Changing it up!

It's been some time since my last post and I have not had enough time to devote to new paintings so I started some quick sketches these days. You can view most of them at my watercolor journal.

I usually paint fruits or flowers as the subject of my paintings but these days I've decided to change my subjects and turn away from still life. I desperately wanted to paint something colorful and that's when I stumbled upon some images of lovebirds. Lovebirds are gorgeous and they have a color scheme similar to mangoes with hues of yellow, orange and green.

Watercolor Journal, Art ToolsSusanna LeeFebruary 14, 2015watercolor journal, wip, sketch, lovebirdsComment

Lots of Sketching!

With my newfound journals lately, I find myself eager to sketch and brimming with colorful ideas. Usually, I paint apples or flowers but I have been leaning toward painting animals or landscapes these days.

Stillman & Birn Journal Review

The past few posts have been about keeping an art journal so I want to expand on that and share with you a new brand of art journals that I came across. Stillman & Birn are the only journals that focus on paper quality and an artist's needs. Usually people praise Moleskine journals since they're heavily toted around in the art world. Moleskines are great (and I have been using one since 2013) but I dislike how the paper buckled in my watercolor folio album.

My Watercolor Journal Tradition

All new art journals of mine must have the first page dedicated to Peter S. Beagle's "The Last Unicorn" which remains one of my favorite childhood stories. Similar to my moleskine's first page, I couldn't wait to decorate this journal and began painting right away when I got home. A lot of members of the WetCanvas community were raving about the Stillman & Birn art journals and when I consulted my friend - he claimed that he had already been using one for several years.

Watercolor Journal

Keeping an art journal or watercolor journal is a great way to quickly sketch out ideas or create speedpaintings/doodles. I didn't keep a journal until 2013 when I realized that sometimes you have too many ideas and not enough time to execute all of them on paper. That's where a journal comes in! A journal is also portable so you can travel with it and take it on vacations or kill time at a local coffee shop.

Art Tools, Watercolor Journal, ProductsSusanna LeeOctober 5, 2014moleskine, watercolor journal, watercolor paintingComment

Abstract Watercolor Painting

Recently, I've been feeling very drained and burned out which led to more experimentation with a "loose" painting style since I was too lazy to really plan a proper composition or detailed realistic painting. Abstract art (in my own POV) is basically art that conveys a strong mood or atmosphere rather than conveying the actual subject. Subjects are always gestured in abstract paintings and never fully completed or painted in detail.

Life, Watercolor Journal, Watercolor PaintingSusanna LeeSeptember 13, 2014moleskine, watercolor journal, painting, abstractComment

Trying out new techniques

My main style of painting focuses on bright colors and realism but yesterday, I was inspired by a friend to try a "looser" approach to painting. I found this style to be much more challenging and had no idea what I was doing half the time...

Drawing people

Drawing people is my Kryptonite. I cringe and sulk. I get frustrated, upset, and then more frustrated. They say practice makes perfect but every time I draw a person or portrait, I just can't seem to get the anatomy or shapes right.

Watercolor JournalSusanna LeeDecember 4, 2013moleskine, drawing, portrait, watercolor journal, watercolor paintingComment

Primrose

I apologize for the late post! I've been extremely tired lately and just haven't been at the top of my art game in the past few days. To make up for it, this will be a lengthier post on one of my recent watercolor painting in my Moleskine Journal. Seriously, I can't stop painting in it since I bought it...

Watercolor JournalSusanna LeeOctober 31, 2013moleskine, watercolor journal, walkthrough, rose, watercolor paintingComment

A Simple Rose

Sorry for the delay, it's almost Thursday here so let's cut to the chase! Here's another Walk-through Weds post featuring my second Moleskine entry.