Love: House Portraits and Personalized Maps

I opened up a new Etsy store for exploring architecture and other things I like to draw... like maps! I love maps... I will highlight some of that work later...  I've call the new shop Aquarius Studios. Check it out here: AquariusStudios For now it is houses mostly. Some historic buildings that I took photos of during my travels. Some I sketched along the way. Other things I just sit down and well... I make it up. I've also taken some houses that other architects have had me do exterior studies of and I'm having a bit of fun with Illustrator. I'm on the spiritual journey of "simple".

A fun sketch from a Paris photo - I made up the shops :)

A re-imagined sketch with new storefront.

 

Both of these drawings are quick 10 minute sketch exercises.  

A typical elevation that I would do for another architect or developer. Not really simple... but close.

An Illustrator "sketch" of the lake I used to live on when I was growing up. No, I didn't live near the heart... actually just across from it... I wanted solid colors, bright and minimal. So after I got this out... I tried a house :)

I can't say that I would choose these colors in watercolor. I don't think I could ever get them to look this good! But I've got some other ideas up my sleeve to try. The drawing is also 8 x 10 so the small scale starts to muddy in watercolor. I like the boldness and simplicity. I needed to step away from my usual medium for a while to explore some new options. We will see where this goes.... I still love hand drafting everything even before I trace it all out painstakingly careful in illustrator. I'm still an architect at heart. Even if it is a digital sketch.

Holiday Brightness. The rainboot.

A new card set at my Etsy shop. I'm giddy with these colors. Maybe it's a reaction to my killer bright christmas tree... the stark white needing a POP. I don't know! But I'm having fun and these cards make me smile. I hope that they will bring a little smile to you too.

The white tree and color lights circa 1968/70, silver tree skirt 1980 and ornaments from 1930 to 2013.

Smiling is my FAVORITE!! {buddy the elf}

Love: Creating Your Own Color Palettes

I'm obsessed with color combinations. Seems to be kind of a theme lately. My friend Lindsay just shared a sweet new game with me since I posted the color challenge. And it has me thinking about color all the time. Oh, right. I already think about color all the time. {smiley here}

Did you know you can create your own color palettes from photos and such?? I know you've all probably come across at least ONE Design Seeds image... Well, you know you can do that too!

One way I get my own inspirational color palettes is through Kuler. www.kuler.adobe.com
If you don't spend at least half a day on the website the first time you visit... You aren't the addict I thought you were. I don't even remember what the stock palettes were on my Illustrator board were. I have so many of my own, or have downloaded others. It will make you SO happy. {Go there... after you finish reading this of course!}

Okay... if you also want to create palettes from images, I will give you a little push. Here's one I did just now for YOU! {clicky here} to see it on the website and browse my other palettes.

I made it from this photo that I took of my closet door when I got my first iphone. The iphone that I bought specifically because of the Hipstamatic app at the time. Yeah, I wish I was joking too. I was obsessed...

You can make your palettes private or public. And the public will use them and take the liberty of telling you how awesome or how disgusting your palette is. Yes, I have one comment that said my palette is disgusting. I think they may be color blind or just something pressing on their brain. Send them love. Have a colorful day! xo

DIY Holiday Cards: Watercolor Paper Testing/ Review

Just a little post for those who paint watercolors, especially cards... The watercolor paper that strathmore makes "pre-made" cards out of is HORRIBLE! DISGUSTING! CRAP! {of course that is my humble opinion - maybe I'm a bit harsh} I have been cutting my own paper because I had a nice stash of it and thought... huh. Maybe I will make my life a little simpler and order some pre-cut stock that even comes with envelopes! What a disappointment :(. I knew it was going to be a lot heavier than what I was using... and a little textured. But the worse part is that the paper is like 4 ply card stock and feels like it's been covered in wax. The color can't even saturate the paper because NO water can get to it. There's no layering to be done because the paint sits on top. It's just frustrating. My brilliant red looks like a weird pink. Glad I only bought one pack. I will need to find another craft for those things.

I'm back to cutting up my pretty sheets of Aquarius! Might be time to invest in a paper cutter... or see if a local shop might cut it for me?? My Christmas cards will hopefully get out on time this year! But this might cramp my style for the Etsy shop I'm trying to start! I am a stickler for quality... and I need a lot of these. {just in case right?!?!}

So, let me, let you {other watercolor artists out there} in on a little secret for pretty cards that feel like letterpress... I was introduced to Aquarius II by a former employer. It is amazing and it runs through your printer like butter. I typically sketch in ink, scan it in, clean it up a little in photoshop then print the drawing on my watercolor for painting. It's my process mostly because I still have that fear of making a mistake on paper I paid a lot of money for! It also allows me to sketch anywhere... in a book or on a sheet of paper and still turn it into a watercolor. Many of my fellow architecture colleagues already know these secrets... but hey... now YOU are in the circle!

If you haven't tried the Aquarius II. I highly recommend this paper. PLUS, if you want to do a huge-o-mungus painting (22x30 let's say...) you don't have to wet and staple this paper. Get a nice flat surface and tape it down! Magic. It is also bright bright white so your colors pop immediately. I went to two classical schools that worked on Ivory 140lb. Strathmore or the like. I've got the same stuff from Italy... but as I paint more for clients and my little cards... I like BRIGHT! It looks great on the web too.

Painted on Strathmore "card paper", scanned at 300dpi, saved as jpg high

Both of these cards are the same scale. I painted each of them on a 5x7 piece of paper. I did not retouch either photo! Promise! The red on the trailer {tried to do three passes, the base just kept coming up} actually looks a tinge better on my screen now. It looks terrible in person though... alizarin crimson is what I used straight out of the tube. I usually throw a bit of Sepia in to tone out the blue, but I wanted a striking red to feel Christmasy! I did two passes on the car and it looks solid and lovely. I suppose it is what your after... but I love this bright white paper. I don't have to retouch and can put it right up on Etsy. The green is SO different as well... but my sketches turned out pretty nice.

Painted on Aquarius II, scanned at 300dpi, saved as jpg high

Anyway, I'd love to hear your thoughts on watercolor papers and such that you love to use. I will keep posting my holiday images I've got a retro theme going this year. I think I'm going to do

Color Me Lovely - The Color Challenge!

I was hanging out on some of my favorite inspirational blogs this morning and I came across a very fun {to me} color challenge on Garance Dore's blog. PS... if you don't look at her blog... you should!! - http://www.garancedore.fr/

It is exactly as she says... one person sees green... another sees brown or yellow tones. I came across that A LOT when I was mixing paint at Lowe's for a bit. Take the challenge today if you'd like and share your results.

Rebekah's Results

Overall Rank for my age...

Click HERE for the challenge!