David Lobenberg

Water or Plastic?

2012-01-30T19:38:00.000-08:00

Currently, or as they say on the stupid-ass television news broadcasts, "RIGHT NOW", I am teaching a six week, once-a-week watercolor painting class at my studio. I am having my students practice watercolor painting techniques without the added complication and distraction of color. They are painting in black and white only. This is a demo I watercolored of a martini. Getting thirsty? . In an acrylic painting class that I'm teaching "RIGHT NOW" at Sacramento City College, I am having my students doing the same thing as represented with this second demo. NEWS FLASH - if you can't control your painting technique and value structure, you are working at a huge disadvantage.

Back to some glorious Payne's Grey

2012-01-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

YeeHaa! . . . cowgirl was watercolored tonight in glorious Payne's Grey ... ain't no other way y'all ta learn some proper values! Yo! . . . "Attitude" is fresh! Gotta PG it in the hood, homies!

Playtime on a rainy day.

2012-01-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

Boy, do we need this rain in too sunny California! More color has been added to the portrait I posted a few weeks ago.

"Attitude" Studies # 2 and 3

2012-01-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

Both studies # 2 and 3 are on half sheets of 140 lb., cold press, arches bright white, watercolor paper. I'm playing applying (and taking off) paint to paper. He is an artist with a combination of bad ass attitude and affable humor. I love that combination.

"Attitude" Study #1

2012-01-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

Watercolor on a half sheet of 140lb. cold press Arches. I'll probably do this young man again, as I'm not it is completely to my liking.

Can't judge no book by its cover.

2012-01-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

Straight outa Compton? Never asked. Drawing student of mine and the nicest young dude you'd ever want to run into. Wore cool ball caps. Watercolor on half 140lb. sheet cold press.

"IN MEMORY OF"

2012-01-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

A watercolor portrait I just finished while listening to my main man, Mr. Tom Waits. 140 lb. cold press, half sheet. I dedicate my effort to one of my fav. artists whom I met in the blogosphere . . . William, aka The Crazy, Moore.

ME @ MIKE

2012-01-02T15:28:00.001-08:00

A little over a week ago, pre Christmas, I challenged Mike Bailey (Current president of the National Watercolor Society, fantastic artist, inspiring teacher, good friend) that both he and I paint a beach/ocean scene from a photo I took off Asilomar Beach on the Monterrey Peninsular. He accepted, and away we both went. Well wouldn't ya know it, Mike totally rearranged the composition and finished as of today with this beauty! My approach was to tweak the composition ever so slightly and concentrate on looking into the setting sun. This is what I LOVE about painting challenges . . . they keep you on your best painting behavior and even sometimes inspire you to push the envelope (or should I say the palette). Oh yes . . . they also show you other ways to approach a subject. Too bad Mike's in Santa Cruz and I'm in Sacramento . . . we need to clink libation glasses to the completion of the challenge! Thanks, Mike!!

Two watercolor portrait studies on my art hanger

2011-12-31T12:23:00.000-08:00

The winter holiday season is a good time to play. Some of my play time has been with my favorite medium . . . watercolor and my favorite subject . . . portraiture. Here are two half sheets I just finished of two of last semester's students that were in the drawing class that I teach at Sacramento City College. I often hang my studies on my art hanger to look at and cogitate upon my next move. I would love to get your feed back, dear readers . . . the good, the bad, and even the ugly. Thank you in advance and have a very good 2012!

HAVE A ROLLICKING GOOD HOLIDAY DEAR READERS AND FELLOW ARTISTS!

2011-12-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

Seeya in 2012.

Tis The Season

2011-12-05T14:09:00.001-08:00

Watercolored this one a few years ago. Not much snow so far in the Sierras, but I know the skiers have there fingers crossed. I ski snow by the way. In fact, I am a Native Californian and . . . ya ain't gonna believe this but TRUE . . . I have never been in falling snow . . . whao!!!!!

Rougher water

2011-11-27T15:57:00.001-08:00

After I posted this scene previously, I decided that the water on the acrylic painting needed to be rougher, so that's what I did? I also changed the water's hue a tad. You will also notice that the highlights on the water are brighter.

Acrylic painting versus watercolor painting

2011-11-27T14:47:00.001-08:00

I painted the watercolor during the summer. It is about 15 by 22 inches. I just finished this acrylic for a one man show at the International House in Davis this December. It measures 30 by 40 inches on stretched canvas. Which one looks better or is it a case of comparing apples to oranges?

Two Invitations

2011-11-22T13:14:00.001-08:00

I have recently gotten two invitations to conduct watercolor workshops that I am very excited about. I am now scheduled to teach a five day workshop in 2013 for The Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. In the past, they have had watercolor luminaries such as Stephen Quiller, Frank Web, Ted Nuttal, Mike Bailey, Myrna Wacknov, and Jan Hart. I am thinking about teaching portraiture both in payne's gray and full color. The second invitation just came in this morning from the Peninsular Art League in beautiful Gig Harbor, Washington. They saw my art on my website. If you are interested in discussing a possible Lobenberg workshop in your neck of the woods, please contact me at: sushi3@mac.com

Clouds count.

2011-11-18T19:09:00.001-08:00

People you see on the street, people you see in a park, or wherever you see people, oft time should be seen in your paintings as well. A painting can look more natural with people in it and provide an extra "it" factor that attracts a viewer's eye. The same can hold true with clouds. Whether they be icy, high flying cirrus, low, rain sodden stratus, or tall billowing cumulus, painting clouds in your sky can add that extra "it" factor. Do you think the "it" factor is in these three?

