Last week I attended a meditation retreat in Sedona. I didn't have a lot of time, but I completed a quick pencil sketch of these beautiful rock formations one day while walking . On the trip my friend Jodi gave me my birthday gift and guess what it was?... watercolors and colored pencils! She had hand-squeezed the paint into a beautiful, flat paint bin and labeled each color! She also gave me a great set of 36 Prismacolor pencils. My previous set of colored pencils were from a Prang set I have owned since I was a child so it was definitely time to upgrade.
When I got home I worked from a photo to add color to my pencil sketch. I have never combined watercolors and colored pencils so it was an interesting experience for me. I fretted and fretted whether or not to go over the major lines at the end in ink. I usually start with ink and add watercolor. But in the end I liked the soft look of the rocks.
As you can see below I also experimented with adding salt. You can barely see it in the blue sky, but it is there nonetheless. In hindsight I would have made the sky darker blue but I didn't want to destroy the beautiful effect the salt had already made. It is funny to see my reaction and difficulty in trying new methods. I like to stick with what I know but sometimes the payoff can be so great if you find something you like. For instance, I never even knew I liked watercolor until I took Amy Bogard's class - check it out if you are inclined. It introduced me to a skill I will use the rest of my life!
“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves,
or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.”
-Charles Schaefer
or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.”
-Charles Schaefer
Next time around I am going to try combining watercolor, colored pencils and ink but for now I am calling this one done. Thank you Jodi for such an awesome gift!
