Finally Sketching Again

Can't believe it's been two weeks since I picked up a pencil, pen, or brush!!!  I don't like going for spells not doing anything as I feel like I'm starting over again........feeling lost, confused, etc.

Finally I made myself do something even though I really didn't feel up to it.  It was dismal and depressing  (yesterday) with drizzle most of the day.  Even nature looked sad displaying dull looking colors and all droopy.

Through the struggle of my ehhh mood,  I did manage to do this page.  Not real happy with it as I felt old bad habits were trying to take over.  I found myself unsure of my brush strokes and wanting to fidget trying to get everything so so.  Anytime I do that, I feel I over-work giving less than desirable results (to my own eyes).  At least I did follow through.

This was done in the Stillman & Birn Alpha journal book using Winsor & Newton paints.

Today it was sunny and really pretty outside.  I found myself in a better frame of mind and think it shows on this next page.

As I looked outside my window, the beauty just inspired me to capture the colors and basic subject matter I see all around.  Each illustration is from imagination without any real reference to what I actually saw.   I just let my mind and hand do their own thing.

And, this time around everything just fell in place without my feeling the need to go back in to fix anything.  The colors in the first group especially show the brighter spirit I was in when I sat down to do these.

Also done in the Stillman & Birn Alpha journal only I switched back to my beloved Daniel Smith pigments.

Can't explain why after doing comparisons but I love this brand of paint.  The greatest attribute being how easy it is to become pliable (reactivated) when wet than some other brands.  I don't have the issues of paint drying and breaking up either as I do with some brands.

And finally, I was drawn to practice a few simple figures.  A subject matter I find difficult especially trying to render the limbs to look convincing like legs and direction the person is facing and the feet depending upon how the figure is standing or moving.

I pulled up my free pdf download from peninkwatercolorsketching and worked a couple examples.  Same journal book and Daniel Smith pigments were used.  Actually I'm using palette mixes that have dried from previous painting sessions.

This is one subject I really feel I need a lot of practice in.  Not that I'm trying to portray any realism but I do want the results to be decent and believable.

You may or may not be able to read the tiny writing but I found it interesting some of the results I achieved mixing the palette mixes together :-) Especially the guy top left (pants) and the shirt on the guy bottom right.

The top was done using my Pilot Prera and Namiki ink (water soluble) whereas the last two were done pen and ink using the Pilot Prera and Lexy Gray which is more or less water proof (depending upon paper surface).  All illustrations pen and ink first with watercolor washed later except the two bottom right figures which I did the opposite with.