Traveling is a great way to inspire ideas for paintings in an art journal. I am fortunate to be in the colorful, sunny land of Baja, California, Mexico for a few days. My focus has been bird watching every morning - early before it gets too hot and the birds are still active. Inspiration from nature is a great way to add to my journal.

My brother shared with me an app called ebird which has been very helpful to keep track of all the beautiful birds I have been seeing here. In the afternoons, I am enjoying relaxing by the pool and painting in my journal. The birds are colorful fun to watch. Here are a few photos that I took over the last few days. Insiration from Nature....

Inspiration from Nature

Monochromatic Pen, Ink, and Watercolor Washes

It is fun to add pen, ink, and watercolor washes to create monochromatic pen and ink paintings to your art journals. These are easy to do and are a great way to make little paintings in your journal to record your travels. I am currently teaching a series of classes in my Tumalo Studio in Oregon. The weather has turned quickly into a feel of winter, so what a great way to bring in the new season than to do some sketches and monochromatic washes.
The focus of this series of classes is incorporating pen, ink, and watercolor. Here is an example of one of our lessons. I started with a photograph I took of a quaint village in the south of France - the Dordogne area.







I did a contour drawing of the parts of the photo that I wanted to include. Then I used this as a reference and transferred it to my watercolor art journal. I drew it with a permanent pen. I added watercolor washes of Quinacridone Burnt Orange and Aussie Red-Gold, both by Daniel Smith. Where needed, I added more pen and ink lines after the painting was dry.

Upcoming Watercolor Workshops with Jacqueline Newbold

Jacqueline Newbold Colorful Watercolor Paintings Capture Gorgeous Landscapes, Cityscapes, and Flowers 

Make your 2019 wishes come true by joining me on a

Painting workshop in France

Watercolor art painting workshops with Jacqueline Newbold
LET’S GO! – FRANCE May 10-17, 2019, with French Escape!

ART AND SOUL, PORTLAND, OREGON 2019

I am teaching at the Portland 2019 Art & Soul Retreat
The Painted Garden – Tuesday, March 12, 2019
A Naturalist’s Art Journal – Wednesday, March 13, 2019
A Colorful Palette – Thursday, March 14, 2019
Loosen Up Landscapes – Friday, March 15, 2019

Painted Valentine Cards

Why not give your loved ones a hand-made gift of a watercolor card this Valentine's Day?  This card is easy to make and you can make several in one afternoon.  This project uses watercolor glazing techniques and negative painting.  See below:

Negative painting around hearts

• Start with a piece of watercolor paper (I use 140 lb Arches paper) torn to the size you want. 
• Tape your paper to a workable surface around each edge using a removable painter's tape.  
• Paint a colorful watercolor wash and let this dry.  I used new Gamboge, permanent rose, permanent magenta and cerulean blue.
• With a pencil, draw some heart shapes, some large, some small.  Overlap some hearts.  Negative paint around each heart.  This means you paint the background around the hearts, creating heart shapes in your painting.  Let this dry.
• Draw a few more hearts and negative paint again around all the hearts.  You can negative paint these hearts several times to make a rich, glowing background.  Painting over your last layer is called watercolor glazing.

  

  Glazing and negative painting

  
  

• Now decorate the hearts in fun ways: polka dots, checks, stripes.  You can either use watercolor or colored pens and markers or a mix of both!  Have fun, doodle, think of your loved one.  Here is your opportunity to put a smile on their face!  And after reading Jenn's facebook post from Cloth, Paper, Scissors - PUT A BIRD ON IT!
• With an ink pen, draw around your hearts and outline the tape before pulling it off the edges.

My final valentine for my husband.  Hope he likes it!

Hearts of Italy

Hearts of Italy

While traveling and painting in Italy this fall, I started noticing hearts on the ironwork that adorns the windows of Venice and other towns and villages. Once I noticed them, I was finding hearts everywhere.  They were beautifully blended on doorways, windows, and etched into the stones.  I took some photos that I wanted to share with you. The more I looked, the more I found.

Painting in France

Jacqueline Newbold's color-filled watercolor paintings capture a moment in time - sunlight on red poppies, the glow of a Tuscan village perched on a mountaintop, or the brilliance of a dramatic Oregon Mountain sunset.  

Would you like to join me on a painting adventure?

