Jacqueline’s Blog

Fun Itailian Pens

Fun Itailian Pens

There is just something about pens. I love them, collect them, and I am always on the search for the perfect pen.   Do you like pens? I found some fabulously pen stores in Italy. Do you collect pens hoping to find a new favorite pen? 

Singing in the Rain

Singing in the Rain

Oh what a wonderful feeling!  80% chance of rain and the Italians were serious about that. When it rains in Orvieto,  the heavens just open up and dump a whole bunch of water with a large splash of lighting and thunder.  It was market day in Orvieto and the lucky people owned umbrellas. There were no umbrellas for the dogs but this cute one found a dry spot under a table at the market.  Eventually we had to take refuge in a pastry shop. OH darn!

Roaming around Roma

Roaming around Roma

Rome is a lovely city to roam around. It is even fun to get lost in the tangled web of cobblestone streets. I found a cute restaurant in a pedestrian area, Vitti, enjoying an aperol spritz while I painted the scene before me in my watercolor art journal.  I was shadded by giant umbrellas and entertained by charming Italian waiters eagerly watching the evolution of my painting.

What’s Inside?

What’s Inside?

In a couple weeks I will be painting in Italy.  My last post was about my new cool JetPens.com pencil bag.

It is a perfect size for holding just about everything I need to do some paintings-on-the-go in my watercolor travel journal.  Now I want to show you what I put inside it.  I have three miniature palettes and a set of travel brushes that are great for traveling.  I like these mini palettes because they each hold 12 colors and have removable 1/2 pans.  That means that I can put whatever colors I desire in on my palette.  If I find I no longer and using a certain color, then I can easily switch it out for another color.

The brushes are from Jackson’s Art Supplies.  It is hard to find good travel brushes and this is a great set!  If you just order brushes you will get free shipping.

A Great Idea!

A Great Idea!

I got this nice pencil case from Jetpens.com.  It’s large enough to put a ton of pens in.  It also holds 2 of my mini palettes and my set of traveling watercolor brushes. There are three pockets and it comes in lots of fun colors. It is definitely going to Italy will me for my Colors of Umbria workshop.  It will be perfect for painting in the town.

Here I am using my new bag in Maine

Come Paint with me in Italy!

Come Paint with me in Italy!

Join me for a fun filled watercolor painting adventure in Orvieto, Italy, May 2016!  I will be teaching The Colors of Umbria: Keeping a Watercolor Journal.  You will create a visual diary of watercolor painting, journaling and mixed media as you slow down and savor your time in Italy.
I am offer more online classes this year with Artful Gathering Online Retreat.  Registration is now open!  You can paint along beside me from the comfort of your own home.  Creating texture, colorful whites, and how to get a range of values are just a few of the techniques I will cover in this workshop.  Here is an example of one of the paintings we painted in 2015.  The DVD is now available for purchase:

Looking for Inspiration

Looking for Inspiration

Hi Guys, I am in Maine, in the fog, enjoying family vacation and the beautiful scenery.  The fog has rolled in and it has been pouring down rain.  So it is a good day to play board games and catch up on computer stuff.  I have been organizing my upcoming fun classes at Art Unraveled starting in just 1 week!  Here are a few photos I wanted to share with you.  I love traveling to new places and getting inspiration for fun watercolor paintings.  What kinds of things do you take photos of for painting inspiration?  Please share what inspires you…
I hope you are all enjoying your summer!

Fun Ideas for Your Watercolor Journal

Fun Ideas for Your Watercolor Journal

In the summer issue of PAGES magazine, I give you another fun idea for how to add interest to your watercolor journal.  This article is about how to use black gesso.  I hope you enjoy trying this cool technique!

Hot off the Press

Hot off the Press

The new issue of PAGES is out and available for purchase.  I wrote two articles for this idea filled summer issue.  I wanted to inspire you to embellish your watercolor journals in new and creative ways!

Here are some examples of how I use water-soluble pens in my journals

This article is about using water-soluble pens in your journals.  I even include an easy step-by-step lesson on how to use them.  I hope you enjoy this wonderful issue of PAGES!  This is one of the techniques that I will be covering in my Inky Doodle Watercolor workshop with Art Unraveled, 2014.  The workshop is on Thursday, July 31, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona.