My Sketchcrawl Adventure... and Win a FREE e-book!

My friend, author Mary Pax, is having another book launch!  

I'm super excited to be participating, since I enjoy her writing. It's a strange combination of urban fantasy/contemporary sci-fi/paranormal adventure/ and even steampunk. Weird is a good word for it! 

Mary has generously provided a FREE set of e-books (Books 1 & 2 of The Rifters series) to one of my lucky commenters here. I'll announce the winner on October 1st (last day to comment and be included in the drawing: Sept 30th).

The new series is called The Rifters, and Book 1 launched on Sept 8th. Here is the LINK to Mary's website, where you can read Chapter One of The Rifters; it also has links to Amazon and other sources. As of this writing, The Rifters e-book is FREE at Amazon, Smashword and others! Cool deal, yes?? 

I've read several stories by Mary Pax, and enjoyed every one. I always end up shaking my head, thinking "how in the world does she think this stuff up??!" 

I have a lot to share, so will be posting thumbnail pics from my sketchbook. Just click on them to enlarge... don't wanna crash anyones pc, with so many images to load, ha!

Without further ado, here is our "Book Launch Vacation":

(Spoiler alert: 

forget what the Settler Tourism Department says... 

there ARE weird happenings around Settler, Oregon!)

I'm one of the lucky ones. I live in Southern Oregon. The infamous town of Settler, Oregon is within a days driving for me, being up north from my town. Since my husband is a photographer, we drove up to the Caslow County Fair and Expo at the end of August. Jim wanted to take photos of the high desert country, and maybe Swit Lake if he had time before sundown. 

Me? I did a SketchCrawl.** That's where you take your sketchbook and painting/sketching paraphanalia and just hike out to... wherever. Last time we visited Settler, Francine at the Settler Mercantile let it slip that the rumors were TRUE about "otherworldly beasts" being spotted near Settler. 

We found out for ourselves this time! I had hoped to stumble on some Beasties to draw. Was thinking... "Wouldn't that be cool?? If I survive the encounter, that is! Mwa ha ha, sure wish they were for real."  Careful what you wish for!

                                 

          

Well, we DID make it home in one piece, and I am so excited to share images from our "vacation".

I really DID get to see some of the rumored "other worldly beasts". Honestly, I thought it was just "marketing hype" for the tourists, ya know?? But after Jim dropped me off so he and Joey (our Mini-schnauzer) could go exploring on their own, I took my time poking around. It was an overcast afternoon, so not too hot.

There were boulders to sit on and sketch, but it was almost dusk when the adventure REALLY started. That's when the beasties ventured out!! 

Enough jabbering... below are pics from my 5.5 x 8 inch sketchbook. Some were rough... I was trying to draw fast, the light was fading. So a few of the color touches were added from memory once we made it back home. But wow, it was amazing to see what really lives in Settler, Oregon. You've GOT to visit Settler for yourself. Honestly, if you love "weird", you'll have a blast!

You can click the pics to enlarge. I didn't caption these; they are in order, so you could read each journal entry if you'd like to know about the sketch following it.

And a few of the photos Jim took:

He thought this was funny...

Morning glow on a pansy...

And they were functional!!

Taken right before the sun came up...

He said he noticed a lot of strange things around Settler, this being one of them...

Yikes, Jim almost ran nose to nose with this guy...

He said he had a hard climb to get this view of Swit Lake, but it was worth it...

Even some of the plant life there is weird...

He stumbled upon this old house right at sunset...

A full moon!

I wonder if that full moon might explain some of the weirdness, including these strange lights he saw??

Well, what can I tell ya... I now know where Weird lives. 

Hoped you enjoyed the visuals from our vacation, and I know you will enjoy this new book series from Mary Pax. And don't forget to leave a comment by Sept 30th so I can put you into the drawing for a FREE set of e-books!

Happy painting - and reading,

Retta

=========================

**The town of Settler, Oregon is a figment of author M Pax's     imagination, as is my account of our vacation, my Sketchcrawl, and my encounters with the Beasties. Oh yes, the sketches are real!! But they were drawn right here in my own safe little studio, with Joey barking and Vevie and Butterfly meowing to be petted or fed. They are the only carnivores around here, and they don't glow green. ;-)

Edited to add:  The drawing is now closed. Thanks for looking at my sketchbook... hope you enjoyed it.

