Thank you to poll participants last weekend: the Desert Triad is here for you! Thank you to all who voted :) And to all who shared that post, too!
When someone picks a set of 3 colors for you….puts it together and gives it a name….what’s your expectation?
I have to admit - I kinda hope that the three colors would make a complete painting. That I wouldn’t need anything else. That the colors would be able to mix to give me a nice range of values. (But then again I’m a total nerd for deep shadows!)
After today’s paintings with the set called “Desert Horizons,” my expectation of the other Daniel Smith sets would be that they’d create a vibe of some kind, but I might need a little somethin’ somethin’ to make it a Sandy painting.
That’s not a bad thing - but just a thing for me to know! In coming months I may try out some of the other triads, so if you see one that you’d like to see me add to the list, lmk!
The colors in the set are ones I’ve only swatched; I may have sketched with Amazonite at some point, but I couldn’t find it in any sketchbooks. So this is the baptismal effort with all three of these colors, much less each on its own!
Watch the video below - and if you could, pop over to YouTube to leave a thumbs up to feed the algorithm! If you’re reading this in time, join us in realtime chat during the 8am Pacific Premiere.
Supplies (affiliate links provided at no cost to you; thank you for using my links and supporting my work!) Paper: Arches Bright White Cold Press 22x30 sheet BLICK | JACKSONS Brushes: Escoda Joseph Zbukvic #16 mop Da Vinci Maestro Series 17 Inlaid Needle, Size 8 DaVinci Series 1311 Flat #8 brush BLICK | AMZ Daniel Smith Watercolors:
Desert Horizons 5ml tubes BLICK | AMZ | JACKSONS Or if you want just one or two colors, these are the 15 ml tube links: Monte Amiata Natural Sienna BLICK | AMZ | JACKSONS Amazonite Genuine BLICK | AMZ | JACKSONS Burnt Sienna Light
BLICK | AMZ | JACKSONS And finally the colors from my main palette used: Verditer Blue BLICK | AMZ | JACKSONS Paynes Blue Gray BLICK | AMZ | JACKSONS
Mark your calendar! Open Studio is scheduled for Friday night, 5-7pm Pacific, and all are welcome! It’s free and on zoom, bring whatever you’re working on and an adult beverage if you like. Ask questions, chat, and hang out with us!
RSVP at
Artventure or email me on Friday for the link.
My original painting of Big Bend is for sale here.
The subject for today’s painting comes at us courtesy of the algorithm; ever since I saw that reel about the little piggies, my feed has filled up more and more with pictures of Big Bend, what’s going on there, and of course Sheriff Thadeus Cleveland. Seems like a mighty standup guy and I hope he gets through to the federal powers that be.
Big Bend National Park is in the news because its protections were removed, so bulldozers have moved in. :( They were starting to clear out old trees - and trees that survive in that climate deserve to be untouched! - and wildlife was already having to navigate its way around it all. The lights that will be accompanying all these changes are going to wreck Big Bend’s view of the night sky, and that is just tragic. There are so few places where we can see that clear night sky; I used to live in Montana and even there we had to drive a long distance away from cities and towns to find a semi decent view. I can only imagine how pretty it is at Big Bend!
If you’ve been there and have seen that night sky, please do describe it for me! I would love to see if I could figure out how to get there before the view is gone forever.
Rocks are such a forgiving subject! Feel free to draw a gemstone-style rocky blob in your sketchbook, and add planes, as shown in the video, using a flat brush. Create a highlight side with your lightest color and white, a shadow side…and play with any trio of colors you want to explore!
I promised some color ideas, and I was playing last night! Not all are good but see what you think. I translated my handwriting which is getting worse as I age, ha! I tried to pick a dark blue/purple, some kind of middle red/brown/orange, and either a pink or light blue usually for the pop of color. Don’t make all 3 pop! And try to choose a granulator for one of them.
Going to give it a try? Get out your dot card, this is perfect to use some new colors and see how they play together.
Thanks for reading Sandy's ArtStack! This post is public so feel free to share it.
I feel like I’ve brought the new class news slowly but also have repeated myself…but today I get to tell you I have completed filming of (not editing yet) the Sparkling Seashells class! Each lesson will have 2 projects, one with one side of the shell, then flip it for the second. One is a card, one a frameable project. Though both can be cards, and both could be framed, it’s up to you! Wash and ink, with dip pen or use whatever pens you like. Here’s a peek at the cards:
The ink-only course is fully planned and sketched out, just need to get busy on the drawings! We’ll be drawing 10 shells, different than the ones above; and at the end I’ll provide the template for a one-page drawing of all 10 together. So you get to draw them twice, once for cards or other projects - or even fill an accordion sketchbook with them - and then a nice frameable piece! I should have pics to share of that on Tuesday’s post, if not the Weekly Newsletter right here.
About rocks and hiking, of course!!
What do you get when you step on a bunch of rocks?
Taken for granite!
Why did the hiker laugh in the mountains?
Because they’re hill areas!What did the mountain say to the hiker?
Stop peaking at me!Why was the mountain so emotional?
It had a peak attitude.Why do hiking boots make such great friends?
They always support you.What is a hiker’s favorite type of music?
Rock and roll.What did the trees say to the hiker?
I’m rooting for ya!Why don’t trees ever tell jokes?
They are afraid of being stumped.Why do rocks make terrible confidants?
Because they always crack under pressure.
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