Here are my upcoming workshops:

ART AND SOUL, PORTLAND, OREGON 2019

I am teaching at the Portland 2019 Art and Soul Art Retreat
The Painted Garden – Tuesday, March 12, 2019
A Naturalist’s Art Journal – Wednesday, March 13, 2019
A Colorful Palette – Thursday, March 14, 2019
Loosen Up Landscapes – Friday, March 15, 2019

JOIN ME ON THIS WONDERFUL TRIP TO PROVENCE, FRANCE!
May 10 -17, 2019
Hosted by French Escape

Watercolor Workshop Provence, France

Watercolor Workshop Provence, France

So often my students and artist friends ask me to teach again in France because they would like to join me.  Here is your chance! I am teaching a watercolor workshop Provence, France, May 11 - 17, 2019.  If you have been considering joining me, I want to encourage you to sign up for this workshop with French Escapade.  Because I want to spend more time painting in my studio, this is the last workshop that I have planned for quite a while.  I will miss painting in Europe but look forward to studio time. I am very excited about this French watercolor workshop!  The time of year is a spectacular time to be in the south of France.  The fields will be covered with wild, red poppies.  The town that we are staying in is charming and scenic. It is the source of an impressive spring that gushes from the ground and creates a beautiful, emerald-green river.

 What I love about Provence, is that every village nearby is all unique and delightful in very individual ways.  It is easy to get to picturesque towns such as Gordes, St. Remy de Provence, or Les Baux, with just a short drive.  We will spend the whole day painting, exploring, and creating fun memories in our sketchbooks.  Our evenings will be relaxing, tasting French wine and dining on delicious treats from the local markets.

Treat yourself to a very special, fun, relaxing time painting in Provence, France!  There are just a couple spots still available for this fabulous trip.

2019 Schedule

Painting workshop in France in 2019

Click this link for detailed information about this wonderful trip to France: LET’S GO! – FRANCE May 10-17, 2019, with French Escape!

Painting Colorful and Bright in 2019

I am thinking of starting out the New Year with a personal challenge of doing some quick, fun, colorful, simple, daily painting in my watercolor journal. Does anyone want to join me? Creating small daily watercolor sketches is a great way to get inspired. It is a great way to warm up to a larger painting. Here are the Pixie Girls that come to my studio to inspire me to paint…. they are here to welcome in the NEW YEAR! They are saying, “Let’s get painting!”

Wishing you a Merry Watercolor Christmas!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas! It is a beautiful time of year.  With the holiday upon us, it is sometimes hard to find time to paint.  It is fun to paint watercolor Christmas cards.  Here is a painting that I painted of two birds sitting on a branch with a snowy look.  I sprinkled white gouache into the watercolor paint while it was drying in order to get the effect that it is snowing.  I sprinkled more white gouache on the painting after the painting was dry. That way some of the gouache spread and softened, while the drier gouache made smaller looking drops of gouache.

 

To finish, I added white gouache on top of the berries and on top of the branches to give the look of snow piling up.  I hope you enjoy this little Christmasy watercolor painting!

Artist Jacqueline Newbold enjoys painting life in color!

Her color-filled watercolor paintings capture a moment in time – sunlight on red poppies, the glow of a Tuscan village perched on a mountaintop, or the brilliance of a dramatic Oregon Cascade Mountain sunset.  Jacqueline loves to share her passion for watercolor painting and mixed-media art journaling by teaching in her Art in My Heart private studio, the Art Unraveled Art Retreats in Phoenix, the Art & Soul Retreats in Portland, Oregon, France, and Italy.  She teaches private watercolor lessons, classes and workshops in her private art studio in Bend, Oregon.

My next teaching trip is to Provence, France, May 2019.  You can find out more information about the trip with French Escapade.  Join me for a fun time!! You will be able to create a journal just like my Italian watercolor and art journal!

Painting in our Watercolor Art Journals

We had a lot of fun spending time painting in our watercolor art journals while in Orvieto, Italy.  We painted scenes from the beautiful convent gardens and palace where we stayed, as well as the nooks and quaint corners of the town itself.  One day we went wine tasting at a vineyard that had a gorgeous view of Orvieto.  There were white roses blooming everywhere!  This was a beautiful, relaxing day of painting as well!

Painting in Provence, France May 2019

Painting in Provence, France can become your next creative dream come true!  

Come paint with me the beautiful villages, red poppies and charming sites of Provence, France.  There are just 5 spots left with French Escapades.  

Do you ever dream of going on a watercolor painting vacation in Provence, France? Well here is the perfect opportunity to paint and explore the charming villages of sunny Provence! I have just returned from teaching a watercolor workshop in Orvieto, Italy and I want to share with you why I love it so much!

Watercolor Artists in Orvieto, Italy

It is so lovely to be with a group of like-minded artists who love to explore their creative side. It is relaxing and fun to paint what you see, describe what you taste, smell and savor. Provence is a culinary, artist’s delight! When you go on a painting vacation, you have time to create a watercolor journal filled with memories.

Looking up!

You will grow, evolve and blossom as an artist. Even if you are a beginner, you will start to see things differently and the beauty of it all will make a peaceful, colorful impression on your heart and soul.

Friends!

And Sisters!

What a gift it is to bond and share with friends and loved ones.  It also a wonderful way to make new friends!

And then there is the wonderful art that you create:

A Page from my journal

Consider joining me on this fun, relaxing, joyous adventure!  For more information, please visit French Escapades.