Bockingford 300 gsm Not watercolor paper

Today I folded six quarter sheets of Bockingford 140 lb/300 gsm Not (cold pressed) watercolor paper in half (with the grain), and sewed them into two signatures (matching surfaces across spreads) —another experiment for #30x30DirectWatercolor2018. (Turned left so spine faced into the wind, here.)

A few years ago in Sketchbook Skool, Brenda Swenson mentioned including Bockingford paper in her handmade sketchbooks. I ordered the paper when it was also recommended (along with Saunders Waterford) by Bob Davies, in an Art Tutor class.

 I had ordered book binding supplies from Paper & Ink Arts, during Roz Stendahl's online By Design class, but didn’t have the time to focus on it then. I have been reading about Tina Koyama's sketchbook binding techniques for a few years, and hoped I would eventually get around to trying them.

Anne-Laure Jacquart's recent Youtube demos were the tipping point; her clear instruction brought the attempt within reach.

Palette play

Altoids mini-palettes

Triad experiements

Many in the urban sketching community—led by Marc Taro Holmes— have temporarily put away their pens, preparing for thirty days of “direct” watercolor sketching during the month of June.

I thought about joining in, but wanted more direction—since I won't be traveling to an exotic locale for inspiration, as many do.

I recently purchased Nita Leland's updated classic, Exploring Color Workshop, and want to work on her exercises.

I picked up a few packs of Altoids (Smalls)*, filled them with her examples of “harmonious palettes” of primaries, and attached them to a small enamel butcher's tray. Several colors do double duty, appearing in two triads.

*Cathy Johnson has a Youtube tutorial on creating primary palettes which includes the use of Altoids tins.



Re-decoration

First Watch has redecorated since we last visited, exchanging its earthy, cheerful, warm yellow farmhouse kitchen ambiance for a cool neutral, metallic, urban/industrial vibe.
[The orange bar cross the top is from a different location—a Wendy’s drive-thru.)

Truck, waiting

Here I drew a basic contour. Given more time, this would have been an interesting exercise in working with negative shapes. View from waiting room window.

Wall of memories, Cracker Barrel

I wondered if the quiver of arrows was (1) a prop, (2) an indication the girl enjoyed the sport of archery, or (3) a testament to her hunting prowess.

Play time

Amigos, again

The other day, I drew the dried foliage in a large window vase, and used Dr. Ph. Martin's Radiant Concentrated Watercolor to finish the sketch, at home.

I have been fascinated by Dr. Ph. Martin's since I first saw Danny Gregory use them.  The color is intense, and they mix differently than pan and tube watercolors. I am surprised at the range of hues I get from the three bottles I have: Lemon Yellow, Scarlet, and True Blue. My goal here was to see if I could move the colors toward neutral without losing them.

Color in this medium is fugitive, so work needs to be scanned quickly or kept in a sketchbook, away from long exposure to light.

Rogation Days

Dublin Community Church, May 2018

This week, we come once again to Rogationtide*, when clergy and members of the English church historically "beat the bounds" of the parish, both to pray for God's blessing on the crops and to remind people where the perimeter lay. Contemporary observances may be found on Youtube.

Given the time of year, it was fitting to focus on a church when I joined local urban sketchers downtown, a few days ago. (Note to self: next time, bring a chair.)

Below is an earlier sketch of the building, done from a different perspective.

*These are the dates observed by the Western Rite Orthodox Church. Since western Catholics and Protestants celebrated Easter a week earlier this year, rogation days (set just before Ascension Day) will be found May 7-9, on their calendar.

Dublin Community Church, July 2014

Golden Hour

Tonight a fellow sketcher introduced a couple of us to an (Itunes) app called The Golden Hour ($0.99). It calculates the morning hour (just after sunrise) and evening hour (just before sunset) when the warm light is best for photography, based on date and location. This information is also helpful for sketching. Shadows become most dramatic.

There are other apps that perform a similar function, some with additional features, such as tracking moonlight and the blue (twilight) hours.

Sketch Bag

Brenda Swenson has been one of my favorite watercolor instructors, ever since I found her through Sketchbook Skool’s online Seeing class. She also teaches on the west coast, in North Carolina (at Cheap Joe’s),  and in Europe.

In the video above, Brenda introduces her sketching supplies, which include a canvas rigger bag from Harbor Freight Tools. I bought a bag like hers, when I started a Strathmore Mixed Media sketchbook that didn’t fit into my purse. It turned out to be so convenient for rotating different sketching materials through, and finding them on the spur of the moment, that I’ve stuck with it since. I’m on my third one, and have even given one (packed with basic sketching gear) as a gift. They are sturdy, but the heavy canvas becomes difficult to clean after a few years.
(I see Amazon also offers them, but charges almost twice as much as our local Harbor Freight.)

Further reading: Brenda’s blog
Video: Finding my creative voice

Avocado egg rolls

I tried an experiment--painting quick and loose, adding ink after the watercolor—then shading with a little colored pencil. Sketched from memory, unlike most of my illustrated journal entries.

Bridge Park, April 2018

City planners either (1) have not read the work of Christopher Alexander, or (2) have read it and disregarded it.
I was eager to sketch the stages of this development early on. As it took form, my interest waned. Could not the investment have purchased a bit of beauty?

Wish List: Roger Scruton’s The Aesthetics of Architecture.
Update: How to Build A Skyline at Human Scale, by Roger Scruton.