Looking up at the tree tops during our mid-walk rest
Here is my #sketchbookskool homework so far. Really enjoying the thought process behind documenting part of each day. I think it will be nice to look back and remember some of these moments. They are quick!
Big dog taking a break
I think that I would like to do more drawings of Big. He goes pretty much everywhere I do, and he is a handsome subject.
little clam found on the beach
Sunday bulb planting
The second homework assignment for #sketchbookskool is to document your week. I know that when Wednesday rolls around my life will get pretty busy, so I figured I better jump right in to the documentation. I was able to get three pages done today. The first two pages are pretty crappy…but it is what it is. You have to start somewhere. What I like most about it is the slowing down. You have to slow down for a moment when you draw something. So, I cut my breakfast pear and enjoyed the shapes. Then I ate it. I drank my coffee and then did a sketch of the empty cup. Enjoying the cup and remembering that it used to belong to my grandmother. I took my book with me on my walk, and the Big dog and I stopped mid-way to rest and I did a sketch of the tree. The ink is not waterproof!
I decided to plant my bulbs today. And then I thought, well, I will draw those first! So, I plopped them down on the picnic table and the sun was bright on them casting long beautiful shadows. I won’t see these bulbs again, they are going in the ground. I decided to look up the history of the Hyacinth and the Tulip so I could add some words to the page. I am hopeful that the mole that ate my other bulbs in the spring will not come back next spring and eat these!
I am looking forward to tomorrow morning and my next journal page.
Beginnings: Page One
The Sketchbook Skool Beginnings class started yesterday. This is the first Klass I have taken in a long time! The first assignment was to draw and feel. The guidelines were to pick an object to draw that evokes some feeling (bad or good), use a color wash in the background, add an opaque color in the shape of the object(s) and then do a line drawing in ink over the color. And, add WORDS! So, for me, it’s really the words that are the challenge!
It was hard to decide what to choose, so I thought about that for awhile. I love the sea urchins and I find them challenging to render, so that is what I went with. Sea Urchins remind me of walks on the beach and also they bring to mind a couple of very special friends that share my love of beach collecting. I have gathered a lot sea urchins over time and I have tons of them to choose from. Most of them are from the Maine coast, but some have been given to me and some are from other places. These are from Maine. This assignment prompted me to learn more about the sea urchins…because I needed WORDS! That part I really liked.
As the time goes by I will get better at the word journaling part of all this. I like the idea of capturing your feelings or part of your day in an illustrated and written journal. I am looking forward to this Klass.
Below is my warm-up sketch for the journal page. Doubling as my #inktober drawing!
warm up ink sketch
Encaustic, oil pastel on cradled birch panel. 6″ x 6″
The week is going by so fast! I have so much that I still want to do, but there is plenty of time. I am pretty happy with this piece…I decided to limit myself (working on the discipline) to only using the brush. No drawing! No guidelines, just throwing it down. Trying to keep the spontaneity going. It was a good learning experience. I really like the encaustic and the oil pastel together. Oil pastel is great to work with this way, it melts beautifully on my griddle palate and with just a little beeswax medium added has a nice fluidity going on. The other nice thing about the oil pastel as opposed to the wax pigment is that it doesn’t “dry” as quickly and has some opacity. I like the way the brush stroke can be maintained.
I think that I need to get a few more brushes. The encaustic/oil pastel combination can get muddy if one isn’t careful. Mixing colors is something I would like to get better at. However, keeping the color pure and simple is forcing me to make serious decisions when putting the color down…so that is good.
On to the next project! And, I still need to get to the inktober work!
Encaustic & oil pastel: 5″ x 7″
This is my week to devote just about every day to my Art Projects. This makes me so happy. I am going to have to counsel myself not to be disappointed that I can’t get everything done that I want to. Today started slow…it’s amazing how quickly the morning gets away from you. I took some photos and decided to just play around a little–the result is this little encaustic painting of a dandelion. This afternoon I am going to work on some ink drawings for inktober (I am behind on this) and do some planning for the week. I need to get organized so I can make good use of my time. And, I need to remember to eat and walk the Big dog!
Graphite sketch in progress
I have never been keen on working on landscapes. But, this sketch changed my mind a bit. I like the perspective…from way down low. I really like the charm of this perspective–but it might just be the mushroom! The Facebook Art Journal group I belong to suggests a little fairy creature under the mushroom is begging to be added. This scares me! I am going to try it, but I don’t do figures and faces so that adds some struggle for me! And, what to do, how to do it! I am looking at resource material and considering how this might be accomplished. It won’t happen fast though. I do think that this little sketch has shown me that I can enjoy a landscape drawing or painting, I just need to make the composition dramatic in some way in order to enjoy it. I will work on finding interesting and dramatic perspectives for landscapes. And, I will broaden my mind and think about magical creatures too!
We had a particularly beautiful weekend here on the coast of Maine. Really more like August weather. John and I took advantage of the sun and warmth, took Big dog and headed out on the boat to Marshall Island for an overnight camping trip. It was awesome. We had a nice hike on the island in the morning and then scooted over to Wheat Island for some shelling. It was especially nice for Big who is always on leash to be able to run around free! He had a great time.
Marshall Island Memories: encaustic, collage on stone
Bird of Paradise: water soluble crayon and graphite
This turned out pretty much the way I wanted it to. That doesn’t happen often. It was planned…but yet loose. I made myself put the color in loosely knowing that once the color was down, that was it, no going back in color. Just over drawn in graphite. I will try to do more of these, some in graphite some in ink. My goal is for the over drawing to simply have beautiful lines, even if that means changing what is in front of me. I am not exactly happy with the lower right corner, but the rest of it I am pleased with.
Water-soluble crayon & colored pencil
This is our last day on Oahu, Hawaii. I am ready to head home. It’s been so nice seeing a different place, although I admit that Oahu is not really for me. I love the other islands and look forward to coming back to Maui in February. I am just not a city girl, and it really doesn’t matter that the beach is here and that the temperatures are warm. I like the slower pace of the other islands. I feel good that we came and better yet that we had a nice relaxing few days on the North Shore of Oahu. I did get some good photos for painting resources.
In progress: water-soluble crayon & graphite
In progress: water soluble crayon & colored pencil
My husband and I are visiting Oahu Hawaii. The destination was not our exact choice, but the conference that he is attending is located here. We have been to the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. Oahu is so very different than the other islands. We are not city folk, so we are a little less comfortable. We were lucky to find a really nice spot on the North Shore for the days before the conference, and that was great! I have spent my time taking lots of photos and thinking of future drawing and painting subjects. Today was the first day that I really had enough time to devote to some artwork. It is super hot in the city though, so I have to watch my materials closely for melting!
Shell sketch: North Shore of Oahu
Ink and water soluble crayon, 5″ x 7″
I had forgotten how much I actually liked ink. I think when I was young I may have sketched the drawing in pencil first and then gone over it in ink. Now I seem to have less fear and I can dive right in and put that ink right on the page. The lines now have loosened up for sure. Adding splashes of color with the water soluble crayon adds a spontaneity that I really enjoy. And, If I keep that color thin enough I can sneak in and add just a little over spots where I have drawn and then ink right over that too. I will keep working with this.
I started out with the micron ink pen just thinking of planning a painting, but the second piece I did really turned out well. I think that it’s a good medium for small planning sketches and also finished work. Next experiment is to use the ink drawing for a base for encaustic. We’ll see how that goes.
Planning sketch: ink pen
Art Projects 