Socially Sketching with Susan

2010-12-13T13:57:00.001-05:00

2010-12-12T20:51:00.002-05:00

These are three paintings from my exhibit that I had at the Hope Borbas Library in Okemos, Michigan. I had over twenty paintings featuring mixed media, watercolor, pen and ink, pastel and paper collage in the exhibit. This was my first exhibit ever and I loved it. I will be having another exhibit at the Shiawassee Arts Center in Owosso, Michigan the end of January, 2011. Am looking forward to this one as well.

Merry Christmas, Current Topics

2010-12-12T13:15:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas to My Dear Friends in Current Topics, Welcome to My Blog, and I hope you Have Enjoyed Learning about the Internet, Social Networking, Blogging, Texting and Sexting.

poinsettia

2008-11-02T18:29:00.001-05:00

poinsettia
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

Been working on Christmas card imasges all afternoon...and experimenting with paints that I don't use as much (if ever)--acrylics, fluid acrylics, pastels. I did the base of the bottom layer of the flower and leaves (actually I know the red part is also the leaf) in acrylics and the shading with the pastels. I have only used pastels twice now...but I love how you can shade with them and they are more forgiving than watercolor!

Vivian's shoes

2008-11-01T20:51:00.005-04:00

scan0001.jpg Vivian's shoes
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

babysat for my 8th month old grand daughter last night and these are her shoes which I could not resist sketching. I found the poem on the Internet

scan0005.jpg christmas goose

2008-11-01T20:51:00.001-04:00

scan0005.jpg christmas goose
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

According to neighbors, this goose who I used a photo reference for is close to 21 years old and has hung around McCurdy Park with ducks who have adopted each other. She is so used to people that she walked right up to my car window to see what I was eating. I thought she would make a neat Christmas card!

christmas goose with wreath

2008-11-01T20:50:00.001-04:00

christmas goose with wreath
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

Same goose as before only with different accesories.

2008-10-31T10:14:00.002-04:00

We are very fortunate to have a stained glass piece hanging in our bathroom where I work. It was made by a retired elemenatary principal ...who does this now as his hobby. Iwent into the bathroom on a beautiful autumn day and saw the reflection of the leaves coming through this piece...it was so beautiful.

Fishtown, Leland Michigan 2

2008-10-30T23:26:00.001-04:00

Another try at painting a building from our trip to FishTown, Leland, Michigan

Barn

2008-10-30T07:58:00.003-04:00

this barn was painted in watercolors from a reference photo that I had taken just this fall while on a jaunt around the country side. It was another "lonesome" building in need of some repair, but it had a certain quaintness to it...especially with the clothesline that was out front!

Metal Rooster and Pumpkin

2008-10-28T21:41:00.004-04:00

I had fun doing this rooster all in watercolor....trying to get the metallic effect was fun.

fishtown, Leland Michigan

2008-10-27T20:29:00.001-04:00

fishtown, Leland Michigan
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

All watercolor. My goal to be more free when painting and to not worry so much about including all of the details.

pumpkins

2008-10-26T21:32:00.001-04:00

pumpkins
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

Pastels

SAC Sketch Crawl, Sat. Oct. 25, 2008

2008-10-26T10:35:00.001-04:00

SAC Sketch Crawl, Sat. Oct. 25, 2008
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

This was our first sketch crawl at the gallery (Shiawassee Arts Center) where I work in Owosso, Michigan. That is me on the right! We had a lot of fun and had probably about 25 participants. Some went outside around town and the rest stayed inside. Our new gallery has windows all around with a view of a castle, swinging bridge, river, first settlers cabin in Owosso, and beautiful fall trees. It was very informal--registration began at 9:30 am and we wrapped it up at 3:00 pm. We are anxious to hold another one soon. There are a lot more pictures of artists on my flick'r site and blog. Hope that you didn't mind my posting this on Everyday Matters site as it is not a sketch, but thought you might like to take a look. I was one of the organizers and if you are interested I could give you more detail...so your town could participate.

October Virtual Sketch Date

2008-10-22T20:49:00.001-04:00

pears
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

This is my first attempt at using soft pastels! I really enjoyed using this media. This is for the Virtual Sketch Day to be posted on Saturday, but wanted to get it on line as we are doing the Sketch Crawl (www.sketchcrawl.com) where I work on Saturday and wanted to have this completed...also it is the big Michigan State vs. Michigan game and we have a tailgate party tomorrow night for hospital donations! I painted 11 pumpkins for centerpieces!

scan0038.jpgrooster

2008-10-17T22:48:00.001-04:00

scan0038.jpgrooster
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

Another attempt....

Sketch Crawl-Mid Michigan Area

2008-10-16T17:13:00.002-04:00

The Shiawassee Arts Center and the Shiawassee Artists’ Guild presents:
SketchCrawl.com drawing marathons from around the world

Dear Artists and Fellow Artists Guild Members

We are anxious to hold our first ever SketchCrawl along the beautiful Shiawassee River in downtown Owosso. This event is being sponsored by the Shiawassee Arts Center (SAC) and the the Shiawassee Artists’ Guild.

