A Well Used Book
I always get a feeling of accomplishment when I finish a sketchbook, especially one that has been in progress for the better part of two years. I am so happy to move on from my red large moleskine. It was…
Carolyn A Pappas
Nature and Landscape Art
Carolyn A Pappas
Sketching at Magic Wings
Last weekend I visited Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory. I had last been there two years ago, so I was due for another visit. This time though, the timing was not ideal. It was a rainy Saturday and the place was…
Creative Detour
I took a break from drawing and painting to work on some sewing projects: mermaid dolls*. While I enjoy sewing, it can be very intense and time consuming because I don’t have a machine and do it all by hand.…
Outdoor watercolor sketching on a greeting card
Lately I’ve been trying to expand my skills and get a bit out of my comfort zone. With that in mind, instead of sketching with pen outdoors as I usually do, I decided to paint in watercolor. There is so…
Tower Hill Botanic Garden
My mom, Cate and I visited Tower Hill Botanic Garden for the first time last week. What a treasure of a place! I can’t believe that I’ve never visited in over twenty years of living in Central Mass. There is…
Feeling Unwell
Recently, I had the unfortunate opportunity to experience a concussion firsthand. It is not a pleasant experience. The doctor warned me not to make any “life altering decisions” or major purchases until it was completely resolved. But since I felt…
Watercolor Tulips in Moleskine
It’s been a while since I’ve painted in watercolor without doing an ink drawing first so I decided to try it out in my moleskine (not the moleskine watercolor album). I used fairly wet washes. Granted, moleskine paper is not…
Paper Butterflies
A Recent Experiment: I painted little butterflies on scraps of watercolor paper that were too small to use for anything else. Then I cut them out with an exacto knife. I am planning on using these little cutouts for some…
In the weeds
I sat on the edge of a retaining wall and sketched some weeds in the dirt this particular afternoon. As I was drawing, I moved around in order to find different clumps of weeds that interested me, which explains the…
Mail Art
This little postcard got sent on its way this past week to Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA. The Art Club there is putting on a show of Mail Art from June 14 through July 12. I have never been…
Playing with White Gel Pen
I got a white (and silver) Sakura Gelly Roll pen recently and tried it out in my sketchbook. For the fantasy landscape, I used it for the stars and on the teapot, I used it for the floral design. I…
Outdoor Moments
I’ve been making an effort lately to spend more time outside in the sunlight, and on a few occasions I’ve brought my sketchbook out with me. I don’t really care about the result, but I find it very relaxing to…