Pen and Ink Sketches from Last Month

Here are a few pen and ink sketches I did while in Texas I just not got around to scanning.  All done in the handmade journal Rentia sent me years ago.

This first one represents fish I caught one evening Terry and I sat out till midnight at Little Bay not too far from where George Straight has a house on the water.

All three were fish I'd never caught before this trip.  The stingray put up quite a fight and was something to pull it in.

The flamingo is a stuffed animal purchased at one of the local shops.  I bought two........one for myself and one for my sister.  I added a touch of color to this page tonight before scanning using Opera.

Next to the cabin we stayed in sits my sister's motor home.  I did this quick sketch as I sat out and watched the hummingbirds between our feeders and the feeders she had set out.

 

UPDATE:  Added a tint of color in selected area.

Flowers from Terry

Here's a page I did in my journal representing the latest flowers Terry surprised me with on a day I was not quite myself.

The Lavender Statice is still going strong whereas the other flowers are fading and wilting.  The first to go were the yellow lilies.  Tiger lilies (not shown here either) were also too far gone to try and sketch.  I had two carnations left but looking poorly.  What's on the page actually looks more "alive" than what it really was.  These are from "live" or nearly live specimens.

Those little tags were done using Photoshop Elements as an over-lay but I may go back and actually draw them in on the page.  :-)

My pages and illustrations are always scanned prior to any written notes in case I want to use them for card ideas or other later down the road.

#8 Round and W&N and Daniel Smith pigments.

Stillman & Birn Alpha Journal

Pilot Prera and Nakimi Black Ink

I wanted to add...............for a change I actually like the shadow I put on the vase of flowers.  Love how the colors of the vase bled into the shadow and how the shadow ended up darker nearer the base and faded a bit further out.  One of those happy accidents (wish I could say I planned that).

Brush Dancing with Color

I was in a playful mood for color today so decided to have a dance with my brush.

Started out just using my #8 Round and dancing color about on the page as I sat in front of my window looking out at the color changes in the trees surrounding our house.

It's very different sitting right in amongst the trees as it might be viewing from a distance.   Just totally mesmerizing to me this time of year!!

Stillman & Birn Alpha journal

Pilot Prera with Nakimi Black ink

W&N and Daniel Smith pigments (as noted on my page)

Great Blue Heron

Today's ink and wash sketch of a Great Blue Heron photographed while in Texas.

I'm always amazed by the size of these birds every time I see them.  Living up north the largest bird I've seen is a pileated woodpecker.........maybe a third of the size compared to the largest of the GBHs I've seen in Rockport, TX.

This sketch was done in the Stillman & Birn Alpha 8.5 x 11" journal

Pilot Prera with Nakimi black water soluble ink

3/8" Angular Flat for wash

Left side - pen and ink before wash and then the ink and wash to the right.

Haven't decided if I want to do anything more to this or not.  The background of this bird is water and I only lightly suggested that with pencil (if you can even see it).

UPDATE:  This is what I decided to do with this journal page.  I chose not to add any watercolor but to write notes about our driving around locating the various wildlife in the area.

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Hummer on Limb

Here is the same hummer I posted last night only this time where he was sitting on the limb above the feeder.

With this sketch I decided to take some color to it trying to render this little guy close to how he really looked with some of the brown I mentioned.  In reality there are many little markings in the chin area (or whatever you call it) but I didn't want to over do it and only suggested those markings.

Stillman & Birn Alpha Journal

Pilot Prera with black water soluble ink (Namiki Black)

3/8" Angular Flat

Daniel Smith:  Fr Ultram, Bt Umber, Raw Sienna, Sap Green

Left showing with pen and ink and the right is the final after taking a wet (not too wet) angular flat going over the ink lines to fade and wash out for some shading.  Then applied the watercolor after the ink wash dried.

This little sketch is 4" in height and not quite 4" wide.

Hummer Guarding his Food Supply

This is one of the hummingbirds that stayed close to the feeders the entire time we were in Texas on our vacation.