You ask…what is a sketch crawl? This event is where artists from all over the world get together (so to speak) and draw! The basic idea is to record non-stop everything and anything you can around you with your favourite artist mediums…watercolour, pastel, pencil, charcoal, oils, acrylic, just to name a few. Willing participants will have their work photographed and uploaded to the www.sketchcrawl.com website to be viewed all over the world on this fun/artistic day!
One of our main goals is just for fellow artists, young and old/children and adults/professional and beginners, to meet, get together, to share, and most importantly, have fun.

Now for the details:

Where: along the Shiawassee River in Curwood Castle Park between the SAC and Curwood Castle. Registration will take place on the front porch of the Shiawassee Arts Center, 206 Curwood Castle Drive.

When: Saturday October 25, 2008

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m and we will end around 3:00 pm. You are invited to come anytime between these hours. You can stay 1 hour or the entire time…we’re hoping that when you come, you won’t want to go home!

What to Bring: Your friends, your artist supplies, something to sit on, snacks, … even walking shoes if you want to walk around town. We will be serving chilli, crackers, sheet cake and fruit/water, coffee, and cider will be available….all for a donation to SAC.

Cost: FREE…however, any donations will kindly be accepted

We will be holding this event rain or shine…in case of inclement weather, we will gather inside SAC in our beautiful new gallery (which will be open during the day). We would really like it if you would RSVP your intentions…just so we have some idea of how many to expect for food, etc. You can e-mail back to sue@shiawasseearts.org. or call SAC at 989.723.8354. You can also visit our website at http://www.shiawasseearts.org/.

Looking forward to October 25th and hopefully, seeing you here,

Susan Newcom, Gallery Manager

Across the Lake

2008-10-13T22:09:00.001-04:00

Across the Lake
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

Went away this weekend and this was a sketch done from the dock where we were staying

scan0046.jpgchair

2008-09-30T21:44:00.001-04:00

scan0046.jpgchair
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

A combination of watercolor/pen and ink

An Award!!!!

2008-09-29T08:42:00.009-04:00

Ohh! My weekend has been so exciting thanks to Margaret and kazumiwannabe...thank you for the honor that you bestowed upon me regarding my artwork and blog.

This is an award for arty blogs in WORDS, PICTURES, DRAWINGS and THOUGHTS...I'm sending it now to :

http://www.kazumiwannabe.blogspot.com/

http://jocastilloartblog.blogspot.com/

http://soulbrush.blogspot.com/

http://carpediem-marion.blogspot.com/

http:///artbyanita.blogspot.com

http://andreajoseph24.blogspot.com
You know the rules, now pass it on!

September Virtual Sketch

2008-09-27T09:09:00.003-04:00

September Virtual Sketch

This is the second time that I have actually participated in this monthly event...it is so much fun. I almost missed out this month...forgotten all about it until the day before the event was over...phew. This is a beautiful tree peony. I tried to do "pure"watercolor, but was so hard with the paleness of the colors, that I had to resort to my all time favorite of pen and ink. Was a great and beautiful photograph to be challenged with. thank you.

mason library

2008-09-25T21:29:00.001-04:00

mason library
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

A drawing using a no. 4 pencil--didn't think I would get all of the bricks done...working on lights and darks.

poppy 2

2008-09-04T22:58:00.001-04:00

poppy 2
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

This one is watercolor with just a teeny bit of ink in the center and around the dots on the sides. Any hints on how not to make everything so dark. I was basically happy with this, but once again lost some of the values!

dilapidated barn

2008-09-04T22:57:00.001-04:00

dilapidated barn
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

From photo reference watercolor and ink. Wanted just watercolor, but those darn values!!!!

2008-08-30T23:17:00.002-04:00

In our city of Owosso, we have a castle...the writing studio of author, James Oliver Curwood, who wrote many books including The Bear that was made into motion picture. I painted this picture in watercolor. I do notice one mistake (among several) where I did not get the angle right on the right side of the door. If I were going to paint this on watercolor paper....I would need to change that.

2008-08-30T15:09:00.002-04:00

This is my sketch that I did for the Virtual Sketch Drawing...I came across it through Sherry Roberts after commenting on her photograph that she had posted on her blog--and whose photograph was the picture used for this month's sketch. When tackling this drawing, I thought it was extremely difficult to sketch with all the intricacies involved in the plant. At one point, I could feel my anxiety starting to peak...as it was hard to see where I was in the picture...however, it started falling into place and got easier...once I loosened up and told myself it did not have to look entirely like the photograph. I used watercolor and then ink to help bring out the details...I still have time just doing to values in paintings. I am looking forward to doing next month's sketch and thank you Sherry for getting me involved in this endeavor and also for allowing the use of your beautiful photograph.

candle from pottery barn

2008-08-29T21:46:00.001-04:00

candle from pottery barn
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

watercolor

mason street light

2008-08-28T22:10:00.001-04:00

mason street light
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

The town where my daughter lives...reference photo while waiting for 4th of July parade to begin. I love the detail on their street lights.

poppies

2008-08-28T22:08:00.001-04:00

poppies
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

pen, ink, oil pastels. Just wanted to experiment with painting poppies. Need to practice more. I wish I had a bright, bright red.

eyecare clinic in Mason

2008-08-26T23:27:00.001-04:00

eyecare clinic in Mason
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

eyecare clinic in Mason

bike rentals

2008-08-24T10:42:00.001-04:00

bike rentals
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

Used pastels on this sketch. Also staedler 3.5 mm pen and winsor newton black ink with nib pen.

