End of Month Blog Tasks

Years ago I found a site that would save your blog to pdf for free.  It was nice knowing I had a backup that I could pull up on tablets, etc.  The only drawback was how the site saved the posts.  You were stuck with the format the site was setup to save each blog post, which for me wasn't always practical.    

Two years ago I started manually saving each post to a Word document saving all posts by the month.  By doing so I could format images, move them around to save space, etc.  Then after satisfied with the document formatting, I saved to pdf.  

I created a very plain cover sheet for each month followed by the blog posts.

This year I decided to enhance these documents by adding a Table of Contents page, a Contact Sheet of file images that show file names and the newest concept of a monthly illustrations recap sheet.  I can use these pdf files for viewing on tablets or cell phones and have printed.

One of Several New Items in Latest ACNH Update

Animal Crossing New Horizons just had a new update for several events in February.  One event called Festivale due to occur February 15th.  Each day starting February 1st, a random new item will show up in the Nook's Cranny Store that we can order.  With past events, you could buy the item and then obtain recipe cards to make duplicates.  Not sure it's the same with this event as I've not seen anything about how to obtain recipe cards.  So if you want more than one of an item, you're forced to time travel repeating the days hoping to get multiples.   

This happens to be one of my favorites and I spent hours repeating the days just to get several for my multiple residents created on my island as you can only buy one on any given day (what a disappointment!)  Love how this colorful display of feathers light up!

Fabriano Artistico (old stock) journal / TWSBI 580ALR w/Lexy Grey ink / QoR watercolors

Miya's 2020 Christmas Toy

After an exercise session with Miya playing tug of war with this toy, I decided to work a quick sketch.  This is one of three toys we loosely wrapped for her to open during our Family Christmas exchange.  We've done this now for the last three years or so which makes our Family Christmas time fun.

The family sits around with gifts handed out to be opened one at a time.  Miya will sit in the middle anticipating her role in opening her gifts.  We let her go first watching as she shreds the paper piece by piece until the toy is free of its wrapping.  Inside each package is also a little treat.  

The first year we did this, she would take off for my bedroom to open her gift.  She'd come back looking for another to open and repeat heading back to the bedroom.  After that first year, she chose to stay in with the family and after opening her gifts, would look around hoping to help us open ours.

Journal with Fabriano Artistico (old stock) / Kakuno fountain pen with Noodler's #41 Brown ink / Daniel Smith Buff Titanium, Burnt Umber and Paynes Grey.  Also used Warm Sepia for the darker brown areas.

Trashed or Recycled Items

Same day, my mouse died and needed a new battery, and when I went to print something, I ended up with an error message due to low ink.  After replacing the battery and five ink cartridges, I went to dispose of them when the idea hit me to sketch them first.  

Along with those two items, I had flower buds that never opened drop on my table.  That gave me three items I could sketch.  Looking around, I spotted the little pile of eraser bits and thought that would be a great addition to my page.

Still needing one more item to illustrate and fill the page, I remembered I had fixed egg bites and could include the egg shells.

Journal with Fabriano Artistico (old stock) / TWSBI 580ALR w/Lexy Grey ink / Daniel Smith watercolors.

Hypericum Berries - St John's Wort

Nine days have passed and the flowers in the arrangement Travis sent me are drooping and turning brown.  These berries, however, are still hanging in there.

When I first started the page, I had no idea what type of berries these were.  After I worked the sketch, I stopped and did some research...learning these are Hypericum Berries - St. John's Wort.  Another name known as Floral Berries that are bred specifically for floral arrangements growing on longer stems.

To me it's a bit confusing reading about St John's Wort as it's known for healing attributes and yet more research specifying the plant is poisonous.  So not really sure what parts might be poisonous and what parts can be safely used for healing.  The one thing that appears to be consistent in various articles is the fact the berries are definitely poisonous.  Highly toxic to various animals to include dogs and livestock.

Worked in journal with old stock of Fabriano Artistico / TWSBI 580ALR w/Lexy Grey ink / Daniel Smith watercolors - Sap Green, Aliz, Quin Rose, Ultramarine and Bt Umber.

Comparing TWSBI Pens

Yesterday, I decided to do some sketching to compare my TWSBI pens with a Fine Nib to the ones with Extra Fine nibs.  .

Pens being Compared:

580ALR - Fine nib - Noodlers Lexington Grey (newest bottle)
Eco - Extra Fine nib - DeAtramentis Urban Grey
Mini - Extra Fine nib - Noodlers Lexington Grey (old bottle purchased years ago)

Looking at the results between the 580ALR and the Eco....it's like the nibs are reversed with the Fine acting more like an EF and the EF acting more like a Fine nib.  I think it's more of an illusion due to the ink with the Urban Grey feeding wetter and darker.  The other thing I took notice to is the fact I've read Urban Grey is not known to feather whereas Lexington Grey does.  My results are just the opposite making the lines look thicker with the Urban Grey.

