slapdash, super fast

Yesterday we had a lot to do before the builders came back on Monday (today) and yet I had that "got to draw" craving.

So this was a fast, standing in the hall, scribble it down drawing to feed my fix, then I went back to painting, mopping, scraping off wallpaper.

Line and color keep me sane amid the chaotic piles and scheduling crunch.

Tech pen and w/c on Canson sketching paper.

stroking the ink

Ink brush pens in the Canson sketchbook, dry brushed, water added, ink again, in a taped format.

The spiral on the sketchbook means I always get light leakage on the scan.

This image is what emerged after I participated in Earth Hour last night.

sturdy and self-reliant

I like the sound of the word euphorbia. And this one lives on and on with little attention from me. A care-free member of the family. Not near as cuddly as the cats though.

Tech pen and w/c on Canson sketch paper.

dramatic metering

Our city's parking meters aren't this color, but they'd be so much more attractive if they were.

Click the image to enlarge it a bit.

Tech pen and w/c on Canson sketch paper.

dark animal

Hunting before dark.

Or maybe a stumbling walk home.

what's in there?

I pulled out a basket of odds and ends from the kitchen drawer and drew the larger items.

Afterwards, I was intrigued to see how many were for cutting.

Fountain pen and w/c on Canson drawing paper.

comparing brush pens

My goal is to draw better with a brush (freehand, no pre-penciling), so I've been practicing with several kinds. Russ Stutler's Tokyo drawings, and philosophy for sketching, is my inspiration.

I've used:
1. regular water brushes, multiple sizes, filled with ink or w/c--not good flow,
2. Art Kure brushes, prefilled with ink--flow of individual pens can vary a lot
3. Pentel brushes, prefilled with ink--brush is too big, flow not great
4. Sigma Micron brush pens--tiny stiff foam brush, not that different from a tech pen
5. foam "brush" pens sold to be primarily used for Asian calligraphy--no real brush feel or flow. I have a Memory brand and another with a Japanese label, not sure where I got them (online).

The Art Kure were the best generally, except they're not refillable unless I try taking them apart. Was not a positive experience!

But I just discovered the refillable Sailor Profit brush pen available from Pendemonium. It's working really well, considering my unskillful technique so far: steady ink flow, using the Noodler's ink I like, and it has a natural brush feel with little drag and good variable line. And the brush tip is replaceable.

Learning to hold the brush above the paper, draw relatively accurately, and not smear by going back . . . it's a challenge! But I love the line quality and the direct process.

just before the muscles let go

There's a tension here where Chaucer is about to lose his upright hold and roll back into deeper sleep.

Pencil and w/c on Paperchase sketchbook paper.

cross and fire

May a warming fiery light keep you going through the trials of life.

Spring renewal is surely coming soon to New England's white world.

brush drawing

A couple years ago I discovered Russ Stutler's sketchbooks online. His work and descriptions inspired me to draw, and to aspire to drawing directly with a brush. Check out his site; he lives in Tokyo and has fascinating scenery to draw.

Stutler just posted an online version of his forthcoming How to Sketch book. Worth reading!

It's a sign of the weather that yesterday, on the second day of spring, I was still burning wood and drawing bellows. Sigh.

nets and grids

Playing with paint, watching the flow.

W/c on 140# Winsor & Newton paper.

reaching for the light

Doodling while I listen to an online discussion of Eckhardt Tolle's A New Earth. Something unexpected came out.

Fountain pen on index card.

time produces the point

To paint in slashes and swoops, then see what shapes emerge is my joy in doing abstracts. I often don't see a discernable concept until I put the scan the screen.

I did a little warping on this with Gimp and decided there's a campfire scene in this one.

140# Winsor & Newton paper.

juicy

Getting the perspective right on circular things is a never-ending challenge.

Not that I did it this time either.

Pencil, inked over, w/c on 90# Canson.