Hexagon Garden Patterns

A new abstract floral pattern that I've worked up into two patterns. The first one will be entered in Spoonflower's Hexagon Design Challenge. I'm going to start selling fabric on Spoonflower, trying to decide what to offer first and then I will order my test swatches. Super excited about seeing my prints on real fabric! 

My next step is take a Skillshare class that will teach me how to make my watercolors into a pattern in Illustrator. I'm excited to jump into this and add Illustrator skills to my bag of tricks! 

Gardening Postcard

This is my latest personal project.  I've had these sketches done since last year, but just now pulled them out to paint.  Some projects are late bloomers. I think I'm going to put him on a journal, he looks like he would make a good garden journal cover, don't you think?

This is the second piece, I'm also working on a third one of the garden completely in bloom.  I'm so ready for spring.  I can see why gardeners spend the winter planning, hope is good when winter seems to go on forever!

The final postcard.  I'm not a designer, so I keep things as simple as possible.  

And in black and white, which is what I used on the back of my postcard.

Now to finish my new website and polish up my mailing list, because it's been years since I've sent out a postcard!

Flora and Fawn

I love the old country roads near my home.  Surrounding the farms are the most amazing weeds and wildflowers: chicory, Queen Anne's lace and day lilies are my favorites.  Sometimes in the morning a deer or two will venture across the field.  This little scene captures that world for me, quite and filled with the wonder of nature. 

Watercolor and pen. 

Tiny Studies

I  decided to play around with some tiny color studies today, working on practicing brushstrokes, using masking fluid and throwin' in a little guache where I felt it was needed.  I can see a little Pinterest influence on some of these, I was going for some northen folk/wintery inspiration. 

Now on the the little girl in the red hood...

Nature and Painting

We enjoyed a lovely walk in the woods on a nature trail today. We listened as the breeze rustled through the leaves above our head. The soft mulch of the trail cushioned our feet as explored the well worn path. Queen Anne's Lace littered the edge of the forest with other tiny purple flowers.  We spotted a monarch butterfly fluttering near the little white puffs.  It was quiet like we haven't experienced in a long time. 

My daughters and I spotted a doe with two fawn, they were unafraid as they stopped and watched us for several minutes through the trees.  We were two mothers with our children wondering in awe of each other.



I've recently downloaded a few watercolor/journaling books to my Kindle and just had to take my little sketchbook and watercolor set outside today. I've been so busy lately, I was thankful for a day to slow down and soak in the beauty around me.

My favorite so far:

A Life In Hand by Hannah Hinchman - this is only available as a digital download as it's out of print.  It's a beautiful written book, simple and poetic.  Encouraging and succinct.  I keep going back to it again and again.  The charming black and white line drawings leave room for you to focus on the words and assignments in the book.  It's very inspiring and I highly recommend it.  I may try to find it in print I've enjoyed it so much.

Hinchman on starting an art journal:

"Just begin. Any day, any moment.  There need be no occasion, no noteworthy event.  Think of your beginning as the point where a tossed pebble hits the surface of a pond.  Changes and discoveries will widen out endlessly from just such a small point."

I love that quote and can't help be think how it could apply to anything in life that we have been putting off starting.

Two other books I've been enjoying:

Artist's Journal Workshop

Water Paper Paint - by far my favorite watercolor book to date! 

What are you reading this summer? 

New Painting

Working on these two characters for a series of new portfolio pieces.  I think I may try again in a different color palette, something that offers a little more punch with the colors.

Black Bear

I was thinking of using this little guy has my new banner, but I'm leaning towards doing this one as a print. I think the graphic quality of the block print would lend itself nicely to the play of pattern. 

More Watercolor Experiments

Practice will eventually make perfect, right? This was an experiment using ink outlines with watercolor. I think I like my lines with the brush more. Hard to say which ones of these I like the best, probably the last one. I like different parts from each one - hmm should I paint it one more time? Which one do you like the best?

Creating Without an Undo Button

I've been finding my way with the watercolors, looking to add another technique to my portfolio.  Watercolor is such a challenge and I find that even with printmaking I had an 'undo' that I miss when doing watercolor. 

You see, I never print just one print - I'll print 3-5 at a time and play with the colors like a coloring book.  With a block print, I create a proof - if something isn't right I can carve a little out or use tiny 'rubber stamps' to fill in things that may have been carved away or to add texture or another object.  With watercolor there is a point of no return and it can be hard to see a painting ruined by my over zealousness!

Here was my first attempt with this painting.  Can we say dingy?  Oh, I can almost hear my paint brush saying, 'Stop - you are overdoing it.  There goes the freshness.  Yep - Houston we have mud."  But it's okay, the first ones I like to call a color study and then I see where I needed to lighten up and relax.  It's a fun learning process and I do have to admit I love the immediate results of watercolor.  Just some days I do envy those who have that undo button a click away.

Illustration Friday - Double

Another attempt at watercolor.  I'm having fun with these little sessions.  Some I just start doodling and see where I end up, this is one of them.  As I was working on the first boy, I thought - ah ha! If I add in a twin it would fit nicely in with this week's Illustration Friday theme, 'double'.  So here we have it, double trouble. 

Studies

More watercolor studies.  Practice, practice, practice. 

It's really Heather vs. Watercolor as I try to make this stuff behave. 

I need to find out what else tween/teens do besides listen to ipods. Mine are weird - always drawing, writing, working on the computer drawing and writing. My youngest is a craft hurricane. (I have no idea where they get that from...hmm, hmmm.)

And monkeys making banana splits for breakfast.  This one will be fun as a block print. 

So two more studies that will make their way into the world as prints, hopefully soon. I'd like to spend the weekend carving.

Do you go crazy working on new pieces for your portfolio before a conference?  Is it just me?  Do I have some weird manic procrastination disease?  You know, you wait until the last minute and then think, omg - I need new work for my portfolio right now.  Just me?  Okay, I will accept that.  I find procrastination incredibly inspiring.  : )

Scary Stuff!

Oh, how I wear my favorite medium like a security blanket. I just have such a hard time feeling like my work is done if it's not turned into a block print. I've been playing with watercolors all summer, and I mean playing - totally for fun and many of these little doodles don't live to the see the sunrise. So I pulled out the good stuff today and worked up a few samples from a dummy book that I'm working on. (Yeah for beads, right!)

These are tiny studies at 3" x 4 1/2". I feel like a have about 100 more paintings to go before I could market a watercolor style. But the good side is that I have two lovely little color study for new prints that I will start carving tomorrow.

Experimenting - it's scary stuff!

Beachy Folks

Just playing around a little today with watercolors.  I took a watercolor class in art school, about 16 years ago. Yikes!  My youngest daughter and I enjoy these little sessions in the evenings on the porch, painting whatever pops into our mind.  I think for the next round I'll pull out some good paper and try again.  It's fun, I enjoy the spontaneous feel of the medium. 

And I like that they still 'look' like my work. 

Have a Happy 4th of July!