Watercolors by Celia Blanco

The Palace of Justice at Piazza Cavour  sketchbook page, Fabriano Artistico rough Summer is here with more options to sketch outdoors. A recent errand gave me the opportunity to sit on a bench in Piazza Cavour for what ended up being a good while. Thankfully I found myself ready because I had not forgotten my sketching gear. Piazza Cavour is where the Palace of Justice is located. It is also a great place to sit and enjoy the shade provided by the many palm trees. There are water fountains available, an added bonus when I needed to clean my brushes. I thought it would be interesting to sketch a section of the Palace, it is very ornate...so many details!   view of the Piazza If you would like to visit this landmark virtually click here   and see the live webcam.

  Riverside Grasses sketchbook page watercolor, colored pencil, white pen My husband and I had a fun outing recently. I guess it might seem normal to most but we have spent the last few months somewhat boxed in. We were therefore very happy for the opportunity to be outdoors. He brought his kayak and I brought my sketching supplies. The best part was waking up at the crack of dawn and watching the sun rise.   I  sketched the grasses growing by the river. The light changes very quickly. I lost my whites because the paper wouldn't dry, making it impossible to pick up the color. The paint has difficulty drying near the river because of the humidity, even if the sun is present. I went back into the painting back home with colored pencils and white pen to gain back the feeling of the light hitting the grass. who wants to dive in?!  Thanks for the visit!

balcony with column watercolor on paper sketched plein-air I have focused on my neighborhood, outfitted with my sketching supplies, this month. I find myself feeling better while sketching on location on trial and error.  I also fine tune what works, what to avoid, what to bring, best time of day, etc. I really enjoy sketching this way. One never knows what to expect, ideas are always challenged by changes to the environment. The "cafe sketching" experience was more successful this time. I went with a friend, as had been suggested, it is surely more fun! Have to admit, I do have more enjoyment scoping out interesting architectural areas. I find myself looking at people's laundry, hanging over windows, in a different way.   I thank everyone for your kind visits to my blog throughout the year. I wish you all a wonderful, Happy New Year! the pink house on a hill watercolor on paper sketched plein-air morning tea break sketchbook page

To the victims of the recent tragedy in France, peace, prayers and blessings! ____________________________________________________________________________________ Breakfast at the bar This is my first experience of coffee shop sketching, I've been wanting to try for a while. I imagined a happy scenario, and many sketches would come out of it. Unfortunately the waitress cleared my table before I was able to say anything, oh well... people smoking and sitting with friends are allowed to linger longer. My sketch above is what I was able to get down. I'm happy with the gestural line and the few colors I managed to capture. I wanted to go back in and work on the cup more but it being an exceptionally foggy morning, nothing was drying.   A "quiet" side street in Rome Afterwards I transferred to a side street. I wasted valuable time finding an out of the way place to sketch. It is not an easy task in Rome.  Parked cars leave, people co

Left side of my painted with the old paint/ Right side painted with fresh professional grade watercolors This week I have been doing a little housekeeping. I replaced the paints in my Winsor & Newton Cotman Sketchers' Box which I use for my sketchbook with fresh replacements. I was feeling frustrated by the colors in my sketches, I couldn't achieve the brightness and values I wanted. I finally decided to clean the palette and start over with a clean slate. The sketch on the left was painted with the old palette, the one on the right with the new. I feel like it gained some luster. Fresh clean colors Presently I need to get back to painting. I have a few projects in development which I hope to share soon! Thanks for the visit!

  The Room  watercolor in my sketchbook The sketch above is of our hotel room in Amsterdam, this past week we took a family vacation there. Our favorite place is The Van Gogh Museum.   A strong recommendation to anyone who visits is to purchase advance e-tickets. They allow you to skip the very long line. The museum has three floors. It is the largest existing collection of his paintings and drawings and includes many  letters written to his brother Theo. It is an incredible insight and understanding into the artist's life. I've never quite experienced a museum like this. To see his paintings up close is amazing. No book will ever get close to reproducing what he has achieved on canvas. No photography is allowed in the museum, I've added this video to hopefully give an idea of the place. I really like how they have made it so interactive to the point that little kids run around interested: it is not your usual boring museum visit. Vincent would be surely please

1. A FAVORITE FOOD I have been very bad about blogging as of late, I wanted to share this sooner. I signed on for a drawing challenge for the month of May. Everyday we have a theme to work on in our sketchbooks and we share our work on a group board on Facebook or Flickr. It is a lot of fun because you are pushed to sketch something you normally would not otherwise do. I also love the sense of community: seeing what other people come up with is a great inspiration. 2. A NEARBY TREE 3. CURTAINS 4.BOTTLE OF HERBS OR SPICE 5.SOMETHING HOT 8.SOMETHING WITH A HANDLE I would like to wish all 's a wonderful Mother's Day!

