Take it with a grain of salt

or a handful. . .

In Open Studios, we were watching Judy Morris' DVD, "Tuscan Textures," and playing with her techniques using salt in our watercolors.   She had some good tips -- hold the salt 10" above the painting and only work with an area of wet watercolor the size of your palm.  Timing is also important, and paper for a variety of effects.  Once it is completely dry, use a credit card or palette knife to scrape off the salt.  I had always used my fingers...you will get more texture and better results scraping rather than brushing/rubbing.

You definitely need to play around with your paints beforehand - the pigments will interact differently depending upon transparency.  I will post a picture of my India Ink stripe to demonstrate opaqueness later.  Even if it is the same color, some brands will have varying results.

The types of salt will give different results.  Table salt (she prefers non-iodized), Kosher salt, pretzel salt...I was playing with Pink Himalayan salt from the 99 Cent Store

and I really liked what it did here --

Before I removed the Himalayan pink salt - it has to be completely dry
Patience!
I carried it home on a rimmed aluminum cookie sheet - Also found at the 99 cent store!

Is that not cool or what?!

This was French Ultramarine dropped into Winsor Green and Winsor Red
Look how the salt pulled and mixed the colors
It was almost black before adding the French Ultramarine and salt

"After" photo of Cerulean and Indian Red dropped into each other
Interesting color combination and reaction!

Table salt - I thought this was trickier to use
You have to time it just right with the dampness or else you will
get "stars"
And granted this was also watercolor sketchbook paper -
not the highest quality

The next time I was at the grocery store, I picked up Margarita salt.  I even saw Bacon Salt.

Isn't everything better with bacon, including watercoloring?  I bet those effects would be really cool on lighter colored washes!

This is definitely an exercise and reminder to experiment and have fun.  Different colors/pigments will react differently to different salts and at different times and different amounts of water on the paper.  The fun and unexpectedness of watercolor!

Thursday Tea Time - Go Green--Dilmah Moroccan Mint Green Tea

This had all the makings of a winner - Dilmah, check.  Green tea, check.  Moroccan Mint, check.  So much so I bought two boxes.  I loved the Numi Moroccan Mint Tea and thought this would be a nice Aussie substitute.

The box had 20 tea bags, nicely lined up in foil.  It smelled minty good.  I was even hepped up about the addition of green tea.

Alas, it didn't get out of the starting blocks.  I even used two tea bags as I was going to put some in my Hydroflask for class.  It was pretty wussy.

At first I thought it was because I followed the recommended brewing time of 2 minutes.  So I threw the tea bags back in for another minute and half.  No difference.  I set some aside to add a little creamer to see if it would help, it made it worse.  The taste plain was OK, but not exciting.  It had a mint finish, but nothing that compelled you to keep drinking it.  Even in class, I was like, "I probably still have some tea left to drink" and didn't finish it.  In fact, when I got home I poured it on an outside plant.

I'd have to give this a 2...for a second attempt if you pile on more teabags, and try it iced it may be better that way instead of hot...And giving away the second box.

Sepia! Just say the word

Whenever I see or type the word Sepia, I think of Phil Collins' "Sussudio"  (Sep, Sep, Sepia)

Anyways, during the reorg of the studio I found four different brands and tubes of Sepia.   I am in the process of creating a painting project with old photographs and I must have been grabbing Sepias whenever I would see them.

Which was a good thing, as compared side by side, you can really see the difference.

I remember buying the Cotman when I first started watercolor.  Not knowing anything about brands and pigments.  It's a pretty shade, but pretty wimpy.  And the cap broke into pieces when I tried to open it for the paint off.  No harm, no foul.  I tossed it into the trash.

I was surprised to see how "cool" the Winsor & Newton was compared to the others.  It was definitely an ashy-gray.   For some effects, this would be good.

I learned from Hilary Page that names don't always mean the same color across the brands, and to go by the pigment numbers.

The label on Winsor & Newton - "synthetic iron oxide, carbon black, PBK 6, PR 101

Daniel Smith, second from the left - "burnt umber PBR 7, ivory black PBK9

Holbein - "PBR 7, PBK 6"

So you can see some of the numbers are shared, but not in the same combination.

Holbein is nice, I had splashed water accidentally - it is/was a stronger shade than photographed.  Warmer than WN.  However, not a good lifter once it dried.

But it was the Daniel Smith which appealed to me.  The granulation and the warmth and intensity. I will be using that.

I think it depends upon what YOU like, what your eye sees, which resonates with your creativity.   As they say, your mileage may vary.  And it is fun to experiment and play in the studio...and blog!

