InkTracks

Esmerelda

2012-01-31T03:00:00.000-05:00

I went to a figure drawing session of people in costume. Because they were volunteering as drop-in models, none were professional, they only held the pose for 10 minutes. I worked fast!

Pencil in the Handbook journal.

folds and ruffles

2012-01-30T03:00:00.005-05:00

Two more ten-minute models. I skipped the heads to get more of the costume done.

Pencil in the Handbook journal. I gimped out the more obvious gutterline here, not well, but it helps a bit.

cabled, this time

2012-01-29T03:00:00.014-05:00

Using the cabled strips I first showed on January 22 I made a new ball.

(Two views--terrible photos, I know, but I'm moving on. I'm not crippled by perfectionism.)

Though the strips are more interesting to knit, I don't think the cables add enough interest to make them worthwhile.

These strips are 10 stitches wide, 8 inches long in a DK yarn. The cable flattens the strip compared to a stockinette-curled strip, so the finished assembly is more cubish.

3 heads

2012-01-27T03:00:00.003-05:00

I went to a talk by an artist (drawn here) who had written and illustrated a graphic novel about a cat named Loki (this cat).

The large head is of an audience member.

Pencil in the Handbook journal.

golden girl

2012-01-26T03:00:00.003-05:00

I preblotched the page, then drew this costumed girl sitting in front of me.

Ink and acrylic in the Handbook journal.

the audience

2012-01-25T03:00:00.001-05:00

Pen and ink in a Handbook journal

double cat head

2012-01-24T03:00:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile for posting, but I never stop drawing the cat.

Pen and w/c in the journal.

another braided ball

2012-01-22T03:00:00.008-05:00

A bit blurry, but here's my second braided ball. 6 colors, with DK weight yarn on size 4 needles.

A size comparison.

I've already started the next set of strips with a small cable running down the center for the smaller size ball. They go so fast, I'm obsessed!

doodling

2012-01-21T03:00:00.000-05:00

Falling back on flat design to fill some space.

Pen and w/c in the journal.

another man

2012-01-20T03:00:00.001-05:00

at a table.

Pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

blue dots

2012-01-18T03:00:00.003-05:00

are in there somewhere.

Acrylic in the journal. Scan is dark, unfortunately.

time for color!

2012-01-17T03:00:00.000-05:00

One green hand.

Pen and w/c in the journal.

one lone tree

2012-01-16T03:00:00.000-05:00

In the parking lot while I waited for my husband to get a haircut. Pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

knitting a braided ball

2012-01-15T22:13:00.000-05:00

I found a pattern for this on Ravelry (search for braided ball) and had to make one. This one is about 6 inches in diameter with a big hollow center.

It's easy, mindless knitting of 6 strips that curl into tubes, then just a simple braiding and stitching job to form the strips into a ball. Directions are on the Ravelry site.

Today's accomplishment!

sketching one person at a time

2012-01-14T03:00:00.004-05:00

Going through the several sketchbooks scattered around, I see a few things I've not posted yet.

From early December.

Pen on Strathmore drawing paper and a whitened background with Gimp.

collage with hearts

2012-01-13T03:00:00.009-05:00

I pasted thin text pages over a journal page, painted, scratched away, then stamped and stenciled with a heart cutout.

It's shiny with iridescent gold paint.

my faithful Isotoners

2012-01-12T03:00:00.000-05:00

Or the copycat brands, I don't remember which pair is which. I usually lose the left ones and have lots of right ones around.

Pen and w/c pencil in the journal.

Primary day in NH

2012-01-10T03:00:00.000-05:00

The noise and commotion of the NH primary is like none other.

I've done other things than follow election mania in preparation for today's vote, but it was a bit quieter in NH this year. And now they all leave town to continue the battle elsewhere.

Stamping and acrylics in the journal.

reaching for something

2012-01-09T20:24:00.000-05:00

I don't know what Chaucer was seeing in the wood pile, but I think I caught the motion.

Pen and w/c in the journal.

don't have a name for this one

2012-01-08T03:00:00.002-05:00

And then there's actual painting on canvas. An abstract on 18" stretched canvas. The photo from my phone doesn't catch all the subtlties of color, but you get the idea.

