Owner: artEzan URL:http://artezan.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 06:19:56 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: The blog of a watercolor artist, with lots of paintings, sketches and musing about art and life in general. Some articles related to art or art materials and whatever I feel like writing about when I feel like writing I guess. Site statistics:Click here
My take on the Altoid box pallet 1970-01-01 00:59:59 In preparation for the 12th Sketchcrawl which takes place on December 9, I have made this pocket size pallet. There are many takes on how to make this pallet. Please see here and here. Mine is a bit more elaborate, but I injoyed doing it and want to share the method with my readers:You will need an Altoid box or a similar box with an attached lid. Empty the box from the mints (don't eat them all you will get sick!) and clean it well.The first thing I did to my empty Altoid box was to paint the inner lid enamel white and the outer lid enamel black. The inner lid white enamel color was for a functional purpose. It will serve as a good mixing ground. The outer lid enamel color was for fun and to imitate my favorate Winsor and Newton box. These enamel paints take some time to dry so count on leaving each coat a full 2 days to rest and harden.In the meanwhile, go to your hardware store and buy a length of Shelf Edging (3/4"), a peal and stick white tile and a box of staple gun staples. Yo
Sketch- Across the street in the rain 1970-01-01 00:59:59 It is a rainy day today. The sky is dark and the lights are on indoors. It seems that the GTA has switched weather with Vancouver and I don't particularly like that.It's almost December and we have not seen a sprinkle of snow yet. Meanwhile it looks like a winter-wonderland in Vancouver. Can you believe that?Anyway. The houses across the street from us never inspired me much before, but the dark wet day left a nice bright reflection on the muddy pathway between the houses and I just felt like catching the view.The ink I use is a mixture of two Skrip writing inks. A basic black and a yellow. The mixture gives a very deep and rich sepia color. I don't know what I am going to do when my mixture runs out. I hope I can recreate it.
Read more:Across
Happy Holidays: "Last Minute Shoppers". 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season full of joy and good luck. In the spirit of the season, I am uploading a high resolution painting for you to use as you wish. If you want a printable version (about 6 MB) let me know and I will email it to you directly. Just one request: Please keep my tag line below if you can. Enjoy!I call this one "Last Minute
Shoppers". I did it by first spraying the paper with liquid frisquet from a tooth brush and then painting the scene. When I was done and the paper was bone dry, I removed the liquid frisquet, and touched up a few spots with very little Gouache.There was finally a dusting of snow here today, but not enough to stick. Some how it doesn't feel like X-mas without snow, but we do have a few more days for Mother Nature to get it's act together and catch-up with the season!
Read more:Happy
, Holidays
, Happy Holidays
Oranges using Signature Watercolor Pencils 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Watercolor
pencils are not a medium that has caught on too much among serious artists. Perhaps that his because most of the pencils out there are not artist quality. The pigments are not clearly indicated and their lightfastness is questionable at the very least.Derwent has a line of pencils that are lightfast and artist quality. They are called Signature
. They come in Watercolor and regular pencils. I used those to make this little painting of oranges in a plate.If you enjoy quality pencils or are an artist wanting to try out good quality watercolor pencils, I urge you to hurry and get some of these Signature pencils. Why hurry? No I am not doing a hard sell for Derwent. The fact is if you live in North America, you will notice that every art store has them on clearance or sale. Why? Because the distributor in North America has decided to discontinue providing them to us.So get them while you can. I will be writing a full feature about the Derwent watercolor pencil line soon with a f Read more:Oranges
, Pencils
Santa is a Canadian 1970-01-01 00:59:59 We all know that Santa
lives in the North Pole, and most of us know that he is Canadian
. A friend of mine from Northern Europe is disputing this FACT and I need your help in convincing him that he is wrong.You see, Santa's Postal code is Canadian (H0H 0H0) Letter Number Letter, Number Letter Number, a proof positive that he lives here. He also wears our National Colors Red and White. Also, we are the only place on earth where you can find flying reindeer. So there is no argument about this fact. Santa is Canadian. We share him with the rest of the world on December 25, but we know who he belongs to :-DYour thoughts?
