Artistically Armed for Adventure...

With smart phone, watercolor journal, paints, pencil, eraser, water container, paper towel,waterproof pens, InkTense pencils, and a brush I am ready to begin my artistic adventure in Granada Spain! Here is the result of the breathtaking view from San Nicholas viewpoint in the Albayzin before we went on a tour of the Alhambra.

In addition to my usual traveling supplies, there is an added blessing I used a lot: a mini iPad! I found that sometimes I would draw/paint on location, and other times take a photo and work on the artwork later. The iPad is a wonderful tool for that. When we went up to view the Alhambra, there were a lot of people, so I decided to come back to the garden and paint using the photo I took which was added to my iPad. It worked great! And I even enjoyed a glass of iced tea!

I used about three photos for the reference for this little painting in my journal. Here are a couple:

detail of Alhambra painting with the Arabic style of letters I had practiced beforehand for the "Alhambra"

This is the first time I have gone on this kind of big trip, across the world with a friend. Here is Ellen and I the first day we arrived in Spain. 

We met her daughter Emma at the Cottage we rented in the Historic Albayzin neighborhood from Isabela and Don. The city is ancient, the hills layered with civilization.