The Download

I love to see other people's phones and apps.  The Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition has a regular feature of celebrities' phones, I can discover and learn new tricks and apps.  So here is mine as of last night. 

Number of contacts in phone:  201

Number of unread emails: 55, 186 (!) -- and 46 voice mail messages, more like missed calls as I'm trying to find my phone

First app checked in the morning:  Instagram and Facebook

Last app checked before bedtime:  Pinterest

Site that sucks me in:  YouTube and Pinterest 

Most-used app:  My Fitness Pal and Facebook

Favorite Instagram feed:  My daughter's and gerald_bulldog and yogainspiration

Most listened-to music:  My iTunes playlists

Favorite podcast/s:  Happier with Gretchen Rubin, The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe,  Smithsonian Channel Pick of the Week, The New York Public Library

Cities listed in weather app:  Houston, Austin, Rochester, Sydney

App most likely to be viewed while in a checkout line:  Facebook

Game you really wish you could delete (or the people next to me):  Boggle (it's noisy)

Funniest text message of the week:   GIFs my daughter and I exchange

Most surprising app I depend on:  Waze (I just earned my crown!)

Favorite fitness/workout app:  Map My Walk and YogaGlo

Favorite shopping app:  Amazon

Most-watched entertainment app:  Hulu and Netflix

Most-liked photo in my Instagram feed:  A video of my front garden sprinkler spinning

Favorite Instagram photo filter/s:  Clarendon I'm using more, Juno has always been my go-to from the get-go

Favorite food related app:  Yelp

Favorite ringtone:  Between the raindrops

Craziest place I've lost my phone:  On top of the refrigerator, That's why I still keep my landline phone.

Thursday Tea Time - Grocery shopping fun!

We all know by now I love to visit grocery stores when visiting other cities (and countries!  Hello Coles and Woolworths in Australia!) - particularly the baking and tea aisles.  That's where I found this tea for review at Kaune's Neighborhood Market, an upscale grocery store in Santa Fe, New Mexico

I had never seen this brand - Silk Road Teas - and thought it would make a nice souvenir!  I chose
Yunnan Black, organic Black Tea - 15 tea bags for $7.99.
Its description reads, "leaf and bud, spicy aroma, malty taste...the "mocha of tea" with a slightly peppery taste and mouth-filling sweet finish.  Good for breakfast tea and excellent with desserts..."

The silky triangular tea sachets have long leaves, which almost triple in size after brewing and still retaining their shape.  No "dust" or broken bits here.

I brewed for three minutes, the mug turning a beautiful golden color.  Unusual that it tasted lovely plain but the flavor jumped up even more after adding creamer.  It does have the robustness of a breakfast tea, but also suited for any time of the day you need a tea hit.

Additionally, I was in Santa Fe over three years ago. . .The Enjoy By date stamp on the box was November 2014.  However, it was sealed in a foil wrapper and I gave it chance.  I'm glad I did, imagine if you order/find a more recent box?  I did have difficulties with their website earlier, I could not click through.  But I was able to sign up for an email discount on a future order.

I would definitely look for this locally - at Whole Foods or Central Market first, since it is organic or coffee/tea shops in the California, San Rafael area.

Rating:  4

Impressed by Wal-Mart?!

Yeah, I'm just as surprised as you were reading that title.

Remember when I was in Miami and found the Puroast coffee shop and brought back a box of their Vanilla Nut K-Cups?  After carefully rationing, I finally ran out last week.  I looked all around here locally and on their website since I returned without any luck.  Until I Googled last week and saw that Wal-Mart had them...online!  And for a few dollars less.  I could select free pick up in the store (hell no) or for a few dollars extra ($4.97 but when I got the receipt, I was only charged $2.48)  have it delivered.  The only drawback was the estimated delivery date of August 9.  August 9th?!   Okay.  Just as with Dutch Bros., I could order two boxes for the same postage cost as one box.  So I put in my order with Dutch Bros. and Wal-Mart the evening of July 28.  Dutch Bros arrived August 1, and Wal-Mart today, August 2, by Fed Ex yet!

...Along with shampoo/conditioner samples and coupons.

Not to be outdone, Dutch Bros. did send me a new sticker, which I promptly put on my sketchbooks.

Booked

In class yesterday we made a soft cover long stitch bound book.  Mine had two "signatures" - sections of dyed and folded pages.  I liked how it turned out!  The pink-purple cover is cochineal, the blue is indigo.  We remarked in class how nice it felt to hold them, the weight and the softness/organic feel.