This sketch is strictly ink and wash and I don't think I'm going to add much in the way of color. He was basically black, gray and white with maybe a touch of tan or brown........very different variety from what we are accustomed to seeing in West Virginia.  Due to the fact he was primarily gray/black, I thought the washed effect would work out beautifully not really needing much in the way of additional color.

This little guy continuously perched on this line we had a feeder hanging from or a limb right above it.

Sketched in my Stillman & Birn Alpha journal with 3/8" angular flat pulling the gray from the ink lines.  To obtain the darker areas without hatching or cross hatching and washing out with damp brush, I scribbled ink onto a plastic surface and used a damp brush to pick the ink up and "paint" in those areas.

Building for Sale 2

Here's the ink and wash sketch previously shared with watercolor applied to areas to emphasize part of the building.

W&N - Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Fr Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue, Perm Aliz
Holbein - Leaf Green, Sap Green
Daniel Smith - Cerulean Blue (for sky area)

#8 Round

Although this is close to the actual painted sketch, my scanner didn't quite pick up some of the more subtle areas painted in Raw Sienna and Cerulean Blue.

Building for Sale, Rockport TX

Not sure why but this particular building caught my eye every time we passed by it. 

The building sits empty along the main road taking you from Rockport to Aransas Pass.  I believe it's 35 South but not exactly sure if that's correct.

It's just a plain gray building but it intrigued me enough to finally stop and take several photos of it. 

Here is pen/ink sketch I may take watercolor to but haven't yet decided if I want to work this further in color.  I used the Pilot Prera with its original ink cartridge.  Then I took a damp angular flat and pulled some of the ink for shading, darkening, and softening some areas.

The darkened windows is the only area I've already taken some watercolor to using Fr Ultra and Neutral Tint.

Sketched in the Stillman & Birn Alpha journal book (8 1/2 x 11")

Few Pages from Stillman & Birn Alpha Journal

Back on September 21st, I shared a page from my S&B Alpha journal using pen/ink.  Since that day I discovered the ink in the two pens I was using was not waterproof and decided to go back over with a damp/wet brush.

This page is where I was playing with my new Pilot Prera and Lamy Safari pens.  The Lamy came with a blue cartridge I decided to go ahead and use.  Then I will add the converter with Lexy Gray.

Here are the results taking brush to ink:










Here is another page in my journal book I completed of dogwood leaves that are turning color and the seeds:

My scanner normally does a decent job in picking up pigment colors nicely; however, sometimes it doesn't.  The blue on this page didn't scan very well leaving off the more subtle (light values) areas of blue.

This page has at least one good mishap where I goofed in judging size of beak.  But once ink is down, there's no going back and fixing (or erasing).  I am practicing sketching without a pencil.

This is the page I was working on when I discovered the Lamy Safari ink was water soluble.

Top sketch is from a photo taken while visiting my sister in Rockport, TX  I love capturing wildlife sitting on posts and piers.  Not sure why but it's just neat to look around and see the various type birds perched on whatever they happen to come across.

The leaves are from my granddaughters as they are always looking for things to bring me to sketch/paint.

Country Side Treasures

What we are finding various seed pods these days as we go into Autumn.

All were found around our property except the ones noted from an unknown tree in Texas while on holiday.

All sketched with the Pilot Prera with original ink cartridge that came with it.  The ink is water soluble and does bleed or wash out but it's subtle rather than over-powering when watercolor is applied.

#8 Round used along with Daniel Smith and Holbein pigments. 

Stillman & Birn Alpha Journal book

Comparing Two Pens/Ink

Here is a comparison I did between the Rotring pen and ink cartridge and the Pilot Prera and original ink cartridge that came with the pen.

The ink that comes with or for the Rotring (cartridges)  would be great for a monochrome sketch due to the wide value range.  A damp or wet brush really makes this ink go crazy.

The Ink that comes with the Prera is more subtle making it nice to work along with watercolor without over-powering it. 

