Gardens & Parks, sitting in garden Sketch 'painted' by Cris Marlow

 I painted my sketch I did sitting in the yard but I forgot it wasn't watercolor paper so it didn't take the paint very well and grabbed the color and it also puckered. I should have used colored pencils on it. The sunflower came out better.

in case you missed it below this is the sketch which I like better.

Gardens & Parks, Wonder Years, by Arnoldo L. Romero

Just in the nick of time, before the new theme is up, I'm posting a quick marker sketch of the granddaughter of a friend of mine playing at a small water garden.  I love how the little things we take for granted sometimes are such objects of wonder to small children.  We could learn so much from them.  Anyway, I think it would make a great pastel or watercolor too, but I'll definitely need to work on her proportions a little more.  Blessings!

© Arnoldo L. Romero 2014

Gardens & Parks, Snow in My Garden, by Joan Tavolott

You know the saying "March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb." No way!!!

This morning, March 31 we woke up to snow! At first it was just a few flurries but by the time I had to go out this morning there were several inches of snow on the ground and slippery conditions. An hour later when I came out of my meeting I had another 3 inches of fresh, very wet snow on my car. Of course nobody was ready for snow and the plows were nowhere to be seen. lol It is a good thing I didn't take my snow brush out of the car and put my beach chair in instead. 

After lunch I decided I would go outside and sketch a bit of my patio garden for you as a last sketch for this theme. The post is my patio railing and in front of it are a few scrawny bushes. You would think that after living here for nearly 9 years those bushes would have turned into something more substantial, but no. They belong to the complex so I seem to be stuck with them. I do have one of those decorative flags and change it for different occasions...the St. Patrick's Day one will be gone tomorrow as we slide into April. The maintenance crew plowed the walkway, and as always they did a great job. Right now it is very sunny so hopefully the snow will be gone soon.

Here is a photo of what it looked like early this morning when the snow first started, and then a photo of what it looked like when I was sketching.

I am off to get ready for our travel theme. I can't wait to go someplace away from this snow. lol

Gardens & Parks, Side Garden by Joan Tavolott

I always love seeing flowers cascading over a fence. I used a reference photo I had taken out in Greenport, NY for this ATC sized painting. This is the side garden from a bed and breakfast, called Auburn House.

"Cris' Chickens", Gardens & Parks, Lynn Cohen

 

I ran out of interesting things to draw in my own garden so I asked Cris if I could draw in hers. (I've been given permission to use her photos to draw from). I've been there on numerous occasions and its a much more lively garden than mine. We do have our cat, Henry V, but she has her dog Annie, her cat Daisy, and innumerable chickens now that liven up the place.

 

So I drew that first one, I think it's "Lexy", in ink, and left it that way.

 

And today I quickly drew and painted this bucolic scene below.  Cris can tell us which chickens these are. They are all fondly named and loved.

 

 

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This is our second to the last day drawing to the theme: Garden's & Parks. I love all the colorful art it has garnered. In two days we go to our THIRD theme since starting the blog two short months ago.
Check the bottom of the side bar to see how many views we've gotten thus far. Amazing! And we have over 30 artists signed up to draw here!

Our next THEME, our Fourth, starts on APRIL 1. It is Vacations & Holidays (holidays being the UK way of saying vacations in the USA). These can be drawings you did on site; from your travel photos, or from any NON-COPYRIGHTED photo of a vacation place you went to or would love to go to someday. I've added a link on the side bar and here for such non-copyrighted photos) Or anything out of the box around that theme that comes to mind. (Your suitcase, your favorite travel clothes, a favorite souvenir. You get the idea!)  Have fun and Bon Voyage! Two more days in Garden's & Parks, then off to who knows where

 "On Holiday/Vacation"!

GARDENS & PARKS, JEZ EDEN

A LAST WALK AROUND THE OLD GARDEN

"Papaver Orientale" - A4 Sketchbook Page - Jez
Pencil sketch, painted version on Watercolour paper added to page 

On the right are my notes about the poppy, including the description "Huge scarlet petals unfolding as I draw, changing the shape moment by moment.  Papery petals, still creased from the unfolding bud".

The printed piece of paper shows the following lovely words:

"Gather a green poppy bud just when it shows the scarlet line at its side; 

break it open and unpack the poppy" - John Ruskin

"Unpack a scarlet ball gown crushed into a green suitcase which always looks

too small to hold it and is bursting at the seams.

It finally falls to pieces as the flower spills out and for a brief time

shakes its skirts out for the heat of the sun to iron away the creases.

- Marjorie Blamey, flower painter

Gardens & Parks, Water Pump, by Joan Tavolott

We are having rain here today so I didn't even bother going out and finding someplace to sketch.

Instead I looked through my photos for something different. The reference I used for this was a photo I had taken in Adare, Ireland last year. The garden was in front of a thatched cottage.

This is ATC sized.

Gardens & Parks, Summerhouse, ann hyde

The Summerhouse in our back garden is being tidied up ready for the warmer weather.  Thought I would do a quick sketch of it as we were out there.

Gardens & Parks, When olives turn black, GloriaV

 

 

When my dear Dad was still living, I made it a point to ask him for cuttings every time we visited. He was always generous. We brought home small cuttings of many different plants, pieces of cactus as they take root very easy, small olive trees. Years later my Dad is gone but his plants live on in my backyard.

 

We have at least 8 olive trees here and there out back and they give olives. I have tried to cure them so they can be edible, but it never works. I always want to pick them when they are green and jar them that way. My Dad always had a jar of green olives he had cured on the table and he always gave away a jar or two to family members.

