FANTASY BIRTHDAY DESIGN

No 2 designs ever start out the same way. Came upon this old sketch. It's only a few lines, but it still holds my interest after all these years. I needed an excuse to get back to playing with my watercolor. By the time I'm done, this flower fairy takes on a life of its own. 

ethereal flower fairy

close up

new Birthday card

I explore it further with some edits on photoshop. I did not set out to design a birthday greeting. By adding the balloons, it makes for a lovely magical birthday card, or a festive birthday invite.

SARGENT'S WATERCOLOR

Since I love to sketch, the Drawing & Prints Gallery at the Metropolitan Museum is one of my favorite spot. Selections from the permanent collection rotates regularly. One never knows what little gem will show up on the walls. These lovely sketches by John Singer Sargent is worth a few more visits.

TRAVEL SKETCHBOOKS

My travel sketchbooks are treasured mementoes, & there is a story in everyone.

PEACH SEASON

charcoal sketch

By going to the farm to pick peaches, I can get the best looking reference to paint.

ROSE BOUQUET

WATERCOLOR

After a very detail oriented project, I'm back to playing with watercolor…totally unconscious.

WATERCOLOR FOR PORTRAIT

My prefer medium for portrait is watercolor with it's subtle expressive potential for modeling the features with many thin layers of glazes. I'm lavishing extraordinary care on this project. But I'm ambivalent about portrait painting. I like the challenge of capturing a likeness, but painting should not mean slavishly copying a photo. Let's see how I feel tomorrow?

SPRING INSPIRATIONS

With so many many flowers everywhere, it's easy to fill a sketchbook. Just need more hours to these fine days.

ROSE GARDEN

Time passes by so quickly, especially in a garden. I have to find time to pause & sketch in at least one rose garden before the season is over.

BUTTERCUP SKETCH

I'm used to seeing buttercup fluttering in the meadow, usually by a creek. I came upon this buttercup patch on RT 1, Putnam Rd, at the corner of a bank. Despite the busy traffic, they look quite cheerful.

WISTERIA

With all this wind, the flowers are all fluttering & dancing in the breeze... really lovely!

FULL MOON, 6pm

This sketch came about as I pass by the bright full moon over Putnam Lake Reservoir on North St. With so many lakes & watertrails, this could be anywhere in Connecticut...I was trying to capture a spirit of place.

NEW YEAR ILLUSTRATION

Outdoor field studies can be just a drawing excercise, or it could turn into good ideas for illustration & painting with market potential. There was a request for a horse illustration recently. I finally got around to starting a horse painting. At the back of my mind, I have this sketch of RED BARNS, from Nov 12,2011. With the magic of photoshop, I layer the horse illustration over my sketch. Definately alot faster than creating a finish painting ... that's how a new design takes shape these days.