Thankful

pumpkins and gourds

watercolor painting by Rosa Phoenix

It's Thanksgiving in the U.S.A.!

It's the day we get together with our family and friends, give thanks, and celebrate the abundance of the harvest!

I love the autumn season. At the market I bought many pumpkins, squash and gourds. I love the bright colors and unusual shapes. They are simply brilliant!

Giving thanks for what we have, and sharing what we have, is a good way to celebrate, every day.

 

Lost in Thought

 

watercolor pencil on paper

by Rosa Phoenix

Continuing with my studies of the body, the face and expression . . . and playing with color, of course.

Creative Collaboration

Lovebirds

watercolor by Rosa Phoenix

"Love is, above all, the gift of oneself."  

- Jean Anouilh

A few months ago, in the Fall of 2012, I partnered with the City of Phoenix, Arizona to teach free and low-cost art classes at senior centers.

My first experience teaching, it is the most wonderful collaboration.

Most of my students are beginners. Many have physical disabilities, or are recovering from illness, injury, trauma and grief.

They come to class with an open mind and heart. 

They are shy and embarrassed, because they don't yet know how to draw or paint. 

They are drawn to my classroom because something in them wants to create, express the beauty around them and within them, and to learn the skill of the artist. 

They know instinctively, that creative expression is their birthright as humans.

"We can do better than I can."

- Lykke Li

I think the highest form of creativity is collaboration.

The spark of energy exchange that happens when two or three or more share their ideas, is so much greater than what one person can accomplish alone.

That's why I love teaching so much.

To be able to share my love of art, and to teach people the skills to create their own works of art, makes my heart happy.

My students greet me shyly and say, "I can't draw," or "I can't paint." 

Within half an hour, they are happily drawing or painting, and watching themselves do it with amazement.

Their sense of sight, and their observation skills awaken. 

Suddenly, they are looking around them at their familiar world, now rich with colors, shapes and shadows that they had never noticed before. "It's beautiful!" they say.

Their ordinary world becomes an extraordinary world, because they now have an artist's vision.

Lotus Pond

acrylic painting 

by Rosa Phoenix

Wouldn't it be wonderful, if we could live this way every day?

We can . . .

. . . be the student, with open mind and open heart, willing to learn, willing to improve, aspiring to a higher expression . . .

. . . be the teacher, willing to share the skills and knowledge with others . . .

In my daily work, I do both, teaching and learning, sharing and collaborating.

My students continually inspire me with their dedication and motivation. They inspire me   because they make so many contributions themselves: volunteering, teaching and giving, with all their hearts.

We share our best selves with each other. Let's keep doing this, and uplift the world.

Profile of a Young Man

watercolor pencil sketch

by Rosa Phoenix

I've been going to life drawing / painting sessions, to learn how to draw the body and face. 

It is so challenging to draw from life, rather than copying photographs or other artwork.

It took three attempts to get a good likeness of this young man. I was really happy to be able to get the profile view. 

I struggle with drawing people, but it's gratifying to see that I am getting better, each time I go.

Winter Forest Watercolor Lesson

Winter Forest

watercolor painting by Rosa Phoenix

Happy Holidays!

Believe it or not, it's cold and wintry here in Arizona, and there's snow in the mountains!



We painted a wintry forest scene in my watercolor classes. 

This is a nice lesson for beginners. We learn about wet-on-wet technique, using masking tape, and color perspective (distant objects are lighter in color and appear blurry, while closer objects are darker in color and have more definition).



Step 1

We start by masking off the bottom part of the painting with masking tape, then applying a pale wash of paint (using lots of water) to the paper in a cool blue lavender color. 

This will be our sky.


Step 2

While the wash is still wet, loosely paint in the most distant layer of trees, using a slightly darker lavender paint that is very wet. I use a small round brush, using a quick back-and-forth motion. It doesn't have to be detailed, because the trees are very far away. 

We want the trees to blend in with the sky, to get a misty look.


Step 3

While our background tree layer is still wet, we loosely paint in the middle layer of trees in a blue green color. The colors will blend together and that's OK.


Step 4

We let our painting dry, and then we paint in our final layer of trees that are closest to us. We use a dark blue-green color paint, and we use less water this time, so our trees have more definition.

Finally, we remove the masking tape and paint the bottom part of our painting. I painted a wash of icy, light blue color.

My students used their imaginations to create a scene here: one painted snowy hills; another painted a deer, and another painted a river with fish jumping in it!

Remember to stay creative and open to possibilities. It's a wonderful way to live life!

Sara

pencil and watercolor by Rosa Phoenix 

I used graphite pencil, watercolor pencils and watercolor crayons, and a paintbrush with water.

Autumn Colors: Watercolor Painting Lesson

It's Autumn in Arizona! 

What better way to enjoy the changing season, than by walking in Nature, and seeing the autumn colors?

I took these photos on a hike to Horton Springs, near Payson, Arizona. 

Up in the mountains, the trees grow tall, and their leaves put on a spectacular display of color, illuminated in the sunlight!

the creek from Horton Spring

The change of seasons gives us a chance to reflect on the changes in our lives. 

It's a time to celebrate our growth and progress! 

Autumn is a colorful reminder that we can make a brilliant impact here on Earth.

I'm very excited about a new change for me this season: I'm teaching art classes!

I love it, because I am sharing the joy of creativity with others.  

