Author: Inesepaints

Artist, art instructor: fine art, watercolor, acrylic, drawing; medical writer and researcher, specializing in life sciences, brain function, memory and psychology
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Enjoy art projects in pink

Pen and watercolor illustration

Illusions and visions

There is no “undo” command in our life. This makes everything we pursue, experience or achieve absolutely irreversible. Everything is a small moment, frozen in time. As I’m typing these words or you’re reading them, the past washes this moment away and puts it in the big folder of our lifetime’s history. The cold sun rays of the disappearing day are pouring over the nearby rooftops and the highest tree branches. This creates an illusion of warmth in the air. Yet, it is an illusion. As the quiet stream of twilight starts flowing across the sky, we will find ourselves in even colder conditions, minus thirty or so. That’s why we create art projects in sunny colors.

How ro start drawing and painting

Uplifting colors for grey mood

How does this relate to pink projects? Very simple: when the environment is unfriendly, we should try doing something pleasant. For me, that is drawing and painting something which takes me far away from this cold winter day and places in surroundings where I’d love to be. This is an easy mental transformation into a feeling-better state. We actually did similar project in the classroom. The first project was all about yellow and orange, and the next one was painting flowers in pink. These projects can be done by absolutely everybody whether they have any experience or not. They are as basic as one, two, three.

Step 1

Choose the reference image and draw the main lines with pencil or do a drawing from memory.

Drawing for pen and watercolor blossoms

Step 2

Draw over the most suitable lines with a black pen. Black ink can be used, as well, if somebody has it.

Drawing for pen and watercolor blossoms

Step 3

Follow the reference image or your imagination and apply colors which seem to be most fitting the drawing. We apply color on one leaf or on one petal at a time. We start with light washes and go over some areas with more intense color. Wash out connection lines with pure water.

Apple blossoms, spring watercolor

The result

Drawings which do not look perfect at all become extremely beautiful with this approach. We were applying washes and glazes of yellow, red, crimson red and dark red with blue. Any color was applied using various intensity. These projects took us about 3 hours in total. The rose was painted in a similar way. Since it is pure watercolor, I used only watercolor paint without black pen.

Watercolor painting, apple blossoms

Start seeing

Just one more thing:  everybody can draw and paint and, therefore, create for themselves a beautiful rescue place where to avoid troubles and hardships. However, we have to learn seeing things in an artistic way first. This feels almost like developing a much better perception of the surrounding world. We are used to see everything just walking by and running over. Now, it is time to start noticing lines, shapes, shadows, colors, contrast and features that make this particular subject attractive. That is the moment when we can put it on paper or canvas.

Pen and watercolor illustration

Drawing and painting with watercolor is fun. Such illustrations and paintings are beautiful and look fantastic in your art portfolio, on your wall and when published.

Get inspired; Ideas

Learn how to paint: Art classes

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Art projects for any age: unblocking path to our hidden resources

Art classes and art projects for everybody

When somebody says they attend art classes, other people usually understand that it means practicing and learning to become an artist. That’s pretty much incorrect because as the current research reveals, there is no other activity more beneficial to prevention of brain aging, avoiding loss of memory and related disorders than drawing, painting and sketching. Art projects in art classes are usually suitable for beginners, for hobbyists and for anybody with interest in creation.

Brain exercises

The unique features of creation boost ability of the brain to create new neurons, as well as the existing have longer life span. Do you believe that brain aging is not inevitable? That is not true. Our brain is just as any other part of our body, yet, it contains all the vitally important tools for regulating and managing the other systems. Therefore, it’s crucial we keep exercising our brain every day, every hour and every minute. Anything which is not in use deteriorates and loses flexibility, it degenerates.

How drawing helps the brain flexibility

Drawing connects the brain function with our fine motor functions, and does even more than language. It allows expressing feelings, emotions, states of our mind, mood, our character, hidden thoughts and memories. As we draw, our hand transfers the ideas onto paper. It is a reflection of the most intense mental work, conversion of one type of energy into another. That is why drawing is used in determination of our brain health. It signalizes earlier than any other tests whether everything is still fine, or maybe it’s time to get advice.

strawberry sketch
Still life sketch

Mental fitness

We need to move and exercise all our body parts, but mental exercise increases the rate at which our new brain cells survive and make functional connections to the existing networks of neurons. The more active a particular brain cell is, the more connections it develops with its neighboring neurons. That is where art classes come in. As we learn, we intensively think about each line we are putting down on paper or brushstrokes. This boosts our memory cells, thus, preventing them from cell death. Activities that require using all our senses, breaking our routines and engaging in new experiences are extremely good for brain health.

Age is not of essence

Age does not matter because it is equally important to have good memory in young and even more so in old age. Creative exercises like our Fun and Pleasure acrylic painting afternoons or sketching and watercolor exercises should not be undervalued. It seems like a play or some brushing around with different colors, but, in fact, it is a very strong brain ability booster. Images show my still life sketches, but students did very well, too. I’d like to simply publish only my sketches in this post.

