Scary Santa

Santa paid his annual visit to our holiday party last month. The range of emotions from visiting kids was pure entertainment. ♥

(Click any image to enlarge)
Benjamin had a nice chat with the jolly man and was pleased with his gift.

This little one was not so sure.

And this one was simply terrified!

(5 x 3″ pen and watercolor on Moleskine®)
Displayed artwork © 2018 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

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Second Beach

Second Beach on the Quileute Indian Reservation is a must see if you’re near La Push on the Olympic Peninsula, WA. A short hike through the rain forest lands you on the sweetest beach you’ve ever seen. Sea stacks, driftwood, sand, and gentle waves. Perfect for sketching.

(Click either to enlarge)
Looking NW


Looking SW

(10″ x 3″ watercolor and ink)
Displayed artwork © 2017 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Central California Visit

At the end of May I spent about a week along the central California coast. It was a relaxing visit to reconnect with friends, enjoy the coastal views, and catch some sun.

(Click any image to enlarge)

Waiting for the plane at SeaTac airport. I looked up from my sketch and these two peaks were gone in the clouds.

And from our plane looking through clouds at another WA beauty…

I accidentally used a water-soluble pen here. A dab of watercolor and it all ran! 

Another roadside San Luis Obispo peak…

And a barn!

Further up coast, just south of Monterey:

(5 x 3″ pen and watercolor on watercolor paper)
Displayed artwork © 2017 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Take Me Home

Good dog.  Stay.

(3″ x 5″ pen with watercolor)
Displayed artwork © 2017 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

Cat

Good morning meow to you.

(3″ x 5″ pen with watercolor)
Displayed artwork © 2017 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

More Squigglies

Just sharing a recent batch of ‘Squigglies” which I love to make because:

• they’re fast
• unpredictable
• make me laugh

Caroline’s Crazy for Carrots

Queen Mantis

Blue Jester

Einstein’s Green Eye

Little Drummer Cowboy

Freakishly Strange

Old Woman

Blue Dancing Girl(5 x 5″ mixed media in sketchbook)
Displayed artwork © 2017 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.

It’s a Matter of Orientation

Ask any kid — things look different when you stand on your head or roll on your side. So, it is with artists. But, we’ve learned it’s much easier just to flip our subject (and a lot kinder on our bods).

Try it yourself. Study your subject matter (say, a reference photo). Now, rotate it and observe it again. Your eye will decipher the relative shapes and negative spaces very differently depending on orientation. This is true for more than art!

Here’s a recent example from my sketchbook: “Bunny strut” becomes “Fish arabesque.” No magic. Just a matter of orientation.

(Click  any to enlarge)

 

or, with a 90° rotation

(5.5 x 5.5″ ink and watercolor on std. sketchbook paper)
Displayed artwork © 2017 Kim Reading. All rights reserved.