Acrylics.

splotching and dabbing

2012-01-06T03:00:00.001-05:00

Just making a colorful page in the journal. Amid pages of writing, these pop out and make me smile.

Acrylics.

snacking on Popcorners

2012-01-05T03:00:00.010-05:00

These triangle-shaped chips are made from popcorn, perfect for gluten-free crunch.

Capturing the sharp angles and curves of the plastic bag is tough. Charcoal on Strathmore drawing paper

A different perspective on the bag, turned into an abstract collection of shapes. Pen and w/c in the journal.

what's that?!

2012-01-04T03:00:00.000-05:00

Chaucer was just getting up from a nap when he heard a distant loud sound.

Strangely, he held the pose long enough for me to capture it (as I was already drawing him napping).

W/c in the journal

glowing green glass

2012-01-02T03:00:00.001-05:00

I didn't do the translucent glow anywhere near reality.

This salt shaker was originally part of a wind chime. It had hanging green glass shards that tinkled.

After the whole thing fell and those shards broke even more, I rescued the shaker and put it in the window to radiate green beams in the sun.

W/c in the journal.

road on Loon Mountain

2012-01-01T03:00:00.002-05:00

For the new year, may your road go up, in spite of snow, ice, and bare trees.

Eventually we'll find Spring again.

W/c on site, but from inside where it was warm, 140# w/c paper.

Happy 2012!

new piece for the door

2011-12-31T03:00:00.004-05:00

Back in the early 90s I made hangings for the front door in big, 6-squares-to-the-inch cross-stitch. Bold colors and simple shapes, easily visible from the street but with some interesting elements for closer viewing.

Many have faded from years of seasonal use. Embroidery thread is not light fast over 20 years.

I declare it's time for a new set of door pieces. This is the new one just finished for the winter snow season.

11x14, acrylic on canvas board.

fill the pages

2011-12-29T03:00:00.000-05:00

With word(s) and paint!

Acrylic in the journal.

catching that turn in the head

2011-12-28T03:00:00.000-05:00

Standing over him, a perspective I can rarely get.

Pen and w/c pencil in the journal.

trying architecture

2011-12-27T03:00:00.000-05:00

I rarely draw buildings, but here's an attempt at a local house.

Pencil on 90# paper.

Bear dresses up for the holiday

2011-12-25T03:00:00.000-05:00

Red velvet ribbon for Christmas. Merry Happy!

Pencil on 90# paper.

sometimes it just works.

2011-12-24T03:00:00.002-05:00

I drew a lot of Chaucers on a page; this one turned out so cute! I have to admit, it just happened, I'm now sure how.

Ink in a waterbrush, on 90# paper.

the model creates his own setup

2011-12-23T03:00:00.009-05:00

Chaucer liked that spot and stayed there long enough for me to do a quick sketch, PLUS photo! Now that's accommodating.

Yes, I do have 2 monitors, 2 keyboards, 2 speakers, and the real and sketched cats attached to one laptop.

Charcoal pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

stacked bears

2011-12-21T03:00:00.004-05:00

Pencil on 90# paper.

Poor Lizzie--revealed

2011-12-20T03:00:00.002-05:00

Lizzie is embarrassed that I'm revealing that she has no hair on the back of her head. I guess she has a cross-wise mohawk.

And she has a twist of string for dangling from high places. Embarrassing, indeed.

daily things

2011-12-19T03:00:00.000-05:00

A bit wonky, pencil on 90# paper. I use these everyday--the best salt shaker for flow and the best peppergrinder of 4 that we have.

the knitted results

2011-12-17T11:34:00.000-05:00

The self-striping yarn makes such an easy patterning for quick knits. Five hats going to cold heads!

his poor neck

2011-12-17T03:00:00.004-05:00

I make Bear take all sorts of dangerous and virtigo-causing postures for my drawing practice.

Pencil on 90# paper.

knitting gifts

2011-12-16T03:00:00.002-05:00

This is my fifth hat knitted in the last 7 days, for donation to the College donation collection, given to people with cold heads and no hats.

