Watercolor Time

I've been getting back into painting more with watercolor recently. It's so different than oils and, though I began with watercolors when I was a kid, it still can feel like a new and difficult medium - but can also be so fun and satisfying!

Here are some recent works from late fall until now:

Late October watercolor #1, approx. 5 x 8"

Late October watercolor #2, approx. 8 x 5"

Last Color, watercolor, approx. 8 x 11"

Overgrown, watercolor, approx. 8 x 11"

Damp Leaves, watercolor, approx. 11 x 8"

Moss Green, watercolor, approx. 5 x 8"

The Still Meadow, watercolor, approx. 8 x 5"

Brown and Gray, watercolor, approx. 5 x 8"

November Dusk, watercolor, approx. 5 x 8" sold

Winter Birch Portrait, watercolor, approx. 11 x 8"

Brown December, watercolor, approx. 7 x 11". sold

Evening Snow Clouds, watercolor, approx. 7.5 x 9.25. sold

Moody Snow Clouds, watercolor, approx. 7.25 x 9.25. sold

Snow on the Tree Trunk, watercolor, approx. 5 x 4.75. sold

When you can't do a lot...

 ... do a little.

Over the past week I have not accomplished a whole lot. A nasty cold changed all my plans, and I've been house-bound, making friends with the tea kettle and tissues.

So glamorous.

So today I worked on little projects. I haven't done much watercolour painting recently, and haven't done any tiny paintings in a long time. I'd forgotten how much fun they are. :)

Small glimpses of winter, 2.5 x 3.5" paintings.

And just like that...

And just like that...it's winter.
 It's been a beautiful autumn, and I'm still hoping to work on more November-inspired paintings. I just love its colors, and the intricate forms of the bare trees along with the muted tones of the sky and landscape.

5x7" watercolour, copyright 2011 Hannah C. Heyer

 But December has arrived and brought the snow-- gorgeous, soft, wet stuff, which has turned even the mundane into a feast for the eyes.
 I had the chance to do a little plein air painting this morning, my first this winter and I hope not the last. :)
 

5x7" oil on linen, copyright 2011Hannah C. Heyer

-------------------------------------------------

We've been cleaning and childproofing around here, getting ready for my sister and her family, who'll be coming from Australia's summer to a Minnesota winter. We're digging out all the coats, boots, and blankets, and hope they'll thaw out before too long.
It's been almost two years since I've seen them, and I can't wait to see my niece and nephews! (Hurry up and get here, guys!)
 

Binksie and Bep - It's Here!

Binksie and Bep is finally here!
 It's now available on my Etsy shop: Here!


Written and illustrated by (yours truly) Hannah C. Heyer
8" x 10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm), soft cover, 34 pages, with 27 full color illustrations.


Yay! :-D

September Watercolours

Does it make sense that while we were without water (the old cistern was being replaced) I just had to paint with watercolour?

8x10" watercolour

A Roadside, 2.5 x 3.5" watercolour

September Tree, 3.5 x 2.5" watercolour

The bright clear days, fields changing to autumn hues, and trees clinging to summer green-- I had to paint something! And washing out oil painting brushes without running water was not very appealing.

I've had to stick close to home a lot lately, and after a much needed (but very short) ramble one evening I did some quick watercolour sketches while colors and places were fresh in my mind. This is such a beautiful time of year.

Happy to have water again, and hoping to work on some of my incomplete oil paintings very soon.

Ode to Paperwork

What's this, that causes, without fail,
My blood pressure to rise?
Nauseates, keeps me from sleep,
Confuses, angers, terrifies?

Its neat, type-written pages,
So innocent appear,
It will only take a minute, right?
Where is the cause for fear?

But oh! The ambiguity!
I think I'm going to cry!
The intelligence I thought I had,
Has left me high and dry!

My name (my name!) I've written wrong,
Oh why can I not think?
If only it were pencil,
And not this bold black ink!

Lines one through seven went alright,
Without too much frustration.
Line eight's a doozy and bids me search,
For some long-numbered publication.

Now for a lengthy guessing game,
Of "Does this apply to me?"
Put YES or NO or leave it blank,
And pretend I didn't see.


Line seven hundred forty-A,
In perfect legalese,
Asks the state of my finances,
And if my cat has fleas.

Attach the proper documents,
To prove I'm really me,
Paperclip -"no staples please"-
To page one hundred twenty-three.

Buried here in paperwork,
I still can't understand,
I now have just one question more:

Can someone hold my hand?


Ode to Paperwork, 9 x 12 Ink and Watercolor
Copyright 2011 Hannah C. Heyer

Full Moon over the Field

While the field is still lit by the fading twilight, the moon begins to shine through the wispy clouds.
The landscape is still the brown of early spring, and the trees haven't yet leafed out.

Full Moon over the Field, 6"x9" watercolour, copyright 2011 Hannah C. Heyer
Sold

A not-so-successfull painting session

Today I finally got out into the woods to paint. It's been way too long.

