New Year’s Eve

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I can’t believe the year is almost over. It flew by. I have not been good about posting consistently, I will try to do better this year as I like looking back at the work I am doing. Right now, I am really enjoying the iPad Pro and using #Procreate for drawing and painting. It certainly doesn’t replace the paper or canvas but it offers me a sketch opportunity at a moments notice.

This year I think I am going to focus as much as I can on the joy of drawing and painting and less about a particular goal. I think that the joy will be enough.

Enjoying Mixed Materials

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In some ways I feel like I need to settle down and choose a singular medium. This must come from some rigid thought process held over from college. I don’t know. I am having a lot of fun mixing up materials. However, even when mixing things up, I should probably have some discipline!

I am starting to realize that it is okay to just keep “practicing” and let the mind flow along with the creations. Maybe I need to stop thinking I need to get to something more serious.

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Inktober Continues

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Surprisingly I have kept up pretty well with #inktober2016. I have only missed a couple of days. Yesterday was my wedding anniversary, so I gave myself a break! Not all days have been good days, but the challenge has motivated me to get something drawn in my book pretty much everyday!

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I am trying to follow the daily prompts this year, but on occasion if I can’t do that I still work on a sketch in ink. I am really enjoying my Dad’s drawings, he is being a real sport and I love to see him participate! I look forward to his drawings everyday.

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Like Butter!

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quick study: R&F paint sticks on paper

quick study: R&F paint sticks on paper

So, the quick small study reveals that R&F oil paint sticks are super buttery! Which, in some cases will be exactly what I want. It makes them more difficult to work with on a small scale. The next experiment will be on a larger scale…maybe 9x12ish. I need a broader range of colors in these paints–and I probably should do a little color mixing with them to see what colors I can make. These paints will work very nice using a brush I think.

Next up to try will be the Windsor Newton Oil bars!

Documenting My Week

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Looking up at the tree tops during our mid-walk rest

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

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

little clam found on the beach

The Documented Week

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Sunday bulb planting

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!

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I am looking forward to tomorrow morning and my next journal page.

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Sketchbook Skool

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Beginnings: Page One

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

warm up ink sketch