I used an angular flat to control the amount of water flow for both pen type ink illustrations.

Stillman & Birn Beta Journal 

The Last Resort Hummers

This is a reminder to me of all the hummingbirds we saw while on our two week stay in Rockport, TX.  A  tiny sampling from one photo I took  that turned out as nicely as it did.

Where the RV resort is located must be on a flight way for hummingbirds.  The residents normally look for this time of year having scores of hummers hitting feeders they put out.  Local stores have trouble keeping sugar and red food coloring in stock.

We have hummingbirds in West Virginia from around May or June till August to mid September but lucky to see a few to a dozen.  We were totally amazed by the number of hummingbirds we saw at the feeders at the park.

My sister made sure we had a few feeders to hang outside our cabin.  Between her feeders and ours (her lot next to the cabin we rented), the hummingbird activity was something to behold (for us anyways).  We sat for long periods just watching all the activity.  Most of the hummingbirds we saw were the Ruby Throat but now and then we'd spot one we knew was a different variety.

Upon arriving home we took note that all our resident hummers were gone..........until next year.

Stillman & Birn Alpha series journal;  Pilot Prera pen; 1" Flat and #10 Round; W&N - RS, BS, Fr Ultra, Paynes Gray and Daniel Smith - Cer Bl and Sap Grn

I'm thinking I might have this made as a magnet for my sister - either the size of an ATC or maybe 4 x 6 size cropping like this......

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Colors of Coastal Living

One of the views I love to see are all the colorful houses along the coast.  This is from a photo taken at Port Aransas, TX.

I'm really liking this Pilot Prera pen.  I was taken by surprise when I laid the watercolor wash over the ink lines.  I learned the ink that came with the pen is water soluble.  What is nice about this particular ink is the fact it still behaves even though it bleeds a bit when the brush hits it.  The ink didn't contaminate the wash like other water soluble inks might (like Rotring or Tombow). 

The sketch was done in the Stillman & Birn's Alpha series journal book.

Holbein paints - Cer Bl, Rose Violet (Quin Magenta), Ultramarine Lt, Leaf Green, Sap Green, Raw Sienna and Bt Sienna.

1" Flat

Trying Out New Pens

Upon returning home from our holiday, I had a package waiting on me where I had ordered a few new pens.

Pens received were:  Pilot Prera, Lamy Safari, and The Platinum Carbon

These sketches are just some quickies as I try two of the three pens out..........the Pilot Prera and the Lamy Safari.  Both using ink cartridges that came with the pens.

Both are very fine-lined.  The Prera seemed to move smoothly across the paper whereas the Lamy felt a bit scratchy.  Both flowed beautifully though except when hatching and cross hatching.  The ink skipped a bit when trying to fill in areas with ink.  Might be just me in how I'm applying the ink to paper.  Will have to practice a bit more before I can really say for sure if pen or person was causing the skipping.



Close-up of the bottom sketch above.  This caught my eye due to the unevenness of the block and concrete the picnic table was made of. 

One of the rest areas we stopped at to walk Miya and Yorshi.







One of the things I like to do on trips is taking pictures from the car as we drive along looking out over the country.  I love taking pictures of old barns, run down houses, etc. 

This sketch actually makes the building look in better shape than reality.





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Other Sketches While on Holiday

Here are several other sketches done while on our holiday at Rockport, Texas.

All completed in the Stillman & Birn Alpha series journal book (8.5 x 11")

This first one is a pencil sketch of what you could see sitting outside the front door of our cabin.  Some areas I went over with pen/ink.

These next three are watercolor sketches with pen/ink.

The first is a toy purchased for our two dogs that went with us on the trip......one of two of the same toys only one was larger than the other.  This one is the smaller of the two.  Within about two days, Miya had the rope portion detached from the body and the stuffing removed.  She fixed it to where it was "just right" for her to play with :-)





Next is a quick watercolor sketch of one corner of the living room inside the cabin.  The chair is primarily a green color but I had trouble mixing the proper color of this green.

