Day 214 Hoping for better LucK

February 5, 2015February 6, 2015Leave a comment

Hopefully this post will not disappear before I publish it like yesterday’s did!!

My sweet Jack Russell Zoe snoozing on the back of the sofa. She was annoyed because she wanted to be in my lap and I was drawing.

This picture is done completely with markers- blue, green, red and grey Tombow markers, a Staedlee pen and a Pitt white marker. That’s it. Nothing else.

I used a water brush to give the effect of watercolor, mixing color on the paper. The white marker was used to brighten some of the white lights. I am so good at loosing those!! The paper is Strathmore 500 mixed media.

Did you find Zoe’s second ear?! It’s there!!

Thanks for looking.

Day 214 Hoping for better LucK

February 5, 2015Leave a comment

Hopefully this post will not disappear before I publish it like yesterday’s did!!

My sweet Jack Russell Zoe snoozing on the back of the sofa. She was annoyed because she wanted to be in my lap and I was drawing.

This picture is done completely with markers- blue, green, red and grey Tombow markers, a Staedlee pen and a Pitt white marker. That’s it. Nothing else.

Did you find Zoe’s second ear?! It’s there!!

Thanks for looking.

Day 212 – a few leftovers?!

February 3, 2015February 3, 2015Leave a comment

I almost have more than I ever post. This is Sketchbookskool homework leftover from last week- Friday. While I was watching Roz’s SBS video where she drew the love bird my cat was looking for that darned bird. He sat on that rug listening and patiently waiting for that bird. So I played it again and I drew him. Often he moved as soon as I started. Sometimes not. Some are complete some aren’t.

Then he moved to the backdoor. He knew there were birds outside that door. That also involved considerable yowling on his part. I made up a story about him as I drew him wishfully thinking about eating and being let out.

Next I noticed my Jack Russell Zoe watching Tom carrying on from a sunny spot in the window. Zoe loves to sleep in the winter sun that streams into the den.

Wish I hadn’t painted the background yellow but oh well.

A quick tiny sketch of Roz that I did while watching the supply video. Has a Rozish quality I think. Painted with Daniel Smith paint which I know she would approve of.

Day 211- a New Beginning or Trials and Tribulations!!

February 1, 2015February 1, 2015Leave a comment

Sometimes you just have to start over.
A new sheet of paper a new sketch. I went with the plumbline approach. Trying to be sure that eveything was in line! I started drawing her by trying to matching up the angle of the neck. Then I drew an oval for her head and her shoulder line.I also tried to check the negative space that her chin, neck, and shoulder form.

Making progress. A little Jawy still. Colors used DS Quinacridone Coral with a touch of cad yellow light for skin. Cerulean and burnt umber plus piemonite and cobalt for shadows. Hair is quinacridone sienna for highlights and ultramarine blue mixed with burnt umber for darks.

Calling her done at least for the moment. I think she’s much improved. Especially her hair! Background piemonite and cobalt.

Thanks for looking!!

Day 21o – Life Drawing at USC Aiken

February 1, 2015February 1, 2015Leave a comment

It’s Saturday. That means the faithful are trekking to Aiken to sketch. Most Saturday’s find Ruth, Tom and I meeting at Earthfare to make the forty mile drive to USC Aiken.

Our model today was Elena.

This is as far as I have gotten. The purple in it is piemonite mixed with cobalt. I am going to check my plumb lines. I think the left eye is too high still. And her hair…please models wear your hair DOWN…that upswept hair may look quaint and cute but oh my what a pain it is to paint with watercolors!!

At least she does have a nice glow to her. I have to say LOVING that Fabriano Artistico cold press 140#. Dampen the offending paint and it just about wipes off this paper. THANK goodness!!

She’s gone thru quite a few revisions. Still not happy with her.

My favorite part…that might tell you how much I like this painting!!

Here she is after working on her at USC AIken this morning. Not liking her much at all!!

