Solar Eclipse 2024

An astounding number of people witnessed a total solar eclipse on April 8th! Many went to be "in the path of totality" and I hear it was spectacular! 

Here is Northern California I got to see about 30% of the sun covered my moon - well, I saw a shadow of the sun, 30% of which was covered by the moon. This time I did not draw people or progression - but I did draw my attempt at catching those sickles with a custom-made slotted spoon. And I watched shadows under the trees - that is the simplest and the most joyful way to see an eclipse for me!

See my other solar eclipse sketching outings: 2012, 2017, 2023

And more eclipse-related posts here. 

Blooming Orchard Painting Disaster.

Imagine a friend taking you to paint a blooming orchard. It is a gorgeous day and the view is spectacular - filled with white blooming fruit trees. And you sit down with your lunch and sketching gear and realize that... you forgot to pack white with you. Even your backup white (and backup to backup - which I usually also carry but that is a story for another post). 

I ended up making two sketches: one with the flowers colored pink :) And another with the naked trees - and I added white from my memory and photos when I got to my white :) I did not post these for two weeks. True story. With some continuation, I think.

I went to see the ocean and paint it too.

I went to see the Ocean on a perfect day - it was cool, sunny and the company was great. I tried to capture the same part of the beach with a watercolor+gouache combo and then with stencils. And had time for a little gouache after that. Scroll below for the process photos from the beach - wind tried to take some of my supplies and I got a little sand everywhere including my palette - but what fun! 

On My Table: Beginning of April 2024.

This month I took a very honest photo of the mess on my art table. When I need to work and come to a table that looks like this I have three options: put new stuff right on top of everything, clear a tiny spot in the corner and work there - or make a photo for the "first of the month on my art table" and then clean the table because it is a hazard to work on right now. 

My goal for this April is to paint on location (en plein air) a lot. So I am urgently reviving my gouache set-up so that I can paint quickly and anywhere. I will tell you how it went at the end of the month!

Comments and links to some things in the picture:
- My favorite White Pen - Uni-Ball UM 153 Signo Broad Point Gel Pen. 

- A pen I used a lot lately - Zig Memory System Calligraphy Marker (I almost killed it during the drawing trip to the zoo where I took a separate sketchbook - which will become part of this sketchbook soon :)

- Pencil Sharpener #1 is Swordfish The Triple 3 Hole Canister Pencil Sharpener

- Pencil Sharpener #2 is KUM AS2M (which makes some excellent long points and also has a side sharpener for sharpening mechanical pencils).

- Little yellow bottle - is a part of Kuretake Water Brush - Petit Set. 

I am searching for a red that is simultaneously a little pink and a little orange has a glow and works well when diluted (goes to transparent well even if it is opaque when applied thick) and I want to find a color that I can reproduce with pencils too. Any suggestions are welcome :) Current front runners are Pyrol from Daniel Smith and Sennelier Orange or vermillion Schmincke gouache. 

Exploding Wisteria Pods

Wisteria seed pods twist and open in the spring when the weather gets warm. If you ever brought a wisteria seed pod home (smooth or fuzzy - they are irresistible!) you probably experienced a loud explosion and dispersion of the seeds firsthand - as I did. The very first time it happened late in the evening and it was scary loud! (and I think the last seed was never found). This year I witnessed how a whole large boosh went into a burst mode. For a few hours, the same sequence repeated: a loud POP, then the sound of an empty pod falling on the ground (they covered the ground completely!). And just in one evening most of the pods were gone and wisteria began showing buds of this year's flowers. 

I learned that Both Wisteria Frutescens (American wisteria) and Wisteria Sinensis (Chinese wisteria) twine in a counterclockwise direction but Wisteria Floribunda (Japanese wisteria) twines clockwise.