u/Seated_WallFly

We’ve only had our ‘22 OBW for about a month and it came with a lot of fancy off-road mods that we don’t fully understand. To be clear: we’re a 65-yo semi-retired couple that just wanted a safe car that would dependably get us around the country to visit family. Besides sleeping in the back (surprisingly comfortable!) we never planned anything fancy or dangerous with “Wanda.”

But we went to St. Augustine for our 43rd anniversary and decided we’d go to the beach. It was easily 40 yards away from the parking lot and driving on the beach was prohibited except for “4-wheel drive vehicles with ground clearance.”

We looked at each other and said, “Isn’t that Wanda? Can she do this?” Hell yeah! We thought. We had no idea…

We entered the beach and struggled: it was far worse than the deepest Pennsylvania snowstorm! We could barely control the car! I was frantically searching the Internet while my husband fought the steering wheel. The best I could find was “Stay in the tracks of previous cars.” So we did. Finally pulled off to the side and parked, praying we’d eventually be able to get out.

While we sat in our beach chairs after a dip in the water, we scanned the Web again. We found out how to “turn on X mode” and disable something called the “VDC” (apparently required).

Then we got in the car and slowly made our way off the sand. It was fighting the entire way and I was horrified.

Next time (and there will be a next time - (the husband loved the challenge!) - I gather we should reduce the tire pressure (Falken Wildpeak A/Ts) first before we enter the sand. And we’ll turn on Xmode again (and disable the VDC).

But what else do we need to do? The car’s wheels are already really high up for lots of ground clearance (came like that). But for soft grainy sand like the beach - we do NOT want to get stuck. TIA.

I posted about this painting project before and I’m still at it. I think my sky improved. The sun is still weird but it’s marginally better. I think.

The mountains are massively improved by finding Indigo and going wet on wet for the first two ranges. And my foreground is improved even if my pathetic paper didn’t hold up when I scratched it to get whiter blades of dried grass.

Please tell me how to do better. I’m trying to blend sharp edges (to varying degrees of success), as suggested. Don’t know where to go from here.

I recently posted a painting that had many layers of mountains that just did not work. This community helpfully suggested that I do a “values study” to see the different values that were possible and to learn ways to layer the values in order to create depth and distance in the mountain range.

And so I did. As a matter of fact, I did two. One value study for Indigo and another for Payne’s Gray (Blue).

And yes: I learned a helluva lot about values. I also learned that shitty paper is…well, shitty (see the failed “smooth” Indigo WoW gradient and lifted paint in the PG layers). I also learned that creating multiple different value layers requires a lot of patience and/or the blow dryer (I sorta knew that already but this exercise took it to another dimension). And while you dry one layer, the color mix for the next layer will dry in the mixing well. The water needed to reinvigorate that mix will change the value. So you basically have to start over and find it again.

But most important, I learned which values I want for my mountains. And how to create them. Two hours well-spent.

I threw every technique I thought I knew at this one and it’s not good. It’s not my worst painting but it’s just not good. The painting represents a rough draft. A study, I guess. I want to eventually paint the picture in a larger format once I figure out how to do it.

But I’m stuck. I don’t know where to start with the revision so I’m asking: how do I make it better?

I tried to paint a Highland Cow. I’ve never used masking fluid before. Tried a new “feathering” brush. And a new stippler brush. Both look like epic fails. 😔

It’s a first attempt. I will try again after I get some sleep. Please help me make it better. Painting a wooly animal is so hard.

This watercolor painting by JS Sargent (“Bedouins” 1905-06) was posted today in r/museum. And I’m transfixed by this blue. Is this lápiz lazuli?

Well I finally completed my first painting, gloopy mess and all. It’s based somewhat loosely on the Hannah MP tutorial. I deviated from her painting in many ways but it’s still not entirely to my liking. Where I don’t like it is in her painting. I should’ve had the confidence to veer way out and do my own thing. I’ll get there I guess.

First impressions of guache, having come from watercolors: it’s gloopy. It’s messy. And I admit it could just be the HIMI nightmare that was foretold. But in any case I don’t like it. Watercolors are easier to clean up and they don’t gum up the paint brush.

I truly like the way the opacity enables layering and textures. For this reason alone I won’t abandon the medium. I aim to paint brilliant sunsets. I think gouache will enable that mission.

So the first painting - my guache baptism, if you will - has been performed. Onwards and upwards; “further up and further in!”

I know, I know: HIMI gouache isn’t good. I learned that literally just yesterday. But I’ve had this HIMI set for about a year and guess what? *I paid good money for it so I’m going to use it, by golly!* And I’m just now learning gouache (haven’t made a painting yet) so it’s as good as I deserve at this point. I also have a nice set of Winsor Newton the use of which I hope to earn.

So today I opened the HIMI set for the first time, fully expecting it to be overrun with mold spores, drippy and horrible. Imagine my surprise that it was more like pudding and no mold to be seen. I was pleased.

I then swatched them and found that a couple of the colors aren’t really opaque (no surprise there). But something odd happened to the Deep Red swatch and I don’t know what it is. Please zoom in on the circled swatch, upper left.

It looks like it’s *crackling.* I’ve never seen this in my experiences with watercolors. Does anyone know what’s happening? And if it can be remedied or avoided when/if I paint with this color? TIA

I have 1 or 3 little lemons growing and I’m ecstatic about it. First time in 3 years. I realize my little potted tree has a whole host of problems evidenced by a couple of bug-eaten, naked branches, etc. I don’t want to treat it too intensely rn because there are also some little flowers and I’m hoping they’ll get pollinated.

But to the point: the lemons I harvested 3 years ago were very small and tasted…unremarkable. At best.

How can I get bigger, sweeter Meyer lemons? Is there something I can feed it now, while the lemons are still tiny?

And most importantly (picture #2): this tree has been in the pot for *five years* and I wanted to repot it this past winter. *I couldn’t get it out of the pot!* I believe the roots have grown through the bottom and into the soil.

What can I do now? Leave it alone and just let it flourish surrounded by the rotting whiskey barrel pot?

TIA for any help you can offer.

A combination of high Florida temperatures and white flies have decimated my greens in the raised bed. I’m going to pull them all out but I wanted to know:

Can I chop em all up and just add them my compost roller?

I usually just add to the rolling bin all summer and dump it all out to cook in a pile come autumn. But I don’t want to incubate white fly eggs/larva. TIA.

Am I the only one who’s obsessed with saving their tape?

I’ve only been painting for a year with no prior art experiences except stick figures and finger paints. I’ve watched hundreds of YouTube tutorials. I paint every day and I’ve improved. I share my best work with family and they are impressed.

They’re so impressed that I was given this photo of my granddaughter with the request, “Please paint this.” I was horrified at the obvious level of difficulty. But I was also intrigued. *Challenge: accepted!*

What a fool I am. I’ve been trying for 3 days, 8 attempts. Failures all.

So I turn to my community. Please: can you help me?

How do I layer these colors and washes so they don’t look like peach-pink bruises on a blue arm? I’ve done the usual wet-on-wet but the peachy strips always bleed into the cerulean-lavender sky.

Any advice on technique will be most welcome.