Monday, December 26, 2011

Learning to paint a leaf . . .





I first painted this leaf on November 27, the weekend after Thanksgiving. I had picked it up during my "daily" walk. I was NOT thrilled with my work. (Can you tell that's a skinny acorn next to it--equally unhappy result.)
Today, the day after Christmas, I decided to attempt it again. Since then, I read a post from TheArtGoddess yahoo group, suggesting using scratches to create the veins. I don't really know if that helped, as I sketched the veins first, but it certainly didn't hurt. I also attended a one-day sketching/watercolor workshop with Jane LaFazio in Encinitas and some of her influence is reflected in this entry. I have to note that neither of these sketches are done on water color paper. They're done in my journals meant for sketching, but the paper in both take watercolor well enough. Any problems are based on my skill level, which I think is improving!
BTW, I tried to register for a drawing class in the winter semester at Mount Sac Community College--no such luck. I didn't even make it to the waiting list! Now, I'm trying to add a class with our local Rowland Heights community program. I'm not holding my breath there, either. I'll keep trying, though, and I have LOTS of drawing and watercolor books that I need to use more. Wish me luck!