TyQuilts Designs

In

This is my first, crude attempt at painting with pan pastels. I have never tried the more traditional pastels, but have fallen in love with pan pastels for use in art journals etc. Since I really love the glowing, vibrant quality many pastel artists achieve, I thought I would give it a try. I wish I could find a book or better yet a class on painting with pan pastels. In the meantime, I guess I will have to look for how to’s on using regular pastels, and see if that helps me improve.

We were out on a sunday drive looking for interesting photography subjects and found this old church, then on our way home as the sun was setting came back to take the sunset photos from behind the church which is up on a hill.

This last picture was taken over the border near Hudson, WI at willow River state park. I will need to go back when the trees are green. The location was a bit challenging to get to. It looked so easy on the map, a mere three tenths of a mile each way from the parking lot…. What the map didn’t say was that it was steep downhill the whole way to reach the waterfall, and of course steep uphill to get back to the car.

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. It is the time when I usually reflect and set my goals. I love the colors the reds, yellows, oranges and browns against the deep blue sky, the crisp feel to the air, and apples fresh from the orchard.
I have just finished the 3rd photography class in a series given online by Jessica Wesolek. She is a wonderful instructor and if you can stick to a deadline, I highly recommend these classes. I still have much to learn, but my photography skills have greatly increased as a result of these courses. I thought I would share some photos that portray my love of this season, and the beautiful state that I live in. Color wasn’t the best this year but I was still able to find pockets of loveliness to photograph and share. I will post my favorite photos in the next few blog entries.

I just love sunsets, always have. All those warm golden colors.

For this little painting I used tube watercolors for the first time. I have no idea what I am doing, so I just experimented. I really liked how easily I was able to do the background wash of the sunset colors. The tree needs some work, but I am cutting myself some slack, because it is my first attempt at painting an object with the brush only, instead of drawing it, then coloring in with watercolor pencils.

The watercolor pencil class I am taking is coming to and end and I am sorry that it is. It has been a wonderful class with lots of encouragement and participation from the students and a supportive teacher who really knows how to teach. Our last lesson was on mixed media. This painting of Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior in MN was done with pan pastel for the sky, pitt pen, watercolor pencils and crayons in a large moleskine watercolor sketchbook. I used a reference photo that I took myself. I have learned a lot in this class and really hope to go on to learn more about watercolors and painting.

Lesson 5 of the watercolor workshop class I am taking with Kate Johnson was on feathers and fur. I finally got so frustrated trying to draw my subjects so I could paint them that I traced the basic shape from my reference photo. I know I need to work on my drawing, but I wanted to be able to work on the principles of the lesson. I am hoping to go back and paint both of these subjects again, starting with doing the sketch myself. I am pleased with the texture I got in Annies Fur, and think the softness of her ear comes through pretty well. We are now on the last lesson of the class and I am sorry to see it end. If you have the opportunity to take one of Kate’s classes, go for it, they are well worth it.

I love Vinca they are so hard to kill. They live through heat and drought and in the worst soil. They also look great and have lots of blooms. When this weeks watercolor pencil workshop assignment was on flowers how could I resist doing this little painting?

I haven’t been able to show my quilting on this blog lately as I have been working on this baby quilt.

More of a painting than a drawing because I need to continue my pieces for the watercolor pencil workshop I am taking. This was done from a copyright free photo I found on morguefile.com

I am having a blast in the class. Some of my classmates are doing amazing things with just three pencils.. Not me.