Splattered most of the background on with a combo of Piemonite and Cobalt…soupy. I should have turned that top paper towel DOWN!! Had to clean up alot of splatters from her face and her right shoulder OOPS!! But the background is my favorite part of this.

Thanks for looking!! Sorry to be so whiny!!

Day 209 – Pretty Sketchbooks

January 31, 20152 Comments

After a conversation on Facebook about nasty covers on sketchbooks yesterday I decided to cover mine. I had a great box of hand made paper from Paper Mojo, a large bottle of Modge Podge, and a foam brush or two.

Four Strathmore journals, a Stillman and Birn Zeta and one Moleskine.
It took most of the day but I think they look great!!

A lot of the blocks with the word Sketchbook is made with scraps of watercolor paper that I tested pa don’t colors on.

This was a black moleskine.

I think they will look a lot better in the shelf than the old brown and black covers like the old one in the stack that’s still not covered. It does have stickers all over it. If that counts?!

Thanks for looking!

Day 208 – Dr Sketchys and some InK!!

January 30, 2015January 30, 20154 Comments

Every month we look forward to Dr. Sketchys Anti Art School in Augusta. Its always the last Wednesday of the month at Chat Noir on 8th and Ellis in downtown Augusta GA. THE most fun an artist can have all month. Fast sketching, interesting off the wall models – we have had strippers, burlesque dancers, performers, side show performers, automatons, actors and actresses…next month a circus performer.

I arrived with the intention of drawing with my Noodler Creaper loaded with Carbon Platinum Black ink and my Black and brown pentel brush pens plus hmm then I discovered the water brush and the Tombow markers…and it was history! Most are done in my 8.5×11″ Strathmore 500 Mixed Media journal….LOVE that paper. Nice and crispy. Took the water very well.

My Warmup Sketch

First I did a warm up sketch in my Stillman and Birn Alpha with my Noodler Creaper Ahab. I LOVE that pen…such great lines. I like to do a quick sketch before I get serious because no telling what I will draw. I am getting better at quickly sketching body parts…been practicing that since November or so drawing out and about in Atlanta, Key West and Augusta. Looking at her she actually has the right body shape!! I think I have improved since I started figure drawing a year ago.

Waiting

Strathmore 500 Mixed Media Journal

This was a ten minute sketch. I got the figure done quickly and drew in the background…Kind of fun. I had limited pens to use. I drew all the sketches first with my Noodler Creaper. Then I filled in the colors. I only had a red, a green and a purpley blue Tombow and some grey Tombows, a brown and black pentel brush pen and the noodler when I drew this, And two gel pens….gold and white. I used a brush pen to let the colors loose…TOO fun. I had my one and only martini at this time!! I used the red Tombow for all the skin tones. Some of the brown pentel brush pens for the darks.

It was fun not having all the colors though at first I wished I had brought my portable watercolor box….but later I was pleased with what I had done just using pens.

The gold gel pen was used for the necklace the stockings and the table.

The Valkyrie

Strathmore 500 Mixed Media Journal

Loved the horns…and I discovered a few more markers in my bag. Three Wink of Stellas – gold, pearlescent and black. They twinkle with glitter. Another silver gel pen and a pack of 7 Varsity fountain pens in every color but black…thank goodness they were super on the flowers!! I drew the flowers with the varsity pens and hit them with the water brush!! AWESOME stuff.

I twinkled her with the wink of stellas. She definitely has the glitter going on!!! You can get Wink of Stellas at Binders in Atlanta. I had to control myself at $8.95 a marker but oh my is the glitter in them sparkly and wonderful. I used all three of them on her…the black on her clothes, the pearlescent and gold wherever. Silver gel pen on her antlers. A picture does not do her justice because she just SpArKLeS!!

Sarah with whips

Strathmore 500 Mixed Media Journal

I really liked the costumes she had. And this pose was one of my favorites. I get tired of just drawing nekkid people. I like a little fabric to play with….she had a great kimono with alot of gold. And a huge pearl necklace. WoW!! All the pen colors are the same as the first one! I used alot of gold on the kimono both the gel pen and the wink of stella. Also on her necklace. The background is the pentel brush marker and the Wink of Stella Black marker.