SketchCrawl December 9, 2006 1970-01-01 00:59:59 December 9, 2006. My first SketchCrawl is behind me. It was not a successful one. The day started with me stepping out to a temperature of -11 with the windchill. Not exactly outdoor weather. As soon as I got in my car, I thought back to an article I had been meaning to read about an artist who paints in Antarctica. Boy I sure could have used a few hints today on how to do it.Anyway, after stopping at Tim Horton for a large-double-cream I decided to go to an urban scene in Streetsville and paint their. It took me no longer than 4 minutes outside the car to realize that it was not going to happen. The cold wind was blowing and not only my fingertips, but my paints as well were freezing. I decided to retreat to the relative warmth of the car. There I realized another miscalculation. Urban scenes from a car all look alike. An oblique building in sharp perspective and cars parked in front. Not exactly what I had in mind. Off to Port Credit. A place I have always gone to in the summer for s Read more:December
Lost in Nova Scotia 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Someone posted this to a group I belong to. I think it is funny!Two American tourists were driving through Nova Scotia. As they were approaching Shubenacadie (shoe-been-aack-id-dee), they started arguing about the pronunciation of the town's name. They argued back and forth until they stopped for lunch. As they stood at the counter, one tourist asked the waitress: "Before we order, could you please settle an argument for us? Would you please pronounce where we are... Ver-r-ry slo-o-owly?" The waitress leaned over the counter and said, "Tiiimmmmm Hoorrrrttoooonnns"!
Lemon Tea and Chocolates 1970-01-01 00:59:59 One last painting for 2006. Of course I like it, but it is more important to read your thoughts, critiques and opinions. Please let me know what you think of this one.
Read more:Lemon
, Chocolates
Lemon Tea and Chocolates (Take 2) 1970-01-01 00:59:59 OK based on a suggestion by a fellow Canadian artist (Asel Syzdykova ), I have added some highlights to parts of the painting. I think it does a lot to complete it. Let me know what you think.
Read more:Lemon
, Chocolates
Note on Watercolor sable brush care 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I have several brushes that I have accumulated over the years and I tend to rotate their use. Sort of like one would rotate their tires to ware them evenly!One of the problems that I have is how to protect the brush tufts while putting them on hiatus. I am always afraid of moths, dust and accidents. I don't particularly like laying brushes flat. I don't like to have any flattening pressure on tufts. I was wondering the other day how manufacturers protect their brushes and Erika! I found a good way to preserve and protect my Sables.I put a dab of very mild hair conditioner in a small bowl and gently picked some of it in my brushes. I worked the conditioner into the brushes shaped them carefully and let them dry. Now they have a stiff tuft just like they did when I bought them and I am not worried about the moths, dust or accidents any more. All I have to do when I want to reuse them is to wet them gently. When they are flexible again I will rinse them well to remove all the condition Read more:Watercolor
, sable
Notes from my 2006 sketchbooks 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I am getting ready to put away my 2006 sketchbooks and thought I'd take some of the ideas that I jotted down in them and put them here over a few posts. These are quick notes. If you have faced the same problems you will know what I mean by them. If you don't, post a question and I will answer you in more details.To blot a perfect straight line, cover a ruler with tissue paper and blot out color while it is still partially wet.In water remember that you have both shadows and reflectionsUse a dipping pen for details. Fill the nib with watercolor by feeding it from a brush.Paint at an angle, but also be ready to tilt the painting to drive color. Never fix your board to an easel or table and lose the ability to drive color by tilting.Start by painting the shadows when working outdoors. They are fleeting.For best shadows work or take stock photos in early morning or late afternoonYellow traps pencil marks. You can't erase what is under yellow.Work with two brushes; one for color and one Read more:Notes
SAND CASTLES AT SUNSET 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Here is a poem I wrote a few years ago. For some reason, I find it easier to share paintings than poems. Anyway here it goes:SAND CASTLES
AT SUNSETIf time walks with me, dare I slow my pace?I watch the menacing waves.I will not plead with them.They will not spare me.I string the walls withMother-of-pearl, and lilac, and purple shells.The sun ripens, and the tide...I will not plead with them.They will not spare.Last night my mind ran through your hair.I touched your lips and kissed your eyes.They haunt me. They will not let me go!I will not plead with them.They will not!What happens when this castle falls?How sad that day will be:Sand through your fingers. ButI will not plead with them.They willLook radiant--palms stretched in the sand.I long to hold you again.My hands tremble. They are so afraid.I will not plead with them.TheyHave swept down your back andLingered on your velvet skin.They will not spare me.Zan Barrage
2 sketches 1970-01-01 00:59:59 2007 is starting slower than expected. I haven't painted a single thing so far, and my sketches are nothing to write home about. Which begs the question: Why am I posting them here? Don't know! Here are two anyway.The shelves were done from bed in ink. The kids were so focused on the computer game. It was easy to sketch them!
