Sunday Sketches; More of Linwood Gardens

The Gateway

 One nice thing about getting a new computer with mega amounts of memory is that I was able to upload years of photograph memories. Years ago I spent the day with a couple of my artist girlfriends at Linwood Gardens in upstate New York. The old and very lovely estate is open to the public for a reasonable fee to wonder around the gardens and dream about what it must have been like years ago in its hay day. You can go here to read more about Linwood Garden and its history. I took so many pictures that day and have been having fun looking through them choosing different photos to create little (7 x 10") watercolor sketches. I remember at the time when I took this photo I was to scared to try painting this gateway.  There was to many things going on and I wasn't sure where to start. I'm here to confirm the statement that every art teacher tells you... Keep your subject matter simple at first, practice everyday and you'll be surprised that one day you'll look at something you never thought you could paint and you'll know just how to break everything down and painted it.

 

Have a wonderful day, and never stop painting and taking reference photos along the way ;) 

~ Karen

Watercolor Sketches: Linwood Gardens

Linwood Gardens

Color study detail 

Still keeping up with my sketches, but I must be honest its hard doing it everyday. It's summer vacation and some times I just want to lay around and do nothing.....

Hope you are enjoying your summer.

~ Karen

Sunday Sketches: Daily Vacation Sketches

Thursday I posted several watercolor drawings done in my sketchbook while was visiting my daughter in South Carolina.  I'm back home with lots of photographs taken during our trip and trying to sketch each  morning using my photo references.

Botany Bay Plantation SC

Have a wonderful.....

~ Karen

Vacation Sketches

Last week my husband and I spent time visiting our daughter and her boyfriend in South Carolina.

Jessie and Mark at the entrance to the Botany Bay Plantation

Lucky for me I brought along my sketchbook hoping there would be some time to record our trip.

The first morning I woke up way to early and realized I didn't know how to use the remote on their TV and didn't have their security password to use my computer. Good lord what was I going to do with myself while waiting for everyone to wake up?  As fate would have it, while waiting for my coffee to brew I noticed a little frog jumping across their kitchen counter. Actual it startled me to death and I wasn't about to pick it up... when it accrued to me this would be an ideal time to draw in my sketchbook.   I quickly grabbed my supplies and a  morning ritual was started. 

  Hopeful I'll be able to continue this routine each morning with my cup of coffee;)

~ Karen

Sunday Sketches; The Susan E. Anthony Home

My Project for the summer... Illustrating some of Rochester, New York's historical and favorite locations to visit. The first sketch was done on location at The Susan B. Anthony Home. It's very playful and I'm not worrying about perspective. I'm just trying to capture my enthusiasm for being out side, taking pictures and painting again. It is very whimsical.   

 Here are a few photographs my husband took, I think he was having fun too.

 Here is my first sketch (not the final painting) of The Susan B Anthony House.
So glad it's summer vacation, I was so ready for a change in my routine.  Happy to be participating in Suday Sketches today.

~ Karen

Sunday Sketches; Abstract Art

 

Feeling Sad

Sometimes when you put yourself and your artwork out in the world you face rejection, and it's not always easy to except. It's hard not to feel sad. I haven't been creating much art lately feeling rather sorry for myself. So it's time to start moving forward, and painting always makes me feel better. ;)

To cheer myself up I've been taking long walks with my dogs and working abstractly. My goal for the end of the school year is to just have fun! My students are loosening up with Abstraction; Line, Color, Shape, Texture and Pattern. There is no pressure only that they try and have fun, and I'm having fun right along with them.

Minnie Driver

My sketch for today is a controlled scribble mess of my Miniature Schnauzer, Minnie Driver. She's such a sassy little girl that always makes me laugh and smile.  My students thought the bottom of the drawing looked like musical notes. My response to them was "It must be my inter voice telling me to sing out loud while I paint." They weren't too sure about that one. haha .

Have a great day.

