102 - Maybe I will do 150 days?!

It's becoming an endurance contest...if I have blogged for 100 days maybe I can do it for 150??  We shall see...lots going on...In the meantime I have signed up for sketchbookskool as if I wasn't doing enough already.  Our first assignment was draw a recipe.

I picked my sweet father in law's famous Cheese Straws because today would have been his 88th birthday and I wanted to remember him.  Here's the finished recipe.  Try it..I LOVE his cheese straws.  I used to get a large bag for my birthday and another for Christmas. 

This is how I made it...first I made a sketch on a scrap of paper.

Then I drew it in black ink.  Its painted with watercolor.  As usual I used LOTS of cerulean.  I can hardly paint now without cerulean.  The green is cerulean and aurelin yellow.  All the yellow is aurelin.  The greys are burnt sienna and cerulean.  The reds are quinacridone red.   Orange is aurelin and quin red. It makes a very transparent orange. 

 I debated over the lettering around the edge...thought it was a little light in this version so I lettered over it with a fine point kuretke marker.  The big cursive lettering was done with my Pentel brush pen, my very favorite pen.  The black line drawing was done with a pigma pen.

And this is the final version.  It was alot of fun.  Next I am going to print out copies of this as a memory of Hunt, as we called him, for family and friends.  

This was so much fun I think I will do a few more!!

Day 68 - Those Daniel Smith Primatek Paints

Green Agatite

I think I am just in love with some of the Daniel Smith Primateks. Primateks are made of finely ground up stones- some semiprecious and quite pricey.  I LOVE the way they granulate..well at least for some things like trees...not so much for painting black labs!! I also love the way they stay transparent no matter how much color you slather on the page.

I hear you wondering WHAT is granulating?  Granulating means that the paint breaks up into granules.  The green agatite square is a really good example of this.

L-R Piemonite, Hematite, Green Agatite

on Fabriano Artistico Hot Press

 I own a tube of these three and just love them.  I use them ALOT.

L-R Hematite, Green Agatite, Burnt Tiger, Amethyst

 in Square Handprint Watercolor Journal

So what do I use them for???

So here are some things I like to paint with them...Trees!! Noses on dogs!  Eyes! Brindle fur!

Some things I don't like painting with them - washes that you want  a consistent color or black labs that you want a consistent black color.

Daniel Smith Primateks

According to the website the colors are actually darker, and you should use them with alot of water to let the color granulate and do its thing.  I was using the paper sample sheet of colors when I painted these.  Just little dabs of color.


Several of them are sparkly....the Kyanite, Fuchite and the Suglite.  Hmm do you think Daniel Smith would give me a set of them so I can experiment and report back to you?? A girl can hope right??!

The best deal is to buy a set direct from Daniel Smith but some of them are well priced on Amazon.  They are also widely available at fine art supply stores now.

Thanks for looking!!