Watercolor birds and Remy's 300# snack

I decided to use water colors today in the pink-y orange-y range.  The pink, peach, and yellow combination appeal to me :-)

Three Little Birds, ink and watercolor

O, about Remy's 300# snack, this is what I rescued of the quarter sheet:

He chose the "good" paper, Arches 300# (638 gsm) hot press.

Even as a puppy he enjoyed ripping up paper and eating it (oh, no-o-h).  I've learned to close the door to my studio and office lest he grab a quick "bite".

He's really a sweet boy.

Remy with his octopus.

Some days

There are some days when I draw in my art journal just what is in front of me:

art journal -  mug of coffee and a pen

However, there are other days when I am distracted or uninspired (or maybe not even fully awake!) and I just stare at the Draw: section.  The action that gets me moving is to grab any pen and just begin.  I make a pattern using circles and lines only.  I don't have to think except to select another color to use:

art journal on another day - lines and circles in ink

In no time I am enjoying the process and getting fired up to create something with intention :-)

Blue bird spring

I was thinking of spring time as I gazed out my window at a cold and snowy scene.  With a bit of ink and some watercolors I can create a very different scene in my art journal - in an imaginary garden a bird and a word :-)

"Blue Bird Spring"

And all the while Remy was gazing out the window looking for bunnies or anything else braving the weather. 

He is also thinking "walkies!" :-)

Love this boy <3

Mixed Media Br-r-r-d

O my, the weather is changing quickly.  More drizzly, cloudy days and cooler temperatures than I remember from years past.

So yesterday I was in my studio looking out at the trees and watching wedges of geese flying off to wherever they go this time of year and this image came to me:

Am I a braven?  Am I a rudgie?

This is a sort of a budgie-like bird with raven coloring who is of course wearing vermillion ear muffs... why not :-)

Yupo calling :-)

I found myself wanting to experiment more with Yupo “paper” and also adding some texturing techniques from Diane Culhane's online class, "Paint Your Garden".
 

I used watercolors with frottage and blown blots techniques to create the background layers.  More texture was created with sgraffito  -Yupo is rugged and holds up nicely to this technique.  Next, even more watercolor and added definition using colored pencil and graphite:

I call this "Wild...Flowers" :-)

Laughing at myself

Busy playing around with pens and inks and doodling words and thoughts, I realized that I really couldn’t see what I was writing.  Huh? 

Unbeknownst to me the light coming through the window had faded and evening was upon us.  Remy, my golden, didn't care; he was snoozing in his favorite spot under my work table.

I had to laugh at myself because I literally was sitting in the semi-darkness attempting to work and this is what it looked like:

So today in the morning light I thought I’d make a reminder of a funny situation:

Capture the silliness :-)