Sunday, June 22, 2008

EDM 176 - Draw summer



There are so many things that shout "summer" to me. Living in a winter country as I do, summer is short, sweet, and something that you wring every last drop out of. I even keep track of the "firsts" of every summer:


  • first gin and tonic (because you can only drink G&Ts in the summer)
  • first full day wearing flip flops (the day you don't have to start off wearing socks)
  • first harvest of rhubarb
  • first day you can drink morning coffee on the patio
  • first cutting of the new grass
  • first robin in the birdbath


But it's really watermelon that is the quintessential taste and smell of summer. I know that we can have watermelon all year long now, but when I was a kid we waited for summer to have watermelon. It was like the reward for surviving the six foot high snowdrifts. And the best part was when you went to the freezer and got the snowball that you made from those six foot drifts and stashed away in there last January, hoping your mom hadn't found it thrown it out. Eating watermelon and a snowball - yep, that says summer to me. I don't think I would enjoy summer nearly as much if I didn't have winter.


This is watercolor in the Moleskine watercolor journal. I wanted to experiment with gettting the sparkly texture of the watermelon, so I used lots of water to create blooms. It does give the effect of those slightly mushy parts of the melon. I think salt would have worked as well.

8 comments:

Margaret McCarthy Hunt said...

HEY save me a piece of watermelon and a gin and tonic too:> great job

Margaret Ann said...

What a yummy post...indeed a reward for a hard winter...delightful sketch and journalling! :)

Anetka said...

just this morning I was cutting watermelon to have it at work and said that watermelon smells and tastes like summer!!!

Great job on colours, looks yammy and delicious:)

Timaree said...

I want a piece of that watermelon. It looks delicious. You are right, watermelon says summer like nothing else!

Sandy said...

Oh how i agree with your "summer firsts" list, great sketch of a very tasty piece of summer!

Don McNulty said...

Hi Calgary, Great drawings, our summer finally came two days ago. Oh Canada!
Don, Coquitlam BC

BARBARA WEEKS said...

Yummy watermelon. I love the the texture and color.

DALowe Artist said...

Not only is this a wonderful watercolor, but it's a great post too. So interesting. I think if you wrote a book, it would be a favorite.