Summer Art Camp at Leesburg Center for the Arts

Each day this week, a different famous master artist is being covered with a short video first thing about the artist and then three different art drawing lessons that represent what the featured artist was famous for.

Monday and Tuesday of this week, I volunteered to help out at the Center during the morning art lessons provided to children ages 8 to 11.

Monday  I was there early in order to help the kids fold and cut their own accordion fold journals.  These journals were being made for them to enter something in it each day  to keep them busy between lessons while things were cleaned up from previous lesson and set up for the next.

Yesterday's featured artist was Leonardo DaVinci.  I was there with material drawn up for the kids to draw Mr. Potato Head as the Vitruvian Man DaVinci is famous for.  Carolyn (who heads this art camp) presented the lesson while myself and others walked around to help each child if they needed it.  The Vitruvian Man exercise was Lesson #2 with the first Lesson having children draw the MonoLisa using a picture of themselves as a starting point.

While preparing for Lesson #2, these kids went to another table to draw in their journals.  This sketch represents five of the 13 that were there.

Worked in a large Stillman & Birn Beta journal.

75 Day Challenge - Days 57, 58, and 59

Only 16 days remaining :-)

Day 57 - Pretty self explanatory.  Worked in small Beta journal.

Day 58 - Using my little bear to depict how I was feeling yesterday.  Worked in cartridge paper sketchbook using a Micron 02

Day 59 - Worked early this morning in small Beta journal

75 Day Challenge - Days 54, 55, and 56

Day 54 - A small backpack illustration as I sit and think about accessories I could sketch to go with and characterize my little 2 inch bear, Opal, for card ideas and art flyers.  Micron pen used in cartridge paper sketchbook.

Day 55 - A couple of Opal poses as well as accessories.   Used a Micron for this one as well.  Also in the cartridge paper sketchbook.

Day 56 - Birdhouse from a photo I took my last trip to Lake Sumter Landing in The Villages.   This one worked in a new small Stillman & Birn Beta journal.  I chose the Lamy Safari fountain pen as it works best when I want to achieve super light/fine lines........loaded with Lexington Gray ink.

Opal Painting on Location

For those who know me and follow along here, on Flickr, and Facebook, this "model" shows up quite often.  I love using Opal as a model.  I just love bears, I guess...........lol.  But Opal is special as he or she is a vintage miniature birthstone bear gifted me many years ago.

With this sketch, I decided Opal would go out on location and do some painting.  This represents our group going out on various sketchcrawls with this one at Venetian Gardens here in Florida.

Hand sewn journal and Lamy Safari / Lexy Gray ink

75 Day Challenge - Days 52 and 53

Well I'm just past 2/3 of the way through this 75 Day Challenge / Round 2.  Am I feeling a bit more confident jumping in with pen and ink?  I think so.  At least I'm not feeling that major hesitation or fear when starting out.  Do I still want to grab my pencil?  Absolutely...........lol.  It's just the way I enjoy working, I guess.  But my working this challenge can only be a positive  :-)

Day 52 - I grabbed one of my little lego people and decided to sketch her.   I was looking at quotes for artists and thought I'd work this little illustration with one I really liked.

The lego lady is using pen and ink but the quote is added with computer so I can change the quote around and share if I so choose.  The lego lady and surrounding box was worked in the cartridge paper journal.

Day 53 - An added challenge working pen and ink only is working with a black subject.  Sometimes I'm not sure just how much to fill in and it still represent black without going overboard or it turning out as a solid fill.  And with this one I faced yet another challenge using a Micron trying to achieve variations in line strokes.  It's easier with a fountain pen for sure.

Worked in the Cartridge paper journal / Micron 02

75 Day Challenge - Days 50 and 51

Continuing my work from photos taken Saturday at the Barberville Pioneer Settlement, I worked these for my 75 day ink challenge.

Day 50 - Outside the Lewis Log Cabin.  Worked in hand sewn journal using the Pilot Prera and Lexy Gray ink.  Decided to add some color.

Day 51 - Hanging in one of the buildings.  Cartridge sketchbook and Pilot Prera w/Lexy Gray ink

Day Trip to Barberville Pioneer Settlement

Yesterday, Shari Williams and myself went to Barberville, FL to check out this historical site representing "Old Florida".  Barberville Pioneer Settlement is a neat place!!!!  It was super hot and humid so we basically just walked around going through all the buildings and taking lots of photos we can use to sketch/paint from.

At some point I'd like to go back with Terry as I'm sure he'd love it.  And it would be a great place for our art group to meet up and sketch and paint on site.  Definitely want to wait until it's a bit cooler!!

For now I have a page in my hand sewn journal showing the map of our trip.  I plan to sketch/paint from some of the photos here in the near future.

Thought I would try my hand at copying computer font styles I liked but using pen and ink.  The fonts I copied were Gigi and Viner Hand.

75 Day Challenge - Days 47, 48, and 49

All sketched in the Cartridge Paper sketchbook from the UK.

Day 47 - Decided to sketch one of Terry's fishing lures he recently purchased for his and Travis's fishing/kayaking outing yesterday.  Used the Platinum Carbon desk pen

Day 48 - Pencil/Pen caddie sitting on my desk  The Pilot Prera with F nib used for this one.

