Watercolor Sketching Workshop in Winter Garden Florida

The more I teach the more I realize I love to teach!  We had a glorious weekend with the arrival of some cooler weather, which only lasted the weekend by the way, it's hot again!  I can't remember since moving to Florida seventeen years ago it ever being this hot this late in November!  I digress.... I had three lovely ladies join me for a weekend of sketching and they were great!  Sketching in the morning and afternoon is tiring and they were real troopers and really enjoyed it.

Sketching the Red Caboose and Train Station

I'm hearing from students in all of my workshops that I cover many topics that most instructors  don't discuss and they are so happy to discover and learn about!  There were quite a few light bulb moments in this workshop, which I was thrilled about!  I love that I can help others move forward with their painting/sketching practice and that I'm providing them with many take aways.

The Crooked Can Brewery, in Stillman & Birn Alpha Series Sketchbook

In this watercolor sketching workshop since we were sketching in Downtown Historic Winter Garden and focusing mostly on architecture, I covered  different perspective views, horizon lines, vanishing points, one and two point perspective and proportions.  Proportions are key, it took me a while when I first started sketching to figure out how to measure and make sure what I wanted to sketch fit on the page!  How many of you have started sketching something only to run out of room on your paper?

An added bonus for me is that while I'm explaining all of this to others I can't help but grow and improve myself!

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Plein Air Painting at Epcot, Morocco

There is a group of artists that goes out every Friday to paint at Epcot and I'm joining them to make it a "painting practice" similar to a yoga practice.  Just like yoga, it clears the mind and you feel great after you do it! I'm really enjoying it because it reminds me of watercolor sketching on my travels, and since we are painting the countries in World Showcase at Epcot, it especially feels that way!   This was my third time and already I can feel an improvement in drawing, painting and time management. (I have posted a number or my watercolor travel sketches you can see by clicking here.  You can scroll through and look at a number of older posts.)

These sessions I'm painting a bit more in detail than what I normally do in my watercolor sketch book but I'm trying to stay loose and spontaneous as I do while sketching.  It's hard not to get too caught  up in the details.

Work in Progress

I feel the key has been for me to take time with the drawing, site measuring and getting the proportions accurate.  There is nothing more frustrating than to put a really loose drawing down, start to paint then realizing there is something way off, which is what happened to me a few weeks ago.  I spent about an hour on this drawing, block in.  Knowing I was going to paint, I wasn't too detailed with the pencil work. I'm drawing with a mechanical pencil and painting on a  9 x 12 Arches Watercolor Block.

The last couple of times I stayed for two hours, this time three.  One hour dedicated to drawing and two for painting.  Having more time for the painting allowed me to get closer to a finished painting, but I still feel I have a few areas and values I would like to tweak.

I'm also being more conscious of composition and editing out details, not wanting to paint an area just because it's there if I feel it won't work in the painting.  You can see from the view that I edited out the white building on the left.  I didn't want a big white block on one side of the painting.

If you paint plein air or sketch in watercolor, I wold love for you to make comments and share any tips!

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Plein Air Painting in Italy, Epcot

Last week I had the fortunate opportunity to plein air paint with some Walt Disney Imagineers in Italy, at Epcot.  We arrived at sun up to have just shy of a couple of hours to paint.  Instead of working in my sketch book I thought I would give the plein air easel a go and work on piece of paper.  I don't know why but when I'm working in the sketch book I'm looser and don't focus on the details as much.  I need to start applying that same mentality to the piece of paper!  Maybe I should work smaller to have the same size surface as my sketchbook and I won't have the urge to be as detailed.  

It was a glorious day and it's so magical being in the park before the guests arrive!

Next time I'm going to force myself to be quicker with the drawing/sketch so there is more time for painting.

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Respite from a Cold Winter Day, Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil, Paris France

Here is watercolor sketch I did of the big green house.  I like to use some permanent ink with some of my sketches, specifically when it’s architecture.  This was not done in the winter time but on a glorious summer day!  

We are having a bit of a cold snap here in Florida.  Although, I can’t complain compared to the winter weather in the rest of the country!  Having lived so many years in Californiaand Florida, I don’t do winter very well.  The three times I have lived in Paris the winters were brutal for me.  My last time living there in the 16th arrondissement, I found a treasure not far from home,  the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil.  It’s on the edge of the Bois de Boulougneand it dates back to 1761 under the reign of Louis XV.  It consists of a parterre garden with a huge greenhouse, and aviary, that was open all year round.  I read that they used to store the citrus trees from Versailles here in a hot-house during winter.

Many Paris winter days can be cold, damp, and grey.  When I needed a tropical fix, I would go and hang out in the “hot- house.”  I could pretend I was in some exotic tropical location and all the winter blues would just melt away.  It was hard to leave and have the cold air smack you in the face to bring you right back to reality.

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Watercolor Plein Air Painting in Mount Dora, Florida

Last weekend my husband and I made a date to go plein air painting.  It's nice to have a spouse who is also an artist! :-)  We went to a quant little town near us called Mount Dora.  It was a popular winter retreat in the late 1800's.  Since it's on a beautiful lake, people would visit for hunting, fishing, and boating.  When the train depot was built in the early 1900's, it became even more popular.  Today, it is a quaint little town, with lots of antique shops, restaurants, a wonderful art center and a few galleries and artist studios. Instead of painting in my sketch book, I decided to break out the easel and go for a larger painting.  We painted for a little over 2 hours, and had to call it quits because it was just getting too hot!  It still hasn't really cooled off here yet!   I will tweak this one a bit in the studio, finishing the train car and adjusting values  before I call it finished.

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Kraft Azalea Garden in Winter Park Florida and A Wonderful Memory

I have had some real bittersweet moments this week.  We took my daughter to college last weekend and my husband and I are officially empty nesters.  I have had my moments of sadness because, of course,  I will miss her dearly.  But, I am also very excited at the same time, as she starts her new life adventure, fulfilling her dreams!

One afternoon a few weeks ago we went Winter Park and she and I wondered around the Kraft Azalea Garden on Lake Maitland, during the “magic hour”  when the afternoon light has that golden hue casting long shadows and creating a patchwork of lights and darks on the lawn.

This painting was done there.  It’s a small work, 8” x 10”, 20cm x 25cm, featuring the exedra, which is a portico with a bench or seats where people may converse, especially inancient Greek and Roman houses.  This beautiful spot is known for sunset wedding ceremonies.

This painting is available for sale, price is $250, plus, $15.95 shipping.

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