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Category: Watercolor

The Creative Process

The Creative Process

The Creative Process, A Peak inside my Empty Watercolor Journal

Do you enjoy the anticipation of an upcoming vacation or trip?  Do you practice packing your suitcase with your favorite clothes?  To me the journey begins way before walking out the door, suitcase in hand.  I love preparing my art supplies for my travels.  Planning for my upcoming trip, Painting the Italian light, Orvieto, Italy.  My smaller journal is a Strathmore 400 Field Watercolor Sketchbook.  For years I have had a love/hate relationship with the Strathmore field book.  Every other piece of (crappy) watercolor page alternates with a piece of drawing paper.  This drawing paper is where my mixed-media imagination soars and I have probably filled at least 20 of these journals with art from my travels.

Pages in my journal prepared for the trip
First page in my new journal with inspiring quote.

in order to compensate for the not so great watercolor paper I tear my Strathmore Sketchbook apart.  I kept the metal coil and the black hard covers.  I  filled it with Arches 140 paper alternating with Strathmore 400 series drawing paper.  I prepared the drawing papers with colorful backgrounds and finished the first page with an inspiring quote for my upcoming trip: “To Paint…. to travel…. the combine the two is to celebrate life”  (Jack Brouwer). 

Paint, Finding Inspiration

Paint, Finding Inspiration

Artists can get a little bogged down once in awhile and need the inspiration to paint

Sometimes artists need the inspiration to paint.  Maybe it is because we tend to paint the same subject matter, use the same color scheme, or feel like we are not growing in our art.  One way to get a jump start on the new day ahead is to browse through the latest issue of the Art Journaling magazine.  It is always filled with colorful, edgy, creative art.  I am excited to say that my Baja Journal is featured in the latest issue of Art Journaling!

Paint with Art Journaling
I was published in Art Journaling

This is the cover of the new Art Journaling magazine published by Stampington and Co.  I love seeing the brightly colored orange flower against the powder blue background.  It is so simply painted and with the added splashes of white paint, the artist makes it look loose and lively.  Why not try painting this flower to get you started on a colorful day!  Simple, colorful and fun.

Another idea for finding inspiration is to paint along with an art DVD.  I have several available for purchase with the online shop at the Artful Gathering the online art retreat.  Check it out!

Art Journaling Magazine!

Art Journaling Magazine!

Art Journaling Summer 2018 Magazine Available July 1st!

Just out is the new ART JOURNALING MAGAZINE.  The new Stampington Magazine is available for purchase.  My article, Baja Journey Journal, is about including flora and fauna in my watercolor art journals.  I show how I use field notes to collect information about the birds and animals that I observe.  The field notes are helpful to my paintings and drawings.

Watercolor Journaling, Part 2

Watercolor Journaling, Part 2

In my last post, Watercolor Journaling, Part 1, I wrote, “It is all about timing and developing a feel for how much water is in the paint, on the brush, and on the paper.  The water on the paper is continually drying as you are painting unless you are adding more and more water.  Don’t do that!  Try to add less and less water as the paint dries.  See what happens!”  I am hoping that you practiced this and are beginning to see how the relationship between the paper drying, the amount of water in your brush, and the amount of water in your watercolor paint.  It is all so fun to play and discover the subtleties of watercolors! 

More tips for watercolor journaling:
1.      Continue to build up layers and layers of watercolor paint, letting each layer dry before painting the next.  Another word for this is glazing.  Applying a glaze on top of the same color darkens the value. The more glazes you add, the darker the value will become. 
2.     You can also glaze with a different color than what you started with.  Play with glazing the same colors over each other or choose a different color.
3.     Continue painting with glazes until you are done. 
Example of glazing colors on top of each other

 Hint:  Don’t spend a lot of time fussing over the part you are glazing.  This will start to dissolve the dried layers underneath and will cause the layers to mix, creating mud, instead of laying on top of each other.  

Watercolor art painting workshops
Painting Workshop in Provence, France 2019!

Painting Workshop in Provence, France 2019!

Here is some information about my

Painting Workshop in Provence, France 2019!

