One Watercolor a Day

Some of you might be familiar with my friend and teacher Veronica Lawlor's book One Drawing a Day, a book of drawing exercises for the artist and non-artist alike that grew out of the blog of the same name from the artists of Studio 1482. They've recently put out new book on watercolor. The first exercise in the book is an easy one: just play! It's been a while since I sat down with the intention of just playing, and it reminded me how fun and how necessary it is to do. January's a great time of year for bringing yourself back to good habits!

I was surprised as I did these, that so many of them took on the feeling of landscapes or still lives. This first one is especially landscape-esque to me.







Get your own copy of the book here, and Happy New Year!

Upper West Side Café

In case you haven't heard or live elsewhere, New York is COLD right now! As in, single digit temperatures! When winter comes around, I try not to let it affect my social life too much. In the warmer weather, there are plenty of outdoor activities, but on days like these a café is my most likely destination. I'm lucky that every neighborhood in New York has its own cafés and each showcases the personality of that neighborhood. In this case, I went to meet April of Brass Ring Studio on the Upper West Side where we found a very Upper West Side crowd. It was a good chance to break out my watercolors and work on my people!

There was a college student working on her paper.



A couple having a very thoughtful discussion. I know it was thoughtful because he kept stroking his beard.



A couple of older ladies talking about mutual acquaintances and holiday plans.


A little girl dressed very stylishly and complaining about her hot chocolate as her harried mother tried to work out their schedule.


Hope you're staying warm, wherever you are!