*****

Here's a beginner's lesson in watercolor painting and color mixing, inspired by autumn colors:

First we learn about the color wheel. 

By mixing the three primary colors (red, yellow and blue) we can mix all the colors we need. Do you see the beautiful colors of autumn?

It takes just 3 steps to make our painting of autumn foliage:

Step 1

First we wet the paper, then start dabbing primary colors onto the paper. 

The colors mix together right on the paper. (This is called wet-on-wet technique in watercolor.) 

Then we let it dry.

Step 2

We use a cut piece of sponge, dip it in more paint, and dab the paint on the paper with the sponge.

Here is what it looks like, after we have added color with the sponge. Do you see how it creates texture?


Step 3

To finish the painting, just use a small paintbrush to make the tree limbs and branches. The brown color was mixed using all three primary colors: red, yellow and blue.

And we are done, in 3 easy steps!

Sketchbook: San Francisco

Tibet Center

watercolor pencil 

in moleskine watercolor notebook

by Rosa Phoenix

I love the colors of Tibet. Bright red, orange, deep blue and yellow. And colorful prayer flags blowing in the wind.

A man saw me sketching and said, that's my house!

He said he lived at the Tibet Center and did the gardening. He wanted to make sure the garden was in the drawing.

this is a tiny door

see the colorful prayer flags

Sketchbook: New York

Cloisters Museum

watercolor pencil 

in moleskine watercolor sketchbook

by Rosa Phoenix

Fort Tryon Park is a beautiful hillside park overlooking the Hudson River.  On top of the hill is the Cloisters Museum, home of an important collection of Medieval Christian art.

Fort Tryon Park, NYC

watercolor pencil sketch

in moleskine watercolor sketchbook

by Rosa Phoenix

 It's a lovely place for a picnic!


I also wrote about the Cloisters Museum in my blog post here.

Sketchbook: San Francisco

2 Blue Houses

watercolor pencil 

in moleskine watercolor sketchbook

by Rosa Phoenix

Here are 2 recent watercolor pencil sketches. They seem to go together.

Birthday Self Portrait

watercolor pencil in moleskine watercolor sketchbook

by Rosa Phoenix

I was wondering, what should I draw now? Since it was my birthday, I drew myself! 

I haven't done a self portrait in years. Since it was my birthday, I gave myself blue hair (something I have always wanted!) Hey, it matches my outfit!

Sketchbook: San Francisco

watercolor pencil sketch by Rosa Phoenix

Could a house be any more decorated than this 100+ year old house in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood? The San Franciscans who built these houses loved to pile on the decorations. That is why these colorful Victorian houses are also known as Painted Ladies.

I have been taking advantage of the sunny warm weather to sketch outdoors. I am experimenting with my new watercolor pencils. I like the fact that I can use the pencils to capture precise lines, and I can turn my drawing into a painting with a little bit of water and a paintbrush.

If you have been wondering why I post so many sketches, there are a couple of reasons. First, I spent the last year building my website, www.rosaphoenix.com, and I didn't have time to make finished paintings. Second, I discovered this awesome website called Urban Sketchers which is artists all over the world who sketch their urban surroundings. I want to get on this website, so I've been posting sketches. When I have a good selection of sketches I will submit them to Urban Sketchers.

I like sketches. Sketches are unfinished, imperfect, fresh, spontaneous. It's hard to get this quality in a finished drawing or painting. I often prefer sketches for this reason.

If you would like to see all the location sketches I have posted so far, you can scroll down to the bottom of this post and click on the label "location sketch."


LINKS

Urban Sketchers

Virtual Paintout: San Francisco Bay Area

view of San Francisco from Treasure Island

 crayon and color pencil drawing by Rosa Phoenix

These sketches were for the Virtual Paintout, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area this month.  

Treasure Island is halfway between San Francisco and Oakland, right beside the Bay Bridge.

Click here to see the Treasure Island View as seen on Google Maps Street View

This is my first quick sketch, in pen.

 

pen and ink with felt tip pen shading

I wanted to focus on the horizon. The Bay Bridge on the left and a range of hills on the right lead the eye to the center, the city of San Francisco. 

This is my second sketch, in crayon and color pencil.

crayon and color pencil drawing 

I curved the lines to lead the eye to San Francisco. 

Looking west from Treasure Island, the city is backlit by the setting sun.  

San Francisco seems to glow like a star.

My latest sketch is below, using my new watercolor pencils and Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.

You can click on it to see a larger view.

 

View of San Francisco from Treasure Island

by Rosa Phoenix

watercolor pencil in Moleskine watercolor sketchbook

(color enhanced in PhotoShop)

I did this sketch from my memory. 

In this sketch I eliminated the figures in the foreground. 

I emphasized the horizon and the sweeping strokes leading from the city into the sky, hills and Bay Bridge.

I like this sketch. I'd like to make a painting based on this.

As you can see, I sometimes make many sketches and drawings of the same subject.  I like to experiment with different media, colors and compositions.

In each new version, I try to simplify, and create more balance and focus.

The Virtual Paintout is a monthly artists' challenge that uses Google Maps Street View as an inspiration. Every month, artists explore one chosen location with Street View, and they share the art they create on the Virtual Paintout.

Click here to see my other drawing for the Virtual Paintout: San Francisco Bay Area

Check out the Virtual Paintout here and see what other artists are creating