Sketching Frenzy

I seem to flow like the tide where my artwork is concerned; only my cycles are much more spread out.  I've been in a real sketching frenzy lately.  One of my personal New Year resolutions was to paint or sketch something each day or at the very least once a week.  I'm not real disciplined and the New Year started out slow for me.  Well here I am completing one sketch after another, so while the mood is with me, I'll just go with the flow and enjoy while I can.  I'm sure I'll hit another low tide before too long (hopefully not as long between low/high tides.)

The Christmas Cactus bloom is a flower I've so wanted to draw and paint for years.  Each year it blooms, I take all sorts of photos with the intent to do something.  And each year I would chicken out because it seemed too complicated and intimidating.

The various bud/flowering stages really grabbed my attention this year so instead of taking pictures, I forced myself to attempt sketching what I saw.

This first sheet took awhile to complete leaving the full flower last to attempt.  That took me forever and I kept getting lost with all the petals twisting and pointing in different directions.  When complete, I told myself I'd not be painting this or even attempting to sketch again because it was too mind boggling.  I did feel great upon completion.......FINALLY I managed capturing that flower (at least once) !!!!

Cactus Flower sketches done in Handbook

Next day the plant kept calling me to it.  Either I'm a glutton for punishment or I was feeling a bit more confident and up for the challenge to attempt it again.   In either case, I decided to work with one flower turning the pot so I could work with the different views.  Now mind you, I chose one not completely open so maybe that helped.

I found with this session not to be as tedious and I managed to fill the page in a much shorter period of time.  Not laboring over any portion as I did the previous day.

With this sheet, my goal was to capture shape/form rather than get into shading.  I felt really good with this one.  Maybe I was in a better frame of mind mentally for the challenge - hard to say.  :-)


I've been to England three times and one of the landscape elements that I absolutely love viewing are the many castles we just don't see here in the States.  I'm not one for drawing or painting architecture but castles, huts, or even old barns are an exception in my book.

This is a practice for a possible painting sometime in the future.  It's simple design is what captured my attention with this one.  I love the round portion of the castle worked in with the square and rectangular shapes.

Moleskine Sketchbook - 3x5" book (closed)

This next sketch was done in less than 10 minutes while sitting and waiting for my granddaughters bus.  Across from where I was parked was this stream with all sorts of landscape debris.  My goal was to quickly capture what I could in the time I had before the bus arrived.  Definitely not something I'd frame and hang on the wall but it was definitely fun to do.

Moleskine Sketchbook - 3x5"





Wildlife is a favorite subject I like to sketch/paint.  Pandas, to me, are absolutely adorable.
This was the first 2-page journal spread I've attempted.  (sketches are out of order).  I've seen so many people doing this and so I finally decided to give it a try.  At first I felt I positioned this guy all wrong for being spread over 2 pages but now it doesn't seem so bad.  I think it actually works OK.

Moleskine Sketchbook - 3x5"




From photo that had three buildings and it was late at night so I just did the smaller of the three.

Moleskine Sketchbook - 3x5"











Another quick sketch practicing where I use the side of the pencil to quickly rough in the shapes and then go back and define with point.

Moleskine Sketchbook - 3x5"









Added Note:

Normally I draw and paint on a small scale - 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 surface.  You'd think that working in a 3x5" book would be right up my ally; but it wasn't at first.  I found this small size rather awkward to work in.  Now after several sketches, it's not so bad.

All sketches are using a Derwent Watersoluble pencil - 4B and/or 8B (most often I grab the 4B and use it from start to finish)

Don't you just love how scanners and cameras have a mind of their own?  The majority of these sketches were done in the same book - same paper and yet the digital results from scanning them ended with different tones or coloring.   Funny part is that I never changed any of the settings.............thought just occurred to me..........I wonder if the difference is in whether or not the scanner lid is open/closed or placement of the book on the glass bed?  Maybe amount of light coming in along the edges????

Mouse in the House - Graphite

This was done in the Handbook sketchbook with a Med Wash Derwent graphite pencil (4B)

I've come to love holding the pencil where the side of the lead is what comes in contact with the paper as I get my form down.  Especially with subjects I might not feel real confident in trying to capture.  Then I go back with the point to  give more definition in detail. 