 

So my olives always turn black and I feel guilty because it is food going to waste. Truth is, I'm afraid of God punishing me because the food is wasted:( I've meant to ask Manuel across the street for lesson on curing the olives.  Anyway to make a long story short I was thinking of the olives and did a quick sketch on my Ipad to show the olives turning black.

Have a wonderful weekend.

 

Olives Turning Black

Olives Turning Black, PPPP, glv, 2014 #18



Gardens & Parks, The Garden Center by Joan Tavolott

Today was a cloudy day with drizzle so I sat in my car by a garden center (Cheap Sam's Plant Bargains) to sketch this morning. I could see the buildings, some plants, lots of bags of soil and mulch (I guess), and what I think is a delivery truck. I was going to go into one of the greenhouses to sketch a second piece, but it started to rain so I left. And don't be fooled by the sign...Cheap Sam's is not all that cheap. lol

Gardens & Parks, Plain air, Sirkka Jalava

It has gone a little time since I sent a posting here, I feel it so. But I have been busy with other duties and the weather has been so beautiful so I have been outdoors and worked in the garden. I have read postes from all of you, you have worked so great and sketched a lot.
To day I was out and sketched plain air. Some flowers are in bloom and I sketched some of them.

There are crocus in several colors blooming.

Before the crocus began these flowers to bloom allready in the begin of march.
I had at least three of the deeres visiting me to day, I could take only one photo, which I show you with pleasure, if Lynn allows:

They were fritened of something (not me!). As you can see, we have sunshine here, the nights are cold, so there is not so much green yet.

Gardens & Parks, Pansy Planter by Joan Tavolott

I used a photo I had taken as a reference to paint this planter filled with pansies.

I love the faces on pansies and as a little girl I always thought they were smiling.

This is ATC sized.

GARDENS & PARKS, JEZ EDEN

Another sketchbook page from a while ago.  I was looking through one of my sketchbooks for something else and saw this sketch which I remember being very proud of at the time.

"Aster"
Pitt Artist's Pen - Jez

Drawing and painting flowers is something I love.  This Aster flower intrigued me because of its complexity, and was very demanding to draw, with lots of concentration needed - even more than drawing a head of hydrangea flowers.

You can see why I say I am challenging myself to loosen up in my style as well as doing this more botanical approach.  But I'm still very proud of it.   It's one of those things you look at and think "Did I really do that".

Garden's & Parks, "Hollyhocks Painted" by Lynn Cohen

I did it, I got up early enough this morning to paint the  hollyhocks I drew yesterday! They are dancing for you and with you! Enjoy their happy faces!

Gardens & Parks, Cafe fence & sunflowers, by Elaine (jaguarish)

I tried a new local cafe this morning, Valentina Cafe.  They have a lovely white fence with sunflowers growing against it and I intended to draw the whole row, but ran out of patience I must admit -- hence the white space at the left side of the page.  Maybe I will go back sometime and finish it!  I also drew a colourful van parked across the road, which I'm throwing in here for good measure... the colours were so cheerful and great to look at, especially as today it's overcast and rainy.

Gardens & Parks, Looking North, GloriaV

Looking North, out my bedroom window

Looking North, PPPP, glv 2014 #14

 A quick peek and quick sketch. As I looked out my bedroom window this afternoon, it was beautiful. Everything was bright. A palm tree on the other side, some one's old TV antenna and lots of trees. Our yellow rose bush is blooming. It rained today so everything was green and pretty. My usual mode of operation for now is the Ipad/P-53. In the studio though, I am using acrylics and gouache and finding it difficult to control the brush as well as the paint.

 

Have a wonderful day tomorrow.

Gardens & Parks, "Lone Lavender and Friend", by Lynn Cohen

It wasn't until I was drawing this that I spotted the tiny creature on the top third of this lone flowering lavender. He found a soft resting place on the velvety pedal of this beautiful flowering plant. They grow in large clumps in my back yard against the back fence, but I captured just one stem in the photo I took to draw from. And now I have added watercolor paint.

Faber-Castell PITT artist pen black SX
Winsor & Newton watercolors

Gardens & Parks, Magnolia Blossom, by Joan Tavolott

Last spring I visited the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens when the cherry blossoms were in bloom. I painted those while I was there, but took a few photos of the magnolia blossoms for future paintings.

Since it really doesn't feel like spring here in NY and nothing is in bloom, I decided to get into the spring spirit by painting this from a photo. Penny inspired me with the ATC sized pieces she has been doing, so I did a mini magnolia.

Gardens & Parks, Heaven Scent, GloriaV

 

Hope it's okay to post this cartoon style photo of my Jasmine. I'm working on a Van Gogh project right now and didn't want to miss out. I didn't have anything prepared so I hope I'm not cheating?

 

Heaven Scent

 

This is a digital enhanced cartoon style of our front yard entrance to the front door. It's a Jasmine plant that we let grow and trimmed to allow entrance. If it's the right time of year, as you walk under it, the scent just grabs you. The roses to the left have there own exotic scent as well so you are in heaven scent in that very moment.

 

This needs trimming right now. As you can see, our outside tree lights are still up and will stay up probably till they don't work. Tee hee. There is a yucca tree to the right of the arch.

Have a wonderful day and now on to the kitchen to cook some asparagus.



Gardens & Parks, Statue in the Garden, by Joan Tavolott

I didn't get out to a park or a garden today, so I browsed through some of my photos to use as a reference. This was done from a photo taken in April at Johnstown Castle, Wexford County, Ireland when we were there last year. There was a wonderful sculpture garden on the grounds.

The statue was sketched with a water-soluble graphite pencil and then I added watercolors to get the shading on the stone.