Jo's Northern CA Coast

Jo's Northern CA Coast
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I nabbed this photo from my friend's, Jo, Facebook page ;-)
It's a morning shot of the Mendocino Coast. The fog is just starting to clear away. Jo and her husband have a family ranch there and it's her favoirite "get away from it all" place.
I did this on a 9 x 12 sheet of Fabriano Artistico and used American Journey paints. I tend to use the AJ paints mostly on Yupo and every time I use them on paper I wonder why I don't more often! They are pigment rich tubes and very creamy.

Tumbleweed Snowman on Yupo

Tumbleweed Snowman on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Another WetCanvas challenge for the Watermedia forum. The challenge was to paint a sample for Christmas Cards. We actually DO get snow in the high desert of southern CA, but rarely enough to make a decent size snowman, Many people spray tumbleweeds with fake snow and build a snowman with those prickly, stickery weeds! So here's mine, he's done on Yupo (I sure do LOVE working on this slick stuff!) and I used American Journey paints. The Yupo sheet is 9 x 12

Autumn Road

Autumn Road
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I got a new art book by one of my favorite watercolorists, Rose Edin. The book title is "Color Harmonies." I've always admired her style but been quite unsuccessful in executing it! I decided to try one more time. The underpainting is poured using the primaries. This one was poured keeping the white of the paper for the center, followed by a band of yellow, then red, and the outer "ring" in blue. After the underpainting is dry, the sketch and painting is done. I used masking on the birch trees, prior to the pouring step. All paints are DS and the paper is Arches, cold pressed (5 x 7)

Roadside Tombstone

Roadside Tombstone
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Wetcanvas October challenge in the Watermedia forum was for cemetaries or tombstones. I found this reference photo in their photo library. I haven't used my water soluble graphites in a long while, so decided to do the drawing with them. Most of the graphite was lost with the watercolor and gouache, but you can still see it in the texturing of the distant mountains. Done on Arches, cold pressed (7 x10) and used DS paints and some white gouache.

Prelude in Nebula on Yupo

Prelude in Nebula on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

The idea for this came to me one morning and I just had to try it! WetCanvas has a Sept challenge in the Watermedia forum called "music." I thought about painting an instrument. But an instrument would be difficult (at best!) on Yupo, and I've been itching to get a sheet of Yupo wet. My mind went to painting a nebula (something else that had been discussed on WetCanvas). The idea then grew to include some music notes and do something a bit abstract (nebulas certainly lend themselves to abstract!). I found some sheet music for the theme from 2001 A Space Odyssey and . . .wah lah!! Here it is. The music notes were done with a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen and were by far the most difficult to get down (some smudging where my hand rested--it was MOST difficult to draw these lines while holding my hand in midair!!)

Macro Robber Fly

Macro Robber Fly
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

The only one I'm doing that has legs! Two more to go and then I have to decide how I'm going to "assemble" these for Austin's wall.
Same support, paint, technique as the others.

Macro Rhingia Hoverfly

Macro Rhingia Hoverfly
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Isn't this one odd? I think I like the reddish eyed ones best. While painting this one for the series I was reminded of how much Austin likes the movie, Monsters, Inc. and that he'll probably associate these flies with that movie. Same support, same technique, same paint. . .and, yes, I'm starting to get bored with same ol', same ol'

Macro Soldier Fly

Macro Soldier Fly
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I'm not happy with this one and almost didn't post it. I may end up doing it over. One of the features of flies that I've noticed is their "fake" eyes. I know other insects have these and they are defense features. So I ask the question, what does a fly need to defend itself against besides a flyswatter? Frogs are one predator, but are there others?
This is the same support and medium as the previous ones.

Macro Horse Fly

Macro Horse Fly
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Continuing in the WetCanvas July challenge, and in my personal challenge to get 9 of these painted before the end of the month! Same support, watercolor canvas and same technique, oil pastel, watercolor, gel pen.
The eyes on this guy really were red and green and in this strange zigzag pattern. He's rather plain without those colorful eyes! They remind me of some of those weird contac lenses that some kids were wearing a few years ago.

Macro Long-legged Fly

Macro Long-legged Fly
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

WetCanvas July challenge. It's amazing how many different flies there are! This is again done on the 5 x 7 watercolor canvas, using oil pastel, then DS transparent watercolors, then DS interference watercolor, Bic black gel pen (for some of the fine hairs). The eyes on this reference photo really ARE these colors -- truly amazing what the macro shots show!!

Green Bottle Fly Macro

Green Bottle Fly Macro
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Bug #2 for the July WetCanvas challenge in the watermedia forum. I'm using 5 x 7 watercolor canvas and there are times when I wish I were using paper instead! Canvas doesn't "bleed" like paper does and there are parts of these macros that I'd like that wet-in-wet look. The eye, nose, neck and parts on the body were done with a little oil pastel. DS watercolors went over the entire fly, followed with a light layer of DS interference white pearl over the body (you can't tell that it is iridescent on the scan). The hairs were done with paint and then with Bic black gel pen.
My goal is to do 9 of these 5 x 7 watercolor canvas fly macros and arrange them like a collage for Austin's room.