Day 49 - Just doodling odds and ends around my desk.  TWSBI w/Lexy Gray ink used this time.

75 Day Challenge - Days 45 and 46

With these two days of sketching, I've tried to loosen up a bit.  Be a little "sketchier" than I normally tend to be.

Both in a cartridge paper sketchbook from the UK which is like blotter paper to wet medium.  If you don't move the pen quickly, the ink will blob and spread or feather.

Day 45 - Quick sketch (which for me is a "little" different than loose) where I try not to fiddle but instead attempt to get down on paper quickly but as accurately as I can.....at least proportions.

Day 46 - Quick Loose Sketching ......... allowing my marks to be carefree, choppy, or wonky but still resemble what I'm sketching.  I wasn't really concerned with accuracy so much as just looking like a lucky bamboo plant in a container.

75 Day Challenge - Day 44

Was an all nighter where I couldn't sleep..........so I sketched.

While watching TV I paused this scene and sketched the house.  Worked with my Platinum Carbon Desk Pen / Lexy Gray ink in my hand sewn journal with Fabriano 140 Cold Press.

Also did this little illustration of a quick fix to keep a single ink vial in place without fear of tipping over when dipping a pen into the ink.

75 Day Challenge - Days 39 - 43

Catching up with my 75 Day Sketch Challenge:

Day 39 -  Hawk on our back fence watching for birds to come to our feeders.  He doesn't stay very long though, as the blue jays will squawk swooping down making contact until he leaves.

Using Lamy Safari with Lexy Gray ink added in the original cartridge that had a little blue still remaining.  Still very much water soluble as seen in the wash.  S&B Beta journal.

Day 40 - One of my figurines in a collection I have that represent my three sons.  S&B Beta journal.

Day 41 - Our Curcuma is blooming again this year.  It sits in a pot we leave outside.  Purchased at Lowes back in 2014.  Cartridge paper from sketchbook purchased in the UK.

 Day 42 - From a photo of a friend of mine painting on location.  Cartridge paper from sketchbook purchased in the UK.

Miss Miya - quick sketching using Pilot Prera and Lexy Gray Ink  Cartridge paper purchased in the UK

Day 43 - Hummers I miss horribly from when we lived in West Virginia.  From two of my favorite photos I took several years ago.  With this I was trying out a new ink.......Noodler's Golden Brown.......and an Oblique Pen Holder.

The ink is water soluble and took a long time to dry on the Fabriano paper.  I had to lay a paper towel across the page and press to blot up the excess ink that didn't want to dry.  Love the color brown it shows and really lovely golden yellow wash with a wet brush.

Hand sewn journal / Fabriano 140 lb Cold Press

S&B Beta journal and ballpoint pen.  Showing before and after swishing a little color for added interest.

Last of the Cannas

At the back of the house along one wall near the Florida/Sun room was a row of yellow cannas.  We were forced to clear them out as they were blocking one of the main sprinkler heads that waters a large area of grass and other plants

One canna was persistent though growing back and of course it was one that was right up against the two foot high sprinkler.  I cut it back to ground level rather than trying to pull it out of the ground (of course it will probably grow back......lol).  This canna was still blooming so I brought the stalk inside to enjoy its last blooms.

Hand sewn journal with Fabriano / Lamy Safari with Lexington Gray ink

 

75 Day Challenge - Days 37 and 38

For these two sketches, I used another Lamy I have that was loaded with the original blue ink cartridge that came with it.  The ink cartridge was pretty much used up / dry so I added Lexington Gray ink to it.  Some of the remaining blue mixed with the gray.

The blue ink is water soluble and will bleed if a damp or wet brush hits it.  The gray is waterproof.  It was interesting to see what might happen if I took a damp brush to the outer lines of the dog with the mix.  I love the results.  This has happened to me before using a Tombow black marker pen.

Both worked in the S&B Beta journal.

The ceramic dog is all white but reminds us of Miya....our yorki-poo .... when she was a puppy.  The only difference between the figurine and Miya is the mouth.  She always looks like she's serious......not smiling like the figurine depicts.

Here is one of the mummified brown anoles I have along with three eggs that never hatched.  The mummified lizards were found where they dried up being trapped between screen and window.

Comparing Ink and Watercolor to Watercolor Only

This is my playing comparing one curcumin flower with watercolor and ink with the other using  watercolor only.  I've become so use to pen and ink that when I don't use it, the results look somewhat naked.

The inking was done after the flower was painted using a Uniball Vision gel pen.

Also practicing continuous line hand lettering technique that I've picked up from an online course I'm taking.

S&B Beta

75 Day Challenge - Days 34 - 36

Almost half way through the challenge :-)

Still working in my mini S&B Beta journal.

Day 34 - Used one of the Uniball Vision gel pens and then took a damp brush and made some of the ink bleed.

Day 35 - Forget which pen I used for this.  I was on the telephone and wasn't paying attention.  This is a birdhouse I have sitting in my Florida room where I spend most of my time.

Day 36 - Decided to do some stippling with the orchid my youngest son gave me on Mothers Day.   Everything was stippled except the brown twiggy bits in the background.  Used Uniball pens..... the reddish one was one of the Vision pens and the green, brown, and blue were Uniball Signo gel pens.  I made the reddish color bleed just slightly by taking a barely damp brush and gently swishing brush across the petals.