Step Class - EDM 173

This is me taking my first step class. It always seemed to have complicated choreography, and routines that no one without formal dance training could hope to follow. And I worried about the impact on my knees. The class I am taking is called 20-20-20 and includes 20 minutes each of cardio, strength training, and stretching. Last week our cardio portion included the dreaded step. And it wasn't so bad. Not very complicated, not very choreographed. Simple and effective, and a great workout. It was low impact, and I was able to follow the steps and keep up. What more can you ask from a fitness class.

I was so excited I went home and iced my knees and journal led about it.

Prisma pen, and watercolor pencils in my day journal. I'll call this EDM 173 - draw something from memory.

Monthly Sketch Project May

Flowers are one of my favorite inspirations for drawing and painting. This is the photo for the Monthly Sketch Project. I loved the ranges of pinks, but mostly the dark background grabbed my attention. It's very difficult to do dark in watercolor, but I think it's important to learn how. It's the dark that often makes the light work.

Sadly, once again I missed the deadline to post this on the Sketch Project site. But do click the link and look at how some others drew the project.

Painting Flowers

Spring is coming and I am looking forward to painting all the flowers that grow in my garden. I've done this before, usually quick sketches in a garden grid. Now I'd like to paint more. I got this great book from the library called "Painting Flowers in Watercolor" by Trevor Waugh. He breaks down the complex shapes of flowers like roses and peonies into simple 3 step paintings. He makes it look easy, but I think it will take practice. My plan is to chronicle the life of the flower - from bud, to flower, to seed head. While these poppies are easy, simple shapes to draw, which is why the book starts there, we progress to more complex spiral shapes. That's where I need practice. No more procrastinating over tackling roses, masses of foliage, and ruffled irises. Ultimately, I would like to garden journal the way Edith Holden does in her book "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady".