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Here is one of the sketchbook on my shelves: 2016, Volume 3. (If you've missed my other sketchbook tours, I posted them in previous blog posts.)
I hope you enjoy flipping through my sketchbooks. And if you have any comments or questions, don't be shy. For as much as I love painting big watercolor paintings, sketchbooks are my real source of daily creativity, my inspiration, my joy. I hope you enjoy!
A few years ago I had the privilege of interviewing some of my favorite watercolor artists. I shared these interviews in the Northwest Watercolor Society newsletters over the years. Now I'm dusting them off and sharing them again, with all of you. These featured artists are some of the rock stars of the contemporary watercolor scene. I hope you find inspiration in these interviews.
For the complete article, just click on the image of the first page of the interview below. Enjoy!
Last year I visited one of my best friends who recently moved from London to New York (Hi Linda!). I had an amazing week of exploring and sketching New York with her. Here are a few of my sketches from that great getaway week.
I hope you enjoy.
"I have learned that what I have not drawn, I have never really seen"
Frederick Franck (1909 - 2006) Dutch American sculptor
Here is one of the sketchbook on my shelves: 2016, Volume 1. (If you've missed my other sketchbook tours, I posted them in previous blog posts.)
I hope you enjoy flipping through my sketchbooks. And if you have any comments or questions, don't be shy. For as much as I love painting big watercolor paintings, sketchbooks are my real source of daily creativity, my inspiration, my joy. I hope you enjoy!
Amongst the things I love: sketching, travel, cooking, living well. So I've created three tours for 2017 and I'm hoping to have you sign up for (at least) one of them!
This is the third tour of 2017: a wellness retreat to my hometown of Verona: daily yoga lessons, some cooking classes, some olive oil tastings, some cheese, some wine, some touring, and lots of joy.
To register click here.
Salute!
Student Brag Alert
At one of the schools where I teach junior high and high school art, I introduced students to the work of the wonderful Italian artist, Amedeo Modigliani, with his graceful long necks and elongated faces. Below are some of the works the kids produced from that lesson. Pretty awesome!
Happiness is an angel with a serious face. - Amedeo Modigliani
I am so grateful that I found Annie, a student and friend of mine, who is willing to scan all my sketchbooks, which in turn has allowed me to make Flipagroms of them and share them with you. Thank you Annie for taking my sketchbooks home, by the piles!
Here is the next sketchbook on my shelves: 2016, Volume 2. (If you've missed them, I posted my earlier sketchbooks in previous blog posts.)
I hope you enjoy flipping through my sketchbooks. And if you have any comments or questions, don't be shy. For as much as I love painting big watercolor paintings, sketchbooks are my real source of daily creativity, my inspiration, my joy.
A few years ago I had the privilege of interviewing some of my favorite watercolor artists. I shared these interviews in the Northwest Watercolor Society newsletters over the years. Now I'm dusting them off and sharing them again, with all of you. These featured artists are some of the rock stars of the contemporary watercolor scene. I hope you find inspiration in these interviews.
For the complete article, just click on the image of the first page of the interview below. Enjoy!
Victoria, B.C.
Last Friday I met up with 11 kindred spirits, travelers and sketchers, and headed to Victoria, British Columbia for a long weekend getaway. Here are some of the sketches I made. Traveling with friends and my husband, sketching, and exploring our world. Pure joy!
One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. - Henry Miller
The details for the 2017 Sketchbook Adventure to London and Bath are all buttoned down!
Space is limited! To register, go to http://charlenecollinsfreeman.com/world-tours/.
In one of my watercolor classes we have been exploring color combinations for mixing up good skin tones. The joy of it is that there are so many skin tones, it's hard to go wrong.
And serendipity put the wonderful book, The colors of Us by Karen Katz, in my path that same week. Geared towards children, this boldly illustrated book is a "positive and affirming look at skin color, from an artist's perspective."
It's enchanting and I recommend it for all the artists out there, young, old, and in-between.
It is eye opening and heart expanding. And it's about a seven year old artist.
Through the eyes of a little girl who begins to see her familiar world in a new way, this book celebrates the differences and similarities that connect all people. - Amazon
A joyful read!
Last year I went to Washington D.C. with my daughter, Cassi, and her choir class for the Festival of Gold at the Music Center at Strathmore. Until I pulled out my sketchbook, I was just another chaperone. But once the kids saw me sketching I became the coolest adult on the trip. True story.
Here are a few of the sketches from that wonderful trip. Thank you Cassi for loving me enough to actually want me to come along. Love you!
One of the things I love most is sketching. Another is traveling. Put them together and I'm in heaven. Yesterday I returned from a week at sea with a group of sketchers. We cruised, we sketched, we ate (a lot) and we drank cocktails. It was truly a slice of heaven. Alaska is absolutely beautiful.
Here are a handful of the sketches I did during the workshop. And to those of you who came along, thank you for joining me. It was a joy to share this experience with you.
One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. - Henry Miller
Lady Shalimar Frances Montague, “Les Sylphildes Ballet 3 World Tours Star Balletrina” 1985 watercolor ballpoint glitter on paper
I recently came across this story (thank you Mandy for pointing me to it), The Story Of Lady Shalimar, A Self-Taught Artist Who Started Drawing At 70. I love this story not only because it's a beautiful reminder that you can start drawing, dancing, loving, anything you want at any age, but also because it walks the line between reality and fantasy, between her fears and her dreams, and because her drawings are just plain wonderful.
Click here to read the all too brief article in the Huffington Post and enjoy.