Karen

Sunday Sketches; A Cup of Spring

Good morning to all my Sunday Sketching friends... I'm  sorry I've been missing lately, but I do have something to share today ;)  It's just a little cup of Spring...  and boy do I feel rusty painting. It's not the best sketch I've ever done but I'm enjoying its charm.  Note to self... Even though you're tired, push yourself to sketch something, anything every day.

 So here is my excuse... My day job is sucking up all my creative energy. I come home after school, and instead of taking a walk or drawing in my sketchbook, I just want to take a nap. I refuse to think this is old age... I'd rather like to think I'm having too much fun pushing my students to try one more thing on their projects. Next thing I know it's 3:00 and all my creative energy is used up.  Having enthusiasm for my job and encouraging students to think creatively really drains the life right out of me. I've talk to my  28 year old daughter who is also a teacher and it happens to her too. Ha ha.

Have a wonderful day.

~Karen

Sunday Sketches; All About Me

I've been so  busy teaching this week that I haven't done anything in my sketchbook to share with my Sunday Sketches friends, and was feeling rather sad about that. Well that all changed when I hopped over to see what Juana had created for this weeks Sunday Sketches, and read her post about Drawing and Stamps.
  Guess what I have been working on all week with my students?  Drawing and Stamp Printing, and I thought I didn't have anything to share...
 This week I introduced my Studio Art Final Exam Project. Its an Art journal that the students create based on a theme designed around their interests. They must complete 6 pages based on certain Elements and Principles of Design (determined by me)  plus a front and back cover. This project has always been a favorite of my students over the years.
With that said, the requirement for page 1 of the Art Journal is Line/ Pattern. Students must create a stamp print using a variety of different line and then print their stamp in a pattern of their choice.

Basketball Love

Its all about Sweets

Shoes, Shoes and more Shoes

Three Samples from my power point presentation

Both the students and I have been creating stamps all week. I wish I had thought to bring samples of the students drawings and stamp prints to share today. So... seeing that I'm working on a Power Point Presentation for the "All About Me" page this morning I'll share my exemplar for that page. Its a photo of me and a sketch of how I connect with my theme "The Tree of Life." My image of course is an acorn. (I'm Nuts) ha ha.

 Hope you enjoy, and a thank you to Juana for giving me an idea to post about today.

Happy Sunday Sketches...

~ Karen

Printmaking in the Studio this Week

School of Fish

 I have  been teaching my Studio Art students how to design stamp prints this week at school. This is a fish print I designed a while ago that I scanned into my computer, and with the help of Photoshop I  added a little poem to the piece.

I used two stamps for the piece. Positive and negative images of the fish were created.The positive was printed using black ink and the negative stamp was printed in silver ink on top of tissue paper.
I love how the blue tissue paper bled onto the paper.

Happy Friday!

~Karen

Sunday Sketches; Treasures in an Old Sketch Book

 This week in my Studio Art classes I thought it might be fun to have students sketch random items found in the art room. When I went looking for examples I found these lovelies in an old sketch book that I did in 2011. From the look of the sketches I must have been teaching a lesson on composition.

Blue Paint & Brushes

Sea Shells

Feathers

Hope you enjoy my walk down memory lane. I sure did! 

 ~ karen

Don't forget to stop over to Alexandria's blog to see what the other artists are sharing for Sunday Sketches.

Sunday Sketches; The Wing Back Chair

The Wing Back Chair

It's Sunday Sketches and I'm happy to report that it has been a very restful weekend. All I've been doing is watching TV and sleeping. What an exciting life I lead...ha ha. I did however manage to sketch our favorite Wing Back Chair in the living room. The sketch above was my second attempt, the basic straight forward view but not very exciting. The sketch on the bottom was my first attempt and unfortunately there wasn't enough room for the legs on the bottom of the page. I'm sharing it  because it feels more lived in, more loved. It was original owned by husbands mother. What do you think?

