Lakeshore Poppies, Approaching Storm

Lakeshore Poppies, Approaching Storm
Watercolor in watercolor moleskine A3
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
Click images to view larger

I painted this this morning in my round 4 Moleskine with watercolors. Last night, I did the one below, which is smaller and in a different oritnetation and with gouache instead of watercolor.

I am tempted to darken the Moley one a little (so it looks more like the Graham-cracker-box one), but haven't decided yet.  I guess Iw ill do more work first and come back to it if I have time.

This is my third page in the Round 4 Sketchbook.

If you are interested, you can read about my Graham cracker box sketchbook here. I also did a raisin-box sketchbook here.  Although some of the images don't show up in the small versions, they do show up if you click on them.

For some reason, the images look a little washed out on my screen--they look brighter if you click on them.

Lakeshore Poppies, Approaching Storm
5 x 7 gouache sketch
in Graham cracker sketchbook on Canson mi-teientes
by Mary Stebbins Taitt

Round 4, First Pocket

I have two pocket items for the first mole that comes my way.  The first one you've seen as a photo, but it's dry enough now to scan--It's the wandering minstrel, the Mandolin player, done in water soluble oils.

The Wandering Minstrel, The Mandolin Player
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
Water-soluble oils
for the first round 4 pocket.
size: I cut this exactly to fit the Mole pocket, hopefully.

The second pocket item is for fun.  It is a bit weird and silly.  I was playing with oil pastels.  My question was, how would they work on dark paper.  I actually went to the store and bought the paper just to experiment--I've got my teeth into exploring oil pastels at the moment.  I like them because they are bright and don't stink (like the fixative for soft pastels, chalk pastels.)  I had in mind sort making a mandala from a poppy.  When I was nearly finished, I tried to sand off on of the bumps that had formed and the layers of varnish and oil pastel delaminated.  This is something I'd been afraid of and had a series of other tests and had not managed to delaminate any of the tests--nut this one did.  The peeled off pieces felt like flower petals so, for fun, I glued them on.

Poppy Mandala with Torn Petal
First Round 4 Pocket item
Mary Stebbins Taitt
oil pastels and acrylic varnish
Click to view larger.
8.5 x 11

 The next painting (drawing?) is another in my series of tests of oil pastels and acrylic varnish.  It's on one of my practice sketchbooks, an old one, painted (drawn?) over an old failed painting.  One thing oil pastels, I have not yet learned how to do detail.  Nor can I do it with a palette (painting) knife, as seen above.)  The oil pastels tend to shed little lumps of pastel material which then builds up with successive layers to make "pimples."  These pimples are weak spots from which delamination can begin.  I have no idea about the long-term survival of these pieces, but I think they will not delaminate in the short term, as they did in the poppy mandala above, unless they are subjected to undue stress, eg, sanding.

Ami, age 13
Mary Stebbins Taitt
oil pastels, acrylics and acrylic varnish
in multimedia sketchbook
9 x 12 (part is missing on right, as my scanner is smaller than the paper)

I am not sure how much longer I will continue experimenting with this media or whether I will use it in any serious art.  I will not use it in anyone's sketchbook (Mole) in the exchange unless someone gives me the go-ahead, since the archival nature of the medium is unknown (to me) at this time.  For some reason, I seem to be taken by the medium at the moment.  Trying to ascertain its possibilities.

Round 4 Moleskine Cover, SP with Biker Buddy

Self Portrait with Biker Buddy
"tentative final"
click this and all images to view larger

Yesterday, my new Round 4 Moleskine arrived in the mail!  YAY!  I'm so excited.  Biker Buddy and I went out and took a self portrait photograph from which I painted the cover of my new Moleskine. Acrylics on gessoed Moleskine cover.  OH--I took pix of the stages again.  I will post them below.

I need to get back to work on my Fellowship application.  No more art until I hear that this round has officially started.

gesso and pencil sketch

blocking

underpainting and first coat

adding highlights and first details

Traveling Minstrel, Round 4 Experiment

I decided to try an experiment.  I am painting an oil pointing with water soluble oils for the first Round 4 pocket that I get.  The time for someone to prepare and mail their moleskine and then for me to have time as well should allow the painting to dry.

While experimenting, I decided to use only a palette (painting) knife.  So there are several factors that are fairly new for me--including the water soluble oils and the palette knife.  The painting is done on watercolor paper treated with two layers of gesso.

Click on images to view larger.  I'm including my process, not that I know what I'm doing.

sketch

added darks in india ink

Blocking in some of the color with pig markers

adding the water soluble oils part 1

adding the water soluble oils part 2

This is not finished yet, but it needs to dry a little before I attempt to add more detail.  I have a glassine to put it in to protect it in the pocket and to protect other things from it.

adding some details

Still not done--one thing I added was eyelashes, hard to do (for me) with a palette knife I mean painting knife.   Still needs more work.

Round 4 HURRAH!!!!

For the pocket of the first Round 4 Moleskine that comes my way, I have created two mandalas and a set of mini mandalas.  I am so excited for another round of the Moleskine Exchange.  YAY!

I am waiting to post a movie of the Round 3 Moleskine until I finish it. There were a lot of blank pages.