Here are a couple of souvenirs we picked up at Port Aransas, Texas.

I loved the coconut made into a puffer fish so I decided to get that along with a basket of seashells for ourselves.

The little native dude to the left jumped out at me as I walked around trying to find something unique for two of my sons. 

My sons had picked up a really unique tiki candle as a gift to us when they went to The Outer Banks this summer.  Trying to find something unique for them in return, this just seemed to fit the bill nicely.

Neal plans to use his for storing his guitar picks and Travis will probably use his for coins or little odds and ends.

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Glads from my Sister

Well, we are back from holiday and have a few sketches to share that I did while gone.

These were done in my new Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook received the day before we left. It's proving to be yet another beautiful paper surface for graphite, pen/ink, and light watercolor washes.  I haven't tried using the back of the pages to see how well the pages scan without ghost images from back(front) side of page.  The paper in this Alpha series is a little thinner than the paper in the watercolor journal books from S&B.  Will have to experiment but so far I've only worked the front pages.

The glads were a welcoming gift from my sister.  She had them set up in the corner of the cabin that you couldn't help notice as soon as you walked in through the door.  The vase had white glads as well as these yellow with the splash of orange which really caught my eye.

Camera and Bear

Here are two more I have accomplished.

The camera was first and boy did I struggle with it!!!!  I'm not normally one to mess with technical subjects that require precision.  But this was a challenge I decided to take on.

At the time I kept asking myself "why" I had to choose this!!  I was tempted to stop mid way (if not before) but glad now I didn't quit.  It's off but I can at least praise myself with following through.

As mentioned in an earlier post - ellipses and cylinders are one of my biggest weak areas and although I do understand how to go about making them correct, I don't like the idea of having to stop while sketching and measure with ruler, vanishing point, and squares/rectangles.   For free-sketching, I just want to learn to observe and judge correctly so I can maintain some sense of spontaneity.

Camera was done using the Noodler's Original Flex pen and for some reason this page grabbed at the pen nib.  I kept having to pull little fine fragments of paper from the nib.  It felt scratchy especially when I went to write my notes.

Now this next one I thoroughly enjoyed!!!!  One of the biggest pluses is the fact there's room for error and still get away with it :-)

The bear was my model and sitting there in the center of the paper just looked so lost so I added the potted plant from imagination.

I love this little bear which used to have a fishing hat and fishing pole but have been misplaced from being set up out of hands of little ones for fear of swallowing the small hooks that were attached to both.  Hopefully one day I'll find where I stashed them (laughing).

This one was done using the Noodler's Konrad with the larger nib and it just moved across the paper with ease.  You do have to be careful though because if you sit with the nib/ink on a spot too long, the ink will bleed or feather out.  One has to be fairly fast and with a light touch when applying the line to paper.

Lighthouse - Pen and Ink w/Watercolor

I'm definitely on a roll these days with my sketching and loving it!!!!  Here soon I'll not have access to my computer and other activities may actually slow me down a bit so I'm taking advantage while I can. 

You may be able to read my notes but in case not.............I chose to do this for practice with cylinder shapes and ellipses.  An area I struggle with getting onto paper correctly.

I 'could' bring out the ruler and do the box and vanishing point exercise to get the ellipses proportioned correctly but that's the last thing I want to do.  It's my wish to be able to do so by eye-balling so not to have to stop and do all that measuring.  That just takes away the fun and spontaneous aspect of sketching (at least for me).

Keeping water to a minimum, I was able to apply a light wash of color without it bleeding through the paper.

This one was using the Noodler's Flex (original) and Black ink.  Again no pencil forcing myself to really concentrate on shapes and lines as I worked this.

Handbag - Pen and Ink

While hubby was off babysitting this evening for a few hours, I spent my time sketching. 

This one I took my time on as I didn't use pencil but went straight in with pen and ink.

I've had and used this handbag for YEARS never growing tired of it.  It's made of denim and made very well.  It's not too small and it's not too large.  Light weight with a good solid strap.