Hey,,,heads up!!

2011-11-16T14:12:00.001-08:00

A watercolor that I demoed at The School of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, California this Tuesday. This size rooster is the type that could devour Cleveland!

La Provence

2011-11-14T22:20:00.001-08:00

A light, little ink and wash sketch on 5"X7 140lb. cold press. Viva La Provence!

Only the hardy and brave do this!

2011-11-10T10:04:00.001-08:00

Three painters that were on a plein air outing with me last week on an overcast, cold, and breezy day. My watercolor here shows one of them painting with the lovely pond and vineyard in the background. Of course, I know of other artists that work en plein air in he friging falling snow!

My blood pressure is back to normal.

2011-11-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Blogger Team, R U out there somewhere lurking in cyberspace? You punks are hiding, aren't you?! Anyway, here is a suggestion: For bloggers who are 50 years and older, DO NOT bother us with your new bells and whistles as we are too long in the tooth to manage them. In short, leave us alone. My sincere thanks in advance. David K. Lobenberg

Call me Stupid, but I got my old formatt back!

2011-11-08T00:53:00.000-08:00

How? I ain't sure! I'm still not happy with what happened and how it happened, but I am happy with whatever the hell I did to get back home! Thank you for putting up with my ranting! I'm going to sleep now...I'm pooped. Old age, I guess.

You Blogger people are sooo "helpful"!!!!!!!!

2011-11-07T23:45:00.000-08:00

I've also lost by book link to Blurb and my two other blog links!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Blogger people!!!!!! You are so "helpful"!!!!!!!! Did I add that I'm P I S S E D !!!!!!?

What the fuck!!!!!!!!

2011-11-07T23:34:00.000-08:00

I've lost my followers window, my paint tube in my header, my side bar artist blog listing!!!!!! How do I get it all back????? Anyone out there that can help me. Blogger is now just like Facebook... always tinkering and making things difficult for us elders!!! I'm P I S S E D !!!!!! You suck Blogger!!! I'm old and forgetful...did I forget to add that I'M P I S S E D !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Help!...anyone...help!

Winter cometh

2011-11-07T23:22:00.000-08:00

Two watercolors from the Lobenberg files.

One of my drawing students in splendid grey tones!

2011-11-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

This young lady is in my college drawing class that I'm teaching this semester. I photographed her out doors in a wonderful dappled late afternoon light. My watercolor of her was painted using the photo as reference. It was painted on cold press rough 140lb watercolor paper. This is my first study. I am about 70% happy with it, but I want to enjoy 100% happiness!. The future bodes, therefor, another study, and most likely on cold press regular. I hope you enjoy seeing this watercolor in progress.

Feather Man

2011-10-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hot color and tight cropping can make a watercolor entertaining and full of spirit.

California State Capitol Building

2011-10-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

A watercolor painting I just did as part of a workshop I conducted at the Fair Oaks School of Light and Color. The capitol building is where our state legislature screws up the economy just like in DC! Power to the 1%.

Plein Air Painting of A and A Bakery ruins

2011-10-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I was invited along with about fifteen other prominent Sacramento plein air artists to paint at an annual plein air event in my neck of the woods, East Sacramento. E. Sac. is a very "tony" area of my fair city, and has some beautiful parks and splendiferous old homes. Being a fan of artist William Wray, self proclaimed "Painter of Blight", I decided to paint A and A Bakery. For at least ten years now, the bakery has been out of business and their facilities have gone to rack and ruin. Perfecto!!...a blighted area in tony East Sacramento! My painting won one of the people's choice awards during the event's exhibition. Another artist (Robert Sandidge) was painting the same scene whilst positioned behind me, so there I am in his oil painting... Sweet! I painted in acrylic. Elapsed time: 4 hours. I now proclaim myself "Painter of Dilapidated Bakeries".

A Vase is a Vase is a Vase.

2011-10-19T22:32:00.000-07:00

A Vase is one pain in the ass to draw as well! I challenge you to take an elegant white vase like this, dramatically light it, and draw those difficult and subtle contours (on BOTH sides whilst keeping the vase symmetrical) Damn hard and great fun! My apologies to Gertrude Stein, and yes, next time I'll draw a Rose!

The Watercolor Dude after His Demo.

2011-10-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

I have some more watercolor stuff to post this coming week, but meanwhile, here is the dude after last week's demo. A pooped dude, I might add. Hey, are those a car's headlights reflecting off his fore head??

The Unvarnished Truth of the Matter

2011-10-12T12:44:00.001-07:00

Three evenings ago on Monday, I gave a watercolor portrait demonstration to Sacramento's watercolor club, WASH. Within my one hour alloted demo time, I attempted to paint four portraits in Payne's Gray whilst talking about the importance of familiarizing one's self with the value pattern, contours, and edges of the face. These obviously were done in a rush and lack the normal "polish" of my work, but I think they are fairly successful and instrumental in getting my message across. I manage to get three portraits completed and the initial value lay-in wash completed on the fourth. Next Thursday, I do this demo again in front of another art group. Please wish me luck, and wave me good bye. I'll post that effort as well. If I complete all four, perhaps I can get into the Guinness Book of World Records and a guest appearance on the Charlie Rose Show? (-:

Off to the Sacramento Fine Art Center to paint portraits in blazing black and white watercolor!

2011-10-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight I will give a watercolor portrait demonstration (painted in Payne's Gray) at thge Sacramento Fine Art Center in front of the members of their watercolor club. I've decided to paint FOUR portraits within my hour alloted time! They are on one full sheet of 140lb cold press Fabriano watercolor paper. I figure as one wash is drying, I can proceed to the next watercolor etc., etc. I do hope that I have not created a quagmire with this idea! We'll see. I'll post my finished four=portrait demo sometime this week. Stay tuned, dear readers.

