Soma Acharya

Hi Everyone! In a world of beautiful colors that surround us, it is hard to imagine any scene in just one color. The reason I like black and white photos is because they simplify the world around me. In doing so they create more depth, perspective and focus. I often use that practice in paintings by using a single color. I thought I’d share a few examples of that today with some of my painting practices, along with a few more black and white photos.

Simple 365 – Set 11

Here is another set of Simple365 photos. This is what my summer usually looks like, playing and experimenting indoors. After a jaunt through the garden, I putter in the kitchen making both food and art concoctions. Aside from making paint from foraged things, this was my first time making mint jam and mint wine.

Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos and read the captions.

I created a page with all the previously shared photos from Simple365. I continue to add photos to that page as I share them here. That way I can relive the journey through the year via black and white photos like in an old album.

Monochromatic Paintings

Painting With Homemade Ink

We have a beautiful old towering black walnut tree. A couple of years ago, I happily collected a LOT of black walnuts. The huge mess I made was matched only by the amount the fun I had while making black walnut ink.

This was my first time painting with ink made from plant material. This bookmark picture is of that walnut tree, painted with the ink I made. The ink has a gorgeous golden hue to it and can also be used as a stain. I am going to convert some of that ink/stain to watercolor, but that’s a story for another day.

Exploring An Old Favourite

I probably don’t need to to tell you anymore how much I love trees. Whenever I am trying something new, I unintentionally start with a simple sketch of one or many trees, followed by marking the dark, medium and light areas. This value sketch is immensely helpful, especially when I am working with only one color.

It does look like a hot mess when I start. However, the composition takes shape over time as I continue to paint. “The rule” says to paint from light to dark. However, I sometimes paint the closest trees first. They are the darkest and have the most detail. Then I paint the further-out ones that are lighter in color with less detail. I do what works for the painting and me, which quite often does not follow convention.

Prussian Blue is one of my favourite colours. Depending on water usage, this granulating color deposits unevenly producing a mottled effect. There are places in this painting where I didn’t want that, so I had to pay extra attention. Exploring it without interference from another color gave me a chance to learn and understand this color to its fullest.

Trying A New Brand

Watercolors from different brands behave very differently. I was curious about Rembrandt watercolor. I love their less expensive Van Gogh line and use it often in my nature journals. When I want to try out a new expensive brand of watercolor, I only purchase one tube. While visiting an art supply store with my husband, I asked him to pick out a Rembrandt color for me. Here is a man who delights in creating little challenges for me. Knowing very well that I use red in my paintings only for accents, he chose that very color for a monochromatic painting.

Painting a red forest bookmark was daunting for me, but I accepted the challenge and loved it. Working with just one color, I was able to learn the behavior of the Rembrandt paint.

A few painting tools and a tube of paint, and I can stay busy for hours. I also keep a sketchbook with my line drawings, value sketches and additional notes.

Black and white photos create a simplified world with increased depth, perspective, and focus. Extending that monochromatic world of photography into the world of painting makes it easier for me to learn and play. Do you ever play with black and white / monochromatic colors or are you a full-time full-color person? I would love to know.

-Soma

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Simple 365 – Set 9

Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos and read the captions.

Every now and then I make botanical paint from things I forage from my garden.

Wild Child

I shared the basics of botanical ink making here.

A few years ago, I got Indigo and Coreopsis seeds for the purpose of paint making. I collect the seeds from both plants each year and save them in little seed packets. Last week I had a great time sitting on the patio, sowing them in tiny little pots. These green trays are great for a plant nursery.

Much to my surprise, I saw little seedlings emerge within just a few days. I love watching them grow and look forward to the beautiful flowers and colours they will make.

I will write up a little tutorial on how to make these cute seed packets soon, in case you want to save or share seeds from your garden.

With a very frail 19+ year-old kitty at home, we have been limiting our travels to just a couple of days at a time, mostly within California. I often spend the last afternoon of a trip drawing in a sketchbook while my husband reads.

Visiting Yosemite in winter is a must for me. I did this sketch in pencil while I was at Yosemite, didn’t have a pen with me then. I wanted to leave it as-is, but my dear husband loves inked drawings. So, later on, I used a $10 fude pen for all the lines and a white gel pen for the snow.

I look forward to showing you more drawings and telling you a bit more about this sketchbook soon.

With the advent of March, my outside time became very limited due to severe allergies. Since I couldn’t be outside enjoying the fresh air and flowers, I started sketching and then carving this block. This will join the everyday journal wildflowers collection covers. I am very excited about printing this one and making a book with it.

These are just a few things from my winter break. I have so much to share with you – ideas, tools and supplies, the makes, and of course photos from my travels.

Until next time,
-Soma