Oranges Still Life
I love the color palette on this one, in addition to how the little yellow flowers in the pitcher turned out. Recently I’ve been using the same color palette to help add some constraints to my art. Constraints can help with creativity. Sometimes when things are too wide open and nebulous it can be difficult to start a project. I find the constraints can also push me to experiment in different ways since they set guide rails around a certain aspect of the painting.
Oranges still life
The orange in the lower left corner kind of reminds me of a pumpkin because of the shape. It seems less round, more like the “sections” are defined. Side note: just did a quick search and the sections are called ribs. It’s interesting how little adjustments like that can visually convey different things. If the shape is more circular, it looks more like an orange. If the shape is more oval with ribs, it looks more like a pumpkin.
Still Here Still Life # 95
Still here still life is a drawing challenge account on Instagram (@stillherestilllife). This painting is based on prompt #95. Recently, I’ve been gravitating towards still life more, so I decided to give this prompt a shot after following the account for some time.
The painting is created in Procreate using gouache brushes. I found it quite relaxing to color in the checkerboard table. It’s a nice, easy pattern that requires some thought to ensure the right squares are done, but still relatively relaxing since it’s a bit repetitive.
I really liked how the original image had a lot of pinks even though I didn’t end up using any of the colors directly from the reference photo. Next time, I might experiment with changing the layout of the objects on the table into something new versus drawing directly as its laid out in the photo. Perhaps a more interesting grouping than floating around, sort of unanchored. Thoughts? Leave a comment below!
Still here still life prompt #95
Blind Contour
I’ve been taking some time to learn new skills and techniques; I stumbled upon this Blind Contour Drawing Class by LaurieAnn Gonzalez on Skillshare. Blind contour is essentially drawing the outline of an object without looking at the paper. This helps train your hand and your eye to be coordinated with each other. It also makes for some cool, funky looking drawings.
Materials I used:
Feel free to use whatever you want though!
Blind contour potted plants, brush pen for color
I love how loose it is. The looseness and silliness help take pressure off of drawing and also pressure off the sketchbook - something I’m actively trying to change my mindset to. Previously, I’d seen so many Instagram posts with sketchbooks and the images look perfect and polished (because, duh, it’s Instagram). It’s the pressure of the feed to make everything flawless.
But I digress. Something that really helped me change my mindset about my sketchbook was thinking of it more like a journal. It’s a private place to explore and experiment. It’s a place to make mistakes, no polish necessary. It’s a place for learning and reflecting. Random sketches, little notes, silly things are all welcome here. This helps personalize it, like a journal, it’s just for me and my eyes unless I choose to share. And shifting this mindset from performative to personal is incredibly freeing.
Inked sketches
Some blind contour flowers
ROL Hand Roll Bar
Huntington Beach, CA
I love sushi. It is, legitimately, one of my favorite things to eat. D and I decided to try this hand roll bar. It’s the first time I’ve been to a restaurant with this concept though I’ve seen photos of other similar restaurants in the LA area. ROL specializes in hand rolls, kinda omakase style. There’s a set menu and we sat at the bar. The rolls come out one at a time as you finish eating them so the next one is always freshly made.
Uni hand roll
We shared the 6 set menu ($32) that comes with:
Salmon
Spicy Tuna Crunch
Scallop
Spicy Crab
Albacore
Toro
We also ordered the uni a la carte ($25) as sea urchin is one of my top favorites.
Princess Violet (front), Tipsy Geisha (back)
And we got a couple cocktails - Princess Violet ($16) crafted with gin, lychee, lemon and Tipsy Geisha ($16) made with vodka, pomegranate, orange flower water, lemon.
These were so pretty with beautiful colors. Warning on those glasses though, I always spill with these type. Maybe because they’re so wide, shallow, and tall. The perfect structure to tip over.
Location:
ROL Hand Roll Bar
7862 Warner Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Christmas Cookies
Hey all, I just wanted to wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy holidays. I hope this is a time of family and rest. Excited to see what the new year will bring.
Christmas sugar cookies