Tag Archives: watercolor

Renaissance Man, or, A Faire to Remember

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My kilt and wings

A couple of weeks ago, the family and I went to the  Texas Renaissance Festival and had a great time. My wife and I dressed up a bit, the kids went all out, and I got to spend the day experiencing fresh air like a true Scottsman.

Selfie with the fam!

This past weekend, while the wife and kids were in Oklahoma visiting the inlaws, I decided to take another trip up to the fair for the Yule celebration. Because I was on the bike (Azula) and also because it was 41F that morning, I did NOT wear my skirt. I bundled up nicely and even so, I was cold enough that I’m sure I could have been a glass cutter.

Me and Azula at the fair motorcycle parking lot

I fought procrastination the whole morning. I bought the ticket online the night before and all morning long I regretted it. I kept trying to convince myself that I shouldn’t have spent the money, that it was a long ways to go in the cold on a motorcycle, that it wouldn’t be as much fun by myself.

I couldn’t have been more wrong about any of it. I had a lovely time walking around, looking at the sites, meeting and talking with so many beautiful people, and eating some really good foods. It was a wonderful opportunity to fuel my creativity tank.

Link to all the photos I took at the fair that turned out good.
I created a page to upload all of the pics I took that turned out good

The link above has all the photos that turned out good, and the link below will take you the youtube for the video: https://youtu.be/PFl-V3zS_j0

Chicken Adventure

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Leghorn rooster

Recently I read a study about how humans mark time. Why Christmas seems so far away to kids, but New Years was just a few days ago to adults. It boils down to “core memories”. When you’re a kid, there are tons of FIRST TIME events. The first time you saw a duck was an exciting time for you. You may not remember the exact date, but it was a first. It was likely followed immediately by another first of being chased by a goose. Or the first time you kissed a girl. Or the first time you drove a car… There are a lot of firsts for kids. All of those firsts make the marking of a year seem like a very long time. As an adult, you’ve likely seen lots of waterfowl, driven lots of cars, and kissed plenty of girls. As the novelty wears off, so too do the making of memory anchors to mark time. One day you remember sitting at the table helping your son with his homework, and the next day, he has a whole little family of his own. And that time flies for everyone.

New flamingo exhibit at the Houston Zoo

To combat that, you have to have new adventures. You have to try new things and make new memories. You can do this in a lot of major or subtle ways. Try a new restaurant. Go to a new festival in a new town. Even something as simple as changing up your seating arrangements at home. All of these things create distinct anchors. The more anchors you have, the longer it seems for time to pass. Or, maybe it just feels like you’re living your life on purpose instead of it just being something that happens.

At the Clay Festival in Gruene, TX

A few weeks ago, I started having new adventures every Saturday. We’ve been at it for a month now. First, we went to the zoo. The next week, I had a volunteer weekend at work. Then Girl2 and I went to a two story bookstore and saw a movie in a different theater. Week before last, we went to a ceramic Clay Festival in Gruene, TX. And this weekend I went to a rescue farm to sketch chickens

Intense chicken staring

I took my sketches and used them as a reference for this little sketch I managed to knock out during a break at work.

And I did a color study for a larger painting.  There’s a video of that over on the YouTube: https://youtu.be/6qWQxZ9UFtw

Biker Once More

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Motorcycle with backpack strapped to it
Azula loaded for an art ride

I bought a motorcycle last October. I told the wife I needed one and she agreed. It’s a 2011 Yamaha Stryker 1300. I will be cruising along wondering why everyone is going so slow before I look down to discover I’m going 90 and couldn’t tell.

I’ve been unemployed (again) for a little over a month. After a morning of filling out applications, sending resumes, I decided to load the art bag on her and take her out for a spin.

30 minutes down the road from me is No Label Brewery. Founded in 2010 they are in an old rice grainery. I thought the grainery would make a nice sketch so that’s what I did.

rice grainery
No Label Brewing Co.
ink and wash sketch
Ink and wash sketch

I did most of it live on Twitch, but it was difficult to get the camera to stay still, especially when the wind picked up. However, I did manage to video most of the process so watch for it on the you tube. I’ll update this later with the link.

Painting Class: Fire Hydrant Finale

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Tonight in Painting Class I finished up the fire hydrant example I have been working on. We talked about pushing the colors, using quality materials, atmospheric perspective and the whole lot. Immediately after I turned the cameras off, I decided to ink it. I'm really glad I did.

The class is online and free at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/19435761
The password for the class can be found in the current newsletter here: https://www.artisticbiker.com/newsletter

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In album The Classroom (1 photo)

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Daily Drawings

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A couple of years ago I committed myself to the first 200 drawing challenges from the Everyday Matters group on yahoo. I made it to 152 before I let myself get distracted. The purpose of the group is to point out that it's the every day matters that make every day matter. The mundane is what makes life special. Today, I decided to pick it back up and look for other sources online as well so that I will be challenged to draw every day. It is how I want to start and end every day.

There are about thirty that I haven't posted, but you can find the bulk of the previous drawings here: https://www.artisticbiker.com/the-gallery/every-day-matters/

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In album Daily Drawings (1 photo)

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