Susan Monty Fine Art
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​​Nature Blog

Watercolor Nature Journal, Part 2

2/22/2021

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FINDING INSPIRATION

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In October, I did a post about the materials I use for my nature journal. Today I'm going to explain how I use those materials by doing a step by step journal entry. I've been seeing so many bluebirds at my feeders that I'm going to do a entry about bluebirds.

In the summer I can sit on my porch watching the birds and noticing the flowers and trees or hearing frogs to get inspired for journaling. In the winter it is a little trickier so I rely on the photographs I take for inspiration. Here are a few that I have taken this winter. I've already done a pastel painting and a watercolor of these beautiful birds.

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DESIGN AND SKETCH - drawing and text

​Once I’ve chosen a theme, I start to sketch in my subjects using a graphite pencil or a blue erasable colored pencil. I keep in mind the design of the page. Do I want a single large drawing with text or do I want to do several small drawings with text wrapped or curved around? I do both in my journals. I keep the sketch and text light because I will be erasing them after inking. For a freestyle swath of text, I just draw a line and add a second line above it to suggest the top of my letters. See the example “Bluebirds” in the photo. The strange looking tape on the bottom is drywall tape, and it is a great helper to add text to pages. It keeps the text in line without being too mechanical and is much faster that using a ruler. The tape is slightly sticky. Position where the text will be and press it down. Use a pencil to lightly draw lines along the parallel “strings” of the tape. The size of the text will determine which “strings” to use. I generally use every other one. Remove the tape and add your text. Below is an example of a double page all roughed in and ready for ink.
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PEN AND INK

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​After I have sketched in my subjects and added text, I’m ready to ink in the design. I usually use Micron 05 pens by Sakura. I  keep my ink colors to a minimum: black, brown, dark green, dark blue. I occasionally add lighter brighter colors depending on the subject. Extra fine point Sharpies work well, also. Since I add watercolor I always make sure the pens I am using are waterproof. The brand doesn’t matter as much as knowing your pen work won’t bleed and ruin your page.

When I have finished with the pens, I use a soft eraser to remove all the pencil lines. My favorite is a Vanish eraser, bur any soft eraser will do. I am careful to not damage the paper as I erase. 

WATERCOLOR WASHES

​Now for the fun part – COLOR!  I collect my painting supplies: watercolor paint (I always use cruelty free vegan  paint – yes, that’s a thing!), brushes (synthetic) my fav is a Golden Fleece #6, but use what works best for you. I like this one because is big enough to fill larger areas on my small page, but still comes to a good point for small details. I use a Dollar Store white plate as a mixing palette. It works perfectly and only costs a buck! I have a bunch both dinner plates and smaller dessert plates. I add a small glass bowl for water (I love using pretty or unusual bowls or glasses for water) and paper towels, and I'm ready to go.
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FINAL DETAILS AND EMBELLISHMENTS

​Once my watercolor washes are dry, I check my work and add any touch ups that are needed whether with paint or pens. Then I add my final touches. I always include a little bit of gold paint on every page. I like to add a touch to every bird or animals and maybe some swirls or decorations if I need to fill in an empty area. 
I try to keep my sketched and ink drawing as accurate as possible, but I don’t stress if something isn’t quite right. I’m capturing a feeling, a day, an experience, not doing a finished detailed drawing. Go with the flow and have fun!
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Fun with Pastel Pencils and Clairefontaine Pastelmat

1/25/2021

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I've been collecting pastel pencils for about a year now - an artist can never have enough art supplies, right? If ever there was a magical art tool, it must be the combination of Pastelmat paper and pastel pencils. I love detail and the level of detail I can get from these two tools is a delight. This is the perfect medium and surface for highly detailed animal art. I've been doing pet portraits and wildlife portraits. I am in love!

Here are a few of my recent works, as well as a couple of oldies. I have a Carolina Wren ready to start on the drawing board and a dog portrait commission. 

Next blog post, I'll do a quick tutorial on the steps I used in painting Hobbes' portrait. I loved this pose (a photo my daughter, Tara, took.) We have two cats so once I get a really good photo of Bunsen, I'll do his portrait. 

