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DECEMBER

What we love, cherish, wish for. What the highlights of 2017 have been.
(Suggested by Bev Baird)


Update : We are now keeping Themes for a WHOLE MONTH



Showing posts with label gardens and parks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardens and parks. Show all posts

Monday, March 31, 2014

"My Fruity Life" by Lynn Cohen, in Gardens & Parks


My farewell drawing for our Gardens & Parks theme. Me back in my own backyard today. It was cold out, and me still in my PJ's and sweat shirt. I sat on my three legged stool with little kids plastic table to hold my paints and water bottle at my side.

I first drew the grapefruit tree on the left with paint. Elisa is encouraging me to just paint. But it did NOT look like tree branches and leaves until I added the ink to define them, my apologies Elisa. I will keep working at perfecting that skill.

My grapefruit tree got cut down to nothing a year or so ago. I was on Statin drugs for high cholesterol at the time and could not eat the grapefruit. I was giving them all away to neighbors. But some were rotting on the ground and attracting rats. Thus the decision to cut down the tree. Well, a year ago I changed my diet to a vegan one and lo and behold after four short months I was able to keep my cholesterol in check without the drugs! Now I can eat grapefruit again! So I can't tell you how excited I was to see the branches return and pink buds popping out on the branches I saw this morning. They called me to paint them.

The little tree on the right is a dwarf peach and it produces peaches like crazy each summer. It already has small hard green peaches on it covered in leaves. It's pink blossoms have come and gone, and they are exquisite to see. I have oodles of photos of them so could draw and paint them too!

Henry is the garden guard. However, he is unable to fend off all the rodents and birds that come to my fruit trees. But he tries.

I've enjoyed our time in the garden together these past two weeks and a few days. Now I must go pack my suitcases just as soon as I decide where I am off to first for "Vacations and Holidays!"
See you THERE tomorrow!

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Gardens and Parks, gardenia by Margaret Coote

We just got another foot or so of snow! On my way to work it was almost like the city is fed up, they decided not to plow or shovel several parts of the sidewalk…so at times it was a true trek :)

Anyway, the school where I teach has this lovely potted gardenia tree - I figure it counts as a tiny indoor garden - and I took a few minutes to quickly draw a couple of the blossoms…


I did this in my calendar, so that's what you see showing through.

After I'd posted this, I thought I'd add some color and see what happened, so here it is!



Gardens and Parks, Easter Lily, Penny Lee StewArt

"Easter Lily" ATC, watercolor and pen
Well, it is a flower, and it grows in somebody's garden, just not mine.  I am working on ATCs for ACEO TW APR which has a theme of Easter.  My dog Lily is named after this flower, because she was born on Easter Sunday about 11 years ago.  I will be posting Ladies in Easter Bonnets on my blog at the end of the week for PPF Paint Party Friday, but they are neither garden related nor vacation themes.  So, here is my last one for this month.  I have so enjoyed this challenge.  Thanks, Lynn.




Friday, March 28, 2014

Gardens and Parks - "Sissies" by Fran


For the last two days I have been concentrating on ATC cards.  I call this ATC card "Sissies" because these are the flowers from some new Garbanza Daisies that I bought.  They were not outside at the nursery and probably had never been out of the greenhouse where they were born.  I planted them where I was pretty sure they would grow well because I had grown some daisies there before.  The poor little things drooped every day so I cut them and brought them inside hoping the next generation of flowers will be able to stand a little spring sun. The vase is an old milk glass Jim Beam whiskey bottle. 

After drawing with ink I colored with Prismacolor pencil colors. When I cut it I made a mistake. I thought ATC cards were 2.5x3 inches. I glued the drawing onto a card the correct size and used colored tape around the edges.

Gardens and Parks, The Old Swing, by Penny StewArt


"The Old Swing by the Tree"
I tried to indicate the shadow beneath the swing, but I don't know if that worked or not.  Watercolor and pen on 140# hot press WC Paper, ATC size, 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

Gardens and Parks, red tulips by Margaret Coote

My friend Christina picked me up from work last night and we went to the grocery store. We still have cold weather and a winter-like feeling here in Rochester, and no flowers…

When I saw these tulips at the store it made me think of all the beautiful tulips and other flowers you all have been posting here. So I said to Christina, "Let's split a bouquet of these! And I can paint them!"

Here is my first effort, done very quickly but I'm just happy to have painted them at all.

Thank you all for your beautiful flowers!


