Charcoal Sketch of Gourds

This is a sketch I did one evening while watching TV, and finished it during another show a few days later.

These gourds are in the super markets during the autumn season. Their shapes and crazy textures make them fun to draw and a challenging project to develop an artist skill in rendering.

I started with a hb pencil and went to a softer 6b pencil; then after getting the shapes and basic shadows under control I began to work out the finer values with a hard charcoal pencil. I did a lot of going back and forth between the charcoal and the pencils.

I did a lot of blending with the stub and used the stub to carry material around the picture as if it was a soft pencil itself. The last major process was to use medium charcoal to give the deepest shadows. I finished with a go over of the finder details (few though they are) with the hb pencil to give some sharpness.

I am happy with the results.  Charcoal is fun!

September Gourds, Drawn In Charcoal. 

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Adron


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Dogwood Blossoms in a Bud Vase. Watercolor.

Watercolor of Dogwood blossoms in a bud vase.

Watercolor of Dogwood blossoms in a bud vase.

I had a lot of fun painting this. I wanted it to be a warm and simplistic picture. I was pleased with how the dogwood blossoms show white against the blue background.

The background was dry brushed with dabs and smears then after it dried I gave a wash with clear water to soften the texture some.

(c) Adron

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I hope you enjoy my art. 
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Adron




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Illustration of an octopus

I was doing a worksheet for some kids and it had a drawing of an octopus. I drew this to illustrate the subject of the drawing lesson.

This was drawn in pencil and then traced over with a sharpie. I used the sharpie to texture the octopus and give the sense of roundness by using a dot technique.

Illustration from how to draw an octopus lesson.

I wanted to give it more than just a black and white rendering so I used some cheap crayola (r) markers to color it and the sandy ground below it. The markers were too dark but since they are washable I took a brush and water and gave each area a wash, the dye then spread and lightened up a bit.

If you want to see the free how to draw an octopus worksheet follow this link to my other blog.

I am mostly happy with it and feel satisfied that I found a use for all of my kid's old markers.

(c) Adron 2015

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I hope you enjoy my art. 
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Adron



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Road in Autumn a Watercolor.

Here is a little painting I did while showing a young student some things about painting in watercolor. It is a simple road snaking through the autumn trees.

Autumn Road, watercolor by Adron

After a quick sketch I did a wash of yellow over most of it. I dropped in some reds and greens and let them blend. I did a wash of blue grey for the asphalt.  After things dried I began to layer in darker values of color with a dabbing approach. I mixed the colors on the paper. It was necessary to give the background a clear wash to soften things a bit. I used a little dry brush on the road. The tree trunks were drawn in with a small brush.

(c) Adron 2015

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Adron


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Watercolor of a Rose

I hate to stay inside all day on a nice day, so I took my watercolor stuff and went out to the deck and looked around. My wife's garden is a joy and source of much inspiration. There was a rose in a big planter that I felt needed to have a portrait done.

Portrait of a Rose in My Wife's Garden, Watercolor.

The area behind it was dark and I wanted to capture that as an area of contrast but not make it all flat so I did several splattery washes. I started with yellow then added forest green over that letting the colors blend a little. After that dried I splashed down some ultramarine blue which deepened the values a little but not enough so I finished with a little alizarian crimson with violet to get the darkest areas.

The fence behind give the composition interest and a reference to a place and not just a rose sitting on a page. I did a lot of blues and brown with a liner brush and other small brushes on the fence and then when I was satisfied with the amount of medium I gave the areas a clear wash to take away some of the edge.

The rose stem and leaves were more drawn than painted. I used smallest brushes and liner brushes on it. I used the lightest values of yellow and then went to green over most of the yellow just leaving highlights showing. The darkest areas were green mixed with crimson and a little ultramarine blue.

It was a nice afternoon well spent.

(c) Adron 2013

Watercolor Sketch Of Tiny Strawberries

Our garden gave a mini harvest and I picked a handful of strawberries. They were small but nice. I put them in a bowl and did a sketch of them. I call it a sketch and not a painting because it was kind of quick.

Watercolor sketch of tiny strawberries in a bowl

They were small but bright red. I tried to get the color deep and still have the texture of the seeds and the shiny bumps.  Maybe if I took more time I could have gotten the reds to look more rich.

I had fun painting the wood table top. The white bowl was very minimally done, I just tried to get the effect by using a light wash for the shadows.

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Adron



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Watercolor Sketch Of Flowers in Cracked Urn.

My wife has had a good year growing flowers so I did portrait of one in the urn in the back yard. This urn has a gashing crack on the lower half that is gorgeous and horrid at once. It makes the greatest focus in the composition.

This is a sketch not really a painting since it was done quickly and with minimal effort.

The Cracked Urn

It was so hot outside that my watercolors keep drying on my palette as quickly as I whetted them. I set up an umbrella to work underneath but that was only a little help. The sun was so bright on the paper that my eyes were watering, I had to hold the paper close to me under the umbrella. This was handy since I was literally splashing water and medium on the paper I was able to turn the paper quickly and let the medium flow together. The nice thing was that the washes dried quickly and I was able to add layers on without too much delay.

The urn was my interest and I spent more time on that than the rest of the piece

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Adron



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Watercolor sketch of three apples.

I had a little free time and felt I wanted to do some painting. I had bought some apples and thought they made a nice composition.

I call it a sketch because it was a quick painting with little effort.

Watercolor of three green apples. 

I began with a careful pencil sketch, and then did several washes layering color down. First I laid down the background blues and reds. Next I did the lightest values of yellow in the green apples, which I dropped green in and spread it around a little. I went back and gave the background a deeper value of blue, that made the green look tool pale so I had to deepen the greens. The shadows were a combination of grey and violet.

I think I needed a little muddy color here and there in the shadows to take down some of the brightness.

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Thank you for taking the time to look at my art. If you want to see more just chose from the labels or the favorites in the sidebar. 
Adron


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