not a landscape

Since I drew this standing up, holding the sketchbook. and left out at least a dozen trees, I'm claiming it's a still life object, not a landscape.

Though maybe including a big boulder muddies the category. I'm slowly trying more architecture drawing, but hate all those ought-to-be-at-least-somewhat-straight lines (as I refuse to use a ruler for sketching).

I drew this house as though each rectangle and triangle were puzzle pieces fitted together.

And I liked how the graphite smudges and the scanning edge-darks created a gray toning, making the white areas glow.

Graphite and w/c in the 9x12 Canson sketchbook.

without a mirror . . .

. . . there are relatively few body parts to draw (that are worksafe to post), after legs and the non-drawing arm and hand.

This is the underside of my left forearm, holding my left hand curled under, against my jaw.

Weird.

Graphite in the Cachet sketchbook.

Pentel Colorbrush

Of the small variety of *real* brush-tip markers (not foam), the Pentel ink tips are just ok, with a poor flow.

They have relatively large brush tips and in spite of gentle squeezing or dipping into water, the tip goes quickly back to a dry brush effect. Handy only if you want that for all strokes.

The ink is watersoluble, so painting over it is impossible. But for this quick rendition of a woodpile, it worked well enough to document the scene.

blending markers

I drew this character from the paused video, then redrew the face with Staedtler Triplus Fineliners on watercolor paper, blending the shading with water to become more like a painting.

It worked much better than I expected!

On 140# paper, don't know what brand.

a smudgy child

I drew this from a photo in the Boston Globe, a child on St. Patrick's Day.

His clothes overwhelm him, and the graphite smudges may be a predictor of what the outfit will look like after a few hours of play.

A 4B or so, in the Aquabee Super Deluxe.

heat and clear paths

The snow shovel and the gas meter, signs of wintery needs. Drawn during a warm day last week as we got out the leaf rakes and pruners.

Now it's chilly again. But the encroaching vines and brambles got snipped off before they could get a deep breath of spring.

Pen and w/c in the journal. I warped my writing in Gimp, loving the effect.

snail in a glass

It's been raining so much here, the snails are getting huge and bold.

Graphite in the Super Aquabee Deluxe sketchbook.

Patti Gregory

I'm so, so sorry to hear of the death of Danny Gregory's wife, Patti, due to a fall. Danny's amazing book, Everyday Matters, started a global drawing movement in the last few years. It started my drawing obsession which sustains and satisfies me every day.

May Danny and his son Jack feel the love of all of us, inspired by him, who use drawing to cope with life and to travel new pathways of creativity.

line and color

Just playing in the journal with line and color. I like to brighten up random pages ahead of my entries.

Varsity fountain pen (water-soluble) and Art Kure (ink) brush pens, with added water and finger smudging.

catch that truck

I need a lot more practice drawing vehicles, so before I went in to buy cat food I quickly drew a truck in the parking lot. Just as I finished the darker shadows, the driver got in and left.

Then I used a stump to blend and add light tones. 8B pencil in a random sketchbook with 50# paper.

bear relief

Taking a break from the bear obsession, I was out doing errands and drew the reflection I saw in a big window at the Honda dealer.

The paper in this sketchbook is thin enough to show the pencil on the other side. The car shadows add to the sense of parking lot reflections.

tumbling bears

I started playing on a thin strip of w/c paper and this came out.

Brush pen and w/c.

bear with tools.

Another version of a still life I'd done before. I like the bright cartoon effect here.

On sketchpaper.

acrylic on UHaul's newsprint

Just playing yet again, but I liked the rippling effect of the newsprint so much, I decided to post this.

I bought a 10-pound box of newsprint from UHaul (used for wrapping dishes, etc.) for $8. Excellent source for drawing on or using as a splash layer on the art table.

micaceous oxide acrylic

I coated 2 pages in the journal with this new (to me) Golden metallic glaze paint, not knowing yet another bear would show up!

The white is a poster paint marker. I didn't gimp out the gutter this time.

charcoal, for a change

With a w/c background.

I was experimenting with 90-degree crosshatching as my shading technique. I like the curves of the bear mixed with the squared texture of the hatching.

bear moods

Fearful.













Irritated.















Surprised, or maybe innocent.

The bear pieces are piling up. It wasn't until I started scanning that I noticed the variety of moods here.

Nothing I planned; I'm just playing with my media.

soluble ink bear

I used a disposable Varsity fountain pen here, so the ink runs. With careful addition, the w/c adds color, but the white areas create an unusual look.

On sketchbook paper.

Eamon from Ballykissangel

I love this character in the series, so stopped the video to draw him. Such a great face!

In pencil with a charcoal background. On sketchbook paper.

thinning acrylic with water

This is a first for me, painting with a lot of water in acrylic paint so it flows like watercolors. No big deal, just something new to try.

I like how the surface is unliftable, though.

On sketchbook paper.

filling pages

An actor from the BBC series Ballykissangel (as seen on Netflix) and the porcelain rabbit. I catch whatever crosses my visual path.

W/c and graphite in the journal.

quick boot

Look down, draw it, color it in.

Pen and w/c in the sketchbook.

draped chair

Different chair than yesterday, covered with a quilt. Quick capture of fabric folds is practice for drawing people in shops and cafes.

Pett brush pen and w/c on sketchpaper.

draw it over and over

This chair is beginning to really look like itself.

I inexpertly used gimp to remove the gutter of the sketchbook. Better a fuzzy vertical line than a big black one.

Pencil in the journal.