The scanner is too good - it picks up whatever's on the other side of the paper in my sketchbook :)




Thursday, March 27, 2014

Gardens and Parks, Weeds by Elisa Choi


I've been sick these days but I feel a lot better today. I went out and spotted these weeds in abundance. They seem to thrive on the ground's dirt. I painted this from memory.. Hope you're all good.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Gardens and Parks, "The Shovel" by Penny StewArt

ATC:  The Shovel in the Garden
I love these orange and red flowers that seem to grow everywhere in the garden.  They look so pretty against the varied shades of green leaves.  The shovel propped against the fence seems to be waiting for someone (not me) to start working on the flower beds.  It is Spring, after all.




Gardens and Parks - "Statue" by Fran

Buddha in the Garden  81/2x11

I love drawing with pencil.  But I love color too.  I wanted to draw the Buddha statue from my small garden. I posted a sketch earlier in the month of this garden with its azalea and bouganvilla, but the statue just did not work out well.

  I started this pencil drawing soon after.  I used drawing paper which is best for pencil but when I added the watercolor for the flowers, the paper wrinkled a bit adding a few extra shadows. Oh well, they work in well.

Also linking to Paint Party Friday

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Gardens and parks, Birds by Fran

Some quick sketches of a few of the birds that visit our back yard. 

Gardens and Parks, Bath time by Penny StewArt

I first painted the hand pump, then imagined the other two scenes which evolved into a Tryptic, 3 paintings that go together to form one. These are ATC size, 2.5 x 3.5 inches.  Acrylic on Linen paper.  I had the frame and wanted to use it so it became "Bath Time." There is a red hand pump in our back yard (see my earlier post) which inspired the original drawing.  The rest is from my imagination.





Saturday, March 22, 2014

garden & parks. autumn is in the air... Vivi Toscano


Gardens and Parks, "Sun Umbrella" by Penny StewArt

Another ACEO:  Sunbrella
The actual umbrella I was looking at is a drab beige, but I have been experimenting with using bold colors and this combo is just red, yellow and blue primaries allowed to mix and run on the paper.  Watercolor and pen on 140# paper.  2.5 x 3.5 inches.  I love the word "Sunbrella" don't you?  

Friday, March 21, 2014

Gardens and Parks, "A Shady Spot to Sit" by Penny StewArt

This is a very dark corner of my yard, but the sun peeks thru and scatters dappled patterns on the redwood furniture and the rocks.
I had a bit of trouble getting it to look right in the sketch.  It is an ACEO card, only 2.5 x 3.5 inches, watercolor and pen on 140# paper.  I like to make these tiny pieces of art because I trade and sell them.  This is #665, so I have made quite a few!  I sell them on Ebay and Etsy and Daily Paintworks.  This blog inspires me to paint things I would otherwise not have attempted.  I always need inspiration.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Gardens and Parks - Fran," Bird of Paradise"





I have a White Bird of Paradise Plant.  I had no idea that it made flowers, I bought it
 for the sculptural, fanning pattern of the plant itself. 
 A couple of years ago it bloomed! I was so impressed that this photo 
has remained one of my favorites.
Naturally I had to paint it.


The painting was done with watered gouache on watercolor paper.

Yellow of the yard, Gardens and Parks, GloriaV

I came back to say Happy Spring to all! (added after posting) 
 
Well I did go out back again and yes my Ipad was a little dark but it worked for what was being doodled. Right now there is not much color in the backyard except for greens and browns. There are though a few plants that have color on them and the name of the yellow plant I'm not sure, but it has yellow leaves and is colorful all year long.
 
 
What is flowering though is a rose tree with yellow roses. I call it old faithful because it always blooms happily. I did quick sketches and as you can see, it's not very good.:(
 
What can I say, me does not know how to draw flowers and stuff.:)
 
Yellow of  the yard
Yellow of the yard, glv, 2014, PPPP, Ipad/P53
 
 
This is on the North side of the house and gets a lot of sun. The tree is a yellow rose tree, name unknown and has been there for years. We planted it many moons ago. The plant to the side is actually a hedge that might be called Forsythia. I'm not sure. It has been trained to grow like a big plant instead of hedges. We do have a lot of these yellow hedges growing on the other side of the angel garden from yesterday. To the left of the rose tree is our chili, tomato, onions, garlic and other garden.


Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Gardens and Parks "Pebbles" by Elisa Choi


Every time mom gathers some pebbles from our garden, I would tell her to give some to me. I placed it on my art table and sometimes I get one and feel my hand around its smooth cool edges. Ahhhh nature. :)

Gardens and Parks, The Red Pump, Penny StewArt

ACEO 2.5 x 3.5 inches.  An old red hand pump sitting under a tree with some potted plants, next to a pile of rocks. I am enjoying finding treasures to sketch in my yard.
Watercolor and Pen on 140# WC paper.

gardens and parks, imagined bouquet by Margaret Coote

Hi everyone! It's still cold and bare here, but I hope to get out into a park sometime soon. Meanwhile, here are some flowers that I imagined today.