Saturday, May 31, 2008

movin' fast


Quick doodle of a quick guy,

Tech pen and w/c dabs on lined paper (duh).

Friday, May 30, 2008

hanging around


The dining room light, but it's not blue and green. It's a canvas for my imagination.

Tech pen and w/c in the Moleskine sketchbook.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

all the folds and hollows


So hard to "see" in soft black nylon. But it's practice.

Fountain pen and w/c on Aquabee Superdeluxe.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Love that Fiskars orange


Keeping my left hand so still while I'm holding an object, drawing and holding the paper with one hand, makes any simple drawing more of a challenge.

Pencil and w/c on Aquabee Superdeluxe.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

and again


Do you know the game of drawing loops around a pattern of 4x4 dots? Drawing this knot pattern from memory reminds me of that game.

Figuring out how to draw this from memory gives me a doodling activity when stuck for a subject.

Tech pen and w/c on Aquabee Superdeluxe.

Monday, May 26, 2008

ancient knot


I saw this knot in an ad in the Daniel Smith catalog, so had to draw it to figure out the crossovers. Would have been better if I'd used a ruler, but then it wouldn't look wonky (my personal art goal)

Then when I added paint to the background, I tried mixing a random "yellow deep" and an ultramarine blue--which became such mud that I blotted it off.

The result looks like aged metal of some sort. Now I like it.

Water-soluble ink, wash, and w/c

Sunday, May 25, 2008

a sheep with attitude


A mounted head in a local restaurant, painted later.

Alvin Penstix tech pen (very juicy) on Canson 90# w/c paper.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

taking a walk


A statue of Mary from a distance. Couldn't see her really clearly, but it looked like she was walking out of her niche.

After I put my normal blue in the background, I realized there's a blue associated with the Virgin Mary, and this is pretty close.

Pencil and w/c on Aqua-Super (you know).

Friday, May 23, 2008

stones and pathways


Abstraction.

Water-soluble Noodlers in a fountain pen, and w/c in the Moleskine sketchbook

Thursday, May 22, 2008

that Moleskine effect


Sometimes I enjoy the resistance.

Tech pen and w/c on Moleskine sketchbook paper.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

joints and limbs


This little guy is great for idle practice on limbs and joints. A portable model.

Micron brush pen on scrap paper.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Making an easy kind of sketchbook

Accordian, concertina, or zig-zag are names given to one type of sketchbook that's easy to make. I've tried the method of cutting long strips of paper and accordion-folding them, but to get larger pages out of the source paper, pieces have to be glued together at the edges of the folds.

I'd done that by folding a tab under and gluing it to the next strip--my own idea of how it could be done, but difficult and not really satisfactory. Vivien has posted a link to Lindsay's method that is so much easier!























I painted these covers (7 inches by 11 inches) on 140# paper, folded 90# paper for the pages, and used lighter sketchbook paper for the vertical binding strips.

Glueing didn't work for my first attempt--lots of mess, juggling, and leakage onto the painting area.

Then I tried double-sticky tape--placing pieces along each edge of the two pages to be joined together, then setting down a binder strip to straddle the seam, over the two tape strips. Soooo easy and fast, with no gluey mess!

Thanks to Vivien and Lindsay for great posts on this construction method. Visit their blogs and enjoy their art!

Monday, May 19, 2008

subdueing the Moleskine's resistance


The interaction of fluid with paper is a constant fascination for me. After avoiding it for a long time, I went back to sketch in the water-resistant Moleskine sketchbook.

The line of bubbles worked perfectly for fabric texture.

I've discovered that if I use 180-weight sandpaper and lightly stroke the paper, w/c will flow on MUCH better. I plan to use this sketchbook more often now. I'd tried changing the surface by spraying or adding things to the paper--then suddenly realized I needed to sand *off* the resistance. Eureka!

Pelikan Tech pen, my other new favorite art tool, after the sanding block.