Beautiful still life sketch

My journey

I can share my own experience. I was reading a book a day and painting or drawing every single day for about 1 hour between ages 8 and 16. I was reading systematically through everything library had to offer. That involved history, geography, art, music, science of the corresponding century starting with ancient Egypt. We didn’t have internet back in the 70-s. When I moved on and started to study at the University I was only 17 because I could and I had developed extraordinary visual memory   thanks to reading, drawing and painting,

Best memory booster

I hardly had to study because I was able to remember up to 60 pages of text which I read through within some half an hour using the diagonal approach. I still can remember every single tough term in texts which I was translating 5 years ago. I never have to make any lists and write notes to myself. In my case, drawing and painting showed an enormously positive effect on memory, cognitive function and reasoning so far.

Art is important part of learning

For young children, artistic activities are as important as physical exercising, especially because they are under-using their own cognitive ability due to the overuse of mobile devices. We are always welcoming new participants in our art classes!

Pen line and watercolor wash

Plain and simple: creativity unblocks the pathways in our brain and gives us a chance to use our hidden resources, and there are so many. Therefore, I expect everybody getting involved in new art projects: simple, colorful, uplifting and very rewarding. Thanks for reading!

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Adding color to winter days

Watercolor mixing, floral watercolor

The warming color

Adding color to cool winter days feels right. Or a bit better than simply doing nothing. I was hoping to get done much more, but darkness is very restricting. Even though, I’m drawing and painting at electric light, that has impact also because color changes. Sensitive colors and shades change to a great extent in different light, and the only correct painting light for me is the daylight. I’m obviously experiencing shortage of it and using warm and bright colors to offset the shortage of natural  light.

Floral watercolor paintings by Inese Poga

Colorful illusion of spring

As long as I remember myself, I never liked winter. I feel that I deserve way better than this freezing air and this wet snow or icy wind gusts from around the corner. I am not trying to get up when I should, and staying up much longer at night, that’s not helping. My productivity is down in winter and I find all kinds of excuses to justify the wasted time. It might be so that I’m completely dependent on seasonal cycles of the nature. I’m definitely a summer person, and darkness and cold are completely arguing with every living cell in my body. Well, I know, winter will pass, too, and painting in bright colors takes me to spring.

Watercolor painting, multicolor tulips
Spring tulips, 14.5 x 10.5 in or 36.5 x 26 cm

Art as a rescue medicine

My only rescue medicine is art. It’s impossible to imagine how I would survive these dark months without colors, paints, sketches, drawings, ideas and paintings! Thankfully, these things occupy my brain and mind completely taking into a meditative state of no reaction to surroundings, problems or issues. I believe art is the best way to fight these upsetting and lazy moods. The only times when I experience real flush of energy are before art classes, workshops and events. The opportunity to make canvas blossom gives me wings and I’m bursting with fresh ideas and suggestions. I’m very generous when it comes to sharing ideas and new knowledge.

How to start drawing and painting

Add color to your day

“Add color to your day” project is coming along, but not without a resistance. I will eventually figure out how to implement three 1.5 hour sessions during the week in order to use only watercolor paints, allowing them to flow, taking away bad emotions, and therefore these sessions will be providing people, who have similar winter moods, with positive energy and opportunity to overcome the situations they’ve stuck in. That might be health or relationships, or our own nature, it doesn’t matter what exactly. Color and art can cure everything, even people, who are unable to physically perform something difficult. New images for these sessions are on the way.

Yellow daffodils, watercolor painting by artist Inese Poga

A little bit of warmth

To share with everybody a little bit of warmth, I’m attaching a few watercolors. These are layered watercolors without using masking fluid. For some images, we created pen outline drawing at first.

Winter watercolors

January watercolor in warm colors: we just kept adding different layers and glazing, and adding more and more of them. I know we should have used something like masking fluid, but there was no time to wait until everything is dry.

Watercolor painting, divine inspiration

Pen and watercolor sketch of poppies: it’s cold outside, but painting in warm colors brightens up any place, any mood and any day.

 Original watercolor paintings for sale

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The art of giving gifts 2: traditions, colors and symbols

Art of giving gifts

Giving generously

This is the time of giving, forgiving and showing our love and gratitude to people, who are in our lives, to people who we know and to everybody who we don’t even know, but believe they need some Christmas mood lift.

The Latvian proverb goes like this: Dear God! Help us be so well that we could give others generously and not beg them kindly. Giving generously involves giving gracefully, with pleasure and beautifully.

Have golden heart

The ancient Latvian proverbs, folk songs and fairy tales were given verbally from one generation to the next one for many thousands of years, and they carry the Latvian moral and ethical code. They always emphasize that it is not a big deal to have much of golden money because much bigger deal is to have a golden heart. Well, we know how it is in reality: we need both, and yet, we need the latter one way more.

Traditions

Many centuries have passed by and life is not the same, obviously. The Latvian Christmas was initially mixed with the celebration of winter solstice, and we have so many superstitions and traditions regarding this time of the year! Thousands! Did you know that it is not a coincidence the Christmas or Advent wreath is round? This shape symbolizes the year and the human lifetime: the end meets the beginning, so our children pick it up where we left things.

