Scavenger Hunt from Life #23 - May 6 - 14

[Joan T]

Robin, thanks. I like sketching directly with watercolors sometimes. It is just as quick as using ink.

Ai, thank you. I like those flame trees. Do they stay that color all year long? It is good that your agricultural areas are close enough to travel to often. How fun that the rest area had such a nice view to sketch.

Yesterday was a very cloudy day but since it wasn't raining (just drizzling once in a while) I headed out to sketch.

3 - store front - watercolors and ink

4 - construction site - ink

 

[AiArts]

Joan: Thanks so much. The flame trees bloom about 1-2 month a year, during our end of summer season around April-May. Your store front sketch is so beautiful... love all charming details and the transparency of the glass panels. The ink of construction is super too, even with a little cute outhouse.

 

[amo]

Hello, everyone.

RobinSusan, thanks for the new list!

Ai, that's a lot of detail for 10 minutes on your first sketch! Great. Beautiful direct WC sketches.

Sue, I like the rendering of the driftwood with the combo of pen and CP. Great lines on your corner/book case. I seem to lose perspective every time I draw a room.

Joan, great leg and direct WC veggies, especially that carrot. I'm glad the weather cleared up enough for you to get your outdoor sketches. I like the way you rendered the glass of the restaurant.

I ordered a few nicer oil pastels to be a multiplier for the Crayolas - a couple of Neopastels in more muted tones, extra whites in a couple of different brands to experiment with, and a pastel "extender" which seems to be like a CP colorless blender. Part of a huge early birthday haul. My birthday isn't until June, but . . . well, I started celebrating early. I'm sure you'll see my other purchases in future sketches.

#1, #2, and #3 three different types of oil pastels. 8.5x5.25 inch sketchbook. CP (not OP) and a little OMS, about 40 minutes. The paper is cream-colored but maybe not as dark as the photo.

 

[Robin Gillis]

Three kinds of leaves
corner of room

 

[Terri]

Hi everyone! I'm late to start and can't comment on each sketch, but I can say that, as usual, you all blow me away with your creativity! Robin Susan, great list.

Here is my sketchbook page:

Corner of the room, leg of inanimate object (fat carved chair) and, since I couldn't think of anything else to get to quickly, the key to the desk (free space!). All graphite.

Hope to be able to participate more! I've always enjoyed these Hunts.

 

[Terri]

I ordered a few nicer oil pastels to be a multiplier for the Crayolas - a couple of Neopastels in more muted tones, extra whites in a couple of different brands to experiment with, and a pastel "extender" which seems to be like a CP colorless blender. Part of a huge early birthday haul. My birthday isn't until June, but . . . well, I started celebrating early.

Congrats on the "early" birthday goodies, amo! I hope you'll enjoy those Neopastel oil pastels - they're about my favorite brand. The colorless extender thing can help with blending for harder OP's. Have fun and I hope to see your work with them!

 

[amo]

Congrats on the "early" birthday goodies, amo! I hope you'll enjoy those Neopastel oil pastels - they're about my favorite brand. The colorless extender thing can help with blending for harder OP's. Have fun and I hope to see your work with them!

I only bought a couple, just a muted grey and a muted brown and white to dampen those extra bright Crayola colors. I wanted (of course!) to buy a whole set, but I'm going to try to use up the Crayolas and gradually move to better pastels.

I am really happy to have found a medium to work on paper that I can't use water on. I have - over the years - accumulated a lot of sketchbooks that aren't really suitable for my preferred media. What I didn't expect is that I might have a new preferred medium. So far, I'm having a great time.

 

[amo]

Someone close to me had surgery today, so I've spent the day waiting at home for news. He's out of surgery and doing fine, but I am still waiting for info from the surgeon and pathology results - won't necessarily get all of that today. Anyway, I didn't have anything scheduled today in case things didn't go well, so that's how I'm able to post art a second time in one day.

RobinSusan, lovely leaf and corner sketches.

Terri, I like your lines/style, especially the key.

I think I said last hunt that I wouldn't sketch the cottonwoods outside my window. Changed my mind, I guess. The white pastel didn't show up enough on the cream paper, so I threw some watercolor on, even though that isn't good paper for watermedia.
#4 found in front yard, cottonwood, mixed media (pencil, OP, CP, WC) in 8.25x5.5 sketchbook, about 15 minutes.

 

[Terri]

Thank you, amo! Your cottonwood is lovely - looks very soft and dreamy. I'm glad you changed your mind about sketching them.

I wanted (of course!) to buy a whole set, but I'm going to try to use up the Crayolas and gradually move to better pastels.

When you say Crayola, are you referring to the Cray-pas brand? I have a box of the Expressionist from them. They are bright as you mentioned, but fun to work with.

 

[amo]

Thank you, amo! Your cottonwood is lovely - looks very soft and dreamy. I'm glad you changed your mind about sketching them.

When you say Crayola, are you referring to the Cray-pas brand? I have a box of the Expressionist from them. They are bright as you mentioned, but fun to work with.

Nope. Crayola. Children's brand readily available here in the United States. (I'm not sure where you are.) They were 99 cents on clearance, and I picked them up on a whim. They're surprisingly good considering that they're for children, but of course not lightfast at all. And I'm more conscious of the lack of pigment/excess filler now that I have a few Neopastels to compare. I've got a Sennelier sampler set around here somewhere, but I haven't used them in years. I'll dig them out eventually.