Tiger in Waiting, Portrait of Hobbes, 8x10
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Who doesn't love baby ducks! I photographed this one and her siblings while vacationing at Partridge Cabins in Pittsburg, NH. Mom and ducklings spent some time hanging around the dock so I had lots of great opportunities to get photos. I love the reflections in this photo so I just had to paint it. Those feathers were a challenge, but once I figured out the pattern (there's always a pattern in nature), I got it done.

​Duckling, 8x10
This is Fiona, a gorgeous, young Red Fox. She was rescued and lives at Millstone Wildlife Center in Windham. They were kind enough to allow me to use Fiona's photo to create this portrait. I see the occasional fox pass quickly through my yard or show up on my trail cam, but so far I haven't been able to get good photos for this kind of up close and personal portrait. Now I'm thinking about trying for a raccoon portrait - I love their paws and want to include them in any painting I do!
Millstone Wildlife Center does an amazing jog rehabilitating wildlife and educating people about wildlife.
 https://millstonewildlifecenter.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MillstoneWildlifeCenter

​Portrait of Fiona, 8x10


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I end up taking tons of seagull photos when we go on vacation to Maine. I was able to take a bunch of this guy, or girl, when we were in Rockport. Doing a detailed portrait like this really makes you look at the details of your subject. I love the pale eye, the red mark on the beak and the greys and blues of the feathers. I enjoyed this one. I think Seagulls get a bad rap!


​The Opportunist, Herring Gull, 8x10
This portrait of Sketch, my ever present shadow, was my first portrait using Pastelmat and pastel pencils. I fell in love with being able to add whiskers and whispy light hairs right on top of my dark colors, something that isn't possible with colored pencil. Building up layers is fun, and not nearly as time consuming as working in colored pencil. I might have hundreds of colored pencils for sale. lol Maybe not, you never know when you're going to need a colored pencil. I still love working in colored pencils. Certain subjects call for certain mediums, I think.

​Sketch, (detail) 8x10
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This beautiful Great Blue Heron was my first bird in pastel. I was lucky enough to get some wonderful photos of this young heron we came across while walking at Pickering Ponds in New Hampshire.  He was standing on a rock right next to the path so we had to walk right by him to continue our hike. He was wary, but didn't fly away. He just moved to the edge of the water. Later when we returned on the path, he was back on his rock, and I was able to get even more photos. I'm sure he'll show up in more paintings.

Those feathers were a major challenge, but were an amazing education on painting feathers. 

Juvenile Blues, Great Blue Heron, (detail) Sold
In conclusion, I have to say that I will be doing a whole lot more with pastel pencils and Pastelmat. Watch out Dick Blick, I'll be needing more pencils!
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Wood Slice Holiday Ornaments

11/1/2020

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I love painting ornaments. I've done glass balls in the past, but have moved to mostly wood slices in the past two years. I'll create a glass ornament on request, although I love the look of the wood slice ones now. Just about any nature themed subject might find its way onto one of my ornaments. Here's a peak at some of this year's designs. 
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My materials are pretty simple: wood slices, acrylic paint, brushes, modge podge for a sealant, twine, beads and ribbon. I use a gold bag for packaging and add a hand made paper tag. Each tag has my Hanko (a symbol I designed using my initials) and a small ink drawing. I love coming up with creative ways to package my ornaments to make them special.

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The back of the ornaments is just as important as the front. I take as much are with the back of the ornaments in designing and painting text and images. I also leave some of the backs blank for personalization. I can add a name or a particular saying.
Pet Portrait Ornaments - I do quite a few commissioned portrait ornaments. I've done dogs, cats, horses, goats, mules, and pigs! It's always an honor to do a memorial ornament for a beloved pet.
This year I've also started creating ornaments that celebrate New Hampshire. I love living in this special area that is about 45 minutes from the sea coast, 90 minutes from the white mountains and 45 minutes from Boston. My Mt. Washington Summit ornaments are very popular and I am working hard to keep them in stock. Congratulations to all of you who have climbed that iconic mountain! I also love to paint New Hampshire's native wildlife and birds. I have so many wonderful memories of vacations in New Hampshire's great north woods and lakes region. 
My ornaments are available in my Etsy shop (Link below) and at the Village Bean in Windham, New Hampshire. You can also email me at info@susanmonty.com or post a comment here. Thank you.
Susan Monty Fine Art Etsy Shop
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Watercolor Nature Journal Tutorial, Part 1, Materials