Building downtown Grand Rapids

2008-08-20T21:09:00.001-04:00

Building downtown Grand Rapids
Originally uploaded by slndjn1

Hard picture to draw...decided to make it more abstract than realistic...mainly experimented...windows hard to get a correct angle. Watercolor, pen and ink and a little watercolor pencil

Irises and Rock--Heritage Park

2008-08-16T13:37:00.004-04:00

This is a picture drawn from a scene at Heritage Park along the Shiawassee River--at the dam. There is a wonderful small garden that is maintained by volunteers...that is chocked full of perennials, a bench with two children reading (in honor of a past superintendent of schools), a gazing ball, birdhouses and more. It is a beautiful little spot.

Building in downtown Grand Rapids

2008-08-16T13:23:00.002-04:00

This is my EDM #29 drawing of a building that we were walking towards in downtown Grand Rapids--after visiting the Grand Rapids Art Museum. We were headed toward the parking ramp and then onward to get some caffeine as the six of us our "tails" were dragging. This is done with a staedler 3.5 pen and watercolor wash.

Bicycle with Flowers, Chelsea, Michigan

2008-08-15T23:04:00.002-04:00

This is my EDM #35 for today. I have had this reference picture for a year now. I loved the bicycle when I saw it outside a store in Chelsea, Michigan. We were on an afternoon trip with our Artists Guild Group. Chelsea is a cool city with galeries, antiques....and most of all a wonderful restaurant called The Common Grill and the Purple Rose Theatre which is owned by actor Jeff Daniels---who lives in this city when he is not off filming a movie somewhere. It is also the home of Jiffy baking mixes...where you can take a tour of the plant. My sketch is done in pen and ink and then filled in with a watercolor wash.

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

2008-08-12T20:11:00.001-04:00

I did this picture while watching my granddaughter yesterday. Scan wasn't good. I think I need to switch over to a better journal. Was determined to fill this one as it was my first, but it just gets all crinkled up when water is applied.

2008-08-09T21:33:00.004-04:00

This is a watercolor/pen and ink that I did in June of this year. The background is of an old house that is in the Corunna Historical Village...the geese were walking in front of where I work at the Gallery in Owosso...combined two reference photos to make the painting. I am going to frame and mat the original and try to sell it. The City of Corunna is having a founder's day celebration in September...hopefully someone will enjoy it and give it a nice home. The original is appr. 12x12

This is my daily drawing for Friday/Saturday--I will put it under EDM #175--draw a basket and draw its contents. I wish I could just paint a watercolor, but I always turn back to relying on my pen and ink in addition to the painting. Oh Well....

2008-08-07T16:25:00.002-04:00

This is the cover for an invitation for a friend that is doing a high tea for a lady in our community and about six of her friends. It will be mounted on another paper and then attached to a card. Next, have to do the inside of the invitation. At least the hard part is done!!! I was going to do something that was red for my EDM but this will work!!!

2008-08-06T12:48:00.001-04:00

I don't know if blogging is a godsend or not! I spend way too much time blogging and not enough time doing the things I really need to be doing. I have been good about sketching daily. I need also to sketch some serious stuff, but it has been fun the last couple of days doing the drawing and captioning.

a french door

2008-08-05T09:32:00.002-04:00

This is a watercolor painting that I did and recently it was donated and auctioned off at a benefit for a friend of mine whose husband lost his battle with cancer and daughter who was killed by a drunk driver on her way to deliver a college paper that was due.

2008-08-04T23:28:00.002-04:00

My not quite a truck drawing This is my not quite a truck drawing, but when I saw the everyday matters assignment for this week, it inspired me to do something that I had thought about for quite a while. Back in the 50's when I was around 10 years old, my Mother was purchased a late 1940's Kaiser by my Father. It was quite special back then for a family to have two cars, so my mom did lots of driving around Detroit in this car--toting herself, myself and my two sisters around the Northwest section of the Metro City. This car was bright turquoise. It was a good car except for one flaw...it had a bad habit of locking gears--always at a busy intersection (Usually Grand River and Greenfield in the left turn lane). I can remember my mother getting highly agitated and using a not nice vocabulary consisting of words of not more than four letters. When the Kaiser had outlived its usefulness, my parents sold it to a junk yard for a total of $22.00 and that car became our first family picnic table!Labels: truck drawing

2008-08-04T23:16:00.002-04:00

This is a watercolor class that I took at the Art Gallery where I work. This is my first large watercolor painting....it took me 5 tries before I got it right. It was recently in an exhibit...made me feel great when I had it finished, matted and framed.