Sketchbooks | Harmony Thoughts

Bare Tree

by Elisa Choi Ang on November 1, 2012 with 26 Comments

My triumph and defeat lies in the way I think about myself and my circumstances. I compare myself to a tree that has been stripped from its leaves due to the changing seasons and yet it still stands tall and beautiful. We have all experienced hardships and trials in life. And always we emerged out of it stronger than ever. Often we feel like giving up. We complain. We blame. We cry. But just like the bare trees we still … Read More

Least Favorite Paint Colors

by Elisa Choi Ang on October 26, 2012 with 7 Comments

My least favorite colors would be the dull colors. In my palette I rarely use Prussian Blue, Burnt Umber, Black and Earth Green. Though Prussian Blue isn’t dull I am not sure why I seldom use it. I adore Phthalo and Cobalt Blue better. I also splatter a bit of Yellow Ochre for a bit of drama. I love the result. I love how we can just use any colors and paint something wonderful. No matter how these colors are … Read More

Taking Leap of Faith

by Elisa Choi Ang on October 25, 2012 with 28 Comments

Taking a leap of faith is like taking that first (scary!) step towards the beautiful dark tunnel of the unknown and then emerging with a sense of hope, strength and freedom. Pure joy. I always listen to my heart where God speaks in me before I take any chances. Is what I want to do align with what God wants me to do? Is what I am about to do bring Him glory? I listen in stillness and in solitude. … Read More

Warm Leaves

by Elisa Choi Ang on October 11, 2012 with 14 Comments

Warm Leaves for Lynn Cohen (prize of my past giveaway). Finally!!!! And I guess what took me so long to pick up the brush and paint this piece is because of fear…or perhaps thinking of the best thing to paint. Or busyness. And I learn better. So I just pick up my brush and paint paint paint. And I’m thankful. I hope this painting surprises her. This is inspired by Fall. Warm Leaves. Watercolor and Acrylics in Berkeley watercolor paper … Read More

On Painting Freely

by Elisa Choi Ang on September 13, 2012 with 23 Comments

All along I thought I am painting in a free, relax manner. Until I got hold of 3 watercolor books. A gift from my bf. Wonderful books pack with tips and learning. The artists paint freely in their own style. I’m eager to learn new techniques. I started the Atmospheric Watercolours by Jean Haines. Her paintings are loose, wild, vibrant and screaming with freedom. I think back on how I paint– It’s in a manner that I can feel the brush on paper, … Read More

Painting Day 28: What is Love

by Elisa Choi Ang on June 1, 2012 with 36 Comments

I painted a mini booklet filled with the beautiful meaning of love from the Bible as a simple gift for a friend who has just gotten married. I enjoyed painting on it. I have given the booklet to her. I hope she likes it. Enjoy! “Love is Kind” “Love rejoices in truth”; “Love bears all things” “Love believes all things”; “Love hopes all things” “Love endures all things”; “Love never fails” God is Love Have a beautiful weekend filled with … Read More

Painting Day 21: Paint the Wheel with Colors

by Elisa Choi Ang on May 23, 2012 with No Comments

I am still studying Colors. Today I started building up the color wheel as instructed by Dr. Betty Edwards. Primary Colors (Yellow, Red, Blue) Secondary colors (Orange, Violet, Green)– they cannot be achieved by mixing 2 primaries since it creates muddy versions. Thereby manufacturers created separate pigments for them. Tertiary Colors (Yellow orange, red orange, red violet, blue violet, blue green, yellow green). They are created by mixing 1 primary with 1 secondary except for red violet where Alizarin Crimson … Read More

Painting Day 20: Colors Tell Stories

by Elisa Choi Ang on May 22, 2012 with No Comments

As I continue my study of Colors I learned that colors alone tell stories and breathe interpretation of moods, feelings and senses. For the first exercise I paint the colors that I like and the colors that I dislike. If you have seen my paintings in the past the dominant colors that I usually use are the bright ones. Personally my favorite colors are green, yellow and blue I love browns but I rarely use them especially when I am painting … Read More