Virtual Paintout 17: Lucky Red Boots!

For August the Virtual Paintout gang, led by Bill Guffey  visited Kinmen Island, Taiwan. It's an island rich with history, off the mainland of China. 

We toured around (virtually, of course, via Google Street View) and I was fascinated by a lady walking down a country road. As the little google car with the camera went past her she partially covered her face. 

This view is of her looking back over her shoulder at the camera. I was intrigued, wondering if she was keeping her privacy, or just protecting from dust?? And the light was lovely as it played over her very oriental outfit.

But most of all, it was her RED BOOTS that captured me. Loved them! 

While reading about the island, I found that in China the color Red was considered LUCKY. Hence the title of my painting "Lucky Red Boots". I hope I got the Chinese characters correct. They are supposed to read Lucky Red Boots; my apologies if I got it wrong. :-)

Here is the link to the original street location, in case you'd like to visit for yourself. 

This is my 6 x 9 sketchbook of watercolor

paper. I had previously toned the page

with Indian Yellow. My reference photo

is of the original location. I played 

around in Photoshop with the color 

scheme til satisfied, then printed it out.

I started by applying some loose colors 

with my palette knife for the background:

 Still adjusting background with 

palette knife; adding, scraping off, 

just having fun with it:

Switched to brush; applied some glazes

 to background til satisfied; started 

with a silhouette for the lady:

 Here she is on the easel, finished. I 

added the lettering (hoping I got it right) 

to read Lucky Red Boots in Chinese:

 And a couple of close ups:

And all finished (can click any to enlarge):

"Lucky Red Boots"

Kinmen Island, Taiwan

6 x 9 sketchbook

acrylics

Happy Painting,

Retta

Just Make Art

Happy painting,

Retta

Virtual Paintout 16: Liverpool, England!

On my, am I ever behind! 

For the month of April the Virtual Paintout gang went to Liverpool, England. 

It was a blast siteseeing via Google Streetview. So many places I've heard about... famous and not-so-famous landmarks. But when I saw this seaside street all strung up with large colorful decorations, the whimsy of it just tickled me. I chose to paint the Mermaid in the Sky (can click pic to enlarge).

"Mermaid in the Sky"

Liverpool, England

6 x 9 sketchbook

acrylics

(Link to the original street location)

And for fun, here's a close-up to see some of the texture 

(can click pic to enlarge):

As usual, anyone is welcome to join the Virtual Paintout gang. Each month Bill Guffey leads us somewhere new in the world, via Google Street View. No obligation, just join in as you have time. All the details are HERE so come and join us!  

Happy Painting,

Retta

Virtual Paintout 15: Washington DC!

The Virtual Paintout gang has been traveling the world for 5 years now! Yay for Google StreetView!

This is my 15th outing with them. Remember, we are not ACTUALLY and physically there... we travel via Google Street View. It is SO much fun, and I encourage anyone to join. There is no obligation. You can do it as often as your schedule permits. Here is Bill Guffey's blog, Virtual Paintout, where you can find all the deets. 

So... for February we "traveled" to Washington DC. It's amazing how you think you are familiar with a place so iconic. Until you really LOOK at it. I totally enjoyed cruising the streets, both the familiar landmarks and the unknown backstreets. And that is how I stumbled upon "my" spot to paint.

I was cruising past the Marriot Hotel when a brightly painted 5 ft tall statue of a Panda bear caught my eye! I laughed, and just HAD to stop and zoom in. Yep... this was it.

The Panda was originally a part of a fundraiser for Arts and Grants Education programs in Washington DC. There were 150 pandas generously painted (for free) by local artists, which were auctioned off at the end of the summer of 2004.

The original artist of "my" panda was Anne Marchand, a prominent and talented Washington DC artist.   Panda was exhibited all summer in Chinatown, Washington DC, before he was auctioned off at the fundraiser.