This next one is comparing the 580ALR with Fine nib to my Mini with EFine nib but using the same manufactured color ink - Lexington Grey.  The difference, however, is the 580ALR is loaded with ink from a new bottle whereas the Mini is loaded with ink from an old bottle I've had for years.  It APPEARS the new bottle or batch is warmer in tone than that from the old bottle.  Outside of that, I don't see a major difference in line width between the Fine and EFine nibs.  The difference I did take notice to was the "feel" as the nibs moved across the paper.  The EFine has more drag...a little scratchy compared to the Fine nib.

 

Wood Burning Tool Sketch

After working several wood blanks, I am finding just how much I enjoy using this TruArt Pyrography set the boys gifted me for Christmas.  I have spent several hours burning and the pen handle is comfortable to work with and has yet to get warm.  Not sure I can say that if using high temperatures but the settings I feel most comfortable with do not cause any issues with heat.  I love the fact you can hold this like a pen or pencil close to the tips whereas the solid tip wood burning tools you can't due to heat.

In addition to wood blanks, I have now tried my hand at burning cork and find that I really enjoy how it burns.  Much faster than burning the wood and cleaner and more consistent than burning watercolor paper fibers.

Heat settings I find most comfortable with are 50 for the poplar plywood wood blanks and around 32 for the cork.  And the tip I use most often with these settings is the Universal or standard wire tip.  The other tip is the Flat wire tip and settings for that depends on the amount of shading I want from light to dark.  For now I plan to stick with these two tips until I have more experience.

Sketch worked in journal with old stock of Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper.  TWSBI 580ALR with Lexington Grey ink.  QoR watercolors.

Exercising My New Pen - TWSBI 580ALR

While listening to TV, I sat and sketched a few more flowers from the arrangement my son had sent to me a few days ago.

I chose to use my new pen giving it a good workout and really enjoyed the experience.  With the pen/nib/ink combination along with the paper, I managed to get super light fine lines with ease as well as thicker/darker lines with just a little pressure.  This Fine nib appears to lay down super fine lines like what you would get using an Extra Fine nib but without all the drag or feedback many XFine nibs are known for.   The experience to me was like using a ballpoint pen where you have quite a bit of control with light and dark lines.

TWSBI 580ALR with Lexington Grey ink on old stock of Fabriano Artistico.

Pen Cleaning and New TWSBI Pen

With several pens to clean, I spent a few hours yesterday and today fully cleaning by taking apart, soaking, and flushing with cleaning fluid and plain water.  A few of the pens proved to be a bit stubborn with dried ink...mainly my Lamy pens.  

While parts were soaking, I worked this sketch showing my cleaning supplies.  And today my new TWSBI 580ALR arrived so I worked a sketch of it as well.

6x8 Fabriano Journal / Kakuno with #41 Brown

Flowers from my Son

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised by a delivery of flowers sent from my youngest son.  It was meant to brighten my day knowing I had been having a hard time since the end of December, beginning of January.  He chose a bouquet of flowers he knows are my favorite which especially includes the Lily as well as making sure there was plenty of yellow which speaks "happy" to me.

This is a quick sketch recording this special gift reminding me that even when things happen to turn someone's world upside down, there is still so much to be grateful for......to feel Blessed.

Pilot Retractable with Lexington Grey ink.

Capturing the Moment - Sandhill Cranes

While sitting at my desk, movement out of the corner of my eye grabbed my attention.  I looked outside the window and below our bird feeders were two Sandhill Cranes.

I haven't seen them in weeks.....months, actually.....making this a pleasant surprise to see them.  As I sat and watched them, I decided to capture in my journal noting date and the temperature outside.

One had two tags attached to its legs while the other did not.  I often wonder why some are tagged while others are not.  I also wonder how it must feel on them trying to walk around or even fly.

For the gray coloring, I chose to use a Potters Pink and Cerulean Blue mix.  The way the sun hit these birds, some of their body color looked almost white while the rest of their coloring was a light to medium/dark gray.

Worked in the 8x6 Fabriano Journal made by Fay.  TWSBI Eco pen (xFine nib) and Urban Grey ink.

Back to Sketching in My Journal

For months (since Sept 23rd), I haven't felt like sketching in my journal.  Wasn't motivated or inspired to pick up a pen or pencil.  Instead, I worked on my Ipad or did other things.  Then..........one of my dearest friends wrote saying she was in the mood to buy a new pen and asked which I tend to like best considering I had quite a variety on hand to compare and comment on.

TWSBI has turned out to be one of my top favorites.  I have the mini and I have the Eco...both with Extra Fine nibs.  I like the wetter feed and love the large ink holding capacity compared to others.  Another positive is the fact the cap screws on which helps keep the nib from drying out even if sitting for awhile. 