  Kitchen Interior watercolor on paper, in my sketchbook   I recently finished reading Danny Gregory's new book Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are . The book is full of helpful inspiring tips, great for those like me who find it impossible to fit creativity (of any kind) in a very engaging agenda.    I'm hoping to get back to a weekly posting schedule. Trying to capture the light while there is a solar eclipse outside...

 African violets sketchbook page I painted this sketch slowly, over a few day's time.  I use my sketchbook to experiment towards improving my skills although I seem to always find myself in a hurry to finish the sketches. It took my African Violets over two years to bloom, I felt compelled to capture this achievement! The flu is making the rounds around my household once more, I hope everyone else is well!

Cloud study, love listening to the silence at the beach in autumn.  Persimmon fruit and leaf study   Various sketches to experiment with the Tombow dual brush pen. November came and went ... honestly, I was unable to devote time to painting or sketching. I feel I am behind on everything. I am promising myself to be more organized this month, catching up on visiting your blogs, always a source of genuine inspiration!  Hope everyone is well.

This month, my focus has been on street scenes and landscapes. I also like sketching while in my kitchen, it is the source of quite a few of my projects. I am sharing personal favorites from the month. It is interesting to sketch outdoors in a city. I try and keep to myself but it is fun to get some human interaction, people like to peek in. One sketch I completed while conversing with an elderly man. He wanted to watch and talk about art ( the market scene below). It is a wonderful brain exercise! I had some time while I was waiting for my daughter, it was her first day at driving school. I sketched this while waiting. Autumn is for apples and I have been baking all of my favorite recipes. This a new recipe I tried, found in an old Martha Stewart Living magazine. I painted her picture from the magazine, mine was not quite as pretty.  I love the color of this house with beautiful Bougainvillea plants growing over the fence. Perspective is harder i

 I have been practicing in my sketchbook and wanted to share some of my favorite pages. It's a place where I can play, experiment and, hopefully, improve.  I recently had the pleasure of a visit from a friend, who is an incredible sketcher and watercolor artist, Joan Tavolott .It has been a dream of mine to be able to sketch along with her! We had the most fun sketching on the Spanish Steps, not even the rain stopped her! I started my sketch on location , then added the paint at home. It is intimidating working in the confusion of the Spanish Steps. I had a difficult time taking in all the information. with Joan  My sketch on the Spanish Steps Joan Tavolott sketching in the rain, determination at its finest!  This experience has inspired me to get out more. I am lucky to live in a vibrant city: yesterday I brought my sketching supplies along while I ran errands. My favorite moment was sketching at the market. I feel like it was a breakthrough mome

I have been very busy these past two weeks. I've tried to organize myself in a way to still find time to sketch. If I have my sketching supplies at hand, I try to put something down even if I finish it later. I spent an hour waiting at the health office just to pick up some paper work... by luck I had brought my sketching supplies!  I painted the fruit stand across the street. The first one I  first drew out, then added the black ink.The second page was drawn immediately with marker. When I went home, I added the watercolor. Cars are not my forte... People waiting do not stay still, constantly looking left then right, it is a challenge to get a likeness. I try to fix one side then hope to catch them again when they are in the same position. One of these days I will go up and ask them to...please stop moving!!!  I love the long roots of these fresh white onions. I would like to incorporate some calligraphy but feel rather shy about it, hence the small

 sketch of a copper pitcher and plant on Cartiera Magnani hot press paper I am more into the summer feeling now with the present month. Days are busy, my girls are home, out of school, there is much activity at home. I love the longer days summer brings even if I feel like I have a difficult time getting into the mindset for painting. Working in my sketchbook is offering me with a great alternative. I feel like it is an easy thing to grab my sketchbook and set up my supplies. I don't have a formal work space at home, this way I am not in anyone's way. I have also organized a dedicated art supply pouch just for my sketchbook. Like this I will always have everything I need at hand.  I love the immediacy and free feeling of working in a sketchbook. If a painting doesn't work or if I don't manage to finish it, I just turn the page. Enjoy your long summer days! Who's eating the last cupcake? Green tea brewing Sandwhich  on fancy plate