My quick, basic pattern is to cast 55 stitches of a bulky yarn on size 11 needles. Knit 3, purl 2 around and around until the tube measures 6-7 inches tall. Then decrease quickly (essentially forming a flattish disk that forms the top of the hat/bowl) until there are 6 stitches left. Pull a tail of yarn through those 6 to tighten the top and you're done!

I try on the hat as I'm decreasing at the top to make sure it's fitting right. I can make a hat in about 3 hours, depending on what else I'm doing while I knit (talk, watch TV, stir a pot).

Pencil, in the journal.

the yelling player

2011-12-15T03:00:00.003-05:00

A pose the model in life drawing could never hold, so you know I drew this from a photo (in the newspaper). He has black paint on his cheeks; those aren't shadows.

Pencil on 90# paper.

sideways bear

2011-12-13T03:00:00.000-05:00

He's so obliging about any pose.

Pencil in the journal, across the gutter, fixed a bit with Gimp.

from a lower angle

2011-12-12T03:00:00.000-05:00

Drawing the bear above me. Pencil in the journal.

grocery bag Lizzie

2011-12-11T03:00:00.000-05:00

Charcoal pencil on a piece of brown paper bag.

contortionist cat

2011-12-09T03:00:00.000-05:00

With his trademark back-up-turned front leg. He was beside me on the sofa and I had to catch it fast.

Ballpoint pen and colored pencil for the yellow background. In the journal.

crosslegged sketcher

2011-12-08T03:00:00.000-05:00

Pen on 140# w/c paper.

Booboo becomes a model

2011-12-06T03:00:00.002-05:00

I found this bear from my daughter's left-behind animal collection. Perfect to add to my model repertoire! We called him BooBoo.

W/c on Strathmore drawing paper.

they're always close by for drawing

2011-12-05T03:00:00.000-05:00

Back to scanning finally, with better-working software! I'm far beyond this journal volume with the see-through paper that doesn't help the scan quality.

Pencil.

clown doll again

2011-12-04T22:16:00.000-05:00

Quick pencil drawing, then I painted him in.

On Strathmore drawing paper.

the square-cornered cat

2011-11-27T03:00:00.000-05:00

I stood and drew him in this position, hoping he wouldn't change shape before I was done.

Pen in the journal.

Lizzie wants equal time

2011-11-26T03:00:00.000-05:00

As it says, a Pilot pen, in the journal.

on the teeter-totter

2011-11-25T03:00:00.001-05:00

Found this clown doll in a box, perfect for drawing!

Pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

interior scene

2011-11-23T03:00:00.000-05:00

I started on one end of the sofa and was happy with how the proportions worked out and the scene is true to life with no preplanning. All this practice must be paying off!

Pen in the journal (bit of see-through writing for texture).

little floweretts

2011-11-21T03:00:00.000-05:00

Catching the vegies.

Pen and w/c in the journal. The writing as texture doesn't work here!

3 pillows and a cat-shaped one

2011-11-20T03:00:00.000-05:00

The writing shows through, but I consider that more texture.

Pencil and w/c in the journal.

the standard passenger

2011-11-19T03:00:00.001-05:00

Flying is just getting there (if you're lucky); not as fun as it used to be 25 years ago.

Pen and w/c in the journal.

things you see in airports

2011-11-17T03:00:00.001-05:00

This guy held his phone this way through the whole long call. Long enough for me to catch the position in a sketch.

Pen, in the journal

Back to Windows Scanning Wizard--bah!

a 4-hour layover

2011-11-16T03:00:00.002-05:00

gives lots of sketching time. Pen and w/c in the journal, last month.

Simple scan, which is too simple. Can't brighten out the writing that shows through.

OHare, last month

2011-11-15T03:00:00.005-05:00

Fiddling with scanning software again. This is with Simple Scan when my Xsane still isn't working.

Pen and a dab of color, in the journal.

flying collage

2011-11-13T03:00:00.000-05:00

Filling a page; acrylics and ink. In the journal

catching up with cat and paw

2011-11-11T10:47:00.001-05:00

After a week of drawing and digging out of tree debris after the storm, I went to scan and post. The new version of Linux has completely blocked my xsane software and any scanning progress.

