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

Watercolor Wednesday - Day(after) Lily

Watercolor
7 1/" x 6 1/2"

Watercolor sketchbook - Day(After)Lily

The daylily is "Little Business"
I will paint the day before version, it was gorgeous.  I was getting ready to this morning when I thought this looked interesting.

Here's the sketch -

This was fun, sketching and painting "en plein kitchen" en nice cool a/c!
#worldwatercolormonth kickoff
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Impasto-ble!

Tube Paste

Discontinued, so half off Texas Art Supply's already discounted prices
Odd size, but easy to work with in the pad format and then cut down afterwards 

Kicked myself all the way home to Texas my first visit to Australia when I didn't get this
- made a beeline back to Bondi Art Supply the day I arrived and grabbed it

Got the gum arabic, the paper and the pigment.  All set for play time!

June Moon

"Spaced Out"

Space was the theme of the June ScribeDelivery Box.   How perfect is that for this Houston girl?  Check out that Space Shuttle notebook!

(Note:  I do not get any special compensation from them, I just want to pass along an opportunity to support a US/Texas-based company of two people with a great idea.)  

We all know the curated monthly box subscriptions are all the rage now -- Paper Pumpkin from Stampin' Up, Art Box, Art Snacks, even dinner.  It reminds me of the National Handcraft Society Craft of the Month Club from the 70's - of which I still have some of the things I made from their small book-sized mailing box.  They were very creative. My Mom belonged, but I would open the box and make the projects.  They were just sitting there.  Remember twice a day mail delivery?!
Who doesn't like getting neat things in the mail and a surprise you know you will like, too!

I've been a Scribe subscriber (haha!) for the past four months and I have to say each one gets even better.  If you like paper products, pens, pencils...you should give them a try.  Also if you like to draw or are an artist you will be very happy with them.   The items they include are perfect and often you can't find them in the stores.  Hello blacklight Gelly Roll pen!  The items encourage portable creativity, too.  I can just slip one of the pads and pens/pencils in my purse and be ready for any unexpected artistic sketching opportunity or to jot down thoughts for life in general or a book.  I've always found that if you have cool tools, you tend to want to use and find ways to use them more.

Check out their website and sign up for the next box opening.  They only get limited amounts of the goodies and often only have a few openings available.

Netflix Stars - Brooklyn -- The book must be/has to be better than the movie!

2 stars - Not a good sign when you stop the movie three times to take cell phone calls and text a friend.  Very slowly paced, I kept waiting for me to get hooked into it because of all the "You are going to love this movie" from my friends.  The best part of the movie was the ending.  No, not because it was over, but for the lines. Definitely a sign to read the book first.  On the positive, I did not know the Catholic Church sponsored the Irish to come to America, particularly Brooklyn.  And the costuming was well done.  I will try reading the book to see if it fleshes out Saoirse Ronan's character beyond a far off stare and deepening the rest of the glossed-over characters.

Evidently someone else thought the same and pinned this on Pinterest --