Watching Charles Reid 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Not inspired to paint much lately, although it is finally winter here and we had our first real snow. Somehow I have been too lazy in the evenings and the weekends just whiz bye.So I have been watching Charles
Reid's latest DVD "Watercolor Secrets". I personally love Charles' style and method. I never tire of watching him paint and I learn something new every time. Nevertheless, I was a bit disturbed by the seeming departure from his excellent taste in making this DVD. Secrets? Come on Charles. Et tu? If you are looking for "secrets" you won't find them in this DVD. What you will find is a wonderful artist painting. Really painting. He makes mistakes, corrects them, brushes the wrong color on then changes it and ultimately comes up with excellent paintings and vignettes. The kind you would proudly frame in your living room. So while there are no "Secrets", there is a lot of honest painting. No retakes here. This is a DVD alfresco.(A-)... the minus is for the title. The A is for the Read more:Watching
Searching for the perfect light 1970-01-01 00:59:59 What do you use as light
in your studio? Under what light do you paint at night or on overcast days?I have tried several of the spiral bulbs, but non have worked for me. Some turn my browns to green and others are too cold and blue. I am still looking for the elusive light that will not shift the actual colors that I use and surprise me the next morning.Please write and let me know your secret light formula.
After Winslow #1 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I'm treading very lightly here. But after weeks of not touching my brushes, I decided to plunge in (excuse the pun) and try walking in Homer's shoes. I am reading an excellent book: American Tradition In Watercolor" And was just itching to try a Winslow
after looking at his turbulent seas.Admittedly this is just an tentative sketch, but it felt exhilarating to try his method. I think I will do more of this!
Winslow Homer's Pallete 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Another great watercolor artist is, of course, WinslowHomer
. Here is his pallete:Antwerp BlueAureolinBone BlackBurnt SiennaBurnt UmberCadmium YellowChinese WhiteChrome OrangeCrimson LakeGreen EarthHooker's GreenIndian PurpleIndian RedIndian YellowPrussian Green (a mix or Prussian Blue and Gamboge)Payne's GrayScarlet LakeSepiaVandyke BrownVermilionWarm SapiaAs you can see, Homer's Pallete, as opposed to Sargent's is decidedly cooler.
John Singer Sargent's Pallete 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I am always interested in finding out the colors that great artists use. Not that duplicating them would give one their ability to use them, but just knowing the pallete is a great insight into the works.So here is Sargent's Pallete:Alizarin Carmine (Newman)Brown Pink (Newman)Burnt Sienna (Newman)Cadmium Yellow Pale (Newman)Cadmium Yellow #2 (Newman)Chrome Yellow (Newman)Cobalt Blue (Newman)Gamboge (Weber)Lamp Black (Winsor and Newton)Rose Madder (Winsor and Newton)Ultramarine (Schminke)Vandyke Brown (Newman)Scarlet Vermillion (Winsor and Newton)Deep Vermillion (Hatfield)Viridian (Winsor and Newton)This is mostly a warm pallete with 3 or 4 cooler colors only (Alizarin Carmine, Cobalt Blue, Rose Madder, and Viridian) I am so glad to see Lamp Black there. I love the color and its effect. A much better choice than the other blacks out there. It has a lovely texture and granulates beautifully.