Grandmothers Comfy Chair

 Enjoy your day and remember to hop over to Sunday Sketches to see what the other artists have posted today.

~ karen

The Sailboat

The Sailboat

Wow, I can't believe its been almost two weeks sense my last post. It's that time of year when teacher evaluations are due, Art Festival applications for the summer are due, and I went to Pittsburgh, Pa last weekend for a 3 day  International Baccalaureate (IB)  Conference. 12 hours around trip in a van with 6 other teachers and right back to work the next day! My head was spinning Tuesday!
Thank goodness it's Friday, and needless to say I can't wait to spend time in my studio this weekend just painting and relaxing.;)

Hope you enjoy the watercolor it's one of my favorites that was completed a few weeks ago.

~ karen

Sunday Sketches: Spring Flowers

I'm so ready for Spring... that on my way to work Thursday, I stopped at the grocery store and bought two flower bouquets to share with my Drawing and Painting Students. 

I explained to the students that we were going to have fun!! Everyone must stand and use easel brushes (long handle) and hold then at the end of the handle. I used 18 x 24" paper  and started my demo with large quick brush strokes mixing color in the same manor. We had lots of laughs and the time just flew by. Would you believe these were the first two samples?  

It was the Best class ever!

Yesterday was my daughters birthday, and  thought it might be fun to share the sketches with her on Facebook.  I photographed the paintings, added a birthday message using Photoshop and posted them on her wall.

Hope you enjoy and don't forget to hop over to Alexandria's blog, to see what the others are sharing for this weeks Sunday Sketches.

~ karen

Sunday Sketches; The New Prop

Finally got to the Art Store last week to purchased a new sketchbook. While I was out and about I found this wonderful old phone, and could not wait to get home and draw it in my new sketchbook. Don't you  wish everyday could be like that! 

Have a wonderful Sunday....

~karen

Stages of a Watercolor Painting

A few months ago my daughter Jessie, posted pictures of a hike she and her boyfriend had taken atop of Caesars Head mountain in South Carolina. The view is looking out at Table Rock mountain in North Carolina.  I loved the photograph, and asked her to send me a print that I could paint ..

Caesars Head mountain, South Carolina

 Because the composition was busy, I started by sketching in all the shapes first. This was done using a 2H pencil, which is just dark enough to see and won't smear when the watercolor is applied.
 The next step was to lay down a light watercolor wash and then pen in some of the bark details.

                                     

I later darkened the foreground colors of the composition, leaving the lighter shades to recede into the background. After that dried I began layering all the bright warm colors of the leaves to the trees. Next I made sure to lower the intensity of the colors in the middle ground of the composition.  creating that illusion of depth which is so important when painting landscapes. 

 

The last step was adding more detail to the leaves and tree branches in the foreground with my Micron pen. 

 

Hope you enjoy....

Have a great weekend.

 

~ karen

Sunday Sketches; Hope Chest / Dantiques

Spent Saturday morning in my studio finishing a watercolor painting that was started long ago. It is the most beautiful antique Hope Chest which is dated 1855. I enhanced the color scheme giving it a cheerer look.;)

 My watercolor sketch

 The Final Painting

After finishing in the Studio my friend, Nancy Diliberto and I braved the cold and snow to attend Dantiques Winter Sale. The owner Dan has become a good friend and we always find something special at the store. Look closely at the pictures above, the easel was made by Dan. Thank you very much Dan;)

 Dantiques

 Dan enjoys re-purposing old materials. He found the wood used for this table submerged in water. After drying them out, Dan created the table without using any nails. He's a real DIY kinda guy.

The table was beautiful, along with that amazing chandelier.

 Nancy testing out the sofa. We enjoyed a cup of hot cider then headed back out in the snow. 

Burr...

Hope you enjoy the pictures...
Don't forget to hop over to Sunday Sketches to see what the other artists have to share today.

~ karen