Review: One Little Dog


I can remember being scolded as a child because I liked to scribble in my storybooks. The illustrations inspired me and I wanted to be part of the story.

Charlie O’Shields has written the second book in the Sketching Stuff “Draw Upon A Time” series. The story is written in rhyme, and follows a lonely little dog who is looking for a friend. Along the way, the dog sees things, and describes them.

And, joy of joys! The reader is actually invited to draw & color in this book! On almost every page there is a place set aside for them to do just that.

The paper will handle pencil, pen, crayon and most similar media. Marker might go through to the back. I used watercolor markers, with just a swipe of water and there was a little bit of spotting that you can barely see on the back. The paper didn’t buckle or wrinkle.

There is a place at the front of the book to test out your drawing tool to make sure it won’t bleed through

This series is fun, inspiring for the beginning artist and just awesome all around. You can find One Little Dog on Amazon.

Don’t forget! July is World Watercolor Month!

June bug


#DoodlewashJune2021 prompt: Junebug. Did you know there are over 800 species of bug that are called June bugs and science is still discovering more?

  • Pens- Zebra Zensations Technical Pen, Metallic Brush Pens, Mildliners & Sarasa Retractable Clip Gel pen
  • Paper- Hahnemuhle Cold Press Postcard.

Reference photo courtesy of byrev on Pixabay.

Don’t forget – July is World Watercolor Month!

Tools:

To find a list of dealers, who carry Hahnemühle products in the U.S. and Canada, go here.

You can find Zebra pen products here.

You can find ZenArt products here.

Dandy Lion


#DoodlewashJune2021 prompt: Dandelion. I decided to just have fun with this one.

Did you know the dandelion’s name comes from the French word “dent de lion” which means ‘lion’s tooth’. Probably someone met up with my Dandy Lion and that gave them the idea for name (just joking!).

  • Pen-Zebra Zensations Technical Pen
  • Paint- Daler-Rowney Aquafine watercolor Inks
  • Paper- Hahnemühle cold-pressed Collection watercolor paper
  • Brush- ZenArt Black Tulip brushes

Tools:

To find a list of dealers, who carry Hahnemühle products in the U.S. and Canada, go here.

You can find Zebra pen products here.

You can find ZenArt products here.

Amber Waves of Grain


#DoodlewashMay2021 Prompts: Flag.

Did you know that there have been 27 versions of the American Flag? The current version is the only one to have lasted more than 50 years.

  • Paint-Daniel Smith watercolor & Arteza Gouache
  • Paper-Hahnemühle Agave Cold Press watercolor paper
  • Brushes-ZenArt Black Tulip

Tools:

To find a list of dealers, who carry Hahnemühle products in the U.S. and Canada, go here.

You can find Zebra pen products here.

You can find ZenArt products here.

World Watercolor Month


July is World Watercolor Month, so it’s time to get the word out.

And what is World Watercolor Month about?

Well, having fun! And having fun while raising awareness for art education and helping nurture art and creativity in children across the globe via the International Child Art Foundation! 

And the ways you can have fun?

  • Accept the Challenge: 31 Watercolor Paintings in 31 Days! Angela Fehr has created a month’s worth of prompts to help you out! (see below)
  • Enter the many World Watercolor Month giveaways!
  • Read the Art Supply Reviews and Tutorials
  • Buy Limited Edition Souvenirs, with 100% of the proceeds going to ICAF! I’m honored to have my artwork on one of the souvenir bags!
  • Paint with friends!
  • You’ve never used watercolor? Now’s the time!
  • Do your kids need something to do? Pull out the watercolors and paint with them!
  • Buy a watercolor painting to support a favorite artist
  • Have watercolor artists whose work you love? Share their work!
  • And please consider making a donation to Doodlewash’s charitable partner: International Child Art Foundation (ICAF)!

World Watercolor Month Prompts

You can read more about World Watercolor Month and ICAF at Doodlewash.

The Early Fisherman


#doodlewashMay2021 prompt: Lake.

Did you know the earliest known fishing lines were spun from silk by the Chinese?

  • Paint: Daniel Smith Watercolor
  • Paper: Hahnemühle Cold Press Agave
  • Brush:ZenArt Black Tulip brush
  • Reference photo: courtesy of mohamed_hassan on Pixabay

Tools:

To find a list of dealers, who carry Hahnemühle products in the U.S. and Canada, go here.

You can find Zebra pen products here.

You can find ZenArt products here.

Apple Harvest


#DoodlewashJune2021 prompt: Basket. Okay, so apples are gathered in barrels not baskets. But they both start with B, so I’m claiming it for the prompt.

Did you know apple seeds contain cyanide? Eat between 80 and 500 seeds in one sitting and you could make yourself sick! Apples aren’t the only fruit with cyanide in the seeds. apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, plums and prunes all have cyanide in their pits or seeds.

Reference photo courtesy of lumix2004.

  • Paint: Daler-Rowney Aquafine watercolor Inks
  • Paper: Hahnemühle cold-pressed watercolor postcard
  • Brush: ZenArt Black Tulip brushes

Tools:

To find a list of dealers, who carry Hahnemühle products in the U.S. and Canada, go here.

You can find Zebra pen products here.

You can find ZenArt products here.

Route 66


#DoodlewashJune2021 prompt: Vacation. I know I already did this prompt, but I did this one first, mislaid it and did the other. Finally found this one so

Did you know that Route 66, one of the original U.S. highways, became known as the ‘Mother Road’, but was first called ‘Bloody 66’ because of the many accidents that occurred on its narrow and twisted roads? Over the years, the road was made safer, then obsolete by new, high-speed highways.

I stained the postcard with a mix of Dried Butterfly Peaflower tea, and black tea to the map-like colors. The States were free-handed so not very accurate, but that wasn’t really the object. Once the background dried, I drew the States and car, then painted with watercolor.

Reference photo courtesy of Pexels.

  • Pen: Zebra Zensations Technical Pen
  • Background: Dried Butterfly Peaflower Tea & Black Tea
  • Paint: Daler-Rowney Aquafine watercolor inks
  • Paper: Hahnemühle cold-press watercolor Postcard
  • Brush: ZenArt Black Tulip brushes

Tools:

To find a list of dealers, who carry Hahnemühle products in the U.S. and Canada, go here.

You can find Zebra pen products here.

You can find ZenArt products here.

Vaquitas for World Ocean’s Day


I was asked to come up with this drawing for Zebra Pen for World Ocean’s Day. They have a partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the Vaquita is a SAFE endangered species.

It is believed that less than 10 of these beautiful animals are left.

Zebra Zensations Technical Pen, Mildliners & Sarasa Retractable Clip Gel pen on Hahnemuhle Nostalgie paper.

Tools:

To find a list of dealers, who carry Hahnemühle products in the U.S. and Canada, go here.

You can find Zebra pen products here.

You can find ZenArt products here.

Chickadee


#DoodlewashJune2021 prompt: Chickadee.

Did you know that chickadees hide food like squirrels and similar animals do? Unlike most animals, though, the chickadee hides each item in a separate place and is able to remember where each item is. Some believe they can remember thousands of hiding places.

Playing with both a new paper and a new watercolor, so I kept going even after I felt the piece was done, just to try out a few things.

Reference photo courtesy of Avia5.

  • Paint: Daler-Rowney Aquafine watercolor
  • Paper: Strathmore Ready-Cut
  • Brush: ZenArt Black Tulip brushes
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