Winter views in watercolor

Today I have a few winter scenes in my sketchbook to share with you.

Happy Thursday! 😊

Out for a winter walk with the pup.

My eyes go right to the cozy blue jacket and the winter boots. I really like the color palette and simplicity.

Winter Day

I used a limited palette in this gray winter landscape.

The dry brush work and fine lines in the foreground were made with thicker paint (less water). Those darker details in the foreground come forward and help to create depth.

Walking dogs at the park.

Here I added a covered path and another walker in the distance. Those simple additions really help tell a story. I’m happy that I decided to try something new and challenge myself with painting figures.

I hope you are inspired to create art and have fun. Until next time, share a smile and stay excellent!

Patty Anne 💚

Join me on Instagram @pattyanneart

Multiple Sketchbooks

I always have multiple sketchbooks on hand to work in. I like a multimedia sketchbook that can handle watercolor and has a nice smooth surface for ink sketching too.

I’m still enjoying painting figures in watercolor and trying to remember that less is more.

Figure painting is a great way to warm up and explore.

I pulled out my ink brush pen not knowing what I wanted to sketch. I thought about the fun shapes the pen makes and started to experiment with flower centers. I kept playing and created this nice floral. I love the contrast in this sketch.

Sometimes you have to just jump in and sketch. If you don’t like it you can always turn the page and try something else. It’s a sketchbook after all and there are no rules. 😊

In this poppy painting there was a lot of experimenting with leaves and seed heads. The painting could use some darker colors. Maybe I will explore this further in another painting on heavier watercolor paper.

I hope you enjoyed this quick trip through my sketchbook. Until next time, share a smile and shine on!

-Patty Anne 💜

Join me on Instagram @pattyanneart

Something new – painting figures

I recently decided to try painting figures. I’ve been wanting to add people to my landscapes for a while now so I watched a few videos online to help me get started. Today I have a few tips to share with you that have really helped me.

My thought is to keep it simple starting off with views from behind.
-no hands or shoes necessary
-keep brush stokes to a minimum (that is a challenge)
-start off with a jacket first then add legs with simple brush strokes.
-be careful with head size, not too big
-add few darker areas of shadow

I love that little pop of color on the scarf and hat.

Here I started with a few figures and then played around and added a background of city buildings.

Out for a walk hand in hand. This simple scene makes me smile.

Chilly walk in the park was a good practice too.

I’m not sure where my art will take me this year but I hope to keep working on landscapes and dropping in more people and animals. I needed a new challenge and something fun to work on. I think this will be a good direction for me this year.

What are your creative goals this year?

I hope you are inspired to create art and have fun. Thank you so much for your kindness and support. Wishing you all the best this year friends! 💜

-Patty Anne-

Join me on Instagram @pattyanneart