A Watercolor Attempt at a Birch Tree

Birthdays are coming fast and furious in our family and among our friends.  I tried a fall birch tree scene again that I had enjoyed watching The Frugal Crafter teach us.  Rather pitiful result but fun to try. I may try again soon.

Rather than tell you all the things I don't like about this, I will say what I learned.

1.  Cheap watercolor paper does not always give the results you might hope for.  I love making clouds but the clouds did not make it on this paper.  Sadly, I am not sure which paper this was as the cover is missing.  I believe I had better luck with Strathmore watercolor paper.

2.  It is possible to paint in many different locations and pretty much with whatever you have around you.  I wanted the have this picture have a white border.  To do this on the actual painting you need to tape the paper to something first.  Since I did this work at the office I discovered that my desk calendar was just the right size to tape down a 4.5 by 6 piece of watercolor paper.

3.  Wasting supplies annoys me.  However, when starting with 9 by 12 watercolor paper, which you can cut into perfect quarters, means that the card to which you affix the painting wastes some of the underlying card.  I found that cutting the card stock 10 by 6.5 gives a pretty nice foundation.  If I want to not waste the card stock, I cut that 4.25 by 11 which gives me two nice card bases, but then the painting has to be cut down, so, either cut down the watercolor paper first to fit the card base, or go with the wasted card stock with the larger painting.  This did leave a nice 2 by 11 piece of card stock plus a little 1 by 6.5 inch piece to play with.

4.  To have a better painting, more time is needed.

5.  To make a card I really like includes a foundation card stock I really like.  I have recently cut up a whole package of 8.5 by 11 Park Lane card stock in floral designs.  I cut two cards from each sheet so those cards either need the watercolor paper to be cut smaller (or wasted) OR I need to do something else for the front of the card.  I might go back to splatter painting with pen and ink drawings of some nature.

Either way (either I like what I produce, or I don't) it is so enjoyable to make cards for loved ones.  Since I cannot be there in person for everyone,  it makes me happy to reach with cards I have made with my hands.

Watercolor Card Attempt

This new year I hope to make progress with watercolor painting.  To do this I need to take the advice of Ed Kadunc from whom I took a series of classes at Court Street Arts in Haverhill, New Hampshire.  He said to become an artist requires little steps consistently taken...every day work a few minutes and eventually we will improve.

He was a wonderful teacher, and one I would love to learn from again.  I have no creativity myself, but can follow instructions to some extent.

Working on my own, this is what I come up with:

Pitiful, but still fun.  I am grateful to recognize the poorness of this effort and yet feel it is a starting point.  I wish I had a copy of the best painting I did with Ed's assistance.  I don't really even remember it, but recall that it struck a chord in me.

Watercolor Card with Deerfoot Brush

The other day I wanted to send a card.  I brought the 3/8th inch deerfoot brush to work.  Over lunch I worked on a little watercolor painting.  This is what I painted.

 Not fabulous, but fun.  It is time to get back to painting, I think.

Another Card

Elder and Sister J reached 44 years together this week. I was going to make a pretty little cake and bring it to the office.  Since everyone seems to be trying to get back to the original sylph-like form that may or may not have been a stage in life, I decided to make a card instead.

This is the card.  First I embossed it then I painted the embossing.  After that I spattered it. I like spatters.  Inside I used some StazOn ink and stamped the cute little lovebirds.  Finally, I painted them with some cheap watercolor crayons an art teacher talked me into buying after a Michaels class.  I had tried them once and turned my nose up, but now I tried again.  They worked out ok. 

Sorry.  I cannot figure out how to stand it up correctly.  The grass is supposed to be at the bottom. Sorry. Again.

To put the card together, I made a little mat that was about an eighth inch larger than the painting which gave about 1/16 inch all around...barely visible but still there.

These little guys were on the inside of the card, more or less in this situation.  It was a fun card to make.

Second February Birthday Card

It was time for another February birthday card. This one turned out less than I had hoped for, but in the end I sent it anyway.

The paper was some different watercolor paper that I embossed using a lovely embossing folder and the Big Shot.  The embossing went very well and made a very nice impression.  Even though the paper is 140 pound, it is low quality, or maybe it is wood pulp instead of cotton based.

It was fun to play with the water color crayons I purchased after the free watercolor class I took at Michaels a couple of months ago.  Since I did not remember anything the nice teacher told me I basically made a mess of the paper but it is colorful and somewhat hopeful, at least to me so I mounted it pink paper and made a green bird envelope.

Hopefully she will like it.  I love her so if she does not, well, I will just have to make another one until I make a card she likes.