quick pencilled head

on Strathmore drawing paper

punky hair

Pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

A quick sketch of a woman who is thinking of modeling for the painting group.

tea kettle and toaster oven

A quick sketch of the two most used items on the counter.

Pencil in the Bienfang sketchbook.

Uturn said

From an early episode of the TV show Weeds.

Apologetic thug--an oxymoron.

manikin and balloon

I set up the mini-manikin, then gave him a very blobby big floaty thing to pull.

W/c pencil in the Bienfang sketchbook.

M in blue

Blue and brown pencil on Strathmore drawing paper

leaning on a ladder

Graphite on Strathmore drawing paper.

from a different angle

Colored pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

a clothed model

It was so cold in the studio, we let the model stay dressed. But he had on a big plaid shirt that changed a lot in between each sitting.

So I left out all the patterns.

Colored pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

their last blue sky for months

The fig tree and dracaena marginata, enjoying their last fresh air before they come in for the cold months.

I didn't put in the blue sky, because from this angle, all I saw was dark green woods.

Due to be in the low 40s for nighttime temps next week. Time to come in to avoid a chill.

Pen and w/c on Holbein paper.

drawing at the zoo, camel and baby giraffe

This is the single hump camel.

I drew the double-humped Bactrian, too, but he was eating and never stopped moving. As he was very pungent (as one fellow observer said) with the wind blowing toward us, I had to move on.

She stood so still I actually got the whole animal!

black w/c pencil and w/c on Strathmore drawing paper

drawing at the zoo, koala

The koalas stay much more still than most of the animals. They are busy with a lot of sleeping.

black watercolor pencil, w/c, on Strathmore drawing paper

drawing at the zoo, elephant

colored pencil for outline, w/c

on Strathmore drawing paper

drawing at the zoo, lion

I was so pleased to be able to capture a likeness of this lion at the zoo. I'm fast and she was kindly stationery.

colored pencil for contour, w/c, on Strathmore drawing paper

1000th cat, at least

Probably way more, I don't post many of them. The post labels don't match the actual number drawn, by far.

Never tired of drawing the cat.

Pen and pencil on PaperBlanks journal paper.

not quite a doodle, not quite a composition

What the published art journaling books call doodles is not what I think of, the things I produce while on the phone along the margins of scrap paper.

But I'll call this a doodle, even though it's more "composed" in its way.

on PaperBlanks journal paper.

lion from a photo

Trying out a new Derwent Polychromos pencil. Really nice feel.

From a photo. On PaperBlanks journal paper.

Alisa Burke's summersketch online

The wonderful artists who have online video classes are an inspiration for doodling, whimsical drawing, and colorful additions to my journal.

I don't take the time to embellish as much as I'd like, but every page of brightness is a pleasure to look back on.

Pen, w/c, w/c pencil, Sharpie, Koi color brush, on Holbein multimedia paper.

I'm taking a 10 day break from posting to go play!

quick drawing of a slow cat

Pen and w/c on the Holbein multimedia paper.

doodle squares

Doodling with pencil and markers as I listen to a video, resisting alignment and squaring.

Click to embiggen, as Yarn Harlot would say.

in the PaperBlanks journal.

yellow on purple, not a favorite

I did a lot in purple, then upon a suggestion by a fellow sketcher, added some yellow to create darker shadows. Not so successful. Effort abandoned.

And the model is a beautiful woman, but you'd never know it from this drawing! But she's used to art students distorting her reality.

Colored pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

quick fist

Ink and wash from the soluble line.

On Canson drawing paper.

green scene

What's in front of me, but with scan shadows.

Green pencil on Canson drawing paper.

brown cat

The front leg looks odd, but that's the way it was.

Colored pencil in a Paperblanks journal.

filling a page

Pencil, graphite and colored, on Bee drawing paper.

5 sandal views

I found a little plastic sandal on one of my walks. A baby's or a doll's.

Perfect drawing object.

Watercolor pencil on Bee drawing paper, cut out.

face and feet

Watercolor pencil on Bee drawing paper. The bottom foot has water added to smooth the texture.

pencil + cat

He's always sleeping; I'm always drawing him.

Derwent colored pencil, on Bee drawing paper, cut out.

big-eyed cat

When I take pictures with my phone, Chaucer doesn't flinch and squint like he does when he sees the camera.

Not as sharp a pic, but the phone captures the open eyes.

Buddha under a tree

I didn't draw the Buddha I passed, but managed this quick shot.

Not a bodhi tree, but good enough for revelation and insight.

drawing from memory

After spending 2 hours painting a portrait in lifestudy, I came home and drew this pencil version. I think it turned out better than the 2-hour oil.

4B on Fabriano Venezia paper.

first fall leaves

They're actually starting to show up in the streets when I walk. Usually those are from diseased trees when they show up this early, but it's a sign Fall is coming.

Pen, w/c and colored pencil in the Fabriano Venezia journal.

idle stripes

Watercolor. Love how it glows on this paper.

back to the angel

Charcoal in the Fabriano Venezia journal.

just lying there

A painted page, an inked mask.

In the FV journal.

emerging features

Dabbling paint on the paper, then idly drawing faces. During an unmemorable movie.

W/c and colored pencil in the FV journal.

fast scribble angel

In the Fabriano Venezia journal.

Pen and w/c.

love that indigo blue

The blue leather chair in Prismacolor pencil.

In the Fabriano Venezia journal. Great paper for all media!

imagined face

I used up what was left on the palette, on a previously painted piece of canvas paper. A hour, maybe.

Lots of issues--what's with that white nose?, but I like the bright eyes and the mouth.

Oil.

never mind the eyes

The eyes need work; they're very blank and generic. Maybe I'll get back to fixing them sometime.

Mostly I learn something from each effort and move on to the next attempt.

Oil on canvas board.

cooling weather for the cat

Chaucer is curling to sleep now that the heat and humidity are lower.

Charcoal pencil on Bee sketchpaper.

dreads piled on top

Three feet of teeny braids make a huge top knot.

Oil on canvas board.

new cornrows

It's fun when a model shows up with completely different hair, after I've been drawing and painting her for over 2 years.

Oil on canvas board.

always practicing heads

And practicing trying to fit the whole figure on the canvas without cutting off the top. Whoops.

Oil on Centurion canvas.

lookin' at you

A cartoon-version of my normal model.

Pen and w/c on Strathmore drawing paper.

contortions of plumbing

Installing a new kitchen faucet. Always a challenge and a relief to get a plumbing job done.

And drawing a moving worker is a challenge too!

Pencil in the Aquabee Superdeluxe journal.

skiing in July

It's only happening around here in the ceramic figurine world. Thinking of snow to get a sense of cool. 4B pencil in the Aquabee Superdeluxe journal.