BEAUTIFUL B@W WATERCOLOR PORTRAIT STUDIES!

2011-09-27T16:22:00.001-07:00

Want to paint beautiful portraits in color? DO NOT DO IT! Not until you have lots (and I mean LOTS) of experience painting portraits in mono-color. I like to do my mono-color portraits in glorious payne's grey (Winsor Newton). You first need to develop your painting style, knowledge of head and facial structures, value control, and soft, found, and lost edges. Only then can you graduate to color. Well...at least that's my advice.

California Country

2011-09-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

I painted this about two years ago in water color and en plein air (painted on location) in farm country outside of Sacramento, California. Painting en plein air is not my forte, but this one, I think, came out OK. These are animal feed bins.

Little Pine

2011-09-17T20:14:00.001-07:00

Painted yesterday with Leslie, a long time water color student of mine. She takes fabulous photos of the California Sierra mountains, and this watercolor was painted from one of those photos. It shows a little pine growing out from between a crack in the rocks still covered by late spring snow. We started off with the lighter, largest value areas, and finish off with the darker value areas and finer details. Values and colors are the important thing here with just enough detail to get the job done. I think that I can do a looser painting than this one, but that will have to wait for another water color day. Love those water color days!

Kayaking the American River past Negro Bar

2011-09-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not politically incorrect here. "Negro Bar" is the name given to this stretch of the American River going through the Mother Lode, gold rush area of the Sierra Mountain foot hills. During the great California gold rush in the mid 19th century, gold miners panning for gold on the banks of the river segregated their camps. There were camps for whites ( mostly caucasians from east of the Mississippi and Europe), browns (hispanics, mostly from south of the border), yellows (asians and usually newly arrived Chinese), and blacks (free ex-slaves, aka: negroes). Hence, Negro Bar". This watercolor is hot off my brush painted on 140lb. cold press Arches watercolor paper. 5 1/2 inches by 15 1/2 inches. The female in the kayak is caucasian. Kayaking is an equal opportunity activity in California. Gay marriage is not, however.

Little Lillie Pads

2011-09-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

What makes lillie pads look like lillie pads? Certainly not a lot of excruciatingly painted detail...at least in my books. Just enough of the RIGHT detail gleaned from VERY CAREFUL OBSERVATION to get the visual idea across. I think the act of carefully looking at something is as important as painting it. "One looks, looks long, and the world comes in" - Joseph Campbell.

GOT FISH?

2011-09-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

These are fresh sea creatures just caught by me on watercolor paper. If you would like to purchase one for $75 plus shipping (they are 11 inches by 13 inches on 140lb. professional grade watercolor paper, unframed), please let me know via a comment.

I'm just testing the waters (pun intended) right now. If I get a comment on this blog that you are interested, I shall figure out how to conduct the transaction through my Paypal account. Or...you can just comment on these paintings and leave it at that. GOT COMMENTS?

BOLD AND LOOSE...time to get into more watercolor art

2011-09-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

I am having an almost-65-years-of-age crises. What to do with the rest of my life? My first medium and love is watercolor... bold, free, brash, loose, flowing, indicating without over defining. A decision has been made!...more watercoloring. I certainly will still be doing acrylic, because I really enjoy the medium, but watercolor will dominate. These past portraits and abstract of mine are examples of what I am trying to explain here, and the black and white London drawing by Australian artist Wayne Roberts serves as an inspiration for me. We all inspire each other. So there you go. I'm off and running. Wish me bon voyage and wave me good-bye!

My water color students at The School of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, Calif.

2011-09-03T22:51:00.000-07:00

I have a regular and on-going Tuesday water color class at the well known School of Light and Color here in Northern California. Students sign up for six week sessions, and this is my first "graduation" class. They are all very passionate watercolorists and what a pleasure it was teaching them some of the ins and outs of water color painting, aka: controlling the flood. Some will return for another six week stint, and those on the waiting list will take on any vacated spots. I always look forward to these Tuesday classes. You can check out their blog where the school's stable of art teachers such as yours truly oft times post their activities.

Back to them

2011-09-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

I started a group of grape acrylic paintings way back in March, and they have been languishing in my studio ever since. Well, I'm back at them, and this is one of the first that is on the way to completion. It's about 90% done but needs some more refining. I wanted to post it, however, to get some feedback from my readers. Look at it with cold, hard eyes and proffer your opinion or suggestions. A million and one thanks in advance! SECOND DAY - Some good advice everybody - THANKS - here's more work that I did today (the top photo).

Building Waves

2011-08-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

Painting something as complex as ocean waves takes very close observation of color, value, and edges. It also takes patience. I think that 50% of a painting is just looking at your subject and looking at it deeply. That's the cool thing about artists...they look at the world visually deeply. I may have screwed up my english here by writing "visually deeply", but I think my 11 inch by 13 inch watercolor on 140lb. cold press Arches watercolor paper came out OK.

I stole this collection from Lars who stole it from all of us!

2011-08-23T22:10:00.001-07:00

Lars is a German artist who I admire (see my blog roll on the right), He just posted these self portraits from us artists out there in the blogosphere. Pretty cool!