So I'm limping along with Windows camera wizard and trying to catch up anyway I can.

W/c and pen in the journal.

stretched wide

2011-11-10T03:00:00.000-05:00

Got my scanner software going! So I came back to this post and reposted a Xsane-scan instead of Windows Scanner Wizard. A lot more sensitivity to detail.

I was so focused on the details of cat/pillow and coat folds that I didn't realize how wide I was making the middle. So I left it and now the image looks like a TV shot that's stretched to fit a widescreen.

Pencil in the journal.

empowered again

2011-11-04T08:43:00.000-05:00

Six days after the freak snowstorm of October, when we got a foot of heavy wet snow, we have power again! And most of the snow has melted.

This is a sketch I did back in 2006, which is the best I have in my archives for illustration of the event. While Blogger has been auto-posting for me, I've been drawing, but scanning and posting were impossible.

Life can now resume as normal, except for a LOT of broken trees to clean up in our yard.

curled cat 1

2011-11-02T03:00:00.000-05:00

The hunched curl against winter.

Ink and w/c in the journal.

For the day of ones (11/1/11)

2011-11-01T03:00:00.004-05:00

Acrylics and stamping, in the journal.

foreshortened bear

2011-10-31T03:00:00.000-05:00

Knocked flat by a herd of trick-or-treaters.

Ink and w/c in the journal.

the two main models

2011-10-29T03:00:00.009-05:00

Ink and w/c, then ink spray.

In the journal.

October snow on the pumpkin

2011-10-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

I drew a cat face on this pumpkin and set it out about 3 weeks ago. Last night we had our first snow. Barely an inch, but wa-ay too early, even for NH!

More is forecast for tomorrow.

the big 6B graphite

2011-10-28T03:00:00.003-05:00

I used a watercolor portrait as the model for trying out the very thick graphite stick. On 140# w/c paper.

Pasted into the journal.

patterning helps

2011-10-27T03:00:00.004-05:00

A quick sketch of what was in front of me got better when I invented the pattern for the book. Note to self on how to enliven a dull piece.

warping again

2011-10-25T03:00:00.000-05:00

Using the grow and shrink elements of Gimp's warp filter to make the lines flow differently, changing shapes of the color patches.

Acrylics and stamping in the journal.

feet on orange chair

2011-10-24T03:00:00.000-05:00

One of the last warmish days on the deck.

All the colors are invented.

I started with colored Sarasa 0.7 mm ballpoints, acrylic paint added.In the journal.

growing roses

2011-10-23T03:00:00.002-05:00

I had collaged these dark roses onto the page, scanned the piece, and it needed something more. Instead of going back to the original, I "grew" the roses with the warping filter in Gimp. Better!

Acrylics in the journal.

Herzog's Wheel of Time

2011-10-21T03:00:00.000-05:00

I paused this video on Buddhists when I saw this monk. Some faces just have to be drawn.

Charcoal in the journal.

sunflowers

2011-10-20T03:00:00.002-05:00

Doodling while watching a piece on Van Gogh's famous painting.

Watercolor and acrylic on 140# paper.

the webby stamp

2011-10-19T03:00:00.001-05:00

Stamping with acrylic paint.

a cat and his fish doll

2011-10-17T03:00:00.006-05:00

Making things up. I started with a cat face, added the fish, then filled in the corners randomly, just to smear some paint around.

Acrylic paint.

random stuff

2011-10-16T03:00:00.001-05:00

I pasted down some collage pieces, then filled in the open spaces.

Pen, pencil, acrylic paint.

Perkins Cove, after a month off

2011-10-15T03:00:00.002-05:00

A variety of things kept me from scanning and posting for a whole month, but after six years and three months of regular postings here, I decided taking a little vacation from the scanning/posting side was due.

The main thing is, I never stopped drawing, doodling, stamping, painting, gluing and making.

Tthe start of the Marginal Way in Perkins Cove is in the distance to the left. A gorgeous day in Ogunquit, Maine, at the end of September.

Pencil on 140# paper.

the indoor garden statue

2011-09-15T13:56:00.001-05:00

I'm not one to have paraphenalia sitting around in the yard, so I put this gift of a small garden statue in the house. S/he moves around from place to place, reading.

