what's new with watercolours

For a scattered bit of time here and there throughout any given day, I have been swiping paint onto paper. It's following a tutorial, replicating one of my photos or creating a piece after an idea pops into my head. The supplies are easily accessible as they permanently sit at the corner of the table.  

Recently, I have been spending more time learning to paint what I call blob people.  Many artists provide online tutorials on how to make these types of figures come alive.  The following two photos are my version of blob people. I am happy with both yet I am not happy with the paper I painted them on.  As time goes on with painting, I am becoming more fussy about the supplies I use.     

After playing with these kinds of people, I found a watercolour lesson on how to paint a bird as if it were a painter itself.  I followed the lesson then painted my own version of a painting bird.  The idea popped into my head to pair the bird with blob people.  This was the outcome, a spread across two pages.  

I had already decided to use the journal, with the not so nice paper, as a practice journal.  How easily I forget!  This painting is a replication of photos I took while out hiking last Saturday at Ford Knoll. I did not include the two reference photos in my blog write up.  I was not ready to let go of the day, so delved back into Saturday by doing this painting (on the paper I do not like). 

Another tutorial I found was by a lady named Kendra, she posted a link on how to paint Horseshoe Bend in Paige, Arizona.  I visited here in April of 2013 and the photo below is my photo from then. After completing Kendra's tutorial, I then recreated a painting from my own photo. Memories came flooding back from that amazing eight day visit to Paige.  

I am calling it my "take away kit"!  It contains a watercolour journal, a pallet of paints, a collapsible water container, two bulldog clips, and five short handle brushes.  I placed all this beside a tomato to give a reference to size.  A few times over the past few years, I took along my painting supplies while hiking or while traveling.  The kit took up space and added too much extra weight.  Finally I think I have something that will work!

everything fits nicely into the bag

everything opened up

I have a couple of opportunities coming up where 

I plan to put my "take away kit" to use!