After sending off my response, I decided to visit my online pen supply store just to see what was offered under the TWSBI line of pens.  The 580 series grabbed my attention because you can purchase extra or replacement nibs whereas the mini and Eco doesn't have that option.  I proceeded to place one in the cart and then thought.........the last thing I need is ANOTHER pen and closed out the site.

Next day I checked my pens to see which needed cleaning and which still had ink I could test to see if they needed a jump start in writing by dipping in water.  The two pens that gave me no problem writing from the start were my TWSBIs.  Next thing I know, I'm back to the pen site and I placed the order.

Just the motivation needed to dig out my journal and my TWSBI Eco and started sketching.

First sketch is a flower off one of my Christmas Cacti that is only now flowering.  It's on a page I also wrote a quote from an episode in NCIS-LA that I loved ... "My Life Has Meaning".  Not knowing if it could be a copyright infringement sharing online, I chose to crop the illustration for posting.

Unable to sleep last night, I worked two more sketches.  This first one, I'm leaving as a pen and ink only illustration until I decide how I want to work the rest of the page.  It's one of my favorite subjects from a pot of artificial flowers simulating an actual flower arrangement my husband got me years ago.

This one I chose to add color and add this sentiment that holds true at a really trying time!  I used QoR watercolors for this.  Ink in my pen is Urban Grey.

So now I eagerly await my new TWSBI 580ALR pen.

Requested Wood Burning by Hubby

This wood burning is of my miniature bear, Opal, that I worked as a watercolor some time ago.  One of my husband's favorites due to the subject matter.  

Used the same tips and heat setting as my first attempt.

Both have been sealed using DecoArt Satin Finish - 4 layers (as a reminder to myself).

The Near Finished Tile - Wood Burning

Took me a few days but I finally finished the wood burning on this tile that I started with the bear illustration.

My plan was to add lettering (a quote, poem or inspirational statement) but didn't know how I was going to transfer the lettering.  I bought transfer paper but testing it out made me think twice about using it.  Although advertised as being erasable, it was anything BUT erasable.  Plus it smears.

I spent hours researching transfer papers pyrographers use to transfer images onto wood.  I read reviews before deciding to make the purchase.  Unfortunately, what I ended up purchasing will not work as I had hoped.  I thought about winging it and using a regular pencil writing out what I wanted on the tile but feared messing things up along the way.....especially with placement of words.  Even pencil can be difficult to erase off wood (as I'm learning along the way).  

Then I remembered an app I downloaded to my Ipad a couple years ago called Camera Lucinda.  I only tried it once when I first downloaded the app and then forgot about it.  Today as I was trying to decide how to proceed, the app came to mind and I decided to give that a try for this project.  It takes some getting used to but I managed to get the lettering down using an HB pencil with a light touch.

As I was burning the letters into the wood, I found myself feeling shaky.  I didn't feel nervous working the bear illustration.  Lettering for me is a bit tricky and will take quite a bit of practice before I can feel at ease with it.  But for my first attempt, I'm actually happy with the results (flaws and all).

The wire tip I used was the universal as I didn't care for how the ball tip worked that many use for writing or lettering.  

Only thing left to do at this point is adding a protective coat of some kind but I need to do more research before I decide which way to go.

Something Different / Something New for the New Year

It's been a couple months now since I had any interest in doing anything artsy.  October's challenge burnt me out so rather than fighting through it making myself do something, I decided to just take a break not worrying about it.

My sons gifted me with a really nice pyrography set for Christmas hoping it might inspire me.  Something different with new challenges and techniques to focus on.  Over 20 years ago I tried wood burning using a simple wood burning tool from Walnut Hollow.  I managed to finish the piece I worked but didn't care for the tool.  Main complaint was the heat holding the tool.  I never messed with it after that.

This set is so different with variable temperature, wire tips instead of solid, and the pens do not get hot.  I'm finding this set and type of tool is going to be a real joy to use.  What is also amazing to me (only learning now while searching how to use this tool) that people burn on paper as well.  This opens the door for me to explore new ways of practicing my drawing skills and combining techniques to include watercolor.

For my first attempt using this set, I used my miniature bear, Opal, as my model on a piece of wood.  I lightly drew him onto the wood tile with a mechanical pencil and the chose two tips to work with.....one considered a universal tip for outlining and a shader tip for building up values and shading.

I was feeling a bit timid and conservative with heat so for most of the piece, I used the voltage setting 44 and then upped it just a tad to 47 for darker shading.  It took me awhile considering the lower heat setting but I wasn't ready to jump in with it any number higher than I chose.

Photos taken using cell phone as I worked (not the greatest photos but something I can reference back to):

 

Scanned image:

Pyrography Set and Tips I used - TruArt Stage 2 Pyrography Set:  Temperature Control Box (by voltage) and the two pens that came with the set.  To the right is a carbon filter fan to help with the smoke and fumes (was not part of the set).

Tips referenced as Universal (left) and flat (some refer to as a shader - right)