2013 Art Calendar Challenge - September

Since I had so much fun making cucumbers for last month's calendar, I decided this month to try my hand at painting tomatoes.  Our garden is just exploding with delicious red and yellow tomatoes; we're eating them every day (sometimes for lunch and dinner both!).  This time I used tube watercolors and paint brushes, rather than watercolor pencils and a water pen.  I find working with the brushes more challenging and I need the practice, as I've signed up for a watercolor class that starts next week.

This calendar began with a vibrant background of turquoise and chartreuse spray inks that I chose to compliment the tomatoes.  I used some store-bought as well as homemade stencils (leftover die-cut items from another project), and toned down some of the color by stenciling white acrylic paint through punchinella.  The chickenwire stamp adds additional, garden-related interest (we've had to use it to keep the rabbits away from certain flowers and hostas).

Happy Labor Day to my American followers!  I hope you're enjoying the long weekend.

Supplies:
Strathmore 9x12 Visual Journal with 140 lb watercolor paper; white gesso; assorted vintage papers and sheet music; Heidi Swapp stencils; Heidi Swapp chartreuse spray ink; Dylusions vibrant turquoise spray ink; punchinella (sequin waste); titanium white acrylic paint; Ranger black archival ink; chickenwire stamp from Oxford Impressions; large alphabet stamps by Wordsworth; small alphabet stamps by Studio G (Michaels); date stamper by Smash; salty coean, barn door, and rusty hinge Distress Inks; Schmincke Horadam Aquarelle watercolors; assorted watercolor brushes; Pitt sepia artist pen; Derwent ocean deep charcoal pencil; patterned papers from Stampington and Company; Golden regular gel medium (matte).