Using the side of the lead with light pressure not only makes it easy to correct, it gives the sketched subject a fuzzy look for added dimension (hoping I'm using the proper word for what I'm trying to convey).

This is either a field mouse or deer mouse.  My son is referring to them as field mice.  I'll have to do some research to find out which, if any difference. 

Chocolate Bunny and Eggs - Watercolor and Experiment

Have no clue why I'm on this subject right now as Easter is months away; however, this is what struck me to paint so I did.  I never know from day to day what mood I'll be in or what subject tickles my fancy to draw or paint...I just go with the flow.

Another Easter Card Idea....



Also, I wanted to share an experiment I did with this particular painting.  Pen and Ink intrigues me and I love what I see from other artists.  Here I was thinking how hard can it be but then I found myself a bit unsure.  What type pen and ink?  What color(s)?  Do I use black ink or brown or even maybe match the ink to color of surrounding areas.  Do I outline everything or do I outline only portions? 

Asking other people how they work their pen and ink, I learned it all depends on the individual, their mood or frame of mind at the time, their preferences, subject matter, etc.  That there is no true right or wrong way of doing this and people can be just as creative with pen and ink as with any other medium.

After the feedback I received, I decided to give it a try but afraid I would mess my painting up.  It was suggested to me to print a scan of  my painting and experiment on printed sheet. That's exactly what I did........I scanned and printed so I could try black, brown, completely outlined and partially outlined to see what I personally liked.

All methods look good but my own personal preference (at least with this particular painting) is partially inking leaving highlighted areas free of ink so I have that lost and found look tying the subject in with the background.  And, I found I prefer the brown ink with this particular piece.  It's softer giving a more subtle look.  Top right example is my #1 choice.

This was a fun experiment and I definitely learned a lot.

Baby Chick - Water Soluble Graphite

This started out to be a gesture sketch of a baby chick.  You might say I got a bit carried away and it ended up more like a full blown sketch.

A Derwent Dark Wash water soluble pencil was used (8B) in The Handbook sketchbook.  I sketched with the side of the lead rather than the point for most of it and then the point for final detail.  A waterbrush was used for shading.

Totally Out of It

Graphite on Copier Paper

This is from a photo taken early one morning after a bad night of sleep.  He was totally out of it looking rather scraggly and rough.

I still need practice in depicting wrinkles and creases in skin but am thrilled it turned out as it did.

Working this I was hoping for various textures and directional strokes for added interest.  Some areas smudged, some raw pencil work.  I found the way I did the shading in the face helped to depict just how rough he was feeling.  I could have used a smooth shading but didn't think it would give me that same overall feeling.

The "thing" off to the right (as you view it) is a feather shaped earring (he's part American Indian).

Don't Go

I was practicing this sketch on copier paper using pen and ink for a possible painting idea.  Took a Tombow marker pen and went around in a few areas and shaded with a waterbrush.  Next thing I knew, I was applying light washes of watercolor and ended up with this.

Colors used were:  Raw Sienna, Fr Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue, and Quin Rose.

Graphite/Ink and Wash Combo Continued

This is the completed sheet I started last night using water soluble graphite and Tombow marker pen and wash.

Tombow black (N15) and Derwent Dark Wash graphite (8B)

Graphite/Ink and Wash Combo

This started out to be a graphite sketch using a water soluble pencil (Derwent Dark Wash 8B).  Decided to shade using a damp waterbrush and then finalized with some detailing using a Tombow marker pen.   I like the combination of softness achieved with wash over the graphite as well as dry areas left that show the texture of the dry graphite (not sure the image is large enough for viewers to see this).

Re-visiting Paper Surface, Color, and Technique

Whenever I go for periods of time not painting, I always feel lost like I'm not quite sure what to do or can't remember what I did to obtain a certain look, etc.  So for me I feel the desire to step back again to the beginning.  I need to re-familiarize  myself with painting surfaces, paint consistencies, how pigments might react with one another..... and so on.

