More Lyme Regis, UK

Worked on this pen and ink night before last and then added watercolor this morning.  Another sketch from my 2010 UK trip photos.

Used a Platinum Carbon pen with Black ink in the Stillman & Birn Zeta journal.

Daniel Smith watercolors - Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Lunar Blue, Lunar Black, Raw Sienna, touch of Bt Sienna, Bt Umber and Quin Rose.

#10 Round.

I am really enjoying the Zeta series for pen and ink as well as watercolor. 

Lyme Regis UK

Finally loaded a second Platinum Carben pen with Noodler's #41 Brown but used an old cartridge that came with my first.  It still had some black in the cartridge.

Only the front building was using the PC with Brown and the remaining sketch was using a PC with Black.  I love the fine nib point!!!  Worked really well on this paper surface.  Also tested out using watercolor which this paper handles nicely.

This is from one of my trip photos of my 2010 UK visit.

Something Blue

Here I am using the Lamy pen with it's original blue cartridge but with Lexington Gray ink added to what I thought was a near empty cartridge.  Evidently not because it's still feeding the blue.  I did notice with the second sketch that the blue is looking darker.....particularly in the notes which were added last.    Lexington Gray is not water soluble but the blue is.

Both done in the Daler Rowney 4 x 6 sketchbook with cartridge paper.

 

Ink and Wash Sketches

I found a small Daler Ronwney sketchbook I started three years ago dedicated to ink and wash.  For most of half the sketchbook, the ink and was sketches were done with a Tombow pen.  The book still has several pages remaining so I decided to do a few ink and washes using different pens and inks (as noted on each page).

This sketchbook is made up of acid free 150g/m cartridge paper.

The Well - Sherbourne Old Castle UK

Another watercolor sketch of my UK trip back in 2010.

This one is of Sherbourne Old Castle........actually The Well that sits on the grounds.

The story of The Well is that it supplied most of the water used at the castle.  It's 40 ft deep cut through natural rock that forms the castle hill to the water table below.  It was originally in an enclosed courtyard where the kitchen was detached from the main buildings as a precaution against fire.

What captivated me about this scene was not only the well but the area behind it..... especially that one tree that towers over the rest. 

Worked in the Zeta Journal sketching with brush and watercolor first.  Then went back and added the pen and ink work using my Pilot Prera and Lexington Gray ink.

Snail in Pen and Ink

This one I worked on very early in the morning.  The snail is on a plastic woven sack with the name of the road stamped on it.

Working in the Generic sketchbook, I used my Pilot Prera with Lexington Gray ink.  The snail body is multiple hatch lines turning 45 degrees several times crossing one another until I reached the almost solid darks.  The shell is using the contoured hatch marks.

Various Pen and Ink Doodles

I've definitely hit a low spot with regards to my sketching.  I'm still at it trying to do a little something each day but the "itch" or drive is not quite there right now.  I'm surprised it took this long. Sometimes I think it's not so much a slump as it might be a recharging period. 

Here is what I've done over the course of a few days.....just playing with different pens.

Busch Gardens Tampa FL

This is from another holiday trip with my brother and his family.

Painted in the Zeta Journal using Daniel Smith Lunar Black, Lunar Earth, App Green, and Serp Green.  Touch of Fr Ultramarine.

#8 Round

After painting, did some pen and ink work with the Pilot Prera and Lexington Gray ink.

I really had fun with the Lunar Black painting wet in wet.  Love how the pigment granulates!!!!

There's a lot of green in this but that's how it truly was.  I could have used some artistic license but my goal was to capture as true to the actual sight as I could.  As it was, I took liberty in using Lunar Earth in the rock when it was all gray.

Sea World Trip

I've been going through past-years' holiday photos reliving the glorious times we had with friends and family.

These pages are from our trip to Sea World with my brother and his family.  We had started making this a yearly venture where we got together and went different places along with visiting my mom.  Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do that in the last couple of years.

Most normal people start on the left and work right.  I seem to do the opposite.  The page on the right I did first as ink and wash and the left page is non water soluble ink and watercolor.

Pens used were:  Rotring with water soluble ink; Stabilo brown; and TWSBI with Lexington Gray ink.

Zeta Journal and Daniel Smith watercolors.

It's Raining Hickory Nuts

All around us are Hickory Trees....primarily towards the back of our house.  There are at least three different varieties possibly four.  (I thought there were only two when I worked the first page in my journal; however, Terry came across others.)

One is a Shag bark Hickory, Pignut, Red, and possibly a King Nut.   The squirrels scarf up the Shag Bark Hickory.and we think it's because they have a thinner shell and sweeter meat.  They are the easiest for us to crack open too without the insides obliterating into crumbs.  The Pignut are bitter and the others are in between.

This time of year you don't dare stand outside for any length of time out of fear of getting hit in the head by a falling nut.  Our dogs have had near misses the last few days and I'd hate to think what one might do to the smallest if hit in the head.  Throughout the day and evening, we hear them hitting the roof and awning.  Sometimes they hit so hard that it sounds like a small caliber gun shot.  Some hit so hard and loud that it startles us and our dogs.

