BOOK REVIEW: "Watercolor Wanderlust" by Hannah M. Pickerill

‘Watercolor Wanderlust’ by Hannah M. Pickerill has a secondary title of ‘The Ultimate Guide to Painting Beautiful Landscapes’. There are twenty-seven step-out tutorials with landscapes of prairies, deserts, forests, mountains, oceans, lakes, and galaxies. They include hills, dunes, canyons, seasons, sunset, snow, sunlight, the moon, and more. This book really does its best to give the ultimate in…

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Magic In A Bottle

For our prompt of “Perfume Bottle” today, I sketched three vintage perfume bottles in my favorite colors. It’s been awhile since I’ve sketched glass and I now remember why I enjoy it so much. It’s fun to emulate all of the light and shadows that reflect in a glassy object. It’s a rather therapeutic experience. Though I’m not entirely sure of the various scents that these bottles contain, since I…

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Always On The Go

For our prompt of “Monkey” today, I made a sketch of a little one enjoying a bicycle ride. As I was sketching this, I realized that I haven’t ridden a bike in more than a decade! I don’t actually own a bicycle, which is probably the primary culprit, but I do remember going for long rides when I was younger. When I was young and before I could drive a car, I loved the freedom of being able to take…

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Time Alone

For our prompt of “Bubble Bath” today, I made a little sketch of a cat enjoying one while reading a book. As I was making this, I realized that it’s been years since I’ve had a bubble bath. Philippe and I don’t have a proper bathtub in our house, only a Japanese soaking tub and jacuzzi that came with the place. It’s awkwardly located between the two vanities in the master bathroom and its…

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GUEST ARTIST: "Exploring My Watercolor Wanderlust" by Hannah Pickerill

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Quiet Reflection

For our prompt of “Otter” today, I made a sketch of a little river otter taking a moment to relax and enjoy nature. It’s spring where I live so there are lots of flowers beginning to appear. Yet, as peaceful as a sunny spring day can be, there’s also a few tornado watches and some thunderstorms in the forecast as well. Both Philippe and I thrive on sunshine, so cloudy days like today fail to…

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Always Fascinated

For our prompt of “Hippopotamus” today, I sketched a baby hippo watching a little flying bird. One of my favorite parts of this time of year is the return of bird sounds. It reminds me just how quiet it can be in winter and now everything is springing back to life again. Philippe and I were on a walk recently and spotted three red-headed woodpeckers in a nearby tree. It was a lovely site that we…

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Welcoming Spring

For our prompt of “Giant Panda,” I made a sketch of a little baby panda in flowers watching a butterfly (I’m a bit late this week, but had some Doodlewash website maintenance to attend to first!). This is precisely how I feel each year when spring returns. My inner child does backflips as the landscape around me comes to life. I’m continually fascinated by each new flower that appears and the…

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REVIEW: Hahnemühle Round Watercolor Paper in a Tin

Can you believe it? Hahnemühle now has round watercolor paper in a tin! There are 30 round sheets of Hahnemühle’s cold press Expression watercolour paper. 100% cotton suitable for watercolour painting, gouache and acrylic. And the tin has a beautifully painted lid, making it a great keeper for storing all sorts of bits and bobs. Specs Hahnmeühle’s Expression watercolour paper  Weight: 140…

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A Little Extra

For our prompt of “Crème Brûlée” today, I sketched a little ramekin of some with berries and a spoon. Philippe and I often get little desserts at the grocery store so we can have them on hand. Recently, it seemed like Crème Brûlée was all that was offer from both Aldi and Costco. After a couple of weeks, we got a little tired of this particular dessert and realized that sometimes you can actually…

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Quietly Together

For our prompt of “Bearded Reedling” today, I sketched a couple of them enjoying a little afternoon break together. I saw two birds sitting next to one another on a tree branch the other day and it was such a sweet and peaceful scene. Philippe and I were sitting outside enjoying the warmer temperatures, but the blustering wind was doing all it could to disrupt things. It was at some points loud…

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How To Paint a Mountain Bluebird in Watercolor

Today, we’re going to paint a mountain bluebird using three colors and white gouache. To keep things simple, I’ve written a step by step with minimal instruction (you know the mnemonics anagram – KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid. Something I have trouble remembering most of the time). I’m using a 4 x 6 inch piece of paper taken off a block* and cut down to make it easier to video. The Hahnemühle…

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Morning Sunshine

For our prompt of “Sunrise” today, I sketched a little kitten enjoying a bit of extra sleep in the morning. As the weather moves toward spring where I live, the days are getting longer and the sun appears much earlier in the day. The winter always feels a bit like living inside a cave, so the blue skies and bright sun this week have been a welcome change. My pup Elliott was sleeping soundly this…

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A Fresh Crayon

For our prompt of “Crayons” today, I sketched a beagle holding a new bright green crayon. As a kid, I loved getting a new box of crayons, all with those wonderful pointy tips that had never been used. I would smile as I smelled the freshly liberated wax and imagine all of the endless possibilities. As an adult, I far prefer watercolor as my coloring medium, but I still remember playing with…

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Juggling Ideas

For our prompt of “Owl” today, I made a little sketch of my reoccurring owl character doing a bit of juggling. Thirty years ago, I actually learned how to juggle for a show that I was performing in at the time. I’m not entirely sure if juggling is a skill like riding a bike or not – one of those bits of muscle memory that comes back even after years without practice. As I sketched this, I…

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REVIEW: Sister’s Ink 'Iridus' Rainbow Bright 24 Half Pan Watercolour Palette

As most of you know, Australia is home to a variety of unique and unusual animals. It turns out they also have interesting handmade paints from Sister’s Ink, that come in unique and unusual palette sets. Today I’m reviewing their Sister’s Ink ‘Iridus’ Rainbow Bright 24 half pan watercolour palette. This set contains all the colors in the ‘Iridus’ Rainbow Bright line. Specs 24 Half Pans of Solid…

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Reading Books

For our prompt of “Elephant” today, I made a quick little sketch of one reading a book. As a child you could always find me like this, with my nose in a book. While I did enjoy television and video games, I would always manage to find time to read. There’s something so magical about stories told only in words as it’s fun to imagine the characters and settings in my mind. These days, I still make…

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