Category Archives: Pen

Sunset Shadows – Day 25 of 30 in 30

Sunset Shadows. 4 x 5 watercolor on 140 lb. cold press paper. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date.

I painted until the wee hours last night. And I did finish a painting. You can see it below. I was so “in the zone” that I arrived at my destination, without knowing how I got there. Does that ever happen to you? It’s like I got on the 76, missed my exit on the 15 north. And I ended up at the beach instead of the desert.

Not a bad thing. Just not my intention.

I woke up this morning, and couldn’t get excited about posting the painting. So I decided to keep trying. And painting. And painting. Finally got something worth looking at.

Ochre patchwork. 6 x 6 watercolor, pen on cold press paper. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

What I had intended for the patchwork, was something a bit more weathered and worn. I added the outlines digitally to see if I liked it before trying with a pen. Turns out even my darkest pen ends up looking a little grey. So the digital version won.

Now it’s time for some dinner, and then I am going to head over to Leslie Saeta’s blog, and see what my artist friends have been up to. Hope you will check it out as well.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Arabian Ornament – Day 21 of 30 in 30

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Arabian Postcard. 4 x 6 watercolor on 140 lb. cold press paper. ©2014 Sheila Delgado

Many Arabian motifs include ornate leaves, vines and scroll work. Compared with Greek or Moresque ornaments, it is easy to see they have been simplified. Details have been trimmed to the barest essentials. This makes them no less intoxicating.

There are two images in the plates on Arabian Ornament in The Grammar of Ornament that have sea green in them. They caught my eye right off the bat. They were taken from pavements and walls in private houses and Mosques in Cairo. These designs were created with marble in white and black, and red tiles. There is no mention of the green material, so maybe it is just an interpretation.

The majority of these decorative designs are created from basic shapes. Circle, square, triangle, star. Familiar shapes make these designs, more accessible.

Arabian No. 5, The Grammar of Ornament

Does anyone remember those puzzle games with wood pieces in different colors and shapes? You could mix and match, the options were endless. A circle with a triangle on top could be a man in a hat. A square with a triangle became a house. I think infinite possibilities also intrigued early Arabian culture.

Pear. Watercolor on YUPO.

What is intriguing me today, are the artistic possibilities in a pad of YUPO watercolor paper. I only had a few minutes to “play” this evening. Not nearly enough time for fun. Here is a silly little pear I did. It is only about an inch tall.

Hope your week is off to a great start. Remember to start the day with thanks for the good things in your life. Gratitude is gracious!

Savage Tribes – Day 20 of 30 In 30

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Primitive postcard. 4 x 6 watercolor and pen on 140 lb. cold press paper. © 2014 Sheila Delgado

“Man’s earliest ambition is to create. Man appears everywhere impressed with the beauties of nature which surround him, and seeks to imitate to the extent of his power the works of the creator.” These two statements start off Chapter 1, Ornament of Savage Tribes in The Grammar Of Ornament by Owen Jones.

Hands in the air if you agree.

OK, you can put them down now.

Owen Jones might not have fully appreciated the ornamentation he found in each culture, but he did understand the shared need for expression.

I may not agree with all of his suppositions, but I am so thankful that he felt the need to produce this collection of design elements. What a fun (and work!) it must have been, to visit each locale, collect the specimens, and then produce each sample. I mean really, I would have volunteered in a heartbeat!

The Grammar of Ornament, Owen Jones

Each postcard I have created feels so incomplete to me. There is just no way to capture the essence of a culture in a 4 x 6 inch area. I want to include them all. I had some fun with this design in Photoshop. Just by changing the Hue/Saturation setting, I came up with several different versions.

What do you think?