Hiking & Painting in Nature – Chicago
I couldn't time this if I had tried...just days before Halloween. My son and I went for a hike at a local forest preserve. He found this species trying to cross the path, a female marbled orb-weaver (aka pumpkin spider). I wont lie. Spiders scare me....but isn't she a beauty?!? Right now in October, marbled … Continue reading Pumpkin Spider Watercolor
https://youtu.be/H61lgvD4Itk It's so much fun to hike in the woods and find mushroom treasures! You never know when you'll find them or what types you'll find...that makes it exciting!! When you do find them, why not paint them? Spend a few minutes with me as I show you how to make a quick watercolor sketch … Continue reading Let’s Paint Mushroom at Work – Speed VIDEO!
The cottonwood wasn't angry, I was. Just the day before I had gotten into an argument with an in-law which was totally taken by surprise. I held a rational conversation as long as I could until I had to remove myself from a room in my own home. It's best to walk away than regret … Continue reading Angry Cottonwood Watercolor Sketch
On a dark forest floor, this mushroom was found. Almost comical upon first glance, as it is the size of a basketball... hence the name giant. These puffballs can grow full size overnight. And my National Audubon Society Mushroom Field Guide states that an average size giant puffball can contain 7 trillion spores. 7 Trillion! … Continue reading Giant Puffball Mushroom Watercolor Sketch
♪ ♫ ARE YOU READY FOR SOME AUTUMN?!? ♫ ♪ It's coming! Autumn is around the corner and right now you can enjoy its pregame show. I decided to tailgate at the forest preserves and here is what I saw... Honey Bees on Goldenrod Bumblebee on Aster Monarch on Aster Boneset Pink Joe-Pye-Weed Goldenrod Hawk … Continue reading Autumn’s Pregame Watercolor
Do you want to paint outside? Maybe you're thinking of visiting a park, forest preserve, or your own backyard, and do not know where to start? Here are some basic inexpensive supplies to get you on your way... (click on picture for link) You will need: 1. Travel watercolor pan set. Pan Sets"/> 2. Watercolor … Continue reading Want to Get Started Painting Watercolors Outside?
https://youtu.be/jhkMMUOm5a0 (Quick 6 minute speed demo) Queen Anne's Lace is my favorite weed. When I was a child, I grew up next to an empty lot in the city and in the summer time the field was dressed in lace. Tall laced flowers dancing in the breeze, some as tall as I was... they became … Continue reading Let’s Paint a Field of Queens VIDEO
The air is sweet green. It has been raining for two days and while most are scoffing, I welcome the rest. A steady downpour puts me in a trance without me even realizing it. I stare at strings of rain like crystal beads against the dark of pine. Beating rain pelting the ground is rhythmic … Continue reading Soaked Pine Watercolor
To enjoy the song of spring, it cannot be played on an iPhone or any other artificial electronic device. That would be an insult to your ears. To see a male rose-breasted grosbeak look you in the eye and hear him bicker at you for being too close to his turf is a very intimate … Continue reading The Song of Spring Watercolor
This is Let's Paint Nature's 500th post! To celebrate, let's post a free step by step watercolor demonstration!!! And let it be an easy on at that. Here we go.... This scene was taken from Knock Knolls in Naperville, IL. It will be a very simple watercolor sketch. When I want to do a quick … Continue reading Let’s Paint an Easy Winter Landscape Free Step by Step Watercolor
