In Memoriam

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This has been a sad month. We lost our very spectacular dog Big on September 2nd. He did in fact have a long (12 years), adventurous and a really spoiled life. However, the pain of the loss still weighs heavy, I imagine that will last for awhile. He was a committed companion, always on watch for his family. When you have a dog you get used to all the things that go along with having a dog…saving leftovers, night walks, morning walks, morning cuddles, sharing the sofa during tv shows, making plans for travel that include finding spots that will take dogs and of course one of the most wonderful things… knowing you are coming home to someone who always has time for you. He will be missed in a Big way. I will be forever grateful to my parents who were with him at the very end, they are the kindest people I know. I only wish that I had been with him as well.

We will probably adopt another dog in the future, but Big will always have an especially special place in my heart. I don’t know why but somehow I felt even more connected to him than our other dogs…and I loved our other dogs very much!

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Sadly our friend (and vet) also lost their long time companion, Springer Spaniel Samantha. She also had a long and wonderful life. I know her family will miss her as well. I did this portrait for them as a memoriam.

Dogs are really fabulous, I just wished that they would live longer.

Big Heads

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Fountain pen and water-soluble crayon

Fountain pen and water-soluble crayon

I am now two weeks in to #sketchbookskool #stretching class. Great to be back in class again! The time is already flying by. This second week I skipped over the blind contour and went straight to drawing big heads. It’s harder than one would think! I need to try this assignment again with a live subject. Reggie the boxer was hanging out at Java Joe’s coffee shop in Sugarloaf, he was a great looking guy–so I snapped his photo. The drawing is kind of wonky and I think that I will re-do his tag, but he was super fun to draw.

The think I like most about this assignment was the feeling of freedom from changing the proportions. Figures can be so intimidating…and changing proportions somehow takes some of the fear out of the drawing.

Brush Pen

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Pitt Pen, brush style tip

Pitt Pen, brush style tip

Trying out new materials for my ink only journal. I am trying so hard to play by the rules and not add any color! Using a different style ink pen helps keep me away from the color! The brush pens are a great exploration, such a different feel. Heavier lines, and the ability to fill in more quickly. Next up, using a combination of different pens in one drawing.

Loved drawing my old friend Garth. I miss him all the time, he had a good long life. Nice to remember him with some sketches.

Difficult perspective

Difficult perspective

Splash of color

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Pitt pen and water-soluble crayon

Pitt pen and water-soluble crayon

So hard not to break the rules sometimes! I love, love, love the ink only drawing. But, sometimes it is just impossible for me not to add a little color. This Koel bird was a prime example. I drew this from a black and white only image from the Animals, Mammals, Bird, Fish, Insects etc. book I have been using. I decided to look the bird up to just learn some more about it, and the images I found show the bird with brilliant red eyes and a green toned beak. The sketch was begging for the color.

I loved this little Jack Russell Terrier that was running around on the lava stone at the beach on The Big Island of Hawaii. i took several photos of him. I think I might do a couple more sketches of him.

Pitt Pen Medium Point

Pitt Pen Medium Point

Behind again on my sketches, two more to do today.