10/26/2020

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I've had so many people ask about my process for nature journaling that I thought it would be a great idea to do some tutorials in my blog. I love journaling and keeping track of all the animals, birds and plants that I see in my backyard and beyond. It's a wonderful way to learn about and honor the natural world. Since I started journaling I find that I notice more of what is going on in nature. I think it has made me realize how precious and beautiful our earth is and how much we need to pay attention to the natural world and protect it.

I tend to do most of my journaling in the spring and summer because I get so busy in the fall with portrait commissions and holiday ornaments. In the winter I'm hiding indoors, but a lucky glance out the window may reveal owls or foxes or even deer. Someday I’ll challenge myself to journal at least once a week for the whole year!

For this first post, I’ll tell you about the materials I use. It doesn’t really take much to create a nature journal. A stack of copy paper folded into a book and a #2 pencil can work in a pinch, but here are my favorite materials.
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I usually use 5.5x8" Strathmore Visual Journals with 140# watercolor paper. I love the hard cover and spiral binding which lays flat when working. I like the texture and weight of this paper, too. A big plus for me is that it is cruelty free. Not all artists supplies are, so I'm careful to choose the cruelty free options. You can, of course use any brand or size of book, just be sure it is filled with watercolor paper. You can use 90#, but I find the #140 is much sturdier and doesn't buckle at all when I add washes.

I use a mechanical pencil with an HB lead for sketching in my pages. I like the light, thin lines it makes. I start with a pencil drawing before adding the ink and paint so I want to be able to cleanly erase my lines. I have a soft white eraser and a kneaded eraser for that. 

For the pen work, I use a combination of Micron 05 pens or Ultra Fine Point black Sharpies. The most important thing to remember about your pens is that they are waterproof. You will be putting watercolor washes over the ink lines so you'll have ink bleeding all over your page if the pens are not waterproof. If all you have are non waterproof pens, you could reverse the process and add the ink lines after the watercolor washes have been applied and have dried.
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When it comes to the watercolors themselves, once again I go for the cruelty free option. My favorites are Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors in tubes which I squeeze out into a palette with a cover. I also have a set of Kuretake pan watercolors that I love for the bright colors - great for cardinals and flowers!

Although I have about 10,000 watercolor brushes (lol, you really can never have enough art supplies!) I tend to use a #6 and a #8 synthetic round brush. I can easily do just what I need using just those two sizes. There are lots of other options and sizes, so use what is best for you.

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There are a few other materials I keep on hand when I'm journaling. Paper towels for blotting brushes and cleaning brushes and your palette. I  use a plain white plate as a palette to mix colors. I buy them in dinner and dessert sizes at the Dollar Store. They work great! I also have a roll of drywall tape. I use it for adding text. You'll see how in another post. 

I like to decorate the front (and back!) of my journals. Washi tape works great to cover the rough edges of the cover. Stickers of any kind would work. Use your imagination and make your journal your own!

I hope this got your creative juices flowing. Gather your materials and in a future post I'll tell you about my step by step process to create a journal page. 

​Thanks for reading!!!

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    Author


    I am a fine artist specializing in animal art.  I draw and paint whatever captures my eye, but animals will always be my favorite subject. I strive to capture a realistic, but artistic and expressive likeness of my subjects. I have a special fondness for horses and dogs, especially yellow lab mixes! Living in New Hampshire has given access to many beautiful and special wild creatures. Birds nesting in my backyard (including hawks!) and wild animals such as moose, deer, loons, and owls seen on vacation trips to the great north woods and White Mountains are a constant source of wonder and inspiration to me.

    Commissions and custom orders are always welcome!

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