Following the Star

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Following the Star 


SIZE: 24 in. x 18 in. - 61 x 46 cm 
PAPER: BAOHONG COLD PRESSED 300 g/m²
COLORS:  DANIEL SMITH extra fine watercolors   


2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER


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My version of Tom Shepherd's wonderful tutorial "Three Kings" at his online art school. 



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Be the candle!

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Be the Candle! 

SIZE: 20 cm x 20 cm - 5,5" x 5,5"
PAINTING GROUND: AMPERSAND ARTIST PANEL 
COLORS: DANIEL SMITH, and WINSOR & NEWTON watercolors

2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER



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There are two ways of spreading light:
to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

- Edith Wharton



ich wünsche Euch einen besinnlichen und harmonischen 3. Advent.



herzlichst isabella




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Waiting for Christmas

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Waiting for Christmas

SIZE: 24 cm x 30 cm - 9,4 inch x 11,8 inch

PAINTING GROUND: AMPERSAND AQUABORD 3 mm
COLORS: DANIEL SMITH extra fine watercolors
2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER


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It is a special story behind this painting, not even a Christmas story but a story about a destroyed Aquabord. The first painting on this board was a woman portrait, and there was no point in which I was delighted with the result. But I've created deep scratches for the woman's wind-blown hair. After cleaning the painting ground, they stood there. So I thought that I could use it like a sketchbook and create, with no pressure on my shoulders, just a small Christmas doodle. It came out so nice that I decided to show it to you, and I hope that it will put you in a perfect mood for the upcoming Christmas days. Sure, the scratches are still there, but they don't bother me. 



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Sankta Lucia - a Swedish Tradition

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Sankta Lucia -  a Swedish Tradition

SIZE: 20,3 cm x 25,4 cm - 8" x 10"
PAPER: BOCKINGFORD FAT PAD 425g/m² (200lb) ROUGH
COLORS: DANIEL SMITH extra fine watercolors

2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER


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Isn't she a wonderful addition to my series-> women all over the world

A great article about the Lucia tradition in Sweden you can find-> here 



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Großvaters Dompfaff - Grandpa's Bullfinch

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Großvaters Dompfaff

Grandpa's Bullfinch

SIZE: 20 cm x 20 cm - 5,5" x 5,5"
PAINTING GROUND: AMPERSAND ENCAUSTICBORD 6 mm
COLORS: DANIEL SMITH watercolors 
2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER



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One of the many memories of my beloved grandparents is the story of when my grandpa brought a bullfinch in a birdcage into grandma's kitchen. I've never seen this beautiful bird so close, but at the same time, I begged Grandpa to set this wonderful wild animal free again. And so we did it together in our garden. 


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Be prepared for Christmas!

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Be prepared for Christmas! 

SIZE: 20 cm x 20 cm - 5,5" x 5,5"
PAINTING GROUND: BOCKINGFORD FAT PAD 425g/m² (200lb) ROUGH
COLORS: DANIEL SMITH, and WINSOR & NEWTON watercolors

2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER



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During Advent, I love to do small or bigger paintings with a lot of Christmas spirit. It's my way of showing how much I love this time of the year. 




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The Magic Begins!

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The Magic Begins

SIZE: 20 cm x 20 cm - 5,5" x 5,5"
PAINTING GROUND: AMPERSAND ENCAUSTICBORD 6 mm
COLORS: SCHMINCKE SUPER GRANULATION watercolors, DANIEL SMITH 
2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER



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Small Advent‘s Sunday experimental work for the first time with watercolor on encaustic board. I really love the result 🌲❤️




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Winter in the mountains

 


Winter in the mountains

SIZE:  15 in. x 22 in. - 38 x 56 cm (half sheet)
PAPER: SAUNDERS WATERFORD COLD PRESSED NOT 425 g/m²
COLORS: SCHMINCKE SUPER GRANULATIONS watercolors

2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER


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 November 2024 Challenge at the Facebook Watercolour Group The Watercolour Challenge



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November silence

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November silence

SIZE: 14,8 cm x 42 cm
PAPER: 
ARCHES GRAIN FINE 300g/m² 
COLORS: SCHMINCKE SUPER GRANULATIONS watercolors



2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER


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 November 2024 Challenge at Edo Hannema's Facebook Group The Watercolour Challenge

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The game is on!

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the game is on! 

SIZE: 12 in. x 9 in. - 30,5 x 22,9 cm
PAPER: YASUTOMO STONEPAPER 150 g/m²


2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER

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Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in the famous BBC Series. 


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Better together - siblings love

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better together - siblings love

SIZE: 15 in. x 22 in. - 38 x 28 cm (quarter sheet)
PAPER: BOCKINGFORD FAT PAD 425g/m² (200lb) ROUGH

2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER




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inspired by Patty Brito's lovely photo on unsplash


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Most Extraordinary - Lisianthus Bouquet

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Most Extraordinary -


Lisianthus Bouquet


SIZE: 30 cm x 30 cm - 11,8" x 11,8"
PAINTING GROUND: PAINTING BORD primed with QOR WATERCOLOR GROUND
COLORS: DANIEL SMITH extra fine watercolors
2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER



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“The simplest pleasures are

sometimes the most extraordinary.” 