A few years ago I had the privilege of interviewing some of my favorite watercolor artists. I shared these interviews in the Northwest Watercolor Society newsletters over the years. Now I'm dusting them off and sharing them again, with all of you. These featured artists are some of the rock stars of the contemporary watercolor scene. I hope you find inspiration in these interviews.
For the complete article, just click on the image of the first page of the interview below. Enjoy!
Starting in September I will be co-teaching a sketchbook workshop at Arts Umbrella with Walt Meldrich (who teaches oil painting at Arts Umbrella). His sketchbooks contain gorgeous ink drawings of architectural subjects and I am thrilled to have him co-teach this course with me. (To learn more about Walt and see his work visit his website.)
When I asked Walt for his favorite art supplies for sketching, he surprised me by recommending water-soluble ink. Usually as sketchbook artists we like to add watercolor to our ink drawings and we tend to use only waterproof ink. But new art supplies are a joy to investigate so I bought his suggested ink and did a test drive in my sketchbook.
I absolutely love it.
Here is the list of Walt's recommended supplies for sketching.
First, you will need a fountain pen you can dedicate to water-soluble ink. I love the Lamy Extra Fine Nib.
Buy the Converter for ink for your specific fountain pen. A converter allows you to fill the pen with the ink of your choice and not be tied to the ink that comes in cartridges.
Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush Assorted Tips, Pack of 3. These brushes can be filled with water and are quite convenient. You will want one dedicated to ink washes while the other two could be used for your watercolors.
For a full list of the art supplies recommended for the sketchbooking click here and scroll down to the section on Sketchbook Supplies for Adults.
Have fun playing with your ink studies!
Watercolor by Cassi
With Fall around the corner, school starting, and art classes gearing up, it might be helpful to know what supplies your kid and teen artists might need. Shopping for art supplies and books is one of the best things about being an artist but it can also be overwhelming if you haven't figured out your favorites yet. Below is a list of the supplies that I recommend for young artists. If you feel that the supplies listed here are not advanced enough for your young artist, then check out the supplies I have listed for adults. You can click on any item listed to go to a link on Amazon.com.
Sketchbooks
I have really fallen in love with the Stillman & Birn sketchbooks. For your young artist, I recommend the:
Alpha (which contains mixed media paper)
I like them about 8.25 x 11.75
Pens
Waterproof ink pens in black ink, in various sizes. Many brands claim to be waterproof but end up smearing and ghosting ink when we paint over them so I prefer the Black, Pigma Micron Pens which are truly waterproof. It's good to have a variety of pen sizes for various weights of line. I like the:
Black, Pigma Micron Pen 01/.25mm
Black, Pigma Micron Pen 05/.45mm
Black, Pigma Micron Pen 08/.50mm
For younger artists, I recommend having an extra fine point Sharpie instead of the more expensive Pigma pens.
Watercolors
There are a lot of options out there. For the teen artist, I recommend:
I recommend Winsor & Newton Cotman Sketchers' Pocket Box 12-color Half Pan as a starter set. If you are not sure how much you will enjoy sketch booking and don't want to spend much, this set is one of the best for a student level watercolor set.
For younger artists, I recommend:
Prang Professional Watercolors Set
Watercolor Brushes
I recommend having at least three brushes of various sizes. For sketch booking it’s important that they are travel brushes (they will have caps on them so that they don’t get ruined when you put them in your bag).
A affordable and convenient option is the Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush Assorted Tips, Pack of 3. These brushes can be filled with water and are quite convenient.
For painting in the studio, I recommend:
Robert Simmons Simply Brush Set
Watercolor Paper
I love the sketchbooks I listed at the top of this list but it would be good for your young artists to also have watercolor paper for paintings since the pages in the sketchbook are not meant to be torn out. I recommend watercolor paper 8 x 10 or bigger, 140 lbs, cold press. Avoid the 90 lbs. paper as it is too thin and is frustrating to use for watercolor painting. This is a good choice:
Strathmore 400 Series Cold Press Watercolor Pad 9 x 12
Other incidentals for a good set up for your young artist include:
A water container (like an empty yogurt container)
Paper towels
Mechanical pencil (so you don't have to worry about a sharpener)
A ruler (preferably clear)
A little bag to keep all your pens, pencil, erasers and ruler in. I love these little beauties because you can open them and stand up the bag like a cup to hold everything upright while you sketch.
Pencil set with Blenders and Erasers
Color pencil sets by Prismacolor
And that makes for a wonderful art studio for both at home and in art classes!
Pastels by Arushi
ince I've been sharing links to Amazon.com for art supplies for years, I've decided to become a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, which means when you use the links on my website, Amazon pays me a fee for sharing the Amazon love. Win-win!
A dear friend shared this video with me. If you enjoy botanical art, take 15 minutes to watch this. Inspiring, informative, and beautifully relaxing. And amazing too!
The Art of Botanical Illustration; A Norfolk Island Pine by Angela Lober
A few years ago I had the privilege of interviewing some of my favorite watercolor artists. I shared these interviews in the Northwest Watercolor Society newsletters over the years. Now I've decided to dust them off and share them again, with all of you. These featured artists are the rock stars of the contemporary watercolor scene. I hope you find inspiration in these interviews.
PS Charles Reid is one of my absolute favorite watercolorists!
For the complete article, just click on the image of the first page of the interview below. Enjoy!
No better way to spend a Wednesday afternoon then eating sushi at the wonderful Hana Sushi with a good friend, sketching between rolls of awesomeness. Thank you universe.