Here is a view of a pen and ink drawing I am working on at the moment, inspired by a scene I saw in Deerfield, MA after a snowstorm. I loved the layered look of the rows of dormant apple trees. I am planning on taking watercolor to it once I finish with the pen work.
©2013 Carolyn A Pappas, Winter Orchard (in progress). Ink on coldpress watercolor paper, 4 x 6 inches.
Miniature food I made with polymer clay when I was a child.
I have always loved miniatures and dollhouses as a child and still do even to this day. I recently bought a dollhouse kit for my daughter that I am planning to assemble for her (and then hide in the attic until she’s old enough for it).
Recently I found a stash of mini food I made for my teddy bears when I was about 10. At the time I remember I was so proud of myself, even though nothing is to scale. I am planning on learning how to make some much better mini food items now, using tutorials in the book Miniature Food Masterclass by Angie Scarr. I also really love looking through Stéphanie Kilgast’s flickr page. The level of detail in these pieces is amazing!
We had cosmos in the garden this year but they turned into tall weed looking things with only one or two blossoms (overwatering?). The zinnias, however, turned out beautifully. Next year I will recommend skipping the cosmos altogether and planting extra zinnias!
Zinnia Montage. Photographs ©2013 Carolyn A Pappas.
Labor Day is one of my favorite holidays because it signals the start to my favorite time of year. Recently, I have been seeing a lot of people signing up for “30 paintings in September” types of challenges. While I’m not up for anything so ambitious, I am planning on doing more artwork this month and beyond. I pretty much took the summer off from painting and drawing, but I am feeling out of practice, rusty and ready to get back into the swing of things.
©2013 Carolyn A Pappas, Rainy Day Watercolor. Watercolor, 4.5 x 4.5 inches.
Pink Clouds. Photograph ©2013 Carolyn A Pappas.
Below is a study I made for a larger painting — an unknown mountain and its reflection. I am not using my own photograph, and the person who took it is deceased, so I may never know where it was.
©2013 Carolyn A Pappas, Mountain Study. Watercolor, apx 4 x 6 inches.
Our summertime boat rides are almost over.
Katie in the Sunset. Photograph ©2013 Carolyn A Pappas.
I rarely see butterflies and the last time I tried to paint one was six years ago! I was blessed to see one in the backyard last weekend and I took a bunch of photos, which are now filed away in my reference file. You will definitely see a painting of this subject in the future.
Swallowtail and Bee. Photograph ©2013 Carolyn A Pappas.
I sketched these tulips until my pen ran out of ink and then I picked up a colored pencil and used that until it needed sharpening. Then I went to bed!
©2013 Carolyn A Pappas, Pink Tulips (8-13-13 sketchbook). Ink and colored pencil.
As much as they are interesting to look at, I was never able to wrap my mind around eating them.
Lobster. Photograph ©2013 Carolyn A Pappas.