Ink and Wash - Tulips

I really should get my watercolors out to do more justice to the flowers I'm sketching.   Until I do, the pens are easy to grab at a moment's notice and I'm just happy with myself to do some sketching even if it's in ink.

This one is using the Rotring Ink Pen and waterbrush.  I'm trying a Niji waterbrush whereas before I was using an Aquaflo from a set I purchased some time ago.  Don't see much of a difference in handling.

75 Day Sketch Challenge - Day 56

Another color is showing up in the field from these little clumps of weeds with yellow flowers.  If it is cloudy, the flowers are cupped or closed.  In full sun they open wide.  Really nice with the blues and lavenders still blooming in the field. 

Trying to identify what this is, I believe it's in the buttercup family; although I could be wrong.

Ink and Wash - Dandelion and Eggs

What a combination.......right? 

Today I was in the mood to do some ink and wash.  I don't know what it is about this technique that is so intriguing to me but I love it.  Although I have several colors (at least in the Tombow Markers), I prefer the black for some reason and I'm one who loves color.  

This first was done with a Rotring Art Pen in my Dowler Rowney sketch book.  The lighter leaf was done first with me pulling color with the waterbrush first along the outer edges of the leaf.  Then I pulled some of the pigment from the center lines making up the main vein.

I worked the bud next and then thought I'd add the darker leaf.  

 

The eggs were done using the black Tombow Marker.  This time you can see some of the pink and blue tint that I find happens now and then with the black marker.  The scan doesn't do it justice and not sure if you can see the colors in with the black.  I think the blue is more apparent and it shows more in the egg closest to the viewer.

75 Day Sketch Challenge - Days 52 through 55

Day 55

Most people cringe when they see these popping up in their lawns.  I must be strange because I love the yellow flower heads and think it's unique how they all turn to white tiny fairies flying around in the air.  Of course hubby will be out with his weed and feed and these will all be gone.  Until then I'll silently take in the bright yellows popping up amongst the dark greens.

Day 54

These little leafy plants are also popping up all over the place.  They are very small and mid to dark green.  They remind me of a wild strawberry only I think strawberry plants they have three leaf clusters rather than five.  These are not in the poison family although they do remind me of them as well.   Too small.

Day 53

Our mobile home or home away from home is located in a field.  If the field is left to grow without cutting, the grasses are light golden brown and very tall.   Of an early evening, the tall grassy field has this golden glow as the sun is lowering in the sky.  

These sketches are new growth sprouting and going to seed of various grasses.  This is in addition to the little blue and lavender flowers I'm finding sprouting all over the place plus the yellows from the dandelions in full bloom.

Day 55

While babysitting the granddaughters, there was a box on the counter that had this design.  This is just a quick sketch of that design.

Walk in the Field

These little gems are growing wild in the field around the house. 

Daniel Smith pigments - Fr Ultra, Cobalt Blue, Perm Aliz, Sap Green, Perylene Green, and Cad Yellow Med.  Round brush in Hand Book journal.

Playing with Rocks in Hand Book Journal

This is Page 3 and 4 of the new journal book.  What I found is that both left and right pages were the same in texture this time (unlike the first two pages shared in the previous post).  Flipping forward through the pages, the paper texture depends on how the paper was folded and bound.  Sometimes you'll find the textured page on the right and the smooth on the left or vice versa.  Sometimes you'll find left and right pages both smooth or both with slight tooth.  So there's really no set consistency with texture from one page to the next ..... at least with this particular journal book I received.  I wonder if this is just a fluke or if this is what one should expect with this particular brand.

This journal book is actually for drawing but with pages heavy enough one can use wet medium.  The specs say one can use light wash without any problem.  I decided to push the limits a bit with going heavy in my application of pigment.

Top two rocks (left and right) is using watercolor and a flat angular brush.  The pigment consistency is rather thick like one might expect with acrylic paint.

Bottom rocks were done using a more fluid consistency of pigment and a round brush.  The tooth of the paper (or texture) absorbed the pigment/water so there was not much in the way of pigment moving without the help of the brush even with the wetter consistency.

Another note - the two top rocks looked similar.....kind of bland to me so I added a little detail with pen and ink with one leaving the other without in order to compare.  I definitely like the added detail.  Did the same with the bottom two rocks using pen/ink with one and not with the other.

These illustrations were done back to back and I found even with the thick and wet application of paint that I used, it did not hurt using both sides of each page.  I was able to scan without seeing ghost images from paper being too thin.

New Journal Book

Thought I would try out a new journal book purchased based on feedback I've seen by other artists.  This is the Handbook Journal from Dick Blick.

The first two pages shows samples between writing and illustrations using pencil, micron pen 02, Rotring pen, Tombow marker, and watercolor with waterbrush and with regular round brush.

The first thing I noticed was that the left or back side of each page is different than the right or front side of each page.  The left seems more textured which seems at first trial to be absorbent than the right side.  Water and pigment absorbed much more quickly than the right or front side of the pages.  Wet in wet on the front or right side behaved differently with colors moving and mingling whereas on the left or back sides didn't.

The scanner I'm using scanned the buff colored pages in a strange way.  Some areas are showing white which isn't true and the buff area shouldn't show quite this dark.   I really should learn to use my camera for taking photos of my artwork!!!

75 Day Sketch Challenge - Day 51

Just doodling with the pen while watching a movie.  

This cord is on my mini blinds.  The left is while the blinds were up and cord witting on my table.  The right is after I lowered the blinds and cord was hanging.

75 Day Sketch Challenge - Days 49 and 50

Day 49

As I was walking the dogs in the field, I came across these little white flowers.  Must be the grasses flowering or weeds?

 

Day 50

From watching the birds at our feeder - two of these woodpeckers came at the same time.  The one that looked like a male was on the suet feeder.  This one looking more like the female was perched on a fallen limb we have set up around the feeder just below the suet feeder.  It's like she was looking up just waiting for her turn to get at the suet.

75 Day Sketch Challenge - Day 48

Our home away from home sits right on the edge of the woods.  Throughout the forest area are many downed trees that have been down for some time.  This one in particular grabs our eyes due to how the inside is hollow and the edges curling inwards.

There's new growth there at the edge of this downed tree.  Right now it's that Spring green that is a sight to behold after months of bare and dismal surroundings.  

75 Day Sketch Challenge - Days 43 through 47

I love nature.......can you tell? 

75 Day Sketch Challenge - Day 42

This has been done for both the 75 Day Sketch Challenge and a sketch challenge that was set in the forum I'm active in.  The challenge in the forum is drawing Spring Flowers.  Kind of follows suit with what I've been doing already with previous posts.

I find myself still unsure on shading techniques with the pen.  Some subjects seem to be easier than others but this is not one of them.  As I study this and some of the other flowers I've done, I feel they don't come across as being delicate and fragile as I'd like them to look.  It might be in the line method I'm using for shading.  Maybe dots might be better.

75 Day Sketch Challenge - Days 40 and 41

With me, one never knows what I might decide to do next.  To include me.  I just go along day by day and follow through with might strike my fancy.

Day 40 - I was going through a new book received by David Bellamy and a painting example jumped out at me.  I decided to try it in pen and ink.

 

 Day 41 - While watching a show I like to keep up with each week, I happened to take notice of the clothes pen sitting on my desk.  Without giving much thought, I grabbed my sketchbook and pen and completed this simple illustration.