Sketchbook: Say Cheese

Still contemplating, in other words, daydreaming of Provence, dining under ageless trees that hold secret conversations and sweet words, the flickering stars blinking through the cushion-y green leaves, crickets serenading the night sky, friends and family gathered around an immense stone farm table spread with figs, berries, olives, breads and cheese........

It is no "daydream"-- that there are over two thousand kinds of cheese. Cheese in its myriad of forms, aromas, textures and taste could provide a life time of dining adventure. Imagine a different cheese a week! A day!

The ancient Greeks believed that cheese was a gift from the Gods.

 Last night while wishing I had a slice of creamy brie cheese accompanied by a few nutty-wheat crackers, I started doodling around. 

In my studio I have a fold up table, covered in a pretty cloth, topped with heavy glass! Pens, pencils, brushes, watercolors, crayons everything imaginable scattered about me. Barely room for my sketchbook. But this is where I can start a page at a moment's notice...

After a little preliminary sketching with a pencil, I settled on the design and lightly inked with a Micron 05 permanent black pen. Next came  soft watercolor tints. (I finally purchased a watercolor mop brush....it is super to use, holds enormous amounts of color/pigment and forms the finest, most delicate point.) This is now a MUST watercolor brush for me.

Excuse the upside down view, can't seem to rotate properly. All light washes of color are in place and the fun part of deepening/intensifying the color begins. I have used Caran d' Arche Fibralo water-soluble ink markers. Use as is, or blend marker with wet brush. A great addition to watercolors.

Looking good!  Now just decorate as though you were working magic on the top of a fancy cake!  Deepen colors, use various widths Micron markers for line work and cross hatching, more Caran d'Ache marker, and  white high lights with White Out Pen.

Looking at sketch work by other artists, I am always DRAWN to the very light, "barely there" wash of color with pencil or pen sketching. Artists like Beatrix Potter, Tasha Tudor, Florine Asch.....ever so many light-touch, minimalist watercolorists I totally enjoy! Many times I have attempted this lighter touch, but being a color nut I simply can not leave well enough alone. So I decided to add the above sketch to this posting so that I wouldn't be tempted to intensify the color and line.

Florine Asch it is not....but it was fun nevertheless. Now I think I better drive over to Trader Joe's, a great place and a great price to purchase cheese.... which shall I select?????