Good Times at Carson Elementary

Isaiah won my Squiggle Game, so he got to come up front and make a squiggle on my drawing pad. The squiggle he made is the outline of the insect creature in the lower right corner of the pad. The object of the game is for me to turn the student's squiggle into something recognizable, then create a scene around it.

Thanks to Debbie Bair, AKA "Mama Bear", for sending this picture of me with her daughter.

One of my favorite parts of the program: autographing my books and posters.

Toad Warrior poster

Skagway is a toad character that I have used in my school programs for many years. The students have always enjoyed my quick-draw Skagway drawings. I finally decided to introduce Skagway to my blog audience in poster form. Actually, this Skagway image was one of the first images that I posted on this blog. I thought I would reintroduce him to those who weren't around when I first started the blog. You can see in the side panel to the right that Skagway is available on Zazzle as a t-shirt, as well as other Skagway products.

Have you seen my other blog, The Trowbridge Chronicles. 

Last Week's Read Across America Program

Last Thursday I was honored to be the featured guest for the Read Across America Program at Fruitland Elementary School in Puyallup, Washington. The students just finished their monster drawing that I demonstrated for them from my Monster Safari How-to-Draw Book. They wanted to hold their drawings up to show me... so I grabbed my camera, just in the nick of time. It was a fun and memorable day. I will have more Monster Safari Programs through the Spring semester and next school year. 

I would be happy to answer your questions regarding bringing my Monster Safari and/or Read Across America Program to your school: http://bronsmith.com/schoolprograms.htm

Bumble Bee Pollinating Discovery Bay Rhododendron

I've been working on this painting on and off since November 27, 2013. The biggest challenge in  painting in a realistic style is the time commitment. Realistic paintings progress very slowly. 

I used Prisma Color pencils with a colored pencil blender pen to give the painting a "wet" look. I saved the best for last...yesterday I painted in the bumble bee in the middle of the rhodie bloom. That was the cherry on top of the whip cream. 

I draw and paint so much for public consumption and almost not at all for decorating the walls of our house. So this will be framed and will hang in our family room. The actual purpose of the painting is to enhance my Painting in Paradise web site. 

My Painting in Paradise workshops allow people the opportunity to travel to an exotic South Pacific destination, the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. There I teach participants how to paint exotic tropical flowers in a realistic style. It is truly a painter's paradise holiday. You can get more details in the link in the above paragraph.

Have you seen my other blog, The Trowbridge Chronicles? 

Cayman Islands Water Bottles

I got a surprise in the mail yesterday. My cartoon map associate in the Caymen Islands sent me these Cayman Islands cartoon map water bottles. It's one of the ancillary products that he has spun off of my Cayman Islands Cartoon Map.  He has also produced giant Cayman Islands Cartoon Map beach towels. I put the water bottles on the book shelf along with my new Monster Safari How-to-Draw Book. Thanks, Paul!

Discovery Bay Rhododendrons: More Progress on the Background

 I've been working on my Rhododendron painting on the side since last November 27th. I'm keeping track of my time, and I shudder to think how many hours I will rack up on this painting. Instead of working in watercolor, as I had originally planned, I decided to render the flowers in Prismacolor pencils, then use a colored pencil blender to add the "wet" effect. I'm quite pleased with the results in using the blender for the first time, but I learned that the tip of the blender doesn't last long. I begins to break down fairly quickly, which makes is more difficult to be precise in your blending. I will go through three or four blenders before I'm finished with the painting. For tips on how to use colored pencil blenders, see the post below.

The finished painting will be posted on my Painting in Paradise web site. Our next workshop is scheduled to depart this coming March 30, 2014. Details at the web site: www.PaintingInParadise.net

Have you seen my other blog, The Trowbridge Chronicles? trowbridgechronicles.blogspot.com

Discovery Bay Rhododendron Progress - Colored Pencil Blender Tips

Here's the latest update on my Discovery Bay Rhododendron painting. Since my last post I've filled in considerably more background on the right side. I will continue filling in background information in a counter-clockwise direction until the painting is finished. Then there will be a little visual surprise at the end of the painting. 

COLORED PENCIL BLENDING TIPS

Have you worked with a colored pencil blender before? Here are some tips that will help you get the most from using a colored pencil blender to enhance your colored pencil work.

1) When you've been blending in a dark area, like the dark background behind the flowers above, roll and dap the point on a tissue thoroughly before you move into a light-colored area, like the white petals above. The point of the blender will pick up the dark color and transport some of it into the light area, and "stain" it with the darker color. When you're blending an area of dark and light hues, blend the light color area first, then move into the dark area. 

2) The tip of the blender doesn't hold its point very long. After  blending for a while, you'll find that the tip has crumbled slightly. You will then have to be careful when blending in tight areas. If you're not careful when blending in a tight dark and light area, the dark color on the tip can stain the light area. Once the area is stained, it's not easy to remove. You can scrape it with an exacto knife, but in doing so you can easily damage the surface of the paper. This is the big advantage that Photoshop has over traditional painting. I must admit that I've been spoiled by Photoshop. 

3) To get the feel of how the blender works, you may want to experiment on a separate piece of colored pencil art that you don't mind practicing on. The above painting was my first experience with the blender, but I just dove in and got the feel of the blender through the course of the painting.

4) As you apply the blender to your colored pencil, you'll find that it makes your "dry" colored pencil strokes look wet, like watercolors. Yet the colored pencil strokes will still be somewhat visible. The blender also fills in the tiny white specks that occur when you don't thoroughly cover the paper with the colored pencil. You may prefer to practice using the tool before starting your painting to get the feel of applying the blender solution in different strokes, like long and smooth, or tight circles.

5) The blender I used is called: Artist's Loft Colored Pencil Blender. I bought it at Michael's Arts and Crafts, an art and craft chain store. The blender has a large tip on one side, a small tip on the other. To give you an idea of how long the blender lasts, I will go through three or four blenders to complete the above painting, which is 8.5 x 11 inches.

Check out my Painting in Paradise web site for the date of our next workshop. On the "Package Info" page you'll find the departure date for the fantasy South Pacific island of Rarotonga. In the course of the workshop I will teach you how to paint flowers in the realistic technique that you see above. www.PaintingInParadise.net

Have you seen my other blog, The Trowbridge Chronicles?