Sketching, Illustration, Design and Everyday Life.
Copyright by © Nina Khashchina except where noted.
Showing posts with label Gouache. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gouache. Show all posts
Thoughts on Dahlias
I've been thinking about adding dahlias to my little garden, though I hear they are hard to grow - mostly because you have to remember to take the tubers out of the ground and then put them back in, and it has to happen at a certain time. It does not sound too complicated by itself, but the way my garden works (so far) is that as soon as I take something out, I put something else in. So there might be no place for them by the time I should stick them back in - some other lovely plant might be happily growing in their spot. And it feels a little unfair. Dahlias are also maddening for me to draw - but I love trying :) Perhaps I will get a plant too and see if it can survive without leaving the soil for the winter? 
Let's Draw Google Bikes!
On a day with some amazing clouds I had a little drawing adventure / art materials testing session at the Google Visitor Experience Center. I enjoyed Etchr Hot Pressed sketchbook for the first two sketches and Strathmore Drawing Paper for the last sketch. Lots of different materials were used here and there, but my freshly cleaned flex nib fountain pen was my main drawing joy for this outing.
Succulent Garden as and Answer
When in doubt about what to draw, if I have limited time or am still jet-lagged, there is an answer to "what to draw": succulent garden! Gouache in my new Etchr Hot Press Sketchbook - gifted by Etchr as one of the sponsors at the USk Symposium.
Toulouse, France 2026: Trip to the Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around It. Part 5: Japanese Garden
I did my demo for the Urban Sketchers Symposium at the Japanese Garden (Jardin Japonais Pierre Baudis), but since it was so close to the hub and such a wonderful place to visit and sketch, I ended up going there several times! To draw the large metal steampunk sculpture of the dragon sitting in the lovely duck-infested waters (Tholus the dragon, by Tom Petrusson), to draw in preparation for my demo (second image), and to draw with friends while being chased from the grass by the garden worker! (ducks visited us there too :)
Trip to Toulouse, France, 2026: Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around it.
Part 1: My Workshops
Part 2: My Demo
Part 1: My Workshops
Part 2: My Demo
Toulouse, France 2026: Trip to the Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around It. Part 4: Rooftops
After the Symposium, there were opportunities to go further from the hub and sketch in more unusual places. One of my favorite ways to see a new city is to find a good rooftop view! I had some wonderful company to sketch with in both places and used my gouache kit (see post about my trip tools) and some pencils over it.
Trip to Toulouse, France, 2026: Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around it.
Part 1: My Workshops
Part 2: My Demo
Part 1: My Workshops
Part 2: My Demo
Toulouse, France 2026: Trip to the Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around It. Part 2: Demo
Each of the Faculty Members at the Urban Sketchers Symposium was giving a demo on the first day of workshops. Unfortunately, all the demos were happening at the same time, so there was no chance to attend demos of the fellow symposium teachers (and there were so many I wanted to see!!). My location was in the Japanese Garden in Toulouse and I managed to find a spot with at least some shade for both myself and all who came to watch me paint.
My workshop was in black and white; however, my demo was in full color and mixed media - mostly in gouache - but with some addition of colored pencils and such. It ran a little bit over an hour. I started by explaining my tools set-up and then jumped into the scene. Painting and keeping a commentary running during each step and brushstroke is different from just painting, but I enjoyed the experience, comments, and questions from the demo participants. And I ended up with gouache-hands (see photo below), a piece that I enjoyed, and it was later auctioned at the Symposium and a dear friend got it!
Trip to Toulouse, France, 2026: Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around it.
Part 1: My Workshops
Part 2: My Demo
Part 1: My Workshops
Part 2: My Demo
Drawing Pottery Made By Others and Making Holes in My Sketchbook
I've been sharing my own pottery experiments, but here are some sketches that I made with a very lovely shaped vase and a perfect little bowl - they have a similar color scheme, and I've been enjoying putting them into my still lifes when there is space on my table. I gift all pieces that I make - but these stay with me :) Both of these are sketchbook paintings created mainly with gouache, but also with many little experimental materials - so much that there were some holes in the paper, and I was repairing pages with tape.
As California Hills Turn in Summer
California spring is spectacular but quick to pass. What comes after is not less spectacular but much slower changing: the colors grow in complexity and texture, the heat becomes hard to survive, the sounds of insects get louder, birds are quieter, and fragrances envelop you as you walk. This was probably my first summer outing to sketch, and I enjoyed my gouache adventures and great company immensely! 
I Made a Set of Two Vases
I made a set of two vases. It was harder than I thought because at first I thought I made them, and then I had to make them again - they were not a set! And I wanted them to be close relatives. But very different. And these two are :) And they were a gift to two friends of mine - from two different generations, and having these friendships is a gift by itself!
On My Table: Beginning of June 2026
My preparation for my teaching trip to Toulouse for the 14th International Urban Sketchers Symposium is in full swing! Kits for participants of my workshop are ready (I have now started assembling a prayer to the Travel Gods so that my bag will not be lost). My handout is basically ready (though one cannot stop tweaking things, can one?). I am getting my stickers printed and selecting colors for my palette to paint in my free time (I am making bets with myself as to how many sketches I would actually make in between three days of workshops and a demo!). The rest of the stuff on my table is a story about me drawing people more in May and enjoying a little pouch that has an elastic band and was very helpful for the "quick daw" sketching on the go. I am afraid till the end of July I will be all: Toulouse, Toulouse Toulouse" - apologies in advance - I am so excited for this trip!
Two Very Different Sketches from One Great Place
I got to sketch at the Allied Arts Guild this week and went with a plan and a friend. While catching up I completely abandoned my plan (without realizing it) and ended up drawing people at work in a really cool workspace. In short, it was a great sketching outing that needs part 2 to go back to my plans!
Flanders Poppies in a Landscape
It is impossible to translate all the feelings a field of poppies gives. I enjoyed painting separate flowers and groups of flowers, but something was missing in what I was trying to say. That is when I knew that I had to try and paint a bigger view - and what a joy it was!
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