– Edgar Allan Poe




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There's a little witch in all of us!

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There's a little Witch in all of us! 

SIZE: 15,7 in. x 15,7 in. - 40 x 40 cm
PAPER: LANA AQUARELL 425 g/m²


2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER


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“When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween.”


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Always an eye on the kids - 2

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Always an eye on the kids - 2 

SIZE: 15 in. x 22 in. - 38 x 28 cm (quarter sheet)
PAPER: BOCKINGFORD FAT PAD 425g/m² (200lb) ROUGH

2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER




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This is the second one of a new series about the friendship between children and animals: Always an eye on the kids 




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Thinking about Audrey Hephurn

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Thinking about Audrey Hephurn


SIZE: 15,7 in. x 15,7 in. - 40 x 40 cm
PAPER: GUARDI ARTISTICO - TORCHON 300 g/m²
COLORS: SCHMINCKE SUPER GRANULATION WATERCOLORS 

2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER


find the blue version on INSTAGRAM 



I started this painting with a blue underpainting, to be honest, I thought it was enough. But after a few days of looking at the blue version, I decided to use more warm skin tones. And so this version comes to life. 



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Courage

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Courage

SIZE: 20 cm x 20 cm - 5,5" x 5,5"
PAINTING GROUND: AMPERSAND AQUABORD 3 mm
COLORS: QOR extra fine watercolors,
2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER



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Just hanging around

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Just hanging around


SIZE: 15,7 in. x 15,7 in. - 40 x 40 cm
PAPER: GUARDI ARTISTICO - TORCHON 300 g/m²
COLORS: SCHMINCKE SUPER GRANULATION WATERCOLORS 

2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER

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I've never painted a bat, but aren't they cute animals? For years, we've had one, or maybe two, in our garden, and we feel so lucky to admire their gorgeous hunting rounds around our garden lamp. 




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Singer Sargent's Lantern Girls - my version

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Singer Sargent's Lantern Girls

my version


SIZE:  15 in. x 22 in. - 38 x 56 cm (half sheet)
PAPER: SAUNDERS WATERFORD COLD PRESSED NOT 425 g/m²
COLORS: DANIEL SMITH extra fine watercolors,

2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER


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Do you know John Singer Sargent RA’s oil painting “Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose”, 1885 - 1886. Surely you do, it’s one of this Royal Academician’s most famous works. And this will be my version of it. I love the motive and learned a lot while working on it. 


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Stanley Spencer - my version

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Stanley Spencer - my version

SIZE: 12 in. x 18 in. - 31 x 41 cm
PAPER: YASUTOMO STONEPAPER 150 g/m²
COLORS: DANIEL SMITH WATERCOLORS 

2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER

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Many thanks Sarah McIntyre on X Virtual Studio - @StudioTeaBreak for her inspiring challenge. This is my version of Self Portrait, Stanley Spencer 1914 - (Tate Gallery)


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Old Mr. Toad

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Old Mr. Toad

SIZE: 15 in. x 22 in. - 38 x 28 cm 
PAPER: BOCKINGFORD RKP FatPad ROUGH 425 g/m²
2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER

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Ich habe unsere Gartenkröte wieder entdeckt und festgestellt, dass ich zwar schon einige Frösche gemalt habe, aber noch nie eine Kröte. An diesem ersten noch herrlich warmen Herbsttag ist es einfach wunderbar noch draußen arbeiten zu können.

Ich habe ohne jede Vorzeichnung mit dem Auge begonnen und dann langsam die Kröte und ihre Umgebung drumherum aufgebaut.

I rediscovered our garden toad and realized that although I have painted a few frogs, I have never painted a toad. On this first, still lovely warm autumn day, it is simply wonderful to work outside.

I started with the eye without any preliminary drawing and then slowly built up the toad and its surroundings around it.




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Time for Paper Lanterns

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Time for Paper Lanterns

SIZE: 14,8 cm x 42 cm
PAPER: 
ARCHES GRAIN FINE 300g/m² 
COLOURS: Daniel Smith and Mijello Watercolors 




2024 © ISABELLA KRAMER


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Autumn is near and the time for paper lanterns walking is here. 

To outwit the darkness that creeps across the country earlier and earlier in the autumn, children make lanterns with colorful luminous paper pictures or hollow out pumpkin and sugar beet heads and parade through the streets with them. Parading through the dimly dark or foggy streets with a brightly shining moon, a shining sun, a happy animal face or a monster-faced lantern is fun.

In some areas, the 'lantern parade' begins as early as September, and reaches its peak in the first days of November and on St. Martin's Day. Everywhere you see bright strings of lights parade through the streets in the evening. It looks beautiful. It helps us forget the darkness a little, and we look forward to the pre-Christmas period with its mysteries and celebrations.






from about ca. 1851 




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Autumn is near and the time for paper lanterns walking i.s here. 

Autumn is near and the time for paper lanterns walking is here.