 

[Jo Castillo]

Sue, feet up and comfy is the best way to sketch. Nice corner. Comfy looking.

Ai, Love your trees. Loose and natural looking. Nice landscape. It is so nice that you share your homeland for us to see and learn. Well done!!

Joan, I like seeing your Chinese food place. We used to have a real good one in Austin, but they retired and we have been looking for a few years. Your sketch makes me hungry for some spicy veggies. Your construction area is fun to see. I like the shadows.

Angela, ha, love stretching out the birthday. When we used to go to NM we would celebrate Gene's, then mine, then both a couple of weeks later here with the kiddos. Your oil pastels look great. I can't get the idea down to make it interesting for me.

Robin, nice leaves and such a fun corner ful of plants and goodies. Clever.

Terri, oh fun you joined in. I like your corner, the lamp is so neat. Leg and key are well done. Applause.

Angela, I'm happy you did the cottonwood. Makes me homesick for New Mexico in a good way. The seeds with the cotton in them used to be weapons from boys like spit balls. They called them tatonies. Not sure if that is some sort of Spanish word or what. Anyway memories.....

I sketched out on the porch. Yes the pollen is gone and the kiddos came for Mother's Day and helped put the rug back down and the furniture out. Yay. Too hot to sit out more than a few minutes in the morning. We are high 90 degrees this week. In the watercolor sketchbook with the Prismcolor permanent markes and the gray is Blick markers. Makes me think of my great grand's paintings. Ha.

Number 1, wheelbarrow hanging on the side of the shed
Number 2, wood - the shed and trees
Number 3, found in yard - cinder blocks next to the wheelbarrow.

 

[AiArts]

Great sketches everyone, very inspiring: Angela, Robin, Jo, and Terri...

 

[Sue]

Ai, what lovely sketches of a beautiful area, the flame tree is super

Joan, great shop front and very brave to tackle the construction site -

Amo - nice to see the three different oil pastels, not a medium I've ever tried - yet ... and the cottonwood - again not something I am familiar with so off to look them up

Robin. leaves are great and I love the busy corner,

Terri, good page of finds, love the detail on the key especially

Jo, that's a handy corner in the garden - and a challenge to get all those shapes and relationships - good one

I'm on a roll this week - feel less lazy if I sketch whilst watching these cyclists work so hard

4, Leg of inanimate object - coffee table
5, Had since young - A Beatrix Potter Tom Kitten figurine
6, Advert image - part of an advert for Orkney Folk Festival

...and the advert if anyone is interested in having a look

 

[Jo Castillo]

Sue, nice leg. (Smile). Awww on the figurine. Good ad find.
I’ve been spending way too much time on wurdle and other word games. Need to get out the pastels.

 

[Robin Gillis]

Ai - pages bring with color and air, both the close up trees and far field made me take a deep peaceful breath- thanks for sharing photo too, an extra special perk

Joan - neat store front Great job. Clear detail and perspective make it easy for eye to roam and linger. Construction sight lines are surrounded by the imagined latent dust and noise

Amo- hi Angela, happy early birthday! Art goodies are the kind of gift that keeps on giving— nice job on the three types pastels. I really like the weight the shadows give. Pastels seem really a tactile medium to me

Terri - Hi, glad you made it , nice pencil sketches They have concise graphic quality.

Jo — lively bar side sketch. I thought it was a digi at first... lots of activity with the wheel barrow handle ready to go and the vine twining up the tree trunk. Spring hopes

Sue- fun sketches. surprising Character in the coffee table leg. Love te Tom Kitten sketch. We spent any hours of enjoyment reading B Potter to our kids. Dreamy cool advert image.

 

[Jo Castillo]

Jo — lively bar side sketch. I thought it was a digi at first... lots of activity with the wheel barrow handle ready to go and the vine twining up the tree trunk. Spring hopes

Thanks. The vine may be poison ivy is the only thing about spring. Ha.

 

[Terri]

Nope. Crayola. Children's brand readily available here in the United States. (I'm not sure where you are.) They were 99 cents on clearance, and I picked them up on a whim. They're surprisingly good considering that they're for children, but of course not lightfast at all. And I'm more conscious of the lack of pigment/excess filler now that I have a few Neopastels to compare. I've got a Sennelier sampler set around here somewhere, but I haven't used them in years. I'll dig them out eventually.
View attachment 21536

Well I'll be - I've seen other kid OPs but not Crayola. These are bright and look fun to use. Thanks for showing me!

 

[Terri]

Jo, Ai, Sue, Robin Susan - thanks, all!

Jo, looks like your porch gave you inspiration! Neat looking wheelbarrow (with the cinderblocks!), and the trees by your shed look great!

Sue, nice work on the table leg - and I just love your Tom Kitten! Fun advertisement for the Hunt, too!

 

[Jo Castillo]

Sue, would love to go to the music festival. Sounds fun. I see they have a spotify play list, I'll check it out later.
Number 4, corner of a room in my studio. Paintings, pastels and junk shelf. Pastels on the reused paper.

 

[AiArts]

Angela: I wish your loved one great result from surgery.

Jo: Both sketches, the ink markers and the fine corner of studio in pastel are super.