inspired by Carla Sonheim

Thanks to Carla Sonheim's excellent online Draw! class, I now fully understand how to create these imaginary animals.

Such fun! And a great way to doodle in the journal. This was inspired by a blob in a painting over my fireplace. A place I never expected to find a fish. 

W/c pencil.

time for elephants

head shot

Again, in blue w/c pencil

on Strathmore drawing paper.

N in her hat

The scanner lets in too much light when I'm trying to fit the 11x14 spiral pad on.

There needs to be a shadow under her leaning arm, she looks like she's leaning into mid-air.

Pencil on Strathmore drawing paper.

purple cat

gessoed paper, colored pencil

rock wall

Water color on thin paper, w/c pencil rocks, then sprayed water and added w/c

An interpretation of the view.

drawing on the back cover

Inspired by Carla Sonheim's fun drawings, this guy emerged on the back cover of the linen-textured Reflexions volume.

Difficult to draw on with a Pilot Razor-point marker, but he insisted.

Finally, a flower!

So heartwarming to finally see color after the long gray and brown winter!

In my front yard.

current journal cover

A postcard I bought for the image, and a way to enjoy it daily for 3 weeks (about the time it takes me to fill a volume).

Acrylic paint on the Reflexions volume's linen cover, then I gelled the postcard pieces on firmly. There's a nice texture mix between the shiny postcard and the linen weave.

box cutter

Pencil on thin journal paper (not the current volume).

this is over with for awhile

Since I didn't post all winter (scanner issues, software issues, new computer, laziness), this is a February drawing.

But we were still burning into late March, and could today if I had enough wood. 27 degrees this morning!

Pen and w/c in the journal.

winter layers

Hoping we're past the fleece and winter scarf weather (that's in the house without the woodstove) until the heat gets going.

Colored pencil in the journal.

practicing to be superfast

to catch Jim in a sketch as he moves wa-ay more than the cat and refuses to model. Here he was momentarily enthralled by something on TV and I managed almost the whole figure.

A personal best in speed on an elusive quarry (when it really does look like him).

Pen and w/c in the journal.

But can you do it?

One small choice at a time is the key.

paused video

It's a sad forlorn look that just happened as the video paused. Not at all her mood.

On the thin journal paper, gessoed. Graphite pencil.

capturing all the knobs and angles

In the journal, too-thin paper but I like the color of the blue pencil.

Miles Vorkosigan says

this line, which so applies to drawing.

You have to be willing to be bad at a skill so you can eventually be good at it . . .  in any area, being bad at a thing is the reason why many people don't discipline themselves to keep practicing . . .

In the journal, with birds.

back to life drawing

. . . for the first time in over 2 months. Felt good to be back in the group!

Brown colored pencil on Strathmore drawing paper

write it down

Danny Gregory showed his sketchbooks in his Sketchbook Skool class (so good!). He had written in several great quotes. I particularly liked this one.

cat curl

Colored pencil on Strathmore multimedia paper