Here is a play-sheet of mixing color wet on dry and wet on wet using The Langton watercolor paper.

Top left - Wet on dry mixing color on the paper.  My washes were too thick so the results turned out darker than I care for with the subject painted.  French Ultra, Perm Aliz, Sap Green, and Hansa Yellow were used.

Top right - Playing with two browns (Bt Sienna and Bt Umber) for depicting chocolate but added just a touch of Paynes Gray to darken a few areas.

Bottom right - Wet in wet first applying water to the surface and dropping in pigment.  I love the unpredictable results!  These definitely turned out more to my liking.  Used Sap Green, Cerulean Blue (love this color!!), and Quin Rose.

A possible Easter Card idea :-)

More Doodling - Ink and Wash

Yesterday our cable went down and I spent time playing with color pigments for painting chocolate.  Results of that play time will be shared in a later post. 

In addition, I started another sheet of sketches with my brown Tombow marker, which I finished this evening while watching a little TV. 

Doodling with Ink and Wash

Been awhile since I've done any of these.  Decided I wanted to try out the brown Tombow marker pen for a change.  It doesn't bleed quite like the Black does but I still like the results.

These are just quick loose doodles, which I find to be quite relaxing and fun to do....provided I do so on this paper.  I find using lined tablet paper helps me work loose and spontaneous.  It's actually a mind game for me considering I can be quite a perfectionist which often results in over-working.    Should I use good paper, my brain says I have to take greater care often spending too much time with minute detail and over-working a piece.   This is my personal solution in freeing me from that tendency :-)

Not all lined tablet paper reacts the same.  I find I like the Staples brand best.  Something to do with the thickness of paper and the finish (at least working with the Tombow Dual Marker Brushes).  Once I have at least 50 to 100 completed sheets, I bind the pages into a notebook.  I have my granddaughters wanting to do the same - saving their individual art pieces they've created on paper and grandma binding later when there are enough pages to put together for them.

Peanut Butter Blossoms in Watercolor

A quick or loose watercolor rendering of the Peanut Butter Blossom cookies I sketched a couple of days ago.  This was completed for a forum cameo challenge mentioned in my earlier post.

 

Note about comment on journal page.............if truth be known, I'm craving these cookies now that I've sketched and painted them.  My husband says "go paint some carrot sticks".................HA HA HA :-/

UPDATED Post - I wasn't happy with the cookie in the back so I added some brown to it.

First Accomplishment for the New Year - My Favorite Cookie

As a forum workshop challenge for January, we were to paint something sweet in watercolor.  Before attempting to do so with brush and paint, I decided to sketch one of my favorite type of cookies.  A cookie I look forward to every Christmas!!

Season's Greetings!!!

Here's a quick note hoping everything is going well for everyone this Holiday Season.  Have a Blessed Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!!

The Handbook - Wet media Examples

While I was in the mood to experiment and play, I did these quick wet media sketches using The Handbook.  I really do like this paper for mixed media in a purchased bound book.  One day I hope to make my own hand bound books with the paper of choice which is Fabriano Artistico.

And to make sure my small travel size Handbook handled the wet media as well as the larger one, I did this quickie watercolor and Tombow Ink wash sketch.  (That beaded effect could have come in handy to give texture on that barn ;-)

Checking out Moleskine Sketchbook

Today I compared sketchbook paper between The Handbook and the Moleskine Sketchbook.

When I first felt the Moleskine paper finish, I thought it would be great for ink and light washes.  The paper seems thick by feel but was quite surprised by the results.

First off, when I used a water brush lightly going over my ink or water soluble graphite, the wet brush marks 'beaded' on the paper.  Although I'm sure one could use that to their advantage for a textured look on smooth paper, I was not expecting that to happen.

The top of the page with my first example, I didn't notice the beading effect at that time.  It wasn't until I tried again with the second illustration (boat) that it was obvious.


Next I tried using a water soluble pencil to see if maybe it was more the ink and water that would bead.  I still experienced a slight beading but not to the extent as I did with the Tombow marker and water brush.

Closer look to show the beaded effect with the wash...............a rather nice effect if one wishes it to turn out that way depending upon subject matter.