While out picking up Hickory nuts, Terry also found we have at least one Walnut tree.  Probably a black Walnut.  He's going to scout around some more to see if others are around the property.  I'm sure the squirrels are scarfing them up too as we are not finding many on the ground.

These were done in the Zeta Journal.  Although I touched here and there with a Pilot Prera pen, I wouldn't really call these pen and ink.  A #8 Round was used painting wet in wet.

Daniel Smith watercolors:  Appetite Green, Sap Green, Green Gold, Bt Umber, Raw Umber and Paynes Gray and Lunar Black.   A little Fr Ultra plus Bt Umber for the shadows.

Note:  A few segment lines were made using brush tip and watercolor but then went to bruising with a small brush handle.

 

I'm Still At It

All done in the Zeta Journal........one straight pen and ink and the other two pen and ink plus watercolor. 

I have so many photos from my UK trip I truly enjoy sketching from.

And from a photo Terry took while in Arizona, here is a pen and ink with watercolor using the uniball green black, brown black and pilot prera with Lexington Gray.

One of My Favorite Plants in Watercolor

Another watercolor entry in my Zeta book..........a Prayer Plant.

I love the markings on these plants and love how they fold up at night.

Although on the page indicates several greens, the primary green I used was Cascade Green.  The others were used as a glaze or for the darks.  Cascade Green is a unique green and I wasn't real impressed with it mixed with other colors except Fr Ultra for a green blue.  It also changes color as it dries........or seemed to.

I used pen and ink to emphasize some edges for suggesting wood grain.

More Watercolor Sketching

Although I enjoy sketching in pen and ink, after awhile I feel like I lose touch painting in watercolor as my primary sketching.  This is painting first and then just enough pen and ink for detailing.

Daniel Smith watercolors:  Paynes Gray, Ultramarine Blue, Bt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Quin Rose, App Green and Sap Green.

Pens:  Pilot Prera with Lexington Gray ink and Uniball 0.38 Brown Black

It has felt great working with watercolor again rather than just slightly adding washes to pen and ink sketches!

States I'd Love to Visit

Worked in the Zeta journal painting each mini landscape with Daniel Smith Watercolor, 1/2 inch Flat brush, and finished off with pen and ink.

Used both the Pilot Prera with Lexington Gray ink and the Uniball UM-151 Brown Black.

My #1 choice if only one place to visit would be Utah!  

Maybe one day.

While Out and About

This is a Church I saw while stopped for gas.  Hopefully you can read the page explaining more about it.

Worked in the Zeta journal with Pilot Prera with Lexington Gray ink and the Uniball UM-151 Brown Black.  Finished with Daniel Smith watercolors.

What captured my interest were the directional lines of the siding.

When You Think You Have It Bad........

Things have not changed for us......not even any prospects.  But to keep things in perspective (or try to), all one has to do is read the news.

I feel so bad for all those people dealing with the floods in Colorado.  I can't even imagine what those people feel or think as they experience this.

All that brown water and muck everywhere!!!  The property damage and loss of life!!!  :-((

How does one recover from something like this?!!

Stippling Practice

This page concentrates on stippling with pen and ink.  I used two pens........TWSBI Mini with Lexington Gray Ink and the Pilot Prera with Lexington Gray ink. 

My personal experience or findings:

I found the two worked together beautifully for tones. 

Some of the illustrations are only using the TWSBI, some only with the Pilot Prera but most with the combination of the two (as noted near the illustrations).

The Pilot Prera worked nicely for shadows and I was quite surprised even with the fine nib how easily it was to make the dots building from very light to darker value but still remaining soft.

The TWSBI is a larger nib allowing the ink to flow heavier.  Only a light touch on the paper was necessary to create the darks. 

On this paper in my Generic Sketchbook, I had to take care just barely touching the paper as the paper wanted to "grab" the ink.

This was extremely relaxing to do working a little at a time as time permitted.  :-))

Different Strokes - Pen and Ink

These pages are working with various marks or pen strokes to depict subjects and shading. Thought I would give a serious try with using dots for shading.  It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be as the pens left their mark easily.

Used various pens as mentioned on the sheets and worked in the Generic Sketchbook.

Veggies

Seems I'm losing a bit of steam now........slowing down or lacking the motivation.  Might just be a little stall but I'm trying to push through it.

Here is a page I wasn't real happy with and the sad part is I don't even know why.  Could be just a mood thing.

I chose water soluble pens so I could work a wash and then added a bit of watercolor.

Worked in the Generic Sketchbook.

Playing in Color Again

To loosen up a bit after all the tedious hatching with pen and ink, I worked these two color sketches. 

Both done in the Stillman & Birn Zeta 5 x 8 journal; Daniel Smith watercolors.

I'm not sure how I feel a day after with the leaves but when I completed it, I wrote it off as a glouper or less than desirable.  Today all that stands out are the colors which brighten the day.

The second is from imagination where I just played a bit with grayed colors and then the contrast of the pot.  I was pretty amazed by the results of the pot with the texture.  I worked it wet in wet, dropped little beads of color, waited until almost dry and then sprayed water over it.  Then as that was drying stippled with brush tip color here and there again.