget how awesome gouache (opaque watercolor) paint is and how fun and forgiving it is to paint with.

The brushes I used today were perfect for gouache and I get to give away TEN 7-piece sets and winners can pick from the unicorn or mermaid Mythos brushes by Royal & Langnickel. Do to shipping restrictions this contest is open to USA residents only. For a chance to win simply leave a comment saying what state you are from and which brush set (unicorn or mermaid) you prefer. I will draw 10 winners at random next Sunday and you will be notified by email. *You do not need to put your email in the comment, I can see it in my admin, I will contact you by the email you signed up to comment with. Don’t worry if your comment does not appear right away, if it is the first time you have commented here I have to approve it.

Speaking or Royal & Langnickel I am the Featured Artist on the Month! You can read the article here. I am so thrilled to be featured by a company whose brushes I have used for decades, I hope you give it a read:)

OK, now on to the Sketchbook Sunday video! I hope you enjoy it!

Supplies: (Affiliate links may be used)

• Gouache (Arteza)
• Grey watercolor pencil (if desired)
• Mythos Unicorn Brushes (Royal & Langnickel) *Leave a comment for a chance to win!
• Sketchbook (Fabriano Venice book)
• Reference Photo: Photo by JOHN TOWNER on Unsplash

Tips for Gouache:
1. Work dark to light.

2.Work in thin layers (use a light touch to layer or be more aggressive to blend back to previous layers)

3. Use alone or with other media (over watercolor and marker, under pastel and colored pencil)

4. Mat and frame under glass as you would a watercolor.

5. Do not work in thick layers because the paint can crack.

6. Paper or matboard are excellent surfaces for gouache as it can bond well. Avoid using it on canvas or acrylic primed surfaces as the paint may not adhere well.

7. Play, experiment and have fun!

I hope the video give you insight on my process. I think diving in with the dark color can give you confidence and also speeds up the process because you get the dark values established quickly and you don’t have to fight the white paint which can overtake things quickly and muddy things up. If you want more help on your art journey, including real-time versions of 2 sketchbook sunday paintings a month consider joining critique club. You can post your current paintings and get a detailed critique from me and encouragement from other members, so you can improve and reach your artistic goals. Learn more here!

And one more shameless plug for the road…

If you want to paint better birds I have a class on that too:  Texture Toolbox Feathers & Fowl where you can learn how to capture the beauty of birds and the textures of feathers and plumage by following along with four step by step real-time tutorials with patterns included. There is also an archived list of all past bird tutorials I have created in case you are looking for something specific.

Phew! That was a long post! Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a set of brushes, give gouache a chance and til next time happy crafting!

My Watercolor Went Off The Rails LOL!

Hi friends!  I started this clylamen flower painting intending to do a simple ink and wash watercolor. I though, maybe a little gold ink, that won’t hurt anything, then I thought a samp would be nice and oh! What about a stencil? Yes!

So I am sorry if you were expecting a simple watercolor today (and you can do just that aspect of the painting if you like) but I did enjoy letting my intuition take over and create from the heart. I hope you enjoy this quite in-depth video tutorial. I hope it inspires you to grab your supplies and play too!

Supplies *Affiliate links may be used. Feel free to substitute with supplies you have on hand.

• Watercolors (Renesans) Magenta, Sap Green, Cinnabar Green, Dark Hookers Green, Phthalo Blue, Raw Sienna
• Black waterproof india ink (speedball)
• Dip pen
• Gold drawing ink (winsor & newton)
• Colored pencil extenders
• Colored pencils (prismacolor)
• Gel sticks (also can use water-soluble oil pastels, gel crayons, Jane Davenport ColorSticks etc)
• Dot stencils
• Swirl, text or pattern stamps *the stamps I have are discontinued, this is similar
• Brushes: #6 round, 3/8″ filbert, 1/4″ angle

I bet if you dig through you supply stash will find supplies you have forgotten about (like my 15-year-old bottle of gold ink) that would love to be put to use. With mixed media art(or any art or craft really) the point is to take an idea and make it your own so see what you have and make something new! Thanks for watching and til next time happy crafting!

Sketchbook Sunday & Can I offer you some constructive criticism?

Hi friends! I’m so excited to share something I have been thinking about for a while. I often get asked by viewers if they can share their art with me and I love seeing it. I have noticed the amazing progress my students in my online classes make as they work through the lessons and get feedback on each one. They can improve the problem areas in a painting and keep the things that are working. I think being able to give that feedback honestly pushes their skills to new levels. I have wanted to offer that service to more people so that’s why I came up with Critique Club!

You can post any painting or drawing that you are currently working on or have finished to get personalized feedback by me (and encouragement by others) and you can make corrections and post them if you like. Often a new set of eyes can pick out something “off” in a painting you might have missed or help you appreciate an overlooked good part in your paintings that you might have taken for granted. You can even learn by seeing other student’s art and their critique because we often find we share the same struggles.

