Stunned Towhee

We were living in WV at the time out in Farmington after we bought the only other house on the hill where Ron and Cristy lived.  We had a couple of feeders out back and during a certain time of day, birds would by accident fly into the window seeing reflections of trees.

This little guy hit hard and we went out to see if he was OK.  At first he didn't move but we could tell he was still alive.  I checked to see if a wing was broke or if he acted like he broke his neck but didn't appear either was the case.  As I sat out with him on the back porch, he started moving staying in a sitting position.  He moved his head around so I knew his neck was OK.  I stroked the back of his head and neck and then just sat there watching him as he kept a close eye on me.  Finally after about 20 to 30 minutes, I stood up and he flew off.  

Procreate using BJD Standard Inker for the line drawing and the eye.  Used Painting/Watercolor brush tool for the rest of the drawing and Airbrush/Soft for the shadow.  When smudging and erasing, I used the same brush tools as I used for putting down color.

With this one, I worked the line drawing for guidance only.  Decided not to include that layer in the final results as I didn't want a Pen and ink/wash look.

Honeybell Oranges

One of the sweetest oranges we've ever tasted and by far the juiciest is the Honeybell.  It's surprising the time of the year they are ready to harvest starting around the end of December / beginning of January.  And even after a couple freeze warnings we've had, they are still going strong.  What is left remain inside the tree canopy and they are huge and very orange.  

We have several neighbors we share these with so not to go to waste.  One lady uses them in her fruit cakes, which is the best we have ever had.  Terry bags several for Madison's bus driver and neighbors who are unable to come pick their own, Terry will bag and take to them. 

Honeybells are a cross hybrid of tangerine and grapefruit.  They are very easy to peel and only have minimum seeds.   The one tree we have is very productive and here soon fruit will be replaced with an abundance of flowers.

QoR Watercolors / TWSBI 580ALR w/Lexington Grey ink / 6x8 Journal with old stock of Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper.

Son's Cat - Kiddo

Thought I would attempt Kiddo again hoping to get closer to capturing her likeness.  It's not exact but I'm closer than I've been able to get in prior attempts.

A white cat for me is rather difficult to sketch especially trying to add shadow without taking away from the white.  

Kiddo is a mix of some sort with Siamese.  Her eyes are different from what we're used to seeing in cats with a solid black most of the time versus the diamond slit.  Her tail is black and white like a racoon's tail while the rest of her is pure white except for a few markings on the top of her head and face.

She's always been very high spirited while at the same time a very loving cat.  My son will at times refer to her as being a bit "crazy" due to how she for some reason will tear through the house as if her tail was on fire or some unseen creature chasing her.  And it always seemed like a certain time of the evening when she would do this.

She's 17 years old and has been with us since a kitten ... born August 1, 2004.

UPDATE 02/17/21:  After viewing on screen, there was something nagging at me that just didn't look right.  After studying the results, it hit me the eyes just didn't cut it for me.  I didn't like the hard edges of the pupils and they needed to be enlarged fitting the eye socket better.

Now I'm happier with the results.

Practice Blending - Dogwood

One of my all-time favorite trees has always been the Dogwood.  I absolutely LOVE the flowers and such a beautiful sight to see welcoming Spring....at least living up North.  We haven't seen them here in Florida and not sure they can be grown here.

I was going through my photos and those I've taken of our dogwood trees (growing wild on the hill we used to live on in West Virginia) grabbed my attention.  I thought they would make a great subject to practice blending and softening hard edges.

Choosing a brown color, I used an Inking brush tool to sketch simple lines.  Then used the Smudge brush tool to pull color from the lines and blend out.

Had this been done using pencil on paper, I would have worked the same way using a tortillon or paper stump.

Initial line drawing before smudging/blending:

February Monthly Theme Continued - Fishing

To continue with my monthly theme "Hobbies - Materials/Supplies", I worked this page with fishing in mind.  A recreational activity I sorely miss but find it difficult to participate in....at least in the way I prefer to fish.

Fishing from a kayak is my top choice as I can maneuver in places a boat cannot get to, plus, I can go where I want to go at any given time.  Unlike if sharing a boat with someone.

Going out in a kayak living in Florida is a bit more unsettling for me.  While living up north, we didn't have alligators to worry about sharing the waters with.  Even with the added stability and security of a sit-on-top kayak, that constant concern seeing a gator was always on my mind.  Made it a bit difficult to really relax and enjoy being out on the water.  But for the first several years living in Florida, I would go out with Terry and Travis.  Unfortunately, the issues I face with back and leg make it even less enjoyable going out, so I haven't been fishing in the last couple of years.

TWSBI 580ALR / Lexy Grey ink, Journal with Fabriano Artistico (old stock), QoR watercolors.

Sketched in ink 02/07/21 and added color 02/10/21

Flowers - Pen and Ink

Here is my pen and ink for the month using the TWSBI 580 ALR with Lexy Grey ink.  Sketched in journal made with Fabriano Artistico (old stock) paper.

This flower stalk was in an arrangement Sis surprised Terry and I with when we went to visit her and Dusty back in 2012.  They managed a RV park in Rockport, TX, that also had cabins one could rent.  They always made sure the cabin next to where they were set up was available for us to rent.  Walking inside we were greeted with a flower arrangement sitting on a table.  

Bird Sketching

A couple other goals I've set myself for the year are working at least one digital, one graphite, and one fountain pen ink sketch per month.  

While watching (actually listening to) TV, I worked these birds in two different mediums.

This ink sketch is using Procreate = Technical ink tool.  A practice using hatching and cross hatching to achieve my values.

For a graphite sketch, I worked this hummingbird from a photo taken back in 2011 when we lived in West Virginia.  

Worked in Alpha journal I have designated for graphite only drawings.  Used my Pentel Graphgear 1000 mechanical pencil, size .7

Monthly Themes 2021 - A Yearly Personal Goal

Finally, I have decided on a few art goals for 2021.  One is to work a monthly theme.  The idea is to create a minimum of three to six illustrations or sketches in my journal that would fit the theme throughout the month.  Unlike a daily challenge, this might be a little easier to accomplish....especially during those down times when the motivation is lacking.

I sat down and listed a page full of theme ideas (so far 19 ideas).  My plan is to have Terry or even ask Alexa to choose a number between 1 and 19 (or how ever many I end up with as I continue adding to the list) and then match the numbered item on my list.  For February, Alexa chose #7 which is Hobbies - Materials/Supplies.

Although I hadn't come up with this until recent, if January had a theme, it would probably be flowers since that was the primary subject I leaned towards sketching after my son gifted me with flowers.

What I like about this particular theme is the wide range it covers providing quite a number of sketching subjects.  

Although I have gone over and above the minimum early in the month, I still have several other hobbies I can sketch about between now and the 28th of February.

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.