Kittens

Here is a quick watercolor study of kittens. I have a book I started writing more than a decade ago, and eventually I would like to finish it and illustrate it myself. Its characters are my three cats, Miniver, Beatrice and Dante, when they were small. (They are 14, 13, and 12 now, which gives you an idea how long it's been since I had this idea!)

The challenge is to paint black cats in watercolor and give the impression that they are black without using black. (My watercolor teacher would never let us buy black--we had to mix our colors ourselves and make our own--and also realize that black isn't really black, it's a whole bunch of colors that combined give the impression of black.)

You'll probably see more of these here as I get back to the story.

First Post

After five years of little painting (I went to grad school, got a masters, started a new career, got a full-time job after 10 years of working from home, and had two bereavements in my family), I decided it was time to get back to it. I discovered the Everyday Matters group, joined it, and put together this blog before I allowed second thoughts to stop me!

Here is my first "everyday" sketch/watercolor--I bought new Skecher sandals (how appropriate!) and decided to paint one. I hope this is the first of many workaday pieces of art. I tend to be both lazy and a perfectionist, which is a tough combination. I have the expectation that my art will be sophisticated and finished, yet I don't spend the time on the daily details that will help it to improve. So I'm embarking on this project, inspired by all the many people sharing their daily art with the Everyday Matters group. Thanks for your examples!