I wanted to make this group extra valuable so I decided to take two of my sketchbook Sunday projects each month and post them in real-time with narration so you can see how I work through the paintings, what is going on in my mind and how I overcome obstacles during the painting process. The poinsettia painting from this weeks Sketchbook Sunday is available in the group now and a new lesson will post in the group every 2 weeks. Even if you don’t have a chance (or you are a bit shy at first) to post a painting you can still enjoy the painting lessons. The cost of Critique Club is $5 a month and you can cancel anytime.

Since it is Sketchbook Sunday I have a time-lapse painting of something I wanted to work on this week. I purchased this pretty little poinsettia two weeks ago for 88 cents at Mardens. I loved the unusual red and yellow pattern on the leaves and I though the yellow veining was especially striking. As always I am never quite sure how my Sketchbook Sunday paintings will go (that is part of the fun, challenging myself, experimenting and trying different techniques) and this was no different but I did learn a thing or two. I hope you do too and that it inspires you to work in your sketchbook today!

I highly suggest you try cropping a page either with tape or by drawing a box to work inside. Something as simple as that can give you a whole new perspective on your subject. Remember if you want a full real-time tutorial of this painting it is included with your Critique Club membership.

Supplies:

• Watercolors (Renesans) Carmine, lemon yellow, sap green, indanthrone blue and phthalo turquoise.
• Watercolor paper (Hahnemuhle)
• Brushes: #2, #8 round
• Other: masking tape, pencil, eraser, and assorted colored pencils.

I hope you enjoyed today’s Sketchbook Sunday project and if one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to grow your artistic abilities please consider joining Critique Club. You can learn more about it, watch the promo or sign up here. Happy crafting!

Snowy Winter Sunset – Paint With Me!

Hi friends! I invite you to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and paint with me. You don’t need many supplies and you can paint this in under an hour!

The colors you will need are:

1. A cool red like Alizarin Crimson, Rose Madder or Permanent rose
2. A warm Yellow such as Cadmium Yellow, Gamboge, Permanent Yellow, Hansa Yellow Deep or Indian Yellow.
3. A warm blue like Ultramarine Blue or Cobalt blue.
4. A cool soft blue like Cerulean (look past a pastel looking blue hopefully made with PB36) or sky blue. Avoid a cerulean that looks intense and vivid. Sometimes companies call Phthalo Blue (PB15) Cerulean but it is too intense for this. If you don’t have a good cerulean than you can leave it out

Keep in mind you only need one of each of the suggestions for a total of 4 colors in all. You will also need a 1″ flat brush, 9″x12″ watercolor paper, pencil, masking tape, a rag and 2 water buckets. Enjoy the video tutorial!

Supplies (affiliate links used)

• Watercolors (Paul Rubens) colors: Cad Yellow Medium, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean (sky blue), Crimson (Madder red)
• Paper: Arteza 100% cotton paper *save 10% with coupon FRUGAL10
• 1″ flat brush (Royal Majestic) *If you want you can have a small round brush to like a #2
• Reference photo

I hope this was a nice break in your day and let me know how you got along if you painted this! I love bringing these free watercolor tutorials to you and if you find value I them please share them with a friend using one of the handy sharing buttons below. Sharing is caring and I do appreciate it! If you enjoyed this tutorial but feel like you need more beginner instructions please check out my online course Essential Tools for Watercolor Painting here and save 20% with coupon code TRYME. I makes a great last-minute holiday gift too! thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Sketchbook Sunday: Grapes in Pastel!

Hi friends! I worked with pastels in my sketchbook today!

After looking at this painting I realized that it would work well with oil pastels too. You would build up more layers by coloring over the previous ones to blend rather than using your fingers but the overall steps would be the same. If you are new to oil pastels maybe just do the grapes and leave the background out. For my demonstration I used soft pastels (the chalky feeling kind) and pastel pencils. Watch the video to see the process, it took about 40 minutes but honestly if I fussed less it would have been quicker. 🙂

Supplies:

• Toned Tan Mixed media paper or sketchbook
• Pastel Pencils
• Student grade Pastels
• You can use extra soft pastels for highlights but they are quite expensive as they are professional grade. I do not recommend these for children.
• Reference photo

Want real-time drawing instruction and help when you need it? check out my course Learn to Draw with Lindsay and save 20% with coupon code TRYME

You can join the hundreds of students who have learned to draw confidently and accurately with my ‘draw what you see’ method. You can take as long as you need to complete the course, share your work in the classroom for personalised feedback and even return to the lessons again anytime you like because you get lifetime access! Click here to learn more.

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!