Mixed Media Sketching Tuesday!

Last week I had a wonderful afternoon, drinking tea and sketching and painting with my friends!
I was supposed to stop by just for a while, and didn't bring much material with me, only and old book and some white gouache. While chatting and sipping on the tea, I started to partially cover  the book pages with the white paint... I really didn't have any idea of what I was going to do...

 Since I didn't have any watercolors with me I then used the different teas on the paper for some abstract designs for warming up, and finished with some watercolor pencils...

Now I was inspired enough to end up with some small and loose mixed media sketches of coffee and tea cups! I really enjoyed improvisating and sketching in good company, and I was quite happy with the result as well, even if these are no traditional watercolor paintings -  what do you think?!

Wintercolors from my sketchbook!

It's Tuesday again, and I'm opening my sketchbook to show a few different works. They are all fast sketches  - just for the joy of capturing what inspires me at the moment. This is a 'Il Duomo' a detail of the Dome of Florence. Pencil and watercolors. Very basic and fast sketching, but yet, easily recognizable...

This page - actually a double page, as so often in my sketchbooks - is a quite big sized (approx. 60 x 35 cm) mixed media painting featuring mainly watercolors - of cours  - but also oil pastels and chalk pastels.

I called it 'Winterberries' because of the frosty colors... And I enjoyed the painting process a lot!

Well, this was surprisingly fun! A leftover piece of wrapping paper inspired me. I glued it to the sides of my large sketchbook, and then I painted and copied the design freely, with no preliminary drawing 

in monochromatic watercolor (Payne's Grey).

Painting the sea in the winter - on a Sketchbook Tuesday!

I was very inspired thinking of the colors, the smell of salt, splashes of water... and movements of the waves - the everchanging sea in November.

This time I used gouache and mixed media - paper scraps, glue and pencil for the first one, and then I painted the other ones very fast mostly with gouache, but one also with watercolors.

 Which one do you prefer?

Still life with tomatoes - a new Challenge!

This is my first painting  to participate in the latest Paint and Draw together Challenge. Click on the link to see the reference photo, and the other participants beautiful works.

Step 1 - first layer of color.

 Step 2 -adding more color, some details and structure to the table with salt.

Step 3 -was adding the background and more detail and contrast through shadows, for example.

Some details of the work in progress.

As usually, it's hard to know when to stop. I tend to overwork my paintings, losing the initial freshness. That's why, whenever I have time, I do one or two additional, fast paintings, which I personally like more. I will upload he pictures of the progress of my second painting very soon!

Hope to see you again!

Not only watercolors!

From my sketchbook, mixed media, inspired by the girl filmed in NY while walking along the streets...

(watercolors, pencil, oil pastels and pastels)

This is the link

SKETCHBOOK TUESDAY!

Sometimes I sketch every day, sometimes I get lost for longer times, but never stop completely. I find sketcing very freely is the best way to be inspired! Even if watercolors are my favourite I also try different media. Let's see if  I can keep up showing a page from my sketchbook once a week starting from now!