After Winslow #2 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Ok, This was not good, but I am learning what he did with the water. I shouldn't paint after a long rough day, but I am so excited with this porject I can't help it.((After Grand Discharge, Lake St. John)) Butchered, but I think I will try this one again soon.
Read more:Winslow
Traverse Sketch/Study 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Still studying Winslow Homer, and inspired by his work, I have created this sketch/study. This is not a copy of any of his work. It is an original and I intend to make a full sheet painting of it as soon as I am satisfied with the color, depth and composition...which I am not so far.I need to do a grading on the mountain trees. My initial problem is that I wanted the light to go from cold in the valley to warm on the top, but without letting the warmth of the top bring it forward. With grading the color, I think I can counteract that...or can I?The foreground water should be much darker. On sketch paper, that was not possible, but I can do that on better paper.Composition? I have to sleep on that a bit. Pin it on the wall and look at it some more. I am not sure if the red canoe is right or if it's placement is correct. I know I want a human element in this vast wilderness. I want it to be tiny to dramatically show the scale of the scene.Green? 'nough said!All thoughts and suggestion Read more:Study
Snow Sketches 1970-01-01 00:59:59 While waiting to pick up the kids from school, I have been doing a bit of sketching using my Altiod Palette and a tiny (3.5" x 5.5") sketch book. I keep these in the car, but today I decided to bring them home for cleaning and to scan a couple of the sketches. Here they are. The top One I call Dripped it; the bottom is Plum Tree Park. These are really tiny sketches. So one is forced to stay loose and enjoy the quick process.
Read more:Sketches
After Winslow #3 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Homer's rendition of the rapids in a few of his paintings is so powerful and full of vigor that you can almost hear the water roaring down the river. His use of earth colours with very little or no blues at all to depict the water is counter intuitive, but to a large extent correct of the waters in the Saguenay / Lac-St-Jean dark waters. Here is a good example of the colours. As you can see the earth colours are all around._._I did this pastiche sketch after Homer's "Canoes On Rapids, Saguenay". It is not meant to be anything more than a study of the water. I feel I am getting there. Now I have to make it my own and absorb what I have learned.
Read more:Winslow
Where Is It? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Today I decided to brave the cold and venture out of the car to sketch. I didn't venture far though. Meadowvale's community center has a wonderful park that my wife reminded me of this morning.I readily found a nice spot to settle down. A bench overlooking this scene had just enough snow melted off of it for me to sit. I started quickly, hoping to get enough details before frostbite set in. It didn't take long. The puddles of water on my palette soon turned to ice and I had to blow on the palette to melt them. A patch of ice on the bench was useful as a cleaning surface for my brush, but I think that just added to the ice in the palette. The brush soon became unruly with ice in the tuft and ice was in patches all over the sketch. I was about to quit when the boys came into the scene. Ah! How could I stop now!! I warmed the brush with my breath, warmed the palette the same way and gave it one more push. With the kids done, I was ready to leave, but the red winter-coat was wet and I w
Norval on the Credit 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Every artist who likes to paint in Plein Air, looks for a place they can visit repeatedly to explore and paint. Ideally, it would be within a short distance from their home and would have enough variety to keep them coming. Today, I think I found my place. It is a small village, 15 minutes north from my home on Winston Churchill Blvd. The place is called Norval, or Norval on the Credit . I was using Google Earth to look for a suitable place to go exploring in the area, when I stumbled over a valley with a river and small town. I thought for sure this would be worth visiting. So off I went this morning, back-pack in hand and ready to hunt for a good scene to paint. Little did I know that this village is heavy with Art history!!! Alfred Joseph Casson, one of Canada's Group of Seven painters, painted Norval in 1928. Casson "Norval" and "Early Summer Norval, 1928"The village was also home to Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables, and the painter J.W.L. Forster._._The da
Norval - View from Louisa St. revised 1970-01-01 00:59:59 After stepping away for a couple of days from the first small painting that I made in Norval, I feel the composition could have been better. Friends had pointed that out to me, but I needed to disengage from it for a while to really see it.I decided to crop it a bit and bring the focus closer on the main elements. Here is what it looks like now:I also decided that I need the help of a view finder in the field so I could compose my paintings better. I made a small view finder from black foam board, and it will be in my kit on the next sojourn.PS: I didn't physically crop the painting. Just used a smaller mat.
