Today in the Park

The style of my new job provides two-three hours intervals of free time, when I am not obliged to sit in the office, but free to do what ever I want. The job I always dreamed of (if the job is a good reason for dreaming at all:-)))
That is why I am always equipped with my sketchbook and camera.

I did this piece today, in the park. And I enclose the photo of the place also. I wanted to add color at home, as usual. But now I doubt if I do the coloring at all. (UPDATED: I watercolored it today and the result feels good).
The interesting point that my plein-air view of the place completely differs from the reality. If I did this piece from photo it would be so very precise. But now I have a photo and I have a sketch. And nobody can guess that the same place is shown :-)).

Sketchbook

Today I was in the exhibitions centre. And had to wait. And was prepared to waiting.
Do you know the weight of the prepared lady's bag? When you like to draw and to make photos, plus have a day planner, cosmetics case, purse and half a kilo more of the stuff you can not remember until you find it accidently looking for someting else? I am afraid to put my bag on the scales. Truth.

Well, I return to the sketch now. The men were sitting at their stand and drinking beer. They were so very active. And were punished for not be able to sit still. Look at the face :-).

I also post today my photo studies. I introduce aperture into my photolife.

Computer is Broken, Life is Going On

Yesterday evening I was planing to celebrate the 1000th post in Moscow Daily Photo blog (here) (started three years ago by Irina who now lives in New Zealand) where we teamblogging with Ashira, American girl in Moscow.
But. My computer had another plans: "Enough, I have served you faithfully, never been sick and did not summed you, so give me some rest." And now the maсhine is resting. Good, I have also the laptop and can print this post. Tomorrow morning I will take my true (and heavy!) friend to the doctor. Symptoms? The programmes are all there, but it refuses to find my data. We'll see what the doctor is planning.

Meanwhile I had a fantastic sunny morning and found some free time to come to my little balcony and to draw these wonderful flowers, which I have recently planted, my annual toast to the glory of the spring, sunshine and warm days.
How should I tag it? Plein air? Or still life?

Russian Watercolourists on Internet

My very good friend Pierre has the  blog  Aquarelle, couleurs, papier, pinceaux_masmoulin s'est jete a l'eau . He is very active and interested and hosts a huge number of useful and interesting information about art, its history, key players, interesting events, people, paintings, everything, which covers so great and endless topic. Please visit his blog, you will stay there for hours.

Recently, on April 22 to be precise, Pierre posted the detailed linked information about Russian watercolourists. I helped him a little to find the information. I am very grateful to Pierre for the information, educational work and attention to Russia.

I am very pleased that thanks to Pierre and his blog Russian artists are known widely. They are very talented, but unfortunately there is very little information on the Internet, or information is, but only in Russian.

Pierre, thank you very much for your interest and your efforts!

Sketchbook

Today I needed to kill a hour between two meetings. I went to the cafe, ordered lunch and took out my drawing kit. Color was added at home.
The drawing turned out very imprecise and inaccurate. I was hoping that coloring would remove the transparent effect from the figures, no, it did not :-)).

The day was so good, lunch and coffee - fresh and delicious, the cafe staff - quick and smiling, sun was shining through the clouds. Later, after the meeting, I went on photo-hunting for my Moscow photo blog. Life is so kind.

The Pot and Jeff Bridges

A3, pencil
I'm not the one who easily calms down. If I decide to draw, nothing can stop me :-)). This sketch is my tribute to another challenge,  Rookiepainter. It is interesting that when I look at the challenge photo, the decision which medium to use comes at once. Looking at this chrome pot, I knew that I could reach THAT shine only with pencil. It was my time to practice putting parallel strokes.

And, since this activity does not require any special mental effort, but accuracy and precision, I decided to watch (mostly listen) the movie with my favourite Jeff Bridges, "The Vanishing". Thriller. 1993. 

It was very funny. And I was thinking about what could happen to Big Lebowski that he changed his hairdo, became crazy sociopath and started burying people alive in the wooden boxes.

