Fall Coming Yet?

 

Adventure Location: Rockport,Texas

Adventure Date: 12-6-2021

Click the picture to enlarge it.

Morning greeted us with warmth and the OFM remembering his dope. So when we got to the Memorial Park we were able to have a brisk mile and a half plus a smidge for a couple of pictures that turned out horrible and are now residing in the eternal trash can of disconnected pixals wandering the universe forever.

Along the way this nice picture of fall finally starting to show up a little bit hopped into the camera and came home with us. Maybe in the next few weeks some more color in the foliage will start to show up.

As we came back from lunch, the temperature started a slow drop, and a slow occasional drizzle happened. BUT the important part of the afternoon was the arrival of two packages finally. The important package had the new toys in it.

We are hoping these will be a just right for the OFM improvement in his art efforts. At least it might be another good way of wasting paper. Here is what the pencils look like after the lead is activated with water. These turned out to be considerably different in feel while making the swatch chart below and will have a bit of a learning curve for the Teams. It is all part of the fun of learning.

Speaking of paper, a commenter asked about the OFM preference in paper for colored pencil. We have found that we prefer to have what is called a hot press smoothness over rougher surfaces like cold press or rough. The most important thing is to realize that no surface is “right” but is only your preference for your style or the “look” that you want the next painting to have. However, we did get our best paper choice information from a site named Art Is Fun. Look it up and make your decision educated instead of like the knucklehead OFM. Be aware good paper is not cheap like copy paper. Our normal (now) paper runs about $1 a painting and is hot press water color paper artist grade. We made a serious mistake for a few years of using cheaper grade school paper thinking it could not be that much difference. Well we proved that YES it is.

What is going on with the watercolor pencils? Well the OFM has realized that the natural great teaming of colored pencil and water color paint fits his attitude just about perfectly. Watercolor pencils are easier to have out and about like the OFM does things than regular tube watercolor. After a year of trying the tube way with lots of regrets, he has headed off into the blending of watercolor pencils with colored pencils in the piece of art. You may have not noticed it in a few pieces of previously displayed art efforts, but we have been slowly working watercolor into the colored pencil efforts in spots it just flat out works better than colored pencils in our opinion. Please keep in mind that the OFM has not even a hint of an idea his art ability is good enough to give even a statue any art advice.

BUT he is good enough at having fun to recommend that every one try to have tooooo much fun.