Advent and Christmas wreath

The circular shape of the wreath also represents God, with no beginning and no end. Circle means completeness and abundance; and it is also related to the eternity. The evergreens in a Christmas wreath are used to share the message of the eternal life. The tips of a spruce tree branch remind a shape of a cross, which means this wreath is going to protect us from everything evil.

The Western world got its first wreath around 16th century, in Germany. Latvians were using wreath and circle shaped ornaments and decorations ever since they existed. The solstice is the time to call the sun back, and it needs to know the place where to return. Latvian wreaths and ornaments initially symbolized the eternity, the divine and the Sun. Whatever its meaning and whatever it means to us, the Christmas wreath is a beautiful thing. So are all the decorated gifts. Adding greens from the backyard adds so much freshness. We love the green color because it symbolizes the life and everything what is alive.

Be generous

It is important to be generous, not only at Christmas time, but always. We think giving a gift is a small gesture of kindness, but in fact, it’s much more. It is how we interact with the rest of the world. The more we give, the more we receive back. Small or large gifts, they all have to be wrapped up nicely because that shows we care about the person who is receiving our gift.

How to wrap up your gift

I kept my gifts in the traditional colors: heart red, evergreen green and added a bit of gold, silver and green-blue.

Art of giving gifts

An idea wrapping up round objects: make it look like a vase with blooms of ornaments and pine cones.

Roll up a tube of a firm paper. It has to extend the length of the gift item. Tape one edge of paper to the back of the gift object. Wrap around the wrapping paper. Tape one edge on the back. Fold in the bottom nicely and secure with tape. Fold in the upper edges. If needed, secure with tape from the inside. Wrap ribbon or gift string around the object. Add a bow or leave loose ends. Fill the upper part with tissue paper or some other light paper in any suitable color. Add some branches, pine cones and some small ornaments at the top.

It looks like winter vase with Christmas flowers! This takes practically 5 minutes when we have some materials and greens.

How to wrap up flat or large gifts

Flat and square objects are easy to wrap.

Ideas for gift wrapping

Sets of gifts look nice and they also speak to recipient with enhanced beauty.

Art of giving gifts

Traditional and very attractive colors warm up our hearts.

We start with the base and place the gift facedown. Tape with transparent tape or tape in a matching color. Use some ribbon or colorful strings; once again we start with placing the face side of the gift downwards. Add some bow or roll up the ends with the blade of scissors. They become curly and look very artistic. I like splitting up large surfaces, just as with painting, so I’d use everything what’s around. Gifts are wrapped for a short time, so we don’t need to worry about the durability of our construction. Its main purpose is to say “Merry Christmas, I love you!”

Art of giving gifts

Santa was helping me, as well. I also listened to beautiful music, and gift wrapping is a huge pleasure for me, in fact, always has been!

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The art of giving gifts

Gift certificate for art classes

Giving gifts: Gift certificate

Giving gifts can be tricky, especially personalized gifts. Gift certificate is a great last-minute gift and comes to rescue when it is hard to guess what exactly some person would like. In case of gift certificate for art classes or workshops, it is a long-lasting and memorable gift. Thanks to these gift certificates, many people have found their passion, hobby and had generally become much happier in their lives since these activities take away a lot of stress, give somebody his or her own time, not to mention the beautiful things we are creating.

Dress it up

Sometimes people hesitate to give gift certificates because they think it’s going to look so small. I have attached  a few pictures showing how to present a gift certificate for art classes in a great way. Watercolor beginner’s set includes block of watercolor paper, 2-3 watercolor brushes, set of student grade paints and the gift certificate.

Giving gifts; Gift certificate for art classes

It is very handy when the person who got this gift, has everything for the first class and can always use it at home, too.

Make it a set

Most receivers of this gift, especially teens love getting started right away. It’s nice they can try out their brushes, paints or papers before the first class, so this gift certificate can be packed together with a basic set of watercolor paints, small size watercolor paper block and 1 or 2 brushes. It is not expensive, but a very impressive gift which usually makes people who love creativity very happy.

Giving gifts: Gift certificate for art classes

Including art supply set with the gift certificate

For complete happiness

For those who have got a gift certificate for acrylic painting classes, it’s great to put in the box small canvas, 5 paint tubes in basic colors (black, white, red, blue and yellow) and 1 or 2 brushes. Anybody can add whatever they wish, but these 5 colors are enough to start out. People are really excited receiving such gifts. How do I know? They send me the first email and all of them are saying: I cannot wait to get started, I’m feeling so happy.

Only a gift certificate

If you would like to give only a gift certificate, I’m offering the framed version. Looks so beautiful, and it can still be wrapped up together with something else.

Giving gifts; Gift certificate for art classes

Gift certificate goes great with a pack of healthy herbal tea or coffee.

Giving gifts; Gift certificate for art classes

It looks amazing with a good book.

Great presentation is half of success

Whatever way you give your gift, do it generously and from the bottom of your heart. When giving a teen, adult or senior such gift certificate, we are actually giving them a whole new world: to explore, to fall in love with art and creativity and to enjoy as long as they live. It’s definitely not a small gift.