This sketch was achieved using the Noodler's Flex (original) pen and black ink.  The nib on this pen makes fine lines whereas the other I use........the Konrad..........has a larger nib making bolder lines which look darker even using a lighter shade ink - Lexington Gray.

Sam's Little Buddy - Pen & Ink

After the painting I did of this little bear, I decided to do a few quick sketches of various poses I had this bear in when I took photos during my 2010 trip to the UK.

This only shows three of several.

African Handmade Journal
Noodler's Konrad Pen
Lexington Gray Ink

Pen & Ink - Finch

Using the Noodler's Flex pen with Noodler's black ink

Handmade paper from (South) Africa

UPDATE:  Decided to add a touch of watercolor to my pen/ink sketch.

Used a 3/8" Flat to control the amount of water/paint applied as this paper is thin and bleeds through to back.

Holbein:  Yellow Orange
Daniel Smith:  Cad Yellow Pale and Payne's Gray

Special for a Friend's Son - Sam's Little Buddy

A dear friend I spent two weeks with in the United Kingdom in 2010 has a son who's favorite "buddy" was this little bear.  I took quite a few photos of this little guy with the hopes of painting a little something for Sam.  Finally I'm getting around to doing something!

I chose this one because the bear is poking his head out as if to say " Hiya, Sam!!!  Wanna come in and play with me?"

S&B Journal (beta)

DaVinci #20 Flat (about an inch wide).......I really like this brush!!!

#8 Round

Daniel Smith:  Bt Sienna, Fr Ultramarine, Bt Umber and Cob Blue.  Chose this brand for the muted old painted wood look.

Holbein:  Bt Sienna  as a slight glaze here and there plus Bamboo Green and touch of Marine Blue.

Dip Pen and Sepia Ink

SIDE NOTE:  Because I am saving this as a gift or card idea for Sam, I used FotoSketcher to add the lined frame and some texture.

Here is the original from the journal book without the lined frame or texture that FotoSketcher can create:



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Some of My Supplies

I love viewing journal pages other people have done sketching and painting their supplies so I thought I would give it a try in my new journal.

This was not only fun but relaxing too. 

S&B Beta Journal
Holbein:  Fr Ultra, Marine Blue, Raw Sienna, Bt Sienna, Bt Umber, Rose Violet, Cobalt Blue, and Light Red
W&N Scarlet Red
#8 Round
Dip pen and Hiro nib

Chimney Pots - United Kingdom

During my visit to the United Kingdom, I was "wowed" by how different the country looks compared to what I've ever seen here in the United States.

Beginning from the descending airplane view taking in the quilted look of the landscape where properties are lined with shrubs to driving around and seeing the stunning castles and cathedrals and thatch roof cottages.  Even transportation is so different with smaller and different shaped vehicles as well as type public transportation system. 

One of the intriguing aspects of buildings that really caught my attention were the chimney pots.  All shapes and sizes as well as the number that might sit on top of some roofs. 

S&B Beta Journal
#8 Round
Daniel Smith:  Bt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Fr Ultram, Paynes Gray
Holbein:  Marine Blue plus Bt Sienna for greens as well as Leaf Green

Dip Pen with FW Acrylic Ink

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My Granddaughter's Saturday Afternoon Project

I'm not keen on sharing photos of myself but thought I'd make an exception for my granddaughter, Madison.

Madison (age 9), came over and stayed the afternoon working on making hats.  She made six total to be given as gifts to family and a friend. 

My hat is a sun hat with a picture of me on top and each of our dogs around the brim (Miya, Smudge, and Yorshi).  She made a tie using a bead that slides up to tighten under neck plus added yard strands as a decoration around the hat hanging down in back (papaw helped with that task).

Papaw's (Terry's) hat is a Lincoln Hat or otherwise known as a stove pipe hat. 

Grandchildren.............you gotta love em' !!!!

