Morning at the Lake

Morning at the Lake

©2015 Steve Penberthy

Watercolor on Strathmore Gemini 140-lb paper in handmade sketchbook, 

6.75" x 10.25" (17 x 26 cm)

I painted this sketch in my handmade sketchbook containing my favorite watercolor paper, Strathmore Gemini 140-lb CP.  It has the right amount of sizing that works for my style.

More info about my handmade sketchbook.

Happy Sadie Hawkins Day!

How did you spend this leap day? 

We finally had a day off when the weather was picture perfect :)  The Redbuds have been calling me and I knew I best take advantage and sketch one while they still had their flowers.  They started blooming early this year by about two weeks.  The leaves are already starting to pop on this little beauty.

Fruit, Flower & Berry Update

Fruit, Flower & Berry Update, a photo by PJBee on Flickr.

For a bit more story please visit Sketching in Nature blog.

Ut oh, what to do?

Here I was happily journaling along when I found out that March's full moon was extra special. Ut oh, no room left on the moon's page and I already had a start on the next page.  What to do?

Laure and Kate had great suggestions but I read those too late, also :)  Do we see a pattern here?  Ha!

Here's what transpired in journal land:

Please click images for a large view

Sketching Trees

March 2011: Park a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

One of great joys in sketching for me is working on trees. I look forward to winter month to work on their skeletons and make lists and maps of trees to draw... I have to admit that by the time I get to that skeleton I very often find it full of leaves ;) But I have fun nonetheless - and would encourage anyone to meet and sketch more trees - they will stand still for you for long periods of time and never utter a word of criticism! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

To all my 'Sisters' of the heart and all my art 'Sisters and Brothers'... Happy Valentines Day!

It was glorious here today.  A tad chilly this morning but by 11 a.m. all I needed was a sweater vest as my jacket. It was breezy but soooooo sunny.  This was our day off and we played outside as much as we could. While Rob practiced hitting golf balls on the range I took a walk with my plein air purse to sketch 'The Sisters' once again. This time plein air and this time for me :)  At 2:30 it was 70 degrees!!

I hope love has, in some way, touched your heart today :)

Sketchbook Project Update III - Trees

Please click all images to enlarge.

It's time to celebrate trees :)

Walk with us to the 10th hole. It's
423 yards from the back tee to the green. The cart path runs along the edge of the woods.

Now that it's winter and much of the greenery has died back, I can see standing water not too far into the woods. This, along with the variety of trees found in a mere 423 yard stretch of land is a clear sign that this section of the neighborhood can be classified as a Bottomland Hardwood forest.

This type of forest usually borders a swamp and may be temporarily flooded should we get a whopper of a hurricane and the river reaches flood stage (not a warm and fuzzy thought!)

Here are all the trees I've identified so far. The illustrations are of two 'new-to-me' trees. I feel like such an explorer when I find a new flower, shrub, vine or tree. I don't care that Carl Linnaeus, or another botanist, may have named named it long ago - it's my discovery :) That's what I sooooo love about nature journaling! Even better is now that I've drawn it, it's mine.... forever in my heart :)

I never would have guessed Witchhazel comes from a tree! I always imagined witchhazel to be an herbaceous plant. A student of nature, that's what I am :)

These trees live on or near the 10th hole.

So many trees, not enough pages :) There are only two more spreads left in the sketchbook and I have other goodies to share. So, to all the trees that didn't make it into this book..... Patience, I'm working on it :)