Life is so difficult. And so full of surprises... Yes, I like philosophy :-))) 

Studio Atelie Challenge, Crocus and Christmas Tree

24x32cm, 300gr. (9,5"x12,5" 140lbs) Lana paper
Today I decided to put aside all my hard work for a while. Enough, I need a break. So I took my favourite watercolours and concentrated on my favourite birds.
The idea of this birds was taken from Studio Atelie challenge. I think challenges are the best way to get in touch with other painters without leaving my studio. And to see so many talented works.
I have put a lot of links to challenges on my "Links" page, see above if interested to participate.
I did this piece on Lana paper. I give it "4-" mark (on scale from 1 to 5, where "1"mark is given to Russian paper and "5+" is given to Arches).





I could not help pass by this little flower. It is the  first to show. "The constant tin soldier" in yet cold and waking up from winter Moscow land. I like the winners. Why do they always go alone?







I found in my Georgia folder (I went to Georgia  in December) and want to share with you this image. Guess what it is. The Georgians call it  Christmas tree for the poor. They decorate it with candies, dried fruits and put it on the table during celebration.

They made of wooden chock, sliced with very sharp knife.

I think that it is very ecologically right (from the point of view of the pines and firs) and so very
  beautiful.

White Pot and Aperture

A3, 30x40cm

The result of my latest watercolor class.

To be remembered: day light means cold color on objects and warm shadows.

A friend of mine is a professional photographer. We discussed today the aperture and how it affected the photo image. 

I can proudly announce that this photo was done by me with understanding of aperture and blur effects all around this wonderful "the spring is here!" proof. Hopefully, I will not forget this photo lesson untill my next outdoor shooting:-)) 

Catholic Church Sketched

This is a Catholic Church at Malaya Gruzinskaya in Moscow. Very beautiful building and so richly decorated. Sometimes I attend organ concerts there, real pleasure for the eyes and ears.
Yesterday was a sunny warm evening, I drove past the building and thought, Why not to try to sketch it? I have an hour, and if I find a convenient parking, I will be able to draw without leaving the car.
Everything went as I wanted, I've got excellent view and started. Sketching turned out to be very difficult. Complex (for me) perspective, a great number of details that I had no idea how to sketch. This was supposed to be a work not for an hour, but on the whole day :-)).
But I'm happy with how it turned out. After weeks (or more?) without training, my wooden fingers slowly remembered how to hold a pencil. I draw in pencil, added ink outlines at home. Very quick sketch, very little detail. But the experience was excellent.

I enclose a photograph of the church, which I did yesterday, when sketching. So beautiful!

Windows to the Words

Oil pastel, A3 (30x40cm=12"x15,5"), craft paper

I did Windows to the Words new challenge today. I painted the flowers. Finally I have got a day off to paint, to cleaning the apartment, and just to do nothing. I missed my blog so much these days.

What to say about the flowers? Sketch with yellow flowers: I used a thinner, cheap and awfully smelly, but giving such interesting effects of my favorite oil pastels.

Red flowers - I chose the bronze stick for the background, for long it was left, forgotten and unappreciated, in a box. It adds glamour to my flowers. Sort of. 

Lily. Or Magnolia? In the original, a gentle beige flower turned into a lily here. Same happened to the blue flower, going far from the original photo. So what? This is the eye of the artist. Sort of. :-))

When I undertook to Moscow Daily Photo blog, I was inspired by the love to my native city. I did not think about  my photo skills which were close to zero.

Now it is time to learn the basics. Aperture. Exposure. Focus. Time to add meaning to these challenging words. 

This picture was taken today without my participation. Camera (my favorite Canon G10) made all the decisions by itself, paying no attention to my chaotic pressings of its buttons. The clear centre and blurred edges. Dream fulfilled. 

The Birds Return

Three birds on one sheet 20x40cm of excellent Daler Rowney 300gr. watercolor paper.

When it is spring, the birds return from warm countries to their nests. Same situation in my blog. They return. The sketches are small and fast, the paper is a real nice surprise.
30 minutes later:
It is out of my understanding how to put three small photos on blog page in order. The images are jumping all around, do not listen to me. Moreover, they are trying to confuse me: looking perfect in preview mode, the birds jump all over the page when post confirmed. Well, what can you expect from the birds? I add the birds song to harmonise this chaos. And I go to sleep.