Watercolor: Places #2

Comments:This is another watercolor painting I worked on only because I wanted to paint a potted plant. My original idea for it involved the tree with a blank space in the background and maybe a shadow. However, the more I sketched it, the more I liked the idea of the tree being in front of a wall with a single window. I didn’t record the process for it since I only spent about an hour on it from start to finish. I like the colors, and my favorite part is still the tree...

Review: Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott

Title: Flatland
Series: n/a
Author: Edwin A. Abbott
Source/Format: Borrowed from my sister; Hardcover
More Details: Science Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: First published in 1884

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

A satiric look at another planet which gives us a fresh look at our own...

I read Flatland by Edwin A Abbott simply because my sister enjoyed it so much and told me about it. It was just as great as she said it was going to be. Flatland is a satirical look at some outdated etiquette; perception of self and others; dimensions and class systems among other subjects. And it was told from the perspective of a square forced to question everything about, well, everything. Yes, I do mean a literal square. As odd as it sounds, the narrator worked for a story like Flatland. Abbott created a truly fascinating and intricate history and society. Parts of it were funny. Other parts were serious. And some of the descriptions made it sound like personified geometry homework. Flatland was kind of a ridiculous story but also a really good one. You'd  have to read it to fully understand what I mean....

Music Monday (50) Dainá, CHVRCHES

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I’ve been listening to more of CHVRCHES music. Never Say Die is another one of my favorite songs from their latest album.

I'm also listening to music by Dainá. Recently, she released her EP: Chapter 28.  There are nine tracks including a remix of one of her earlier songs. There are gems like Yeah Yeah, 1st Lady, Shook, and remiX featuring Paigey Cakey, Tokyo Diiva, & Nya Lee. As a whole, I love the sound and vibe of the EP a lot. Now, let’s talk about that remix for a second. The original was called X (you can watch the music video HERE) which was already a great song with a catchy beat. RemiX ramps it up a notch, which is why it’s one of my favorite songs from Chapter 28. You can find the songs on Dainá's channel: HERE

What are you listening to?

Sketchbook...

The more I work in my sketchbook the more I’ve thought about the ways I’m currently using it. And I realized that I haven’t blogged about my process, shared any pictures of my favorite pages, or anything like that. It’s mainly due to the fact that I’ve spent more time creating art and haven’t stopped to consider if it would make a good blog post, instagram picture, or some other kind of content. I’ve essentially been enjoying the process and learning as much as I can from it. In my sketchbook, I can be as messy or composition-conscious as I want to be. It doesn’t have to be one or the other, because it’s my sketchbook.

What I’m saying is that I use my sketchbook to experiment. I bounce around between realism and cartoonish styles, even going as far as to combine elements that I like if it seems right for whatever I'm working on. I have a lot of pages that are unfinished, some dedicated to pose/anatomy practice; concepts for watercolor, acrylic, or digital paintings; and random bits and pieces of landscape and buildings. I’ve tried out a few different things that I might otherwise have never gotten around to because I didn’t want to spend the time doing them digitally. Ironically enough, this whole discovery process involved a box of crayons.

While organizing my room I found an old box of ordinary Crayloa Crayons—the basic 24 color set—in a bin of art supplies I haven’t looked at in years. Crayons, just like ballpoint pens, are another art supply that I like to sketch with. It challenges me since I can’t go back and erase all of the lines I just made. So, even if there’s something I don’t like, I’ll have to incorporate it into the sketch anyway. Also, it’s a lot of fun to work with all the different colors. Having more options encourages me to take more risks. After a while, I wasn’t satisfied with just the basic 24 set. I wanted more. And the great thing about crayons is that they’re cheap, like, really cheap. I bought a 120 count set for about 6-7 dollars from Michaels with a coupon, because drawing with crayon is

so

much

fun....

And I can save my more expensive supplies.

So, my sketchbook is just that: my sketchbook. There doesn’t need to be any stress. There doesn’t need to be any pressure to create content for the blog or twitter or anywhere else. I may share some more pages, or I might not. I’m just going to make art.

What are your thoughts on sketchbooks? Do you have one? Are you planning to start one?

Watercolor: Places #1

Comments: Lately, I’ve been trying to reduce the amount of fuss I go through while preparing to start another a painting. That means no tape at the edges, perfect lines, or overthinking. I’ve essentially been adding color to sketches without worrying if my pencil lines show through, and it’s been a lot of fun. I’m getting more done, and I’m generally happy with the results. One of the pieces I worked on was this street. I liked the shape of the structures and the simplicity. I was also experimenting with colors, which is something I need to do more often....