Read more:Louisa
, revised
What To Read... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I am really getting sick of art magazines in general. There is always the promise of a juicy article or two in each issue, but that quicly fizzles out when you get into it. To be blunt, not too many good artists are writing, and the ones who are prolific writers...well.... Let's just say painting by numbers is not exactly art! (harsh maybe ?? oooh!)I did find a wonderful blog run by Martha from Berkeley, California. It is called Trumpetvine Travels. The blog itself makes wonderful reading, but the real kicker are Trumpetvine Travels Zine that Martha has on her website. She has published two of them in pdf format and they are wonderful to read. If you enjoy sketching you will like this site!Maraya Galleries has also come out with their MaraZine This will be their last issue with future issues going in Blog format soon. The latest issue of MaraZine feature two articles by moi! and a wonderful introduction to a cookie artist you have just got to see her work. Don't miss it!Happy reading
Dock Sketch 1970-01-01 00:59:59 So far this week has been bitter cold. No chance of doing any outdoor sketching without being taken to the coo-coo house.I was watching a DVD and stopped it on this scene to do a quick sketch. It didn't turn out too bad. Next I am renting Mediterraneo or To Catch A Thief. Maybe I can will this weather to moderate!Anyway, this one was done with my fountain pen and wet finger. I love this brown ink. I created it by mixing a yellow and a black Skrip bottles together. I am running low on the ink. Wonder what I will do when it i finished? Does anyone know of a similar colour ink out there? It will have to be safe for fountain pens.
Into The Foam 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This one took me a bit of time to finish. I over did the scratching and had to go back and fix it again. I like the feel of this painting. I am sure I could do a better one if I try again, but I think I have learned what I needed to learn from it. PS: Pat Davis, a fellow Canadian artist pointed out that the upper right hand corner was not reading right. I fixed it... I think! Thanks Pat!
Norval plein air #2 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I went back to Norval on Saturday. I wanted to first revisit the site of my first painting there to take a reference photo. I went straight to Louisa Street but to my big surprise, my scene was not there! Stunned for a moment and disoriented. I sat back, opened my coffee thermos and took a sip. The hot coffee burnet my mouth and in my shock I spilled it all over my T-Shirt! Great! Here I was in my car, ready for a couple of hours of painting and my first moment was a disaster! I used most of my paper towels to dry up my t-shirt and put a layer between my skin and the - by now - wet and COLD T-shirt.The three spots that I have painted from so far in Norval Once I recovered, I went back to my initial problem. Where was I? Where was my beautiful red barn? In my wondering around town last week, I had become completely disoriented. I did not take note of the street I was on. Only later, when I was back home did I try to retrace my sojourn from Google Earth. Needless to say, that did not wor
Norval - Farm on Heritage Rd. 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I did this little painting in the comfort of my office this evening. The scene was an excellent one that I photographed on Saturday. I would have loved to do this one en Plein air, but the road is narrow and there is no place to park really. I had to squeez on the shoulder of the road to take a photograph and get back in the car before cars came. Although the painting is not too bad, It is missing an element of spontaniety that would have been there had I pained it from the car! I also think the colours could have been bolder... Ah well!>>>>>>>>>Norval Farm On Heritage
Rd.
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