I am so excited to tell you about this fun painting workshop in May 2019!  Check out details at French Escape

Watercolor Workshop

You will learn to incorporate watercolor and mixed-media techniques as we spend on a magical time together.  In this watercolor workshops, we will explore the area, rich with sights, sounds, and colors.  This is all wonderful inspiration for developing your artistic eye. Our host will be frenchescapade.com. They will provide many delicious meals cooked by a French chef and transportation to painting sites. We will stay in a charming hotel with a little river meandering through the garden.  There is an outside swimming pool, a hot tub, and a riverside terrace bar all surrounded by impressive mountains. This workshop is available for all levels, beginners and experienced artists are all invited to come along on this delightful trip!

 

Check out my latest newsletter

Artist Jacqueline Newbold enjoys painting life in color!  Her color-filled watercolor paintings capture a moment in time.  She loves to paint the sunlight on red poppies, the glow of a Tuscan village perched on a mountaintop, and the brilliance of a dramatic Oregon Cascade Mountain sunset.  Jacqueline loves to share her passion for watercolor painting and mixed-media art journaling by teaching in her Art in My Heart private studio, the Art Unraveled Art Retreats in Phoenix, the Art & Soul Retreats in Portland, Oregon, France, and Italy.  She teaches private watercolor lessons, classes, and workshops in her private art studio in Bend, Oregon.

10 Tips in 10 Days – Free EBook from Interweave Press

10 Tips in 10 Days – Free EBook from Interweave Press

Here are some fun journaling tips from Interweave Press and Cloth Paper Scissors.  This free ebook features my article on Travel Journals, Using Maps as a Starting Point.  

Art journaling is a way to express yourself through writing and art at the same time.  This creative process pulls together a variety of materials to create mixed-media art.  In this free ebook you will get art journaling tips, including how to make a travel journal from maps, how to make an art journal instages, and how to choose the right tools for your art journal adventures!

10 Tips in 10 Days – Watercolor, French Vermilion

10 Tips in 10 Days – Watercolor, French Vermilion

Here is my new favorite color – French Vermilion by Sennelier Watercolor.

Vermilion is a dazzling red pigment originally made from a powdered volcanic mineral – cinnabar.  It was used in the art and decoration of Ancient Rome, in the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages, Renaissance paintings and in Chinese lacquerware.  I love it for its brightness and vividness.   It is great for painting red poppies!
Check out my TEACHING SCHEDULE!

Up-close of Poppies


Playing with my Muse and Color

Playing with my Muse and Color

Introducing Pixie Star!  She showed up to help me along in my creative endeavors….

Ooh!
 Pixie Star loves being surrounded by color!

Pixee Star and I have been playing around with my color palette.  Those of you who know me, know that I am obsessed with color and watercolor is my favorite medium.  In preparing for my All About Color class that I am teaching in my Bend, Oregon Studio, I took a closer look at the yellows on my palette.  My goal was to have the warmest yellow and the coolest yellow available.  I am happy to announce that I found a cooler yellow than I already had!  It is the Daniel Smith Lemon Yellow.  It is bright, fresh, and semi-transparent.  Next I will try using it in triad and tetrad mixes.  If I come up with something great, I will let you know!
Here are some photos from my Color Class.  There is some serious color study going on!

All About Color Classes in Bend, Oregon

All About Color Classes in Bend, Oregon

Local Watercolor Classes 2017

ALL ABOUT COLOR

Tuesdays, January 17, 24, 31, 2017 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Using watercolor as the medium, you will learn the secrets of mixing colors to create vibrant watercolors and control those dull lifeless areas in your paintings. With a deeper understanding of the relationships between colors you will be painting with confidence!
Cost:  $90 for the three classes 
Leave me a comment if you are interested in joining or have questions about this color workshop.  There are just a few spots left!


Finding Inspiration to Paint, Part 4

Finding Inspiration to Paint, Part 4

Here is another idea to get you going…. watch a YouTube video.  There are lots of free ones by lots of artists.  I have to tell you though, some of them are really boring and the end result is not what I aspire to.  So what I do is to fast forward to see the final painting and then invest the time to watch the video if I think the painting is good.  Here are a couple of YouTube videos that are demos of how to paint…

Fast video of how I paint a field of flowers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttywat9RQDs

How to paint palm trees

Here is one where I show what supplies are needed to get started with watercolor painting.
If you find a video you like, look to the right side of the YouTube page and you will see recommendations of other similar videos to watch.  Warning!  Watch a couple then go paint!  I know that I could spend all day watching other people paint but this is to inspire you to paint!