Recovering

I had my big surgery last week.  It's been quite a journey. 

 Even though I've heard so many hysterectomy horror stories, I can tell already, it was the right choice for me.  The organs that made me sick and hurt for so long are gone and I feel like my body can finally heal.  So I'll be taking it easy for a while.  It takes time and it can't be rushed.

I have a feeling that good things are coming my way now.  The Lord has a different plan for me, but it is a good and perfect plan.  The husband and I are definitely thinking about adoption at some point.  We'll see where this road takes us.  For now, we plan on enjoying the son we have and the life we have and having lots and lots of fun!  We've missed out for too long.  It's time to relax and enjoy the life we have :)

Photos of the Week: Ladybugs

Have you been seeing any of these little bugs hanging around?  There seem to be way more than usual around here, but that's a good thing!  It gives me more chances to photograph them- up close. Plus, they are good for gardens, right?

It's a little disconcerting to see a ladybug head-on, but also kinda cool!

How to Paint Watercolor Fruit: Peach

And now ladies and gentlemen.......... I give you the last fruit tutorial.  This is actually this simplest fruit of them all.  I didn't use salt on this one because peaches have a softer texture.

Materials:

Peach Template printed on computer paper

5x7 piece of watercolor paper

pencil

paint brush

watercolor paints

cup of water (for rinsing)

paper towels (for blotting in between color changes)

Step 1: Transfer the peach template to your watercolor paper by placing the template under the watercolor paper, holding it up to a lighted window and lightly tracing in pencil.  Trace lightly so the pencil won't show through the paint.

Step 2: Beginning at the bottom of the peach, paint on a slightly tangerine-ish color.  You want the peach to be a little darker on the bottom and get lighter and lighter towards the top.  So you can paint a more straight orange in the middle, and add water to lighten at the top all the way up to the stem.

Step 3: Now paint your leaf with a light green/ lime color.  I like working from the outside in so that the colors stay fresh on the edges and mix a little where they meet.

Step 4:  We can't leave this peach without any texture, so drop some clean water from your brush onto the leaf and top of the peach (or any other place you would like).

Let it dry and you'll see the awesome backwash effect appear!

Well that's it for the fruit series!  If you missed the previous tutorials, you can check them out here.

I hope you have fun with these and paint some fruit for your kitchen this summer!  Mine will be hanging in my kitchen- once I have a house that's finished to hang them in :)

How to Paint Watercolor Fruit: Pineapple

Alright! It's time to paint a pineapple- the easy way.  This is my favorite fruit of the series, so I hope you like it too!  I've also provided another  free template for your use.

Materials:

Pineapple Template printed on computer paper

5x7 piece of watercolor paper

pencil

paint brush

watercolor paints

cup of water (for rinsing)

paper towels (for blotting in between color changes)

White crayon or pencil
ruler

Step 1: Transfer the pineapple template to your watercolor paper by placing the template under the watercolor paper, holding it up to a lighted window and lightly tracing in pencil.  It's important to keep the pencil light so it doesn't show through the paint later on.

Step 2:  You need to create some vertical criss-cross lines on the body of the pineapple.  For this you'll use a white crayon to create a wax resist- meaning when you paint over the crayon, the wax will resist or repel the paint, leaving those lines white.

So grab a ruler, draw vertical lines on direction, then flip it around and go the opposite direction so that the lines cross each other.

Step 3: Now it's time to paint!  I find it works well to start with the top of the pineapple and work down.  Adding variations of greens in the leaves and variations of yellows and golds in the body of the fruit give it a lot more interest. 

I love watching the crayon resist the paint!  It's like magic!

All done! 

We still have one fruit left to learn how to paint for the series.... so check back later this week!

Photos of the Week

This week, I'm dedicating my post to the flowers growing in my neighborhood.  They deserve their own post.  They make me so happy- especially these poppies I pass on the way to the school everyday.  I have to plant these in my yard next year!

And I didn't forget the wildflowers!  They are a gift too.

How to Paint Watercolor Fruit: Strawberry

So what do you think?  Was that first fruit tutorial easy enough?

Now it's time to try the strawberry.  It's almost the same as the pear.  Just a different shape and different colors. Here we go!

Materials:

Strawberry Template printed on computer paper

5x7 piece of watercolor paper

pencil

paint brush

watercolor paints

cup of water (for rinsing)

paper towels (for blotting in between color changes)

salt- larger salts like Epsom salt and rock salt work best

Step 1: Trace the strawberry template onto the watercolor paper by placing the template under the watercolor paper, holding it up to a lighted window and lightly tracing in pencil.  It's important to keep the pencil light so it doesn't show through the paint later on.

Step 2: Fill in the strawberry silhouette on your watercolor paper by alternating pinks and reds on the fruit and different shades of greens on the leaves.    Paint the body first, then working from the outside in, paint the leaves.

The colors blend and mix together better when you have more water mixed in with the paint, but don't dilute the paint too much.  Work quickly with the paint.  Don't let it dry out.  You need to keep the paint wet for the next step
.

Step 3: Sprinkle the strawberry with salt, then let the paint dry completely. When dry, brush off the salt and you're done!

Don't miss the rest of the Watercolor Fruit Series!  We've still got two more tutorials to go!

How to Paint Watercolor Fruit: Textured Pear

Alright!  As promised, I have some colorful, fun, and easier-than-you-think watercolor tutorials coming your way. So stick around to learn how to paint a pear, a strawberry, a peach, and a pineapple in watercolor! These are all painted in silhouette style- so you don't even have to worry about shading here.  

I even have free templates for all four of these fruits- so just click the link below and print. They are all formatted to fit a 5x7 piece of paper.  If you want to download these and crop to your own dimensions- feel free to do so. 

Pear Template

We'll start off with my favorite fruit- the pear!  I love it so much because of it's shape.  It's a beautiful shape. 

Materials:

Pear Template printed on computer paper

5x7 piece of watercolor paper

pencil

paint brush

watercolor paints

cup of water (for rinsing)

paper towels (for blotting in between color changes)

salt- larger salts like Epsom salt and rock salt work best

Step 1: Transfer the pear template to your watercolor paper by placing the template under the watercolor paper, holding it up to a lighted window and lightly tracing in pencil.  It's important to keep the pencil light so it doesn't show through the paint later on.

Step 2: Pick two colors. Mix up shades of each on your palette. Fill in the pear silhouette on your watercolor paper by alternating colors in different areas of the pear.  The colors blend and mix together better when you have more water mixed in with the paint, but don't dilute the paint too much.  You want these colors to stand out.

Work quickly with the paint.  Don't let it dry out.  You need to keep the paint wet for the next steps.

Step 3: To add some fun texture, you can try the water dripping method.  You can check out my Watercolor Textures post for detailed instructions on that, but it's basically just dipping a clean brush in water and dropping the water in spots on the already wet paint on the pear.  

Step 4:  Before the paint dries, sprinkle salt on it.  Then let it dry completely.  Once the paint is totally dry, brush the salt off and admire the awesome textures left behind!

And there you have a beautifully textured pear silhouette!

Please come back for more Watercolor Fruit Tutorials this week and next week.  I promise, it will be worth it :)

Photos of the Week

We've been out exploring the wonders of nature again.  I love this time of year!  I could spend my whole day out walking around with my camera and never get bored.