 

Here's a simple watercolor example.  Definite beading!

Close-up......

The one thing I didn't care for was the fact there was bleed-through from front side of a page to the back side if water applied.  And another negative to this paper is the fact the Derwent water soluble graphite pencil doesn't erase very well using a putty eraser.  So unlike the paper in The Handbook.

On a positive note - this little Moleskine sketchbook will be fine for pen and ink. :-)

I started the top left with a Stabilo pen and changed over to a Uni-ball pen. 

Grid Sketching - Ink

Thought I would try my hand at grid sketching.  Each small block has a piece of something from a photograph (part of a roof; area of fencing; complete building; etc.).  All blocks or squares are randomly drawn and then filled with what ever component I might sketch within.  All done quickly with no real plan or preconceived notion of where to place anything.  No laboring over perspective or getting everything perfect. 

This was fun and relaxing to do. 

Uni-ball pen - black.

51/2 x 81/2" (full sheet copier paper folded in half)

 

Just for fun playing with a touch of color.

Couple of Watercolor Landscape Sketches

Brush and paint right now for me feel very foreign.  It's like I'm starting all over again due to the long spell I didn't do much painting.  I'm trying to "feel" my way back by painting simple loose watercolor sketches - primarily using a flat brush for a change rather than my normal round.  I'm finding myself timid with color values as well. 

Also playing with a bristle flat to soften edges and a fan brush for a little texturing.

The Langton 140lb Cold Press
Daniel Smith - Fr Ultramarine, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Sap Green and touch of Quin Rose in the second painting.

Sand Dunes

Another forum challenge - painting sand dunes. 

No actual reference used but recalling sandy beaches in North Carolina

The Langton 140lb Cold Press
Daniel Smith - Raw Sienna, Bt Sienna, Cobalt + Cerulean Blue, Touch of Indigo, and Sand (or Buff - not sure what the name is)
1/2 inch Flat

Seed Pods

This was for a forum challenge where we sketch seed pods using graphite.

Handbook journal - Med Graphite

It's amazing to me how dark one can go with the medium.

MaimeriBlu Watercolors

Using my moleskine watercolor book, I've started making a few charts using the MaimeriBlu pigments recently purchased. 

In setting up my palette, I've filled each of the wells allowing to dry 48 hours.  The pigment is "set" but still pliable. 

So far playing with charts and the simple ice cream cone illustration, I'm not real impressed with the handling of this brand.  The colors are vivid and beautiful but I'm not liking the "feel" of the pigment itself when re-wetting and working with the brush.  The binder or vehicle seems thick making the paints feel almost like working with oil paints or working with honey even though according to the stats, these pigments do not use honey as the binder like M. Graham pigments do.

Maybe once the paints have totally dried, I might find they "re-activate" differently when water is applied to them. I'm hoping in the next few days or so my feelings change more towards the positive; but, as of this posting, I'm ready to return to my Daniel Smith watercolors.

 

A Sterling Edwards Practice Piece - Watercolor Barn

The last couple of days I have been studying Sterling Edwards watercolor methods hoping to inspire me to do some painting.  I had so hoped to take a workshop with him this year at the Art of the Carolinas but looks like I may miss out again this year.  So the next best thing was going through his book and viewing the video lessons he's created to include the freebie lessons through Jerry's Artarama website.

Sterling Edwards is a contemporary watercolorist who works on portraying his subjects through loose suggestive brush strokes creating an illusion of his subject rather than realism (if I'm explaining that correctly).  He believes in paintings have mood, telling a story, and leaving something to the imagination for the viewer to fill in rather than spelling it all out.  He also likes using a variation of deep rich color and values which he feels gives many scenes that extra punch.

He also works in abstract which I find I really like.  But it's the looseness and suggestive attributes that has grabbed my attention that I really love about his work.

Because of this method..........I find it more relaxing and actually fun to do.    Don't have to worry if everything is perfect or just so so. 

With this painting exercise, I did not have the proper tools so I had to improvise.  Instead of a flat, all I had on hand was an angular flat.  For the bristle brush to blend edges with, I had to use a slanted foliage brush.

