Recommendations

Today's recommendations (I get no compensation)...

1) I'm impressed with Creative Mark (Creative Inspirations) watercolor brushes. They range in price from $2 to $6 or you can buy sets. If you like a Round, consider a No 8, T1-RS.  If you like a Flat, how about a 3/4", T1-FS?

You can buy them HERE

2) I'm loving 2 of Daniel Smith's gray watercolors...

- Jane's Grey, and

- Joseph Z's Warm Grey

I like how one is cool and one is warm.  They mix well with other colors and they also glaze nicely (see how you can thin them down to nothing?)

You can buy them HERE and HERE

Click on my Upcoming Workshops:

"Turn the Mundane into a Show Stopper"
(Sunny Cottage)

Palm Coast, FL

Feb 22-23

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"Easy Greens and Gestural People"

(taught by Annie Strack, and sponsored by me)
Summerville, SC
March 20-21

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"Venice: 8 Day Sketching/Painting Retreat"

Venice, Italy

April 22-30

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"Nurture your Soul in Tuscany"
Just outside Florence, Italy
September 17-24

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"Porto, Portugal: Strictly Sightseeing"
Porto, Portugal
September 25-30

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Join me in a 2020 Workshop!

(Helen xoxo)

                            

www.HelenKBeacham.com

Daphne Goes to Venice (Part 2)

In just 5 weeks, I head to Venice with Daphne (my 6 yr old artist/granddaughter) and her Daddy (our son, Antoine....he kept his French name when we moved from Montreal to the U.S. when he was only 3.5 yrs old.)

When Antoine decided to join us on this Venice trip, I wanted to be sure he wouldn't be bored, because Daphne and I will sketch or paint every day (probably all day long, since it's her favorite thing to do).  Antoine reassured me and said he might actually paint with us!  As a child, he was good at sketching, but real life got in the way of things creative although I'm sure he'd say golf is his creative outlet!

As part of my effort to get him up to speed quickly, I've created a tiny TRAVEL PALETTE for him (it's actually a pill container!).  I've included 3 cool colors, 4 warm colors and I've added Shadow Violet by Daniel Smith which is a color I can't live without lately. It plays so nicely either by itself or mixed with other colors.

Pill Container turned into mini travel palette.  Buy it HERE
(If you buy a different brand, make sure it's still white.)

Pigments from left:  Daniel Smith (DS) Thalo Blue (green shade), Winsor & Newton (WN) Permanent Rose, DS Nickel Titanate Yellow, DS Quinophthalone Yellow, DS Aussie Red Gold, WN Cadmium Red, DS Ultramarine Blue, DS Shadow Violet (in the center).

The first 3 are cool colors.  The other 5 are warm.

You really could use whatever cool and warm colors you already have, but try to stick with blue/red/yellow since there are not many wells.

You may buy the water brush HERE.

Then I created a chart in the back of his SKETCH BOOK that shows him what every color looks like, painted over every other color.  Look at all the colors you can create with just 7 colors! Check out the variety of greens w/o one single tube of green being included!

I used a PINK PIG 270g A5 Posh Banana Watercolor Book, but when I went to find it online for you, it's only showing up on Amazon UK.  I do believe I actually bought it through them and it shipped to me in about 2 weeks' time.  The price is right and the paper holds up very well to lots of water.  Check it out HERE.
The colors bled only because I didn't wait long enough to cover the initial color with more color.  I knew better.

For Venice or France, I particularly like the combo of Shadow Violet with all of the other colors (as shown in the top row of the chart)! Except when you're on the Venetian island of BURANO, when all of the other brighter colors will come into play!

Even though I use all kinds of travel palettes, I'm planning on all 3 of us using this new mini version in April. I'll let you know what Daphne thinks about that in a future post! We're really starting to get excited now!

You may also enjoy "Daphne Goes to Venice (Part 1)" HERE.

In September, I'm teaching at a castle in France (where we'll LIVE!)

You can find all that info right HERE.

Non-painting spouses are also invited! 

READ MY LATEST POST HERE

www.HelenKBeacham.com

Shall I sign it? Is it done?

So, let's refresh our memories with the fact that, when I left you last, I had just removed my masking fluid from the whole painting.  (In case you've forgotten, this painting measures 30"h x 40"w.)

My very next step was to add blues to the middle and foreground, in an attempt to create a lovely "S" intro into the painting.  I'm trying to lead your eye to my (eventual) focal point.  (I had another ulterior motive for the S. I'm hoping to break up the horizontal bands with something that looks at least a little bit vertical.)

Now it felt like the areas that previously had masking on them were too distinct.  Below I added color to them. Then I softened the two bottom waves.  And lastly, I added more bright colors to the top wave so that there was no doubt what I wanted you to end up looking at.

This one's going to need a title.  Any ideas???

Per my usual M.O., I'm going to live with this version of completion for now and see if it talks to me some more tomorrow.  I'm thinking all it needs is a signature and a title!  Before I sign off for tonight, I thought you might want to see the three brushes I used throughout this painting.  Even though it's a large canvas, I chose these smaller brushes in order to be able to work in and around some of the smaller tidbits of color that I put throughout the painting.  

- The bottom brush is a Royal Langnickel SG250 (size #3 round).  A $3.50 brush that I absolutely love.

- The middle brush is an Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum round (no size written on it but I'm guessing maybe a 6 or an 8).  Thank you, Anne P., for this gift!! 

- The top brush is a Rosemary & Co 1/2" Sable Blend Dagger SLR 772. Price is $15 (plus shipping from England).

Thanks for sticking with me.  Now, does anybody have a title for me?????

www.helenKbeacham.com

It's time to think about Venice in 2017.  Come paint with me! 

Check out my classes HERE.   

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