Post 997 - EDM summer challenge - Down Edisto way!

In our family when we think of summer we will always think of the many happy times we have spent at various beaches in California, Virginia and now in the low country of South Carolina climbing lighthouses, walking the dunes and beach shelling and looking for sharks teeth and sea turtles, wishing we could pick the legally protected sea oats....gazing at gorgeous sunrises, sunsets and storms at sea...did i say our family LOVES the beach...any beach...but we DO love the Lowcountry of South Carolina beaches the best...especially that jewel of the sea island chain called Edisto...

So come down Edisto way with me...
this is my favorite lighthouse although i think i could have done a better job on the sky - painted at home on my own

Today was watercolor class with Jim Gensheer

We did 2 cards on a 1/8 sheet of Kilimanjaro water color paper from Cheap Joes

the first one was a lighthouse and the second one was a sand dune sunrise...he makes great skies SOOO ez...everyones cards turned out so well...

Its the same wet technique that we used on the houses....

My lighthouse painted in class...i get really hmm uptight when painting in class...afraid i am going to mess up...but he will do his best to fix it if we do...

First we drew the lighthouses, rocks and of course penciled in the sand dunes and water...and were frequently reminded to draw the horizon line STRAIGHT...i guess the viewer would feel sea sick if it were off kilter!!

then we wet down the sky...careful to avoid the light house...laid in hmm was it indigo and fuschia? and then we wadded up some artistic tissue (aka toilet paper) to dab at the sky to make the clouds...

So i decided to be brave and try a sunrise/sunset sky on this one...a very wild looking sky...FUN stuff

painted the water....hey i cant tell all of his secrets but it was more wetting the paper before painting..and the light house...then the sand and rocks...

the finishing touch was splattering the rocks with white gouache using a toothbrush

My classwork- really like the delicate sky ...like sunrise fading into day..i had messed it up by having a blobby spritzer bottle ...blobs of water in a finished sky NOT a good lo

I tell people i married my husband for his family's beach house at Edisto...well its not a bad reason is it:> ANYWAY i have a jillion pictures of sand dunes that i have tried to paint...i can do a sky with acrylics ..no problem...i can do the dunes...no problem...but my sea oats have always been terrible...i really like the way these turned out...all in the specially cut fan brush we used...and of course the mix of colors...the long ones are painted with a rigger brush...as are the oats...

My homework...oh my i actually achieved sea oats TWICE:> I would like to plant my chair right here right now!!! and sit there for a week or two...

to make the cirrus clouds dry brush off some of the watery color and use some artistic tissue rolled tightly to drag some color out of the sky

And then NOT to rest on my laurels I painted one more sand dune card...I think i have PLENTY of birthday cards now dont you?!

Saturday we are all signed up to take Jim's Christmas card class....all supplies included for $25...and his Christmas cards are gorgeous....you will be pea green with envy...he has more classes in August and September so if you are near Augusta GA call him and sign up for one...hes both knowledgeable and very entertaining as well as a great painter...