Pencil in a PaperBlanks journal.

that green jungle

2011-09-13T06:51:00.000-05:00

So many perspective problems here, but this captures the general layout of the terraced hillside.

Pencil and w/c on 90# paper.

practicing portraits

2011-09-12T21:01:00.000-05:00

I found an old book called Character Studies in Oil by Joseph Dawley.

On a w/c postcard, I did a watercolor version of this unidentified man painted by Dawley.

dots and smears

2011-09-10T03:00:00.002-05:00

That stencil again, plus swipes from a stamp pad.

In the journal.

painting from photos

2011-09-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

I'm starting an online class in which the instructor posts photos and we paint from them, as practice for travel sketching. Here's a cropped bit of my first assignment, a statue in a cemetary.

Pencil and w/c in on Arches 140# paper.

draw what's around you

2011-09-07T03:00:00.000-05:00

There are always feet nearby to draw.

Pen and w/c in the journal.

the joy of acrylics

2011-09-06T03:00:00.000-05:00

One of the things I love about acrylics is how they strengthen thin paper but it's still flexible.

This unimpressive bear feels like thin canvas fabric--done with a layer of gesso and then paint on the very thin journal paper.

red mist face

2011-09-05T03:00:00.002-05:00

Drawing on an acrylic background, w/c to emphasize some areas afterward.

I did this after watching an episode of Eureka where evil red mist came out of vents and encircled the victims.

on 140# paper.

suitcase

2011-09-03T03:00:00.000-05:00

Watching someone else pack.

Pencil, in the journal.

big dots

2011-09-02T03:00:00.000-05:00

Daubing through a stencil.

In the journal.

Derwent's keep calm poster

2011-09-01T03:00:00.002-05:00

A British blogger posted that Derwent brought this ad out during the recent riots in London. Love it! The original is bright red.

W/c in the journal.

hand and leg

2011-08-30T03:00:00.000-05:00

Always practicing what's close by.

pen and w/c on random paper pieces.

painting during the rain

2011-08-29T03:00:00.002-05:00

Just playing.

Acrylic and w/c on 140# paper

hanging around

2011-08-28T11:44:00.000-05:00

waiting for the former Irene to move on.

The white aura in front of his face is actually a light image from the back side of the page. Scanning often brings up the unexpected.

Ink in the journal.

imagining the coast

2011-08-19T03:00:00.000-05:00

Pen and w/c in the journal. A scene similar to what's on the Ogunquit shoreline.

painted knee

2011-08-18T03:00:00.000-05:00

I idly sketched my feet on the back of the cover of the Strathmore drawing pad--it's pebbly.

By the time I was done painting in (random colors), I liked the surface enough to post this.

Gray pen and w/c.

reduced to sketching a guard rail

2011-08-17T09:10:00.000-05:00

What was out the side window while I waited in the car.

Pen and w/c on 90# paper.

playing with flow

2011-08-15T03:00:00.004-05:00

An abstract landscape of the mind, I guess.

w/c on 140# paper.

the cheerful company of flowers

2011-08-13T03:00:00.003-05:00

My friend Jan always buys fresh flowers for wherever she happens to be staying, no matter what water container she has to put them in. In this case, a tea pitcher.

Pen and w/c in the Bienfang sketchbook.

London furniture

2011-08-12T03:00:00.002-05:00

Furniture in the rented London flat from our June vacation.

Pen and w/c in a Bienfang sketchbook.

2 chaucers

2011-08-11T03:00:00.000-05:00

More of the ever-present "cat on footstool"

Pencil on Strathmore drawing paper, cut out and pasted in a lined journal.

DeGaulle

2011-08-09T03:00:00.001-05:00

Another drawing of a TIME cover of Charles DeGaulle, former President of France.

I added color. The original was in black and white. Pastel on 140# paper.

Horowitz

2011-08-08T03:00:00.001-05:00

I found an old book of people who had been on TIME magazine covers. This is my pastel version of the cover drawing of Vladimir Horowitz, pianist.

I saw him perform in the mid-1970s, a memorable concert!

On 140# paper.