Swimmers On The American

2011-08-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

My hometown of Sacramento is bounded by two major rivers: the American and Sacramento Rivers. The American River comes down from the Sierra Nevada mountains east of Sacramento. It flows through massive granite rocks as it gets closer to the city. These are perfect diving platforms for young swimmers during our hot mediterranean summers. I painted the backgrounf wet-on-wet for a soft focus to give the illusion of distance. The granite formation was painted wet-on-dry for a crisp foreground look. I used a toothbrush to give the granite its textural character. The water is a combination of wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry with horizontal reflections pulled off with a bone dry, flat brush. I've posted this painting a few years back, but came across it again in my computer photo file and thought I'd post it again. That's kosher, ain't it?

The ugly swan transformed

2011-08-18T16:07:00.001-07:00

I very rarely use masking fluid but sometimes I do, and here is an example that I painted two days ago. It was painted on 140 lb. cold press Kilimanjaro watercolor paper a little larger than a quarter sheet. This will be the project for my watercolor class next week at The School of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, California. If a project like this looks interesting, and you'd like me to travel to your neck of the woods to put on a two or three day workshop on how to "control the flood", let me know. We'll figure out how to make it happen!

Octopus

2011-08-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

This is my third octopus watercolor! The first two were deep sixed!! With this final one, I first laid down, wet-on-wet, warm colors in a soupy tea-like consistency (lots of water,,,let it flow!). After that dried, I painted in a similar palette of colors but more saturated and brighter. As I was doing this, I had to work in my darker values to bring out the form of Mr. (or Ms.) Octopus. The last operation was to heavy up my preliminary pencil drawing to sharpen him (or her) up a little more. What a challenge this was with the equally challenging medium of watercolor. One might call it a "octopus-challenge-squared- watercolor-painting". This third painting will not be deep sixed.

Study of a painter on the beach

2011-08-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

Found this in my archives of watercolor people paintings. It was painted on 140lb cold press, about 10 inches by 16 inches. Looks like he's painting Monterrey Bay. Sure wish I was there painting Monterrey Bay!!!!! Note how I use lots of color hue variation and value changes. Lots of juicy washes too...some thin and some more honey-like in consistency.

Mindscape

2011-08-10T08:27:00.001-07:00

Here is a "Mindscape" that I painted yesterday at The School of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, California where I teach a Tuesday watercolor class. Please click here to read all about this watercolor exercise. By the way, one of my followers, Meera, came up with the title "mindscape". Thank you, Meera!

Some recent acrylic portraits

2011-08-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

I've posted these before, but I thought it would be fun to see them as a collection. They are all painted in acrylic. Do they look like oil paintings?

Line and Wash Sketches

2011-08-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I wrote a little instructional booklet titled "On-The-Go Ink and Wash Sketching" It's all about how to use a combination of pencil, Sharpie pen, Tombow pen, and the fabulous Niji Waterbrush to do really exciting sketches with a minimum of fuss. You can review my book by clicking on the cover in the top, right side bar. This first sketch was a live demonstration I did for my students at the Crocker Art Museum here in Sacramento. It is a sunset scene of part of the east porch of the old Crocker house. The second sketch is of two of my students in my class that I teach at Sacramento City College. This ink and wash process is so stealthy, that they didn't even notice! Both sketches took about 15 minutes. The final image, I did a few years ago with a pencil, Sharpie pen, and a spectrum of watercolor washes. Next month, I will be teaching an "On-The-Go Ink and Wash Sketching" workshop at The School of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, California.

Watercolors from my mind

2011-07-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Three I painted a few days ago to limber up and to enjoy landscapes from my mind to palette and brush to paper. All are painted 140lb. cold press watercolor paper with a #20 round sable brush.

Raining Yellow

2011-07-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

When it rains, it pours and on this sunny, hot day, it was pouring yellow. I naturally paint yellow wet-on-wet and let this first bright wash go desert, bone dry. Next I paint her top, jeans, and sun cast shadow in juicy wet-on-dry and let it go dry. What the heck, it's not in the photo, but this is MY painting...I paint a puddle of yellow at her feet. The background goes in wet-on-dry accept for the garbage can. I wanted that a nice rich wet-on-wet. Next the side walk "grey" goes down wet-on-dry and then turned upside down to get a little bit of blending going on. Why blend with a brush when you can blend by holding the paper up, down, side ways and every which-a-way. What's a sidewalk without gum on it! Got some chin link in there and the deed is done!

Controlling The Flood: potential first assignment

2011-07-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

I think that phrase aptly describes what watercolor painting is all about. My on-going watercolor class titled "Controlling The Flood" at The School of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, Calif starts next Tuesday. I will have 15 students and a growing waiting list. This may be the first assignment. It is a "simple" painting that I believe will give my students a good idea of what I mean by controlling the flood. I painted this scene of trees and water today on a sheet of 140 lb. Arches cold press paper. Image size: 8 inches by 10 3/4 inches. I worked on an art clip board with my reference photo clipped to it and my paper taped down. I wet the paper and quickly (and in one go) added my sunset and reflection colors. Before these color dry, I tilt the board slightly to get them to run down a bit. When I am satisfied with the run down, I lay the board flat and let this first passage of colors dry. Next I paint in the shoreline colors (wet-on-dry) and tilt the board slightly in a vertical orientation so that my colors run parallel with the shore line. I also scumble the top of the foliage to feather it out a bit (the photo shows this up side down). I then start to pull down the reflected trees. You can see how wet the shoreline paint still is. I make sure to have a little color variation in the trees and some ripple effects. While most of the reflected trees were still wet, I run my brush across them to created larger ripples. There are no ripples like this in the reference photo, but I'm going for more drama in my painting rather than trying to copy the photo. One's fingernails are great for scratching out some lighter branches in the shoreline. This is accomplished just before the paint dries but not while it is too wet. If you do it while it is too wet,the paint you scratch off gets filled in again as the neighboring wet paint flows into the scratched indentations. I then paint the trees (non-reflected) in. When the entire painting is bone dry, I cut out a paper mask that covers the sky and water but leaves the shoreline revealed. I take a toothbrush, dip it into some paint, and splatter it onto the foliage to add more texture. And just like that, shazam!... my little master piece is done. Time to leave the studio and go home to cook dinner. ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THAT IF YOU EVER WANT TO HAVE ME COME TO YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS TO CONDUCT A "CONTROLLING THE FLOOD" WORKSHOP, CONTACT ME, AND WE CAN DISCUSS HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Last week's Lobenberg acrylic portrait workshop