Side view with the Japanese Stab Binding

Here's the inside --

Today I dyed extra fabric with Madder root and hibiscus.  Not as vibrant but still a subtle visual effect.  The paper pages were also more diffused and more suitable for showcasing writing or ink sketching.   (I will post those photos later)

Madder gave it the reddish brown color -
and grabbed on to the raw edges
This hibiscus dye bath stayed more purple-blue-pink

Finish Line

Galveston Regatta
6 3/4" x 11 1/4"

Finish me!

This was one of my first (uncompleted) paintings when I was just beginning watercolor in 2013 and using a limited palette. I found it while redoing my studio and decided to finish it today.   I quite like how it turned out after all.   #Winning

‪#‎WorldWatercolorMonth‬ ‪#‎WorldWatercolorGroup‬

Two for Tuesday - Matcha, Not so Matcha

I found these two teas at Target - glad to see that Target is carrying The Republic of Tea's Be Well tea line and interested to try a new tea/product line.  I picked up Get Matcha and Day is Done Bedtime Blend.

I love Matcha green teas, but often when you purchase them at coffee/tea shops, they are blended with sugar or sweetened almond milk or not non-fat regular milk.  Hard to watch the carbs and the calories when you don't know what you are drinking.   Target is carrying this and some of the others in their Be Well tea line.  Priced at $9.99 for 36 tea bags.  The bonus with this particular matcha - it won't turn "Kermit Green" and it has the added green tea and green rooibos for additional goodness and flavor.  I would suggest using two tea bags if using a larger mug. I rate this 5+

The eye catching display of the Beekman Farm Pantry line looked interesting (look at the end of the pasta aisle).  They had three teas, for three times of the day.  Clever!  I got the Day is Done Bedtime Blend.  An herbal, no caffeine tea, I liked the color and the tin design.  Alas, not so much the tea.  The ingredients sounded interesting - Lemon Balm, chamomile, nutmeg, peppermint, cornflowers - and the fragrance quite nice.   $5.99 for 20 sachets.  However, once brewed, to me it just tasted...odd.  I even just brewed another mug just to make sure.  Nope.  Not bad, but perhaps it will be someone else's cup of tea.  They do have a fun website and other teas and products.  And I plan to try their other items at Target, it's nice to be able to support American farmers.

I didn't try/get the other teas because they had citrus

Pressed for Purple

"Lori's Purple Oxalis"
5 1/2" x 4"

"Lori's Purple Oxalis" - watercolor on hand dyed watercolor paper, impressioned while still wet with the top of a plastic to-go drink lid.

‪#‎WorldWatercolorMonth‬

Netflix Stars - The Theory of Everything

3 stars - Interesting story, incredible performance by Eddie Redmayne.  Despite Jane's devotion and support of him through his illness, their relationship falters, as does the movie.

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow

Rain Lily
12" x 10 1/2"

My first time watercolor painting on Yupo paper.  I like it!  I am excited to experiment with the different effects the paper will lend itself to.  Many thanks to Jackie Liddell for introducing me to this artistic medium.

Netflix Stars - Valentino The Last Emperor

4 1/2 stars
"An evening gown which shows a woman's ankles is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen."  I love his evening gowns and this documentary showcases his designs, particularly in the first half.  Gorgeous eye candy.  But the second half is a wrap up of his career, and a bit sad to watch as money takes over from designing from the heart couture.

Breaking rules

We watched Shirley Trevena's "Breaking the Rules of Watercolor" DVD and I was playing around with some of her techniques of using watercolor pencil shavings/against sandpaper and drawing on wet paper with wet crayons and pencils.  Here's a video snippet from Pinterest.  I like her attitude!

Got the foggy aspect - but also learned that those Derwent Artbar watercolor crayons didn't quite blend as well as I thought this time on this paper  -- Perhaps because the paper was damp/wet when I scribbled upon it.  Also to pretest.  I've seen some sketchbooks with the first page reserved for trying out the usual and favorite paints and pencils and crayons used, and how it reacts.  Here's what happened with the Artbars in another watercolor sketchbook.  Good to know in advance!

Gooseberry (broken), Baby Blue and Cool Gray

But then, who's to say a more bargain brand and price can't also perform well?  Here are Master's Touch Metallic Oil Pastels from Hobby Lobby's Clearance section, marked down from $9.99 to $3.59.  And you get four of each color/metal.  Just in case one of them tries to pull a Gooseberry and break. Actually it was more like a Kit-Kat bar and I shared two sets with two friends.  (And kept an extra set for me, just because, well, the Gooseberry, but also how much I loved how these worked and looked) They laid down smoothly and gave a great metallic sheen without being gaudy.