Painted fiberglass statues like this are special to me because I've done them myself. I painted two 3 ft tall cat statues to help raise money for a cats and kittens shelter. If you'd like to peek at them, here are the links:

 

Little Cat Big Dreams   

Little Cat's Four Season Fantasy  

So... on to the making of Political PandaMonium!

(Can click on any pics to enlarge)

I cropped the original version down to this size:

First I sealed the paper in my sketchbook with acrylic medium, since I was going to be using acrylics and didn't want to risk any wrinkling issues in the sketchbook. 

It's a Super Deluxe Aquabee sketchbook with Heavyweight Drawing Paper, "For use with wet and dry media". I love this sketchbook, but still, it's only 93 lb paper and can't take a LOT of water. 

Here I roughed in a colorful underpainting for all the bushes and flowers behind Panda:

Drew in Panda and underpainted him yellow, for brightness and so I could SEE the design I was about to add. :-)

The first layers of flowers and foliage in the background:

Drew the Panda design in with charcoal pencil, then acrylics. 

Began painting the colors for his design, starting with a darker underpainting (this dark brownish-red was for the red areas). I used a simple "3 value" system. That's where you simply think "light, medium, dark" for each color. By blending and shading, you naturally end up with a lot of variety this way. 

For example: on this section of his finished tummy there are several design elements that are predominately Yellow. 

I let the yellow be the lightest value, using orange and red for the middle and darkest values. At the end of the day though, I usually end up playing around, and adding some purple shadows here and there, white highlights, and whatever strikes my fancy. Whatever works! :-D

Here is Panda in my sketchbook:

Close-up of his face:

And the finished image, Political PandaMonium:

(oopsie, see my goof? Kinda makes me think 

of political goof-ups.. mwa ha ha ha)

Political PandaMonium

acrylics in 6 x 9 sketchbook

Happy Painting,

Retta

Virtual Paintout 14: Cape Cod, Massachusetts

This is my second year traveling the world with the Virtual Paintout gang, via Google Street View.  This painting will be my 14th outing. I love it!

Vevie has decided to stay home for awhile, so I'm "traveling" on my own. And this month we visited Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

As I virtually cruised around Cape Cod, this scene caught my eye. The swing in the yard, quiet and still, as though it was patiently waiting to fly again. It brought back fond memories for me. :-)

Here is the original location I chose (can click on any pics to enlarge):

For my little 8 x 8 canvas, I cropped it smaller:

And as usual, I played with color schemes in Photoshop, and here is my final idea:

Toned the canvas with pink:

Started with the sky, then roughed in the house with vine charcoal:

Worked in layers, putting in the background colors first, then building layers up over it:

The image continues around to the sides:

Some close-ups:

And here is my finished painting:

"Memories"

Cape Cod, MA

8 x 8 acrylic on

wrapped canvas

This painting of the swing hanging from the tree brought back memories and made me smile. I hope you enjoyed it, too. Did it stir any memories for you??

Happy painting,

Retta

Virtual Paintout 13: Vevie Goes to Venice!

As the year came to an end, for December the Virtual Paintout     gang went to a gorgeous and romantic place... Venice, Italy. Vevie had a blast riding a virtual gondola along the canals. 

Since I was sick ALL of December, I'm tickled I actually finished this painting, even though I'm late getting it posted here.

Here is the original location, looking into the restaurant Trattoria Sempione. I loved the glow of the chandelier, which actually showed up better in other photos, and the greenery and flowers. (click on any pics to enlarge)

I played in photoshop, and decided on this treatment (Vevie had a dinner date with a suave Italian Gondola Cat, and you can see her up above, peeking to see if he has arrived yet):

I didn't get too many wip photos (work in progress photos), but here are a few:

This is a close up of the some of the wrought iron, old bricks and flowers:

And that lovely chandelier:

We can't forget Vevie:

And the finished painting:

"Are You Here, My Love?"

Calla di San Marco,

Venice Italy

9 x 12 acrylic on

wrapped canvas

As always, anyone is welcome to join the Virtual Paintout gang. Each month Bill Guffey leads us somewhere new in the world, via Google Street View. All the details are HERE, so come, join us for 2014!  

Happy Painting,

Retta

Vevie (rhymes with Stevie)