2011-07-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

< I painted this in acrylic on an 11 inch by 14 inch non-white canvas. I was showing my workshop students how you start with a BIG flat brush and paint in the mid value flesh color. After that is dry (about 12 minutes),the darks and lights are painted in. You need not even come close to painting in the final hues that you see on the face, because at this stage you are only interested in establishing the basic features and darks and lights. Once you are satisfied that you have established a likeness, you can then start refining the facial hues and features. This final portrait is about 75% complete. The only thing left to do is to refine the facial hues and features just a wee bit more. The entire painting was done with flat brushes.

Watch out...here he comes!

2011-07-11T21:19:00.000-07:00

My talented, fellow art buddy, Mike Bailey, president of the National Watercolor Society and workshop teacher who is always painting up a storm in his hometown of Santa Cruz, Calif., will be coming to my fair city of Sacramento, Calif. to teach a five day watercolor workshop! The workshop is titled "Watercolor Beyond the Obvious". The venue will be University Art (one of my workshop stomping grounds) here in Sacramento. The dates are August 15-19. Email Marleen Merchant at mpmerchant@gmail.com or call her at 916-354-2832 to register or get more info. Marleen informs me that there are a few spots left. Mike came to my Sacramento City College class not too long ago, and did an extremely informative and super dynamic watercolor demo that my class just ate up! I don't often promote people on my blog, but believe me, I make this dude an exception! Check out his blog. By the way, that's Mike on the right with nationally renowned watercolor artists, Nick Simmons (left) and Ted Nuttall (center).

3 more from my net

2011-07-08T16:42:00.001-07:00

My first crab water color painting "pinched" me, so I said a few nasty words and tore that sucker up. My first turtle was just OK, but it got the boot, This is my first star fish, and I like it as well as this second crab and second turtle. Hey, that's the fun of water color painting...you screw up and your painting becomes "toast"! Gives you a renewed respect for the challenge of water coloring. No pain, no gain!

More fish in my net

2011-07-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

Some are small and one is way big! All are in watercolor on 140 pound cold press, 11"X13". Wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry. A lot of spontaneous, fast brush movement...the only way to catch fish in my book...gotta be quick or they'll get away!

"Controlling The Flood" at The School of Light and Color

2011-07-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

This July 19, I begin an on-going watercolor class at the nationally renowned School of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, California. I have titled the class "Controlling The Flood". My students will learn how to paint very juicy watercolors with a combination of four watercolor skill sets and the art of "letting go". You can go to the school's blog to read my most recent post and check out the school's offerings by going to their website.

Still Fishing

2011-06-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

Some of my fish are getting BIGGER! Actually that bigger one is a mammal. Got Krill?

Gone Fishing

2011-06-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

Ahoy blog mates!!!! I am going to put on an exhibition and sale at my Studio (Studio L) of sea-related watercolors towards the end of August. I'm just starting to paint and am working on these four watercolors. They are all about 90% complete. Each one is 11 inches by 13 inches on 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper. I'll be painting fish, birds, sea mammals, jelly fish, and waves. Between now and mid August, I will be posting my efforts.

Youthful Female World War Two French Resistance Fighter Found In The French Alps!!

2011-06-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

BREAKING NEWS - a comely and unbelievably youthful World War Two French resistance fighter was found yesterday living in a make-shift hut in an as-yet-explored alpine canyon tucked away in the French Alps! Her name is Joan Las Salle. She told scientists that she ran away and stumbled into the canyon area in a successful attempt to escape the German Gestapo after having set fire to a Luftwaffe air base. Asked to explain her youthful appearance, she opined that it must have resulted from eating the wild alpine mountain goat cheese she made and subsisted on for over sixty seven years! She will shortly be returned to her home city of Paris and introduced to twenty first century civilization. One of the scientist was overheard telling a colleague that the only thing that may be withheld from Joan is an introduction to Facebook as it is a huge waste of time. Acrylic on stretched canvas. 11 inch by 14 inch. This BREAKING NEWS alert sponsored by the National French Goat Cheese Consortium.

My first 6 inch by 8 inch.

2011-06-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

I have never painted a portrait this small, but Karen Jurick and Carol Marine do it all the time.This was painted with a quarter inch wide flat brush. I'll try some more in the future and bump up the color saturation.

Gwen Ifill

2011-06-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

A portrait in acrylic that I completed about 3 weeks ago of a younger, PBS news woman, Gwen Ifill. It was done from a black and white photo file I found on the net. A very cool pose.

All That Glitters

2011-06-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a cropped view (so you can see the detail better) of a second watercolor I just finished of the young lady with hat (previous post). I used a Golden medium that you can apply that has gold glitters in it. Pretty gimmiky but kind cool! Click on this image to enlarge it in order to see more of the reflective effect. A bit too subtle in the glitz department but never- the- less, I think the younger David Bowey would have grooved this comely lady's scarf!

