Scavenger Hunt from Life #89: Oct 25 - Nov 2

[Pine Cone]

TL;DR

All — These are comments for page 2 of this event. See above for pg. 1 comments. Will try to comment on page 3 soon.

Joan — Thanks for showing photos from Venice - very cool! I would have had the same reaction on first sight of the Jumbotron LOL That vaporetto looks absolutely jam-packed - I hope they're sink-proof
Not only was your search for bricks successful, but I love your terrific painting of the wood doors with some bricks, and the distressed wall... fantastic work, lovely and sensitive, very special...
Ditto, your lovely painting of the cafe. Lovely feather and cozy living room furniture!

JennieJo — Go for it!!! And share it!!! I'm terrible at doing blind contours, yet I've gone from hating to do them, to genuinely enjoying it, despite my wacky results Have fun!!! And let us share in the fun - the goofier the result, the better

Ai — It occurred to me as I was looking at these images of your students, that you really care about them. It shows in your portrayals of them. Wonderful, fantastic sketches of them toiling over their exams

Paul — Good sketch of your complicated fireplace, and its surroundings! Aww, fun sketch of sweet LuLu - give her a hug from me next time you see her

Miss Patience (JoC) — Isn't it cool how colors make us feel good!!! And yours in the fruit sketch made me smile and feel so happy with their different tones and cheerful surroundings! I like what Ai said --->"Your colors give warmth to my heart..." Me too
Your sequined seal has stolen my heart... Strange, because I've never been much for sequins in real life, yet I *LOVE* both your amazing sketch and your real figurine (plushie?). Beautiful "fur" and such depth of expression - those eyes...

Joe/Fletch — All misty again... your 3D *painting* of the feather is excellent!!! Truly beautiful, and no need of a shadow for that kind of item. You've done justice to the noble eagle, and I'm so very grateful for your thoughtful compassion... Another one for my Joe/Fletch iPad album
I used to have a white jelly roll for non-art use, and had the same problem with it. I remember one time when I did get a little ink to come through, but it took (I kid you not) over ten minutes of scribbling (and praying) to get it to happen. I wondered if it was the elevation where I lived, but you're probably at about sea level, and you had the same problems. So I don't know what the deal is. You're braver than me to have 6 whites - I gave up after the 2nd one was as bad as the 1st I'll make a note about uni-POSCA markers.

 

[jmfletch]

Joan -like how you blended the colors on the Apple. As to shading with procreate, I think the shading of the leaf is perfect!

Pine Cone - I bought them from Amazon in sets of 3 so technically was only 2 purchases. Had assumed first set dried out in storage but when 2nd set was same problem switched brands. Went back to look at reviews and found a lot of 4 star (out of 5) reviews that had problems with writing. Never quite figured out how you rate 4 stars on a defective product. LOL

Keep sketching
Fletch

 

[Jo Castillo]

Fletch, we got two electric fireplaces when we got this house, we needed TV stands and they were so expensive. The fireplaces were on sale so we got them to set the TV on. The flames look so real and they put out heat like an electric heater and the rest doesn't get hot. We don't use them much but they look nice for a TV stand. You can turn on the flames with no heat as well.

Hi Pine Cone, hope you can find a warm spot. You are welcome here any time. Thanks for your thoughts always. Candy corn is addictive but chocolate is my problem. I had fun with the little seal. He is about a handful in size. I've always loved rich color another reason to love pastels.

Joan, welcome home. Nice you had a good time and you did lots of sketching and posting. I was so impressed. I love the apple and the leaf. Digital takes more time. I don't mess with layers or anything fancy, I make colors and brushes more transparent and put them over with the darker color or complement. I'm going to try the Signo Uniballs as soon as I can for white highlights.

I finally did a pastel on new paper by the way. UArt, 400 grit, it curls so not good for scumbling over other colors with a light touch. With the peaks and valleys, you get thicker on the ridges. Not too bad for this one which is small 8 x 8 in. I have a frame that size so may frame it for a gift.
Number 9 flower - the bedraggled geranium that made it through the hot summer. It was looking better, we've had 2 nights of winter about 34º F so brought it in.

 

[AiArts]

PineCone and all: Thanks for your kind words.

Joan: Glad you got home safe and had another heap of great memory to share with Jerry. Beautiful digi. works... perfect for this Hunt medium challenge.

Jo: Gorgeous electric fireplace. Fantastic flowers in your beautiful dust. Love them and always wish to be an art bee hovering your shoulder while you do the flower painting.

 

[Joan T]

Fletch, thanks. I'm playing around with Procreate for something that gives me a shaded look without a hard edge...not so easy to find. I'll have to really experiment more or maybe watch a few more youTube videos that are a little more than basic info. A lot of people have the same problem with the gel pens drying out. I've read "store them with the caps up" and "store them with the caps down." A few art materials have that same problem or make blobs when they finally start working. The life of an artist isn't easy.

Jo, thank you. I've played with the transparency of the colors and the brushes too. That seems to help a bit, but I have a hard time remembering what I've done to try to duplicate it. lol Oh, that pastel of the flowers is gorgeous!!! Definitely frame it!

Ai, many thanks. Since the digitals take so much time I'm not sure how much of that I will do in the future, and if I don't keep doing it on a regular basis I know I will forget what I learned. lol I kept thinking of you yesterday. I was watching "The Amazing Race" (I don't know if you get that there in Thailand.) Anyway I was watching one of the episodes where they were in Thailand that I missed while we were gone and the contestants had to race to the Big Buddha to get their clue. It is fun to watch and see how many locations were familiar because you've sketched them.