Macro Common House fly

Macro Common House fly
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I did this for a challenge in WetCanvas, Watermedia forum. In looking through public domain photos, I came upon some macros of flies -- and thought it'd be fun to do a series of different kinds of flies. Here's the first of six and the title is going to be "The Eyes Have It!" This first painting is a common house fly.
I used watercolor canvas (5 x 7) and used DS paints over a light application of oil pastel (on the eyes only). Then I painted the part of the body that is shown with DS interference, violet. I wish the sheen of the interference paints showed up on scans -- it's really cool! The hair was done with a brush and then finer hairs with a Bic black gel pen. This was really fun!!

Dead Banyon Tree

A dead banyon tree on the beach. Watercolor in 8.5 x 5.5 Raffine ArtSketch book using DS paints and a little touch of white gel pen and micron back pen (for the root "hairs")

The Imaginary Trip to the Beach class is almost over. I have 2 more assignments and then I'll be wondering what to do with my art time!!

Tommy Turtle and Friends

This was a fun assignment! I've never painted anything that was "underwater" and it sure presented some challenges!! When Austin saw this on my art table, he said, "Mimi! Hi Dude. . . .Bye 'quirt," and then he laughed and laughed. Of course, you have to have seen Finding Nemo to "get this."

Boardwalk

Boardwalk
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

An assignment from Laure Ferlita's class, Imaginary Visit to the Beach. Painted with watercolor (DS paints) in a 8.5 x 5.5 Raffine ArtSketch book. Grass accents and a few board lines done with micron pen. White gouache touches on the ocean waves.
Website for Laure's classes is
www.imaginarytrips.com/ImaginaryTrips/Welcome.html
I HIGHLY recommend her classes -- lots of fun and good artistic "stretches."

Flamingo

Flamingo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

An assignment for Laure Ferlita's class, Imaginary Visit to the Beach. This was especially fun -- getting the swoop of the long neck and the variety of pinks and the bits of ragged edge to denote

Ocean Sunset

Ocean Sunset
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

This is an assignment from the class I'm taking from Laure Ferlita, Imaginary Visit to the Beach. It's in a 5.5 x 8.5 Raffine ArtSketch book and is painted with DS paints using waterbrushes. The center of the sun was masked out using a wax crayon.

Conch in Journal

Conch in Journal
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I'm in the midst of my second class with Laure Ferlita, Imaginary Visit to the Beach, but this isn't an assignment from the class. Our beach scenes sparked me to check the WetCanvas reference library and I found this picture of a conch shell. The pinks were so vivid I wanted to paint it. It's in a Raffine ArtSketch journal and is painted primarily with DS paints, the pinks are American Journey and the white foam is white gouache.

Imaginary Visit to the Beach - 2


The second assignment for my class was to draw/paint pelicans on craggy rock shoreline. One of the purposes of this class is to learn how to get objects down fast using a limited amount of supplies. It's "imaginary trips" and so we pack as if we really were going on a trip. . .there's no grabbing of supplies from our home studio! We use a limited palette (that is quite sufficient!) and waterbrushes, so no popping into a home studio to get that favorite brush or that different shade of color. It's such a fun class, but also these limits pose challenges!


The water on this scene was very hard to do without my nice large brushes and without masking fluid to mask out those pelicans! LOL!!

I've started my second class with Laure Ferlita. It's called An Imaginary Visit to the Beach. I didn't post my work from the first class I took from Laure, no reason really, I just kind of forgot to post to this blog after I'd posted to the class blog. Here's my first assignment:

Patience-Quilt Square on Yupo

Patience-Quilt Square on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

One of my online art groups has a Spring challenge going in which we are to paint a quilt square. I wanted to try this on Yupo, so here it is. I used AJ paints and this is an 8 x 8 square.
It's absolutely fascinating what some artists are coming up with for this challenge and I definitely want to do more. Some are painting a detailed "printed fabric" and while I don't know how well that would work out on Yupo, I just might try a simple one.

Garden of Gethsemane

Garden of Gethsemane
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Watercolor on Lama Li paper using Daniel Smith paints. Size is 8.5 x 11.
My, but it's been a long time since I painted anything. It sure felt GOOD to get the palette out and start mixing and splashing. The only painting I've done for the past couple of months has been sketch type paintings in a journal. I was feeling the "need" to really get down to business. I really need to carve out time designated for "art only!"

IL

IL
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

This barn reminded me of a little town my grandparents used to live in in OR. Not unusual to find a barn here and there in the midst of the town. Clearly showing that the "homesteads" were eventually encompassed with houses as the towns grew. Most people maintained the barns well enough to be used for storage or garages.
The sky, trees and foreground were done with watercolor and then the barn and shadows were done with Derwent's tinted charcoals, which are watersoluble. I drew and filled in the barn with the carcoals, gently blended with a Q-tip and then applied water for further blending. Colors of charcoal used were glowing embers, mountain blue, ocean deep, burnt earth, and dark.