Sharpie pen and wash

2011-06-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

I did this portrait last evening in preparation for a July watercolor workshop. Like the previous post's sketches, this was drawn with a Sharpie ulta fine tip pen on 140 pound cold prees watercolor paper. Only difference is that this time around I painted in a wee bit of color. Yes...I also like color. Not as easy as black and white but always a challenge. No paint, no gain. PS: See that "blossom" on the top right side of this damsel's rakish hat? I have heard many watercolor artists who can't stand "blossoms". I like them 95% of the time. They just happen, and I think that they add a certain amount of panache to the image. Do you agree?

Last week's On-The-Go Ink and Wash Sketches (see my booklet on the right sidebar)

2011-06-06T22:49:00.000-07:00

These were done on my vacation last week in the Monterey/Carmel area. Each one took from 15 to 30 minutes to sketch with a Sharpie ultra fine tip pen, Tombow art pen, and the fantastic Niji Waterbrush. Can you hear the seagulls?

President of PBS Gets a Lobenberg

2011-05-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I went to a special donors luncheon at our local PBS television station, KVIE. The keynote speaker was Paula Kerger, president of PBS. During the luncheon, I was painting a portrait of Big Bird and Mr. Rogers. At the end of the event, I pulled one of the attendee's names out of a crystal vase and they were the winners of this painting. Following that and on stage, the general manager of KVIE, David Lowe, presented Paula with a special thank you gift..a Lobenberg portrait of her..

The Rooster that devoured Cleveland!!!

2011-05-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

He gets very ornery but more frightening than that, he's gargantuan and hungry! Well, actually, he is only a watercolor painting on 140 lb. cold press paper, 16 inches by 22 inches. I worked from a photo reference that I found online. Not your average view of a rooster. His head was painted wet-on-dry and the background and the partial view of his body was painted wet-on-wet. An imposing beast, indeed! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!

A portrait in progress

2011-05-20T23:41:00.001-07:00

At University Art in Sacramento, I teach a two hour acrylic painting class two Thursdays per month. Our current project is to paint a portrait from a reference photograph. This is the progression of my drawing done with an 1/8 inch wide flat brush. I have just started to paint in some values here to bring out volume. When we meet next, my students will learn how to mix flesh colors/ tones, and we will paint those over our initial mono-toned rendering. I'll be posting that stage in about two weeks. On that post, you will see that this young woman is wearing a beret. She reminds me of a World War II French resistance fighter. She is actually one of my drawing students at Sacramento City College which by the way is shrinking down to nothing with the miserable state of California's economy. I'm not sure I will even have a teaching gig there by Spring semester of 2012.

Jim Lehr re-do or is it redux?

2011-05-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

The PBS newscaster Jim Lehr that I painted a portrait of and posted a few posts ago, I really like. Honest to goodness I do. I mean it. Swear on a stack of telephone books (are there still telephone books around?)... however...I thought I'd take a crack at another portrait of him with a different composition, but more importantly, with warmer, more saturated color and with the paint brushed on thicker and more layered. Ipso facto and la de dah, herewith is the result!

A new Huell Howser portrait

2011-05-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Here is my final portrait of PBS star Huell Houser. The face is less worked over and the background , which always challenges me, has an energy (through brushwork) , and colors that not only reflect the upbeat personality of Huell, but harmonize nicely with the colors in his face. Would you agree?

A new Huell Hoswer portrait in the works.

2011-05-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not happy with any of my Huell Howser paintings so I'm working on another one. Stay tuned and meanwhile here is a photo of me with a bantam rooster on my arm.

Huell Howser Iterations

2011-05-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Huell Howser is a well-known PBS television host who has a show titled California's Gold. This is an acrylic portrait of him that I have been working on. The beauty of acrylic painting is that you can make changes very quickly unlike with slow drying oil. Here are my changes. The bottom photo is my last change. Am I done with Huell?...maybe.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!

2011-05-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

You won't see this on CNN! - BREAKING NEWS!!!! This newly discovered, discarded cigarette package ( I found it on the ground just outside my favorite Chinese corner food store ) is more important than you might think at first glance! Yes, behind the Chinese cigarette package is a an acrylic portrait that I am currently working on, but DO NOT BE DISTRACTED! Click on the photo to enlarge it and look at the chinese characters in the top row of lanterns. What they say is nothing short of remarkable!!! They say, "National state secret: American president Barack Obama was NOT BORN IN AFRICA, he WAS BORN IN SHANGHAI." I wanted to be the first to break this news! I will be emailing my good buddy Donald Trump immediately!!! I felt, however, that my dear blog readers should be the first to know. Thank you all and good smoking!

Lawrence of Arabia lookalike??

2011-05-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

He must be a Lawrence of Arabia lookalike...check out that head gear. But did Lawrence do plein air painting? Hold the phone!!!...I think this is me doing my thing a few years ago!