Now this is something that Shirley would appreciate!  I think it is great and inspirational to free yourself to try and have fun with new techniques and toys.
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Marbled

Pink and purple handblown marble
Watercolor
6" x 6"

Gorgeous iridescent hand-blown marble with threads of purple and pink from Hudson Beach Glass in Beacon, New York
#WorldWatercolorMonth

Urban Sketching - Watercolor - Rosenberg Library in Galveston

I did a quick sketch in No. 2 pencil and Derwent watercolor pencils at the Rosenberg Library and finished the touchups at home with my watercolors.  Second floor, looking towards the Non-Fiction section.
#WorldWatercolorMonth

Thursday Tea Time - Blue Velvet

This week - For Tea's Sake Red Velvet Party 

Price:  $7.99
Size:  1.4 ounce/40 gram
Caffeine:   No
Type of Tea:  Rooibos (Red)
Steeping time:  4 minutes
Mix ins:  Coffee Mate Sweet Italian Cream Sugar Free
Fragrance:  Fruity
Ingredients: Rooibos, rosehip, elderberry, blueberry pieces, lavender, rose petals, natural flavors

Opinion:  I found this at a new organic grocery store and restaurant in Galveston, Seasons - 2701 Broadway (where Frog and Home used to be - look for the green building with the black and white striped awning)  They had a wide variety of their teas in large and small tins, along with a sampler mini tin set.  This is the first time I had heard of this Canadian-based company.  There were some interesting flavors, but this caught my eye first.  It is a loose-leaf tea (yay! - I'm finding those have more flavor and larger pieces - less "dust")  First whiff is fruity.  However, after brewing you will get that red velvet flavor once you add some sugar free Italian Cream.  The lavender lends itself nicely without overwhelming, the rosehips give it a nice tang.  I would almost call this Blueberry Blue Velvet.  Very pleasant to drink after dinner as a dessert tea, without worries about caffeine.
Rating:  4

In my new tea glass from Australia
Pretty!

July Fry

Near record temperatures and Houston is going strong to beat July 1980 as one of the hottest Julys.
Map inspiration from Space City Weather.  And coincidently today is also National French Fry Day!

#WorldWatercolorMonth
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World Watercolor Month - Day 7

Peacock
8" x 4 1/2"

Just a quick project this afternoon.  I like how the feather "eyes" turned out.
#WorldWatercolorMonth

World Watercolor Month - Day 6

Peace Lily
10" x 7"

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum), is a genus of about 40 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas and southeastern Asia.  They may also be known as Spath lilies.  Easy to care for, they are often found in offices and are given as condolence/sympathy plants.  Mine has taken quite well to being in an outside container, adapting to Houston heat and humidity, albeit in a shaded area.
#WorldWatercolorMonth
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World Watercolor Month - Day 5

"Lineability"

Inspired by Oki Sato "Thin Black Lines" 
It's kind of a squared color wheel mixing and using the colors of Permanent Rose, Cobalt Blue and Lemon Yellow/Auerolin
#WorldWatercolorMonth

Happy Fourth of July!

and #WorldWatercolorMonth
Day 4

World Watercolor Month - Day 3

"Lunar Moonflower"

This turned out differently than I expected, but I like it!  Opening moonflower bloom surrounded by Daniel Smith Lunar Black, with the crazy granulation.
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Sketchy

This is the watercolor sketchbook I've been using for the World Watercolor Month this year.

I found it at Tuesday Morning as part of a zip-around sketchbook and brush portfolio.
Alas, this Daler-Rowney Classic Watercolour Wirebound Sketchbook seems to have been discontinued.  (Probably why it was at Tuesday Morning) It's difficult to find a 140 pound watercolor paper in a sketchbook format, and in this 10" x 7" size.  Hopefully they will bring it back or maybe there is a newer version available.  If you find something similar, post a comment!

#worldwatercolormonth

World Watercolor Month - Day 2

Passionflower

Passion Flower (Passiflora) grows on a vine, often turning into (or growing over) a shrub.  Gorgeous, intricate blooms. I snapped a photo of this outside of Tantra Coffeehouse in San Marcos, Texas.

#WorldWatercolorMonth

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Netflix Stars - Ladies in Lavender

5 stars!  Oddly we tend to watch more movies in the summer, inside the air-conditioning than in the cooler months. A sweet and touching drama set in Cornwall in 1939.  Maggie Smith and Judi Dench were in fine form and played off each other's strengths with remarkable skill.  A delight to watch!

World Watercolor Month - Day 1

Here is my "Day (Before) Lily" for the World Watercolor Month.  I added the pistols and stamens with watercolor pencils...after basically dousing this page with water, and adding salt to get the watery and crystallizing special effects.   I am pretty impressed with this sketchbook, it can really take the water well.   Unfortunately, it appears to have been discontinued.

#worldwatercolormonth