It was so pretty in every direction, I couldn't decide what to paint!
The brown, wind-blown fields against the sky with its scattered clouds? The birches, or poplars, or oaks? The view looking up the ravine full of large moss-covered stones? The view downhill where some snow still lingers? And so on.
Finally "an acquaintance of mine that I met in the woods" (which is how she wants to be identified, and no, I didn't just happen to meet her in the woods) encouraged me to do a painting of her.
This was a great challenge: a plein air portrait!

...she gave many heartfelt apologies afterwards. :-|

Here's a peak at it, with the colors looking a little different as this was taken indoors after dark.
heehee, sorry Acquaintance, but it sure was fun! She says it looks enough like her to be weird, but not enough like her to be proud of. ;) Oh well.

Have I mentioned I love this time of year?
I do.
I'm loving the sunshine, and the moody skies too.
Here's a little watercolour I finished yesterday:

Reflections, copyright 2011 Hannah C. Heyer
2.5 x 3.5 inches,watercolour on paper
Sold

Slackers.

We were meant to be mulching the garden,
but it was hot.
Mom was away.
We had a bag of chocolate-covered doughnuts.


We trampled out a spot in the middle of a patch of tall yellow flowers, and poured ourselves some milk.
We knew how to party.

Self Portrait

Ink and watercolour on Arches hot press watercolour paper

Yep, I really am that organized.

Woof.

Got my second proof for Binksie and Bep in the mail today!
The first proof I received didn't have any words in it-- apparently a glitch with the program I was using to make my PDF-- and instead had strange dots. The color was also a problem, with my clunky and ignorant attempts at converting my RGB images into CMYK for printing, and one of my illustrations.... well, it just wasn't working out.
So! Back to the drawing board.

I used a different program (Scribus is my new best friend!) and this proof looked so much better!
...until about half-way through the story. That's when things got interesting and bilingual. Somehow someone else's book was inserted-- backwards no less-- right in the middle of my own. The adventures of Binksie and Bep were interrupted by a story of a dog, told in English and Italian. I now know what attenti al cane means! :-P

It was funny, and as I need to make a few minor changes anyway, no great loss. :-)

A bland little entry plus a new little painting

Spent most of the day painting, trying to ignore a splitting headache, and listening to The Mysterious Benedict Society. The story is over, my headache remains, and this painting is complete.

Imagine the air in early spring: warm, but with a bite to it still, and that indescribable scent which is part mud and damp earth, part sprouting things, and completely wonderful.

Early Spring Full Moon, 7"x5" watercolor, copyright 2011 Hannah C. Heyer

Book Progress

My eyes are red from staring at a computer screen for too long! :-P But I think, I hope, I'm nearing the end. I'm still working on the editing and formatting of my book, including the cover.
While it would have been nice to be done sooner, the longer I'm taking with this, the better it's getting. Little extras have been added, fonts tweaked, scans improved, and ideas developed. I've still got a mountain of work to do, but real progress has been made, and that feels so good.
This is what the title page looks like at the moment:

Grand Plans in Spring

We shall build a fort
of sticks and twine and nails.

We'll live on gooseberries
and applesauce sandwiches,
and drink from a brook
(once we've discovered one!)

Our bare feet will grow tough as leather
and we will scoff at wearing shoes!
One of us may spend a summer with a thorn in her foot as a result...

Copyright 2011 Hannah C. Heyer
Girl with a Hammer, 9x12" Ink and Watercolour

Just for fun...

I drew this out last night, and painted it today.
What can I say? Sometimes it's fun to interpret on paper the jolly times children have in play. We may only see a clothes basket and some string, but really it's an adventure on the high seas!

At Sea, 9 x 12", Ink and Watercolour

"The flour was sort-of measured...

...an egg (or three) thrown in..."

I've been working on the boring and tedious aspects of my little book: formatting in preparation for printing. This is all new territory for me, and it gets a little overwhelming at times. I'm not a big fan of computer work!
However, there are delicious smells coming from the kitchen, and I've heard rumors of a cream-pie contest. It's going to be a very white Christmas; the snow has been falling all day, and my dad is out on his tractor clearing the driveway. And I'm looking forward to seeing most of my family this weekend!

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

December Wind

December Wind, 5 x 7" watercolour painting

For the better part of this week I've been bent over my work, adding color to my illustrations, working on a few small watercolours, trying to get as much work done as possible during the short daylight hours.
I really don't like this lack of sunshine. Or the cold! But Winter does have a beauty all its own.
Most of the Midwest is digging out from a blizzard, and the wind is still blowing-- hard!
I'm thankful I don't have to be out in it, but I'm glad I can look out at it. In awe.

"He brings the wind out of His treasuries..."

Little Dinosaur

Finished up a little ink and watercolour illustration I started during my visit with my sister's family earlier this year.
My niece loves dinosaurs.
She also likes to blow bubbles in milk when her mum's not looking.

More Illustrating Progress

Bep's turn to get some color...
And some glasses too!


:-)

Let the Coloring Begin!

Yesterday I began the process of painting in the illustrations for my book. Trying to be organized, and avoid silly mistakes and inconsistencies, I spread all of the drawings out and picked one thing at a time to paint.Binksie gets to be painted first. This gives a pretty good idea of how it will look, though more color and detail will be added as the painting progresses.

Now if I can just stay in the lines...