Castles, Gargoyles and Such

Part of the fun of going on a trip and keeping a watercolor journal, is the excitement of finding new things to paint and and record in colorful ways.  We have seen castles, Chateau towers, gargoyles, river barges, and met some lovely people.  I did the exact same river trip down the canal DU Midi with my parents 30 years ago. Here is the only photo I have of that fun time.  To bad I was not an artist back then as it would be fun to see what I would have put in my journal.

here are a few pages from my journal that I have been working on during this trip.

if you are interested in joining me and doing a watercolor European style Journal, my next trip is to Orvieto, Italy. space is limited as there are just a few spots left for this fantastic watercolor trip.  - September 7-13,2014. we have a great group sign up!

Flip Flaps and Fold-outs on the Canal du Midi

When planning a trip and preparing my watercolor journal, I often make some of my favorite things that I call Flip, Flaps, and Fold-outs. I  am teaching this workshop at the Portland Art and Soul Art Retreat. I will be providing lots of goodies for my students.

These are items that I can easily find in the office supply stores. I use gesso and water colors to create a beautiful, color filled background. My family is traveling down the Canal du Midi in the south of France. I love having these easy tools to create quick paintings on the go and embellish my journal. Here are a few photos from my journal as I am painting on our barge.

How I start

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Post from Sarlat France

Pages from my watercolor journal...

I am in the Dordogne area of France, famous for its pate fois gras, truffles, figs and nuts.  The medieval town is a maze of winding streets and picturesque alleyways.   We toured the Chateau Castel Naud, knocked down seven times during the Hundred Years War.  Not only was it a fascinating history of ancient weaponry but a painter's delight of texture and charming buildings.

Here is the winding street that I painted in my watercolor journey.

Sprinkle, Splash and Splatter: Creating Texture with Watercolor

Here is a fun little book that we will be making in my workshop; Sprinkle, Splash and Splatter:  Creating Texture with Watercolor with  the Portland Art & Soul Retreat, October 4th, 2013.  All of our sample paintings and colorful exercises can be spiral bound into a reference book.  We will be exploring lots of ways to make texture that can be used to create the look of an old stone wall, sand on the beach, wood, rocks, trees and much more.  There is still room in the class so I hope you will consider signing up!  Here are a few photos from my texture reference book.

Houses and Hideaways - a Sketchbook Challenge

The sketchbook challenge is hosting a very exciting 21 day blog hop event to celebrate this months Houses and Hideaways theme!  
Welcome to my hideaway!  It is of course my studio that is located above our garage.  It is a great big room filled with light and color and was featured in the summer issue of Studios Magazine.

Follow along in this short video as I paint a field of sunflowers in my watercolor art journal.  Here is a list of the paints and supplies I use to paint this scene in my watercolor journal.  All of these supplies are included in my Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Jacqueline Newbold Travel Kit available for purchase at Daniel Smith Art Supplies.

• Arches® Watercolor Book 140lb, 10in x 7in
• DANIEL SMITH Watercolor New Gamboge 15ml
• DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Permanent Red 15ml
• DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Quinacridone Burnt Orange 15ml
• DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Cerulean Blue 15ml
• DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Phthalo Turquoise 15ml
• DANIEL SMITH Platinum Series watercolor brush 24-3 Round 8

The Sketchbook Challenge September Blog Hop

The first ever Sketchbook Challenge blog hop is about to start!

The sketchbook challenge hosts have a surprise for you.  For the next 21 days we are celebrating this months Houses and Hideaways theme with a blog hop!  Each day, you’ll find a new post on this blog related to this month's theme that will also include a link to the artist's own blog, where you’ll find tutorials, video’s, studio tours, exciting giveaways and more!  

Take a look at the line up of posts below and come back each day to be inspired!

Sept 9 - Gina Lee Kim http://ginaleekim.blogspot.com/

Sept 10- Me :) -> Jacqueline Newbold http://djnewbold.blogspot.com/ 

Sept 11 - Sue Bleiweiss http://www.suebleiweiss.com/blog  

Sept 12 – Jackie Bowcutt http://stitchworks-jackie.blogspot.com/

Sept 13th - Kristin La Flamme http://kristinlaflamme.com/musings  

Sept 14- Jane Davies http://janedavies-collagejourneys.blogspot.com/

Sept 15- Lyric Kinard http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com/

Sept 16 - Terry Grant http://www.andsewitgoes.blogspot.com/

Sept 17- Carol Sloan http://www.carolbsloan.blogspot.com/ 

Sept 18- Leslie Tucker Jenison http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com/  

Sept 19 - Lesley Riley  http://www.lesleyriley.com/weblog/  

Sept 20 - Traci Bunkers  https://www.tracibunkers.com/blog/  

Sept 21 - Lynn Krawczyk http://smudgedtextilesstudio.com/blog/

Sept 22 Desiree Habicht  http://myclothesline.blogspot.com

Sept 23 – Jamie Fingal http://jamiefingaldesigns.blogspot.com/  

Sept 24 - Mary Beth Shaw http://mbshaw.blogspot.com/ 

Sept 25 –Kari McKnight-Holbrook http://backporchartessa.blogspot.com/  

Sept 26 – Deborah Boschert http://deborahsjournal.blogspot.com/  

Sept 27- Susan Brubaker Knapp http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/  

Sept 28- Laura Cater Woods http://www.cater-woods.com/weblog/  

Sept 29- Jane LaFazio http://janeville.blogspot.com/