Another step-by-step

2011-04-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

I have been invited to paint a portrait of a well known PBS television star during an important luncheon at Sacramento's local PBS broadcasting station. The keynote speaker at the luncheon will be the president of PBS. I will also have on display four other PBS stars to help promote my portraiture business. This is the very first PBS star that I painted last week. About five hours, on a 20 inch by 20 inch stretched canvas. The first photo shows my "start". I am working from a reference photo. The first thing I did was outline the contours of the face with a 1/8 inch wide flat brush. After that, I painted in the basic value shapes. I kept things very rough at this stage as you can see. All I did was build my contour/value shape foundation in one color. In this case, I chose purple. Color is not that important at this stage as it will be totally covered as I move along on the painting process. The next stage shows the face's local skin color painted in along with the background color. I always keep in my mind the ENTIRE painting as a harmonious entity, especially the colors. In all of these steps, I am painted with various sized (small, medium, and large) flat brushes. I used flat brushes to get a sculpted/chisel look. In the next stage, I have most of the colors painted in. I like to be somewhat expressive in my color choices. As long as I can maintain the value structure of the face and keep colors harmonized, I'm in good shape. The final photo shows the lower lip painted in and brings my effort to a conclusion. Note the bits of tourqoise and local skin tones distributed throughout the painting to maintain that color harmony. Again, I gave a rough hewn quality to this painting. This will be the model for the other to follow. As I complete them in the next week or two, I shall post the results. Do you know who this dude is??

From Start to Finish

2011-04-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

This a sketch I did of one of my drawing students. I was working from a photograph I took of him, but if I were drawing him live, the same steps would apply. Enjoy and please let me know if you have any questions.

Point Of View

2011-04-21T11:21:00.001-07:00

So many points of view and so little time!! If you are going to paint something, thoroughly determine an exciting point of view. It is amazing how many you can find if you are diligent at searching them out.

Lobenberg's"2nd Annual Tour De Cluck" art extravaganza workshop!

2011-04-17T21:13:00.001-07:00

Last year was the very first "Tour De Cluck" in Davis, California. The tour raises money to promote healthy food in the local school cafeterias. They sell tickets to tour residential, backyard chicken coups. One can drive, walk or bicycle. Davis is known nationwide as a HUGH bicycle town, and thus most people took the tour on bikes. In conjunction with the tour last year, I offered the 1st Annual Tour De Cluck art workshop. It was a huge success. My artists did fantastic chicken art in a variety of mediums, and donated some of their pieces for the silent auction tent set up at a local park on the day of the tour. Their art sold so well, that we were invited back this year! The workshop will be on May 7 and the event on May 14. The Chinese style rooster is a watercolor that I did last year to help promote the workshop. This year I decided to do the same rooster in acrylic on canvas. Which painting should I use for this year's promotion dear reader?

Spring Has Sprung!

2011-04-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

A loosey, goosey, inky, washy from Ye Old Lobenberg Archive. I haven't a clue as to what that Chinese chop says. Maybe it says "Spring has Sprung".

THE NAMES!

2011-04-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Herewith are the names of the four great 20th century jazz artists that I watercolor awhile back and showed in my previous post. They are: Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday (aka: Lady Day), Louie Armstrong (aka: Pops), and John Coltane. Here also is a younger Ella in action that I watercolored a few years ago.

Jazz Giants from Ye Old Lobenberg Watercolor Archive

2011-04-05T22:23:00.000-07:00

Can you name all four?

Auch, du lieber!...yet a ANOTHER DAMN BRIDGE from the Lobenberg archive!

2011-04-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

Not only is this yet another damn bridge but it shows you how the pros paint! I don't need no stinkin easel!

Another Archived Lobenberg Bridge Watercolor

2011-04-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

Since I posted the previous bridge, I remembered this one from Ye Old Lobenberg Archive. This one is painted even looser, and I really like the style. What do you think? The structure is the Tower Bridge and leads into downtown Sacramento and crosses the Sacramento River. It was built in the early 1930's when the nation's economy was in the dumpster...kinda like it is with our economy now!

Rainbow Bridge

2011-04-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

Another watercolor from Ye Old Lobenberg Archive. I did this shortly after 9/1/01 hence old glory hanging from the bridge. Hope you like it. Painted on a full sheet of 140 lb. Arches cold press.

Koi Acrylic Class

2011-03-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

Two Thursdays a month, I conduct an acrylic painting class at University Art in Sacramento from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. We usually spend from one to two Thursday classes painting subjects ranging from portraiture to still life to landscape. I always provide a reference photo and demonstrate how to start the painting with very, very rough shapes, values, and colors that can be slowly and patiently morphed into a more refined state. I generally like to paint visual impressions without overly refining and getting too photographic. My last class assignment was to paint this Koi from this photo ref. The acrylic with the two koi is from the Ye Old Lobenberg Archive.

My Good Buddy, Pauly

2011-03-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

This is a 5 minute Sharpie pen and Tombow/Waterbrush sketch I did today in the pen andiInk class I teach at Sacramento City College. Pauly and his golden retriever, Gus, attend my Monday and Wednesday drawing and pen@ink classes. Pauly is my teaching assistant and Gus is the classroom mascot. If you are interested in learning about this type of sketching, click on the book cover at the top of my sie bar. That's Pauly drawing during one of my summer vineyard workshops last summer. Good old Gus is taking a break.

Watercolor portraits from ye old Lobenberg archive

2011-03-26T22:48:00.000-07:00

Know anyone out there that would like a Lobenberg watercolor portrait? I'm getting better at it. Honest.

What's under that swan?

2011-03-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

Answer - Dos Koi. Carandache (spelling??) water soluble crayon on deep turquoise drawing paper. From the Lobenberg art archive of yore.

I can paint swans too!

2011-03-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

I do NOT want to be type cast as a killer chicken artist! I also paint other birds. Here is a watercolor from the archive.

2nd Annual Tour De Cluck is coming!!!

2011-03-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

My "2nd Annual Tour De Cluck Art Workshop" is coming May 7th. At the workshop, I inspire and aid artists to create killer chicken art in any medium. Participating artist who want to donate a piece to the tour's silent auction pavillion will help support the serving of wholesome, locally grown food in school cafeterias. This is all part of the city of Davis (just west of my home town of Sacramento) "Tour De Cluck", a one day event. Buy a tour ticket, get a map of the city's residential hen houses, and have a clucking good time! More to come as we get closer to the tour date.

