"3D collage"

Take a look at this video - very good step-by-step info on producing your own "3D collage" or decoupage - http://makegreatstuff.com/rice-paper-decoupage-vide/

Iridescent and Interference

Some new watercolor paints have been fun and interesting to try. Irridescent paints are a bit easier to use than the interference paints since you have to look at the interference paints straight on and at angles to see what kind of effects are happening from their reflectance and from the interaction of colors underneath.
Some examples below with iridescent paints, difficult to photograph well, but working on that...

Need a fresh subject?

During the summer in the Willamette Valley, there are a number of outdoor events every weekend. Some recent ones I have enjoyed are the Emerald Cup Regatta on Fern Ridge Reservoir west of Eugene (I'll have photos on their site soon), the Great Oregon Steam-Up, Da Vinci Days, the Salem Art Festival, and the local county fairs in Albany and Corvallis. These provide opportunities for different subject matter for paintings whether you paint on site or use photos.

Night Shoot

The Valley Viewfinders Camera Club had a "night shoot" outing in Corvallis last night. Taking photos at night was interesting, challenging, and a lot of fun. Starting at dusk, light in the sky gradually gave way to blackness, but there were plenty of lit subjects around town. Here are a few of my shots:

An alleyway - my favorite

Lady Justice

Crosswalk Wait Sign

Now to paint some more night scenes.

Try it out first

Thumbnail sketches and preliminary paintings have long been ways to try out painting ideas. Image processing programs now provide alternatives that allow you to "non-destructively" experiment, changing hues, rearranging elements, adjusting contrast. placing lights and darks. Besides the high-powered programs like Photoshop, there are free programs that are now online, like picnik.com, that have a surprising amount of functionality.

Something new - Watercolor Sticks

A new offering from Daniel Smith called a watercolor stick looks very interesting. The sticks are made of mostly watercolor pigment with a gum arabic binder. There are some videos on Daniel Smith's site that show different ways to use them.
I haven't tried them yet, but plan to do so soon. If you have tried them, please feel free to leave a comment.