The Painted Pen

  Letter M and Maple Letter M and Maple are part of a watercolor and ink study in letter styles and object styles beginning with that letter. Each study will focus on one letter and one object beginning with that letter in order to collect and practice various artistic styles and alphabets.   Letter M has so many possibilities. It can look pointy or rounded, symmetrical or varied, and a flourish can sprout from almost every angle. Studying M in pictures has many options too. I added mandalas, mermaids, mountains, and more to my “study someday” list. But for this study, I chose maple … as in maple leaf or…

Letter L and Lavender   Letter L and Lavender are part of a watercolor and ink study in letter styles and object styles beginning with that letter. Each week will focus on one letter and one object beginning with that letter in order to collect and practice various artistic styles and alphabets.   When thinking about each letter, I often ask my children what they think of that starts with that letter. I like to hear different opinions. Alone, I tend to run circles around the same few ideas instead of thinking something new. This time, lemur, lion, linx, leopard, and ladybug added some good options. But when lavender came…

  Letter J and Jellyfish This project is part of a watercolor and ink study in letter styles and object styles beginning with that letter. Each week will focus on one letter and one object beginning with that letter in order to collect and practice various artistic styles and alphabets. It would seem as though letter J would be one of my favorite letters. It starts my name. And I do enjoy playing with the look of it, but I must say, it can also be one of my most elusive letter styles. Perhaps I want the perfect look. The J that best represents me. After all, it’s a part…

Letter I and Iris   This project is part of a watercolor and ink study in letter styles and object styles beginning with that letter. Each week will focus on one letter and one object beginning with that letter in order to collect and practice various artistic styles and alphabets.   Letter I is a hard letter to work with. Not only is it limited in its strokes, but not many nouns start with I. I found myself stuck in a box of ice cream, icicles, and igloos. Not what I wanted to paint at the start of the heat of summer. Though maybe painting those things would cool me…

H and Hippie Cow or Highland Cow This project is part of a watercolor and ink study in letter styles and object styles beginning with that letter. Each week will focus on one letter and one object beginning with that letter in order to collect and practice various artistic styles and alphabets. As I considered letter H and what I wanted to work with in watercolor, many words beginning with H came to mind: honey bee, honeysuckle, hippo, hyena, hummingbird, Hungarian horntail, Hogwarts and Harry Potter (Yes! I’m a huge fan. In our house, we spend much time talking about the story, characters, and places. It’s an amazing story from…

  Letter F and Fortress This project is part of a watercolor and ink study in letter styles and object styles beginning with that letter. Each week will focus on one letter and one object beginning with that letter in order to collect and practice various artistic styles and alphabets.   Letter F and fortress proved a bit of a distraction from learning watercolor and ink styles. Alphabet styles proceeded as usual, but I looked at so many fortresses, real and imaginary, that I simply wanted to paint them all. So, I painted several styles of castles and only a few styles of watercolor and ink. I took the liberty…

  E and Elephant This project is part of a watercolor and ink study in lettering styles and object styles beginning with that letter. Each week will focus on one letter and one object beginning with that letter in order to collect and practice various artistic styles and alphabets. This week, I studied the letter E and elephants. With E, I continued to work on consistency with my letters, both dip pen and watercolor with ink. The alphabets are taking shape nicely. Each week, as I draw my letters, I pull out previous letters to make sure certain traits stay true to the style. The letter E is one of…

  Letter D and Daisy This project is part of a watercolor and ink study in letter styles and object styles beginning with that letter. Each week will focus on one letter and one object beginning with that letter in order to collect and practice various artistic styles and alphabets.   Daisies. Simplicity at its best. White daisies remind me that life has peaceful beauty. Charm and elegance with minimal effort. I carried them many years ago at my wedding. The brilliant colors of gerbera daisies show off in a stunning display of liveliness and fun. Both kinds of daisies appeal to me and remind me of summer days that…