Does she not look pleased with herself??!!!!!  (HUGE grin)

Wheel Barrel Watercolor Sketch

This is from one of my photographs taken while staying with a dear friend in the UK back in 2010.

Pen & Ink - Dip pen with Sepia ink
Stillman & Birn Beta joural
W&N:  *Winsor Blue (Red), *Bt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Winsor Lemon, Fr Ultra, Neutral Tint
#8 Round

*Thought I would try mixing green with the Winsor Blue and Bt Sienna to compare with Holbein Marine Blue plus Bt Sienna.  Definitely different but still gave me a green.

Test Question..................do you notice a major goof?  (laughing)  

Comparing Three Brands of Burnt Sienna

I've been trying another mix to create greens - Holbein Marine Blue and Burnt Sienna which is creating a nice variation especially when dropping in or adding Leaf Green.

As far as Bt Sienna, I've read where several artists prefer Winsor & Newton Bt Sienna over other of the same but in different brands.  One of the reasons being WN Bt Sienna is more transparent than most.  With that I decided I wanted to test between three brands (WN, Holbein, and Daniel Smith) I have on hand to see the difference.  The following shows my results.

Winsor and Newton and Holbein are extremely close in color and transparency and would be a toss up for me in choosing.

Now Daniel Smith is definitely different and not as transparent.  But even DS Bt Sienna would be great for a passage if you wanted a more subtle or muted appearance.  For me it would just depend on what I was after.

Comparison done in Stillman & Bern's Beta series journal.

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Parrot - Watercolor - Stillman & Birn Beta Journal

Tonight I had a chance to see how well the paper in this journal handles lifting.  This paper is turning out to be extremely well suited for the way I paint and techniques I commonly use. In other words.........I'm lovin' it!!!

Pigment lifted beautifully with a 3/8" angular flat (soft - not bristle) without any damage to the paper.  

My application of paint with this particular painting was heavier as I see how well the paper handles the super wet pigment.  I am extremely impressed.  I was able to paint on the back side of this page scanning without seeing any ghost print of this parrot.

Dip Pen with FW Acrylic - Sepia
#8 Round
Holbein - Marine Blue, Fr Ultram, Bamboo Green (used in the body) Leaf Green, Perm Yellow Orange, Raw Sienna, Bt Sienna, Bt Umber and W&N Scarlet Lake.

The Marine Blue and Bt Sienna were used for mixing the foliage dropping in Leaf Green in some areas while wet.

Special Note:  I'm trying Scarlet Lake for the first time along with the Perm Yellow Orange................I really like this red and the orange just adds that extra light giving it some pizazz!

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Boot in the Garden - Stillman & Birn Beta Journal

The more I work in this journal book, the more I'm liking it.  My first impression was good and I'm feeling even better now after several experiments.

Here I worked wet in wet and also glazing.  Glazing was tricky with the moleskine as the underlying wash wanted to lift off easily.  The Handbook soaked in paint/water quickly making it a bit challenging for smooth applications.  Not that either were impossible but took some working.

Glazing on this paper worked out quite nicely.  Underlying washes can still be lifted if not careful but that's with many papers.  But glazing on this paper is better than either the Moleskine or the Handbook (for how I work).

Another thing that impressed me was how nicely you could blend or fade out a brush mark of color.  The brush to me just feels like it glides across the paper.

This was done with a #8 and #10 Round

Dip Pen and Sepia Ink

Daniel Smith:  Fr Ultram, Raw Sienna, Bt Sienna, Aureolin, Indigo, Lunar Black (I was looking for some granulation) and a touch of Quin Gold to liven up a few areas.

Stillman & Birn Beta Series Journal

 

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Quick Sketching Sitting Outside

Done this evening sitting out on the front porch.

It's absolutely gorgeous with cool temps to open windows and air out the house.  Evenings are actually long sleeve or light jacket weather.  MY KIND of weather!!!!  Soooo unusual for August!!!

This is using the Noodler's Konrad and Lexington Gray (Noodler's)

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