Curious to know how this was done? You can find out about the special techniques I used if you’ve signed up for email updates; I’ll reveal the details next month!

ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #59:

This is a sample nature journal I did as part of the preparations for the Art & Nature events at the Bellevue and Richland Park Library Branches. The yew clippings made a great paintbrush to paint the cover! Although I tried various other plants, the yew is my favorite; there’s a lot of expressive energy in the marks. Because these events were geared to families, I used Sargent Art Watercolor Magic washable liquid watercolors for the paint.

I have a new favorite tool, and this is my first experiment with it; want to know what it is? Watch for the surprising answer in June!

ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #58:

This is part of a painting test I did for a flexicube called Six Sides of Science. The patterns of lines on each side were inspired by the veins and arteries in old medical diagrams, and 2 of my line-making tools are pictured below: my favorite liner brush (brand unknown) and a Fluid Writer (by Kemper). I used diluted layers of acrylic inks and Hydrus liquid watercolors with Granulation Medium for the background colors; then I drew some of the lines with water only before adding diluted acrylic for the veins.

Here are 2 views of the completed flexicube, which won a Purchase Award several years ago.

Curious to know more about how this was done? You can find out about the special tools I used if you’ve signed up for email updates; I’ll reveal the details in May!

ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #57:

This is the page I contributed for a special artist book that Watkins College gave Mayor Barry last spring. Each page celebrates a Nashville landmark, and I chose Warner Parks, which I started visiting as a child – it’s still one of my favorite places! I wanted the background to create the impression of light coming through spring foliage, so I began with a yellow underpainting and left a few bits of white paper. After the first layer dried, I layered greens and blue-greens and added a little spattering. I used  a craft knife to cut the sphinx moth out of black exhibition vinyl and put the title in its wings.