This is a 5 x 7 painting on The Langton 140lb Cold press.  Didn't have masking tape to tape down onto a board as he suggests so I did the best I could with the paper just laying flat on my table.  Considering there was not a great deal of wetting of the paper, I managed OK without buckling.

Should I try this again, I hope to achieve more variation in the greens than what I ended up with in this painting.  There's a variation of brown and green but the brown is so subtle you can hardly see it.....particularly with the scan.  The actual painting is more noticeable but still not to the extent I would have liked.  Also plan to introduce some blue or even another color to help offset the primarily green foliage back drop.

Sandpiper Pencil Sketches

My work days were long this week and I found myself super restless up and down out of my chair - walking outside often just to get up and about.  On Thursday I stepped outside the office door into the parking area and to the right I saw this bird.  It looked familiar from birds I'd seen somewhere but couldn't place it at the time. 

Quietly and quickly going back inside I grabbed my camera hoping he was still out there when I returned.  Sure enough he was.

I stood still taking pictures as he came closer and hopped all around me.

This morning I searched the internet to find out what kind of bird and it was a sandpiper.  A bird I've seen only at the beach.  Was really strange for this loner to be here in the middle of West Virginia in an Industrial Park no less.

These are quick gesture like sketches from three of the photos I took.  Using an HB on its side for most of the sketching in my Handbook sketchbook.

Old Rusty Tools

What a perfect subject to paint using the granulating Lunar pigments!

These were truly relaxing and fun to do! 

The Handbook

#4 and #2 Rounds

You know what the most difficult was for me in rendering these hammers????  Splattering.  I've yet to get that down.  Either it splatters ALL over the place with teeny tiny specks or big blobs I have to quickly mop up.  And control with direction??  Forget it.........lol.  There MUST be a trick to it.  Maybe the type brush I'm using?  Consistency of the paint not right?

Another Loose Mini Landscape - House on Pond

The description on the illustration is pretty straight forward.  Still trying to keep my watercolor sketches loose and care free.  I truly don't want to get into fidgeting like I have a tendency to do.  Basically put the paint down and leave it alone.

Loose Landscape using Lunar Pigments

Using two colors and still on the Handbook sketchbook paper, I did this quick watercolor sketch.  This was using a 3/8" flat angular brush so I didn't get much in the way of granulation like I might have using a round holding more water/pigment.

I'm still playing basically in a loose mode for now as I try to regain some enthusiasm and motivation to work with my watercolors.  In all the years I've been painting, I've only gone through a couple of major slumps that lasted months.  This happens to be one of those times for whatever reason(s).  I'm sure everyone goes through them to some degree.  ;-)

Lunar Pigments - Dragonfly Sketch

I really must work on my planning where placement is concerned....lol.  I so often misjudge and end up with part of my drawing or painting off the page.

Still playing with the Daniel Smith Lunar pigments, I did this quick watercolor sketch of a dragonfly.  I prewet the areas but had to dip my brush in water to help the pigment spread due to the type paper this was done on.

Handbook sketchbook with #4 Round.

A little Green Gold was brushed over to add a bit of life.

Playing with DS Granulating Pigments

Thought I would play a bit using the Daniel Smith Lunar pigments which are highly granulating pigments.  I was curious to see how they would do in the Handbook sketchbook.

The granulation did appear even on this sketching paper but not to the extent they do on watercolor paper to include Moleskine. 

This was using a Daniel Smith #4 Round travel brush wet in wet (although on this paper, the water soaks in quickly and it's more like painting wet on damp.)  I found myself dipping the brush in water after pigment was added to the paper to make it pool.

My favorite of the five examples is definitely the combination of Lunar Blue and Lunar Earth.

Note - The Green Gold is not a Lunar pigment.  I just threw that in for some added color.  :-)

Ink and Wash - Mixed

Few quick ink and wash mini sketches done today between phone calls.

Composition leaves a great deal to be desired but then I was only doodling and not really thinking on those lines.  I'm just thrilled to get something on paper.

Tombow marker pen and waterbrush on plain paper.