The next hunt is now posted. I will see you there when you make your way over.

 

[AiArts]

Joan: Thank you. I am smiling when you described the Amazing Race in Thailand with the Big Buddha scene. Tone and I used to watch it too but now we seem to not watch TV as much.

Fletch: Thanks for hosting this Hunt.

 

[Pine Cone]

TL;DR

JoC and Fletch and Joan — Thanks so much for your compassionate thoughts, and good wishes, and encouragement


All — These are comments for pages 3 and 4 of this event. See above for pp. 1 and 2 comments.

JoC — Your extraordinary sketch of the tall Loblolly pines is gorgeous. Such mysterious depths. I've studied it over and over
Well done on the packet of Zig pens! Fun and very warm looking fireplace!
I caught my breath as your new pastel scrolled up (new paper!!!). Illuminated beauty. Gorgeous
FWIW, ProCreate allows you to duplicate brushes, and change settings, and save your own version(s), etc. In fact, you could add a separate category for each sketch, and duplicate the brushes as you go, putting them in that category, adjusting them as you wish, and that way, you wouldn't have to try to remember. You can name the new categories anything you want, and even rename the duplicate brushes you create anything you want!!! It's fun and contributes to the usability and the learning curve!!!!!!!

Kay — Lovely sketches all - and enjoyed the feel of the shape of the squash, and the fragile delicacy of the leaves Your blind contours are really cool

Ai — Lots of fun people sketches, and spooky one too!

joe1lt — I love the way you drew both their faces and eyes your sketches always make me happy! And Eeyore melts my heart

Joe/Fletch — Amazon reviews... They're a mystery to me too LOL My math seems different than theirs Thanks so much for hosting

Joan — Happy you guys got back safe and well!!! It sounds like an amazing and rewarding journey that you'll both always remember!!! I know you mentioned the cobblestones being difficult though, and I hope that things may gradually become easier to navigate somehow as time goes by
Can't believe it's been 7 years since you visited Jo! Thanks for sharing those memories again - makes me smile
Nice people sketch, frank and spontaneous.

Joan again — Your fruit and leaf ProCreate sketches are lovely, but I understand your frustration. Here's a different way to think about the time you spend in ProCreate trying to get things the way you want....

..... Imagine you walk into the biggest Blick Art Supplies store in the world. You'd find lots of things you might not have ever used before, or new brands of old familiar things. Like scratchboard tools. Silkscreens and special paints. Airbrushes and more special paints. Resins. Clays. Different brands of stuff you've heard of but never tried. All different kinds of paper and canvas and board...

***** When you're *experimenting* with ProCreate, THINK OF THAT TIME AS EQUAL to the hours you might spend wandering around in the giant Blick Art Store I just described.

..... Then as your sketch begins to resemble what you had in mind, think of THAT as your EQUIVALENT SKETCHING TIME.

..... Like anything, it feels more natural, and easier, and less time consuming, as you immerse yourself more.....

 

[Jo Castillo]

Joan, thank you. Maybe a frame this time, I have one. Ha. I have trouble remembering how to do digital sketches. I usually just do it for a break or if I'm too lazy to get a sketchbook. I try to stay "old school".

Pine Cone, thanks. Also for the info about duplicating brushes. I haven't bought ProCreate avoiding new stuff. Maybe one of the other programs I have has a similar feature. You pique my interest and I'm not into learning anything new. Ha, ha. I like reading your posts, you have good insight and find things I didn't see or make me see what I liked in my subconscious. Makes me smile.

Fletch, thanks for the Hunt. See all y'all on the next Hunt.

I'll add these two little ones sort of pushing the limits. I walked while Gene was on his trike and sketched by the easterly pond in the Strathmore sketchbook thinking to add water or markers or some color but never did. I used a Sharpie pen.
Number 10 animal - the little humps are turtles, an egret and a couple of ducks way in the distance, I couldn't see detail. They were all enjoying the sun after a cool/cold night.
Number 11 outdoor object - neighbors house right on the water so sort of dock steps and landscape.

 

[jmfletch]

Jo - Beautiful!

Joan - when I get an unwanted hard edge in Procreate I use the smudge tool. I tried storing gelly roll pens both ways with identical results. Intermittent flow or no flow at all. Never thought of Ptocreate as Pine Cone described but in fact in
Procreate you have access to the look of most other Mediums. You already demonstrated that with one piece that several o& us thought was watercolor and pen and a hand that looked like a well rendered graphite drawing.

Pine Cone - Great analogy. I find all digital efforts take me longer. My rationale is that when using graphite, pastel or color pencil I spend as much time erasing as I do drawing and Undo makes erasing even easier so I “erase” even more!

See all in the next Hunt.
Fletch

 

[Pine Cone]

JoC — I'm so happy that you're going to frame your stunning pastel painting It's marvelous, and I'm grateful to know it will survive
I also love your two sketches from the beautiful environment around you I was amazed by the scene with the egret and turtles and ducks because it was so similar to something I saw just a few days ago. There were a bunch of ducks (probably geese) on and around a small pond, and although I couldn't see a lot of detail either, I took a whole bunch of pictures as the scene unfolded. Those ducks (geese?) were amazing, and your sketch reminded me of that happiness!

Joe/Fletch — Good rationale - I'll be borrowing that!!!

 

[Jo Castillo]

Thank you Fletch and Pine Cone.

 

[Joan T]

Pine Cone, I like how you compared my experimenting with Procreate to walking around a huge Dick Blick store and seeing all the materials. The good thing about Procreate is that I don't have to buy all the materials to try them out. lol AND I don't have to look for a place to store them. Those are two big advantages.