(P.S. --Armand at Moleskinerie.com has linked me, spreading the word of this sanding idea. Thanks, Armand! I just want to point out that this particular shoe drawing was NOT on sanded paper. Those posts are yet to come.)

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Richard Stine's pencil


I love the 1978 book of drawings by Richard Stine, the "Non-pointless Pencil Book."

I can't find an image of the cover online, but it was a collection of fantasy-style pencils or, like this one I copied, a stub.

Stine was a master hatcher. Imagine how many drawings this pencil produced. And though the graphite is used up, there's still plenty of eraser left.

Ballpoint ink, washed with water on thin graph paper.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Pathway to the Light


Without these, it would be very dark around here.

When I look at a plug, I always notice the faces, including this one with Mickey Mouse ears.

Pencil and w/c on Strathmore drawing paper.

Friday, May 16, 2008

abstract rain


Making marks, turning them into a bigger picture. Turning the picture orientation until something appears.

In this case, a rain scene over piles of . . . bloody laundry? Given the news lately, that's what comes to mind.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

simple big leaves


This plant, which I've forgotten the name of, seldom needs watering. One of my favorites.

W/c on Aquabee superdeluxe.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

the luxury of time


To sit and draw slowly is a rare event, but the book was so magnetic, it held my model long enough for this pencilled recording. And the cat was pretty patient, too.

California Republic HB--which draws like a 2B, on Aquabee Superdeluxe.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

color study


Just playing with paint, on Moleskine w/c paper.

Monday, May 12, 2008

reminders and memories


I did this sketch standing, holding the sketchbook and drawing fast, so I kept the forms really simple.

These are odd things I've collected over the years: a clay pig from South America, a wood carving by my father, other bits that carry stories only I know.

In adding color, I left the objects in tones of gray to show the things are shadows of actual events.

Tech pen and w/c on Cachet drawing paper.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

rainbow man


Playing with color mixes on a convenient form.

Red eyebrows and a green nose--not a popular makeup trend.

W/c on 140# Arches paper

Saturday, May 10, 2008

one-handed drawing


Time to add some variation to the left hand's role.

My little finger really does bend in like that, since I broke it 6 years ago. (Reality in posting.)

W/c on Moleskine w/c paper.

Friday, May 09, 2008

smudges included


Pencil is so smudgy, I feel like the drawing carries its own fog.

Pencil on thin Cachet drawing paper, some of the backside image showing through.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Spring cleanup


Finally it's above 50 degrees and not raining. Raking should be happening, but drawing comes first.

Pelikan tech pen (love it!) and w/c on Moleskine w/c paper.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

muzzle study


The structure of a cat muzzle fascinates me--and it's a fun word, too.

Pencil on card stock.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

getting the grill out


Finally, the snow is gone, the rain has stopped, and we can come outside to cook in the sun.

Tech pen and w/c on Moleskine w/c paper.

Monday, May 05, 2008

before the leaves


A sketch of the pre-leaf look at a local park. The birds were swooping low over the water.

Tech pen and w/c (painted at the park, for once) on Raffine paper.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

bubbling up


Idle doodling brings out the bubble and fire theme . . . that I only see now in multiple scattered drawings after I look back at what has been emerging.

I'm drawn to orange/green color blends right now. Those colors call up fire and the season of (finally!) Spring, or fruit and green vegetables to come. A release from the lo-ong winter of snowy white and bare-branch gray.

Sharpie and w/c on Handbook artist paper.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

imagining flowers


After a day in the 40s, I can only imagine the sunny colorful days we hope are coming.

W/c on Superaquabee deluxe

Friday, May 02, 2008

random blotches


I dabbed a bunch of odd colors to see how they looked, then decided to draw over them just to use the paper better.

W/c and Derwent black aquacrayon (then stroked with water) on SuperAquabee Deluxe.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

rattan chair with pink


After doing this chair multiple times, I'm finally, like the cats, able to catch the image much faster than before.

Happy May Day!

Pen and colored pencil for the chair; w/c background then some digital playing.