My band of brothers and sisters in art

2011-03-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the group photo and workshop photo of my artists in Reno, Nevada. Last week I conducted an On-The-Go Ink and Wash Sketching workshop for the Sierra Watercolor Association there. They all learned my technique and did some great sketching in the process. If you are interested in this process, dear reader, click on the book image on the top right hand side of this blog. I first introduced On-The-Go ink and Wash Sketching to the art world in 2006 through an article in The Artist's Magazine. What a fantastic way to easily go out in your neighborhood or around the world and do some fantastic looking sketches! I have included a color and black and white sketch here. Personally, I like black and white sketching the best. You can put all the art tools you need into your pocket, purse, or a small bag. Bon Voyage, and don't forget your On-The-Go Sketching kit!

Howdaya like these wheels?

2011-03-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

This was an on-the-go Sharpie Pen/Tombow Pen/ Niji Waterbrush sketch demonstration I did for the Nevada "Sierra Watercolor Society" in Reno. I conducted a two day workshop there last week teaching the participants how to use these three wonderful art tools. The third day was my demo day for the SWS monthly meeting. They all were a wonderful and very welcoming group, and it was an honor for me to have been invited to do the workshop/demo. Nevada has a desert climate and an absolutely beautifully stark looking landscape. I'd like to go back someday to sketch and paint it! I'll post some photos of the workshop soon. Oh, by the way, if you are ever in Reno, check out the Nevada Art Museum...spectacular!

Sharpie pen and Tombow wash sketches

2011-03-05T22:58:00.000-08:00

A few posts ago, I announced my "On-The-Go Ink and Wash Sketch" how- to booklet that I now have for sale on Blurb.com. I thought that my fellow bloggers might like to see a few more of my sketches utilizing just an office pencil, cheapo Sharpie ultra fine tip pen, a double ended Tombow art pen, and a Niji Waterbrush. I carry these humble art tools in a plastic baggie and along with an inexpensive watercolor sketch pad, I go out into the world and do my thing. The world is indeed my oyster!

My final portrait study

2011-03-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

A few posts ago, I showed a three step painting sequence of a young North African man. Here is the same sequence but with the final completed painting added.

The School of Light and Color

2011-02-28T19:44:00.001-08:00

I am proud to announce that I am now an in- resident, workshop instructor at The School of Light and Color in Fair Oaks, California. This is a vey well known art school owned by Susan Sarback, an internationally renowned oil painting artist and author of the very popular book, "Capturing Radiant Light and Color". My first weekend workshop there, earlier this month, was "Learn The Six Skill Sets of Drawing". I had some students as far away as Hawaii attend. My next workshop will be in April, and I will be teaching my On-The-Go Ink and Wash Sketching technique. Hope to see you there!

A portrait in progress

2011-02-26T21:59:00.000-08:00

I teach an acrylic painting class at a local University Art store two Thursdays a month. It is a two hour class, and we paint everything from still lifes, landscapes, and portraits. This handsome young North African man is a portrait we are currently painting. I started out by painting in the man's basic skin color (the local color of his face) and then quickly sketching in some purple shadow values to start to bring out the features of his face. Next came some high light values with a few of them in some colors that I was observing from the reference photo. Exact colors are not too important at this stage. It is more about establishing features with value shapes and just starting to get a feel for color hues in the face. The final (but not completed) stage here shows more facial hues and continued value exploration. The portrait is getting a little less crude and more polished as I continue to explore colors, values and the planes of the face. Lesson here?... paint the rough facial hues and value shapes in order to begin the process of organizing the face. This process can take hours to days depending on how long you want to paint at each session. I tend to crawl at a snail's pace so that each time I sit down to paint again, I approach my subject with a clear head and fresh eyes. At each session, I "polish" just a bit more. This process for me cannot be rushed. At each stage, as the face "emerges", my eyes are more sensitized to the facial hues, values, planes, and edges on the face. When I start a portrait, there is a lot I flat out do not see, but as I polish, I begin to see more and more! NEVER think that you can go for all the facial nuances from the get go. It just does'nt work that way. Stay tuned for the final stages.

Direct To You from Sunny California

2011-02-20T10:19:00.001-08:00

This is a 5"X7" itsy bitsy watercolor painting I did last December. I used the last of my Manganese Blue for the sky. REAL Manganese blue, not the contemporary fake stuff. I'm so sad, but take heart, David!...they still make Opera.

Thank you, Karla!

2011-02-19T12:01:00.001-08:00

Thanks to fellow blogger, Karla, I was able to add a link to my new "On-The-Go Ink and Wash Sketching" booklet in the gadget section on my blog's right hand sidebar. Now visitors can click on the booklet's cover and link to my Blurb.com page to review and purchase it. Just type in the title or my last name in the site's search box. Here is an example of an on-the-go ink and wash sketch. I will be teaching this technique in a workshop sponsored by the Sierra Watercolor Society in Reno this March 10 and 11.

HELP

2011-02-18T22:47:00.001-08:00

This is my new 22 page On-The-Go Ink and Wash booklet that can be ordered through Blurb.com, but how do I get a photo and link onto my side bar like on Carol Marine's blog? Help, I need somebody, help!

A rose is a rose is a rose and by any other name is a rose.

2011-02-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

This is a painting I did for my wife for Valentine's day. Why buy a rose when you can paint a rose.