Sarah Birdsong

Strathmore 500 Mixed Media Journal

This is my imitation of my friend Ruth’s style. She’s just the most awesome artist with people. LOVE her work. You can follow her at BritPeach on Instagram. Nobody does a better nude!!

Back to the picture. LOTS of red and the brown Pentel Pen. Then wetting them with the waterbrush to let them flow. Gold gel pen on the pearls. Rather like this one the best even though I did it in under ten minutes!

Thanks for looking!!

Day 2o7 – Shoe Time

January 29, 2015January 30, 2015Leave a comment

When I was a kid going to UGA we had to draw 150 drawings per art class each quarter. At times I took 3 art classes, a full load. That was 450 drawings besides 6 hours of class daily and lots of homework. We would run out of ideas for drawing.

One of my friends Carolyn Cates drew her shoes. I decided to draw my favorite Pappagallos. I loved these shoes. Expensive for a student but not meant for walking the campus in all weather. They were notorious for falling apart in a sudden rain shower.

Anyway, you are not here to hear me reminisce but to talk paint. That painting and the shoes have long disappeared so I decided it was time to recreate them.

I googled Pappagallos to see if there were any photos online. I didn’t find mine but I found a few similar pairs for sale on etsy.

Cute aren’t they?!

These are for sale on Etsy!!

Love these. Too bad they are the wrong size I would say SOLD!!

These pics revived forgotten details like the blue striped interior, the turquoise sole, the small stacked heels.

So I drew my old long gone favorite Pappagallos with my Noodler Creaper Ahab.

I was cleaning up the lettering. I thought it was dry. OOPs, it wasn’t!!! A smear!!!

What to do??!

TIP– You can always glue some of that paper we all save over your mistakes. Glue some of my vintage ledger paper over it.

Oops, that didn’t work. Look at all the feathering around the pen line!

Finally I found a piece of scrapbook ledger paper. Tested it with my pen. NO feathering. Hallelujah!! Modge podge it down!!

TIP- Modge podge is great for gluing down great for SECURELY gluing paper down in your art journal. Learned that from Mary Ann Moss!! Thanks Mary Ann!!

Here it is finished?! Wait – no it needs something in that wide border. What?

FINISHED Finally!!!

Colors? Dark blue cobalt outer border and a double black line done with my Noodler helped. And the ultramarine blue line around the title with another double black line helped to make it pop. I am
Not a faded out kinda girl. Vivid and bright is me!!

Once again contrasting colors helped with that. For the background I used yellow ochre with a little grey mixed from burnt sienna and cerulean. The cobalt blue border made it pop. The cobalt also brings out the blue bows on the shoes.

The green is manganese blue and yellow. The almost black dark on the bows and x’s is ultramarine blue and burnt umber.

And that’s it. Go forth and paint your shoes. The brighter the better. Maybe some of the snazzy sneakers in wild colors! And use contrasting colors. You will be glad you did.

Thanks for looking!!!

Day 206 – Fast and Slow 2

January 28, 2015January 28, 20152 Comments

Kind of describes my day. Today I signed up for Fine Arts America. You can sell prints through them. Don’t go look. So far after four hours of trying to scan not a thing ready to upload. Scanners are not usually so difficult. Hopefully problems will be resolved shortly.

This is another fast slow painting I did yesterday. Clutter on my Art Table aka Kitchen Table -This was fun…think I should have colored the letters? I really wanted a neon green to go whang…settled for cad yellow new gamboge and maganese blue which is a brilliant blue.

I knew what colors I was going to use because Lime is my favorite color but I can not wear it. Makes me look yellow. Not a good look!!

Pink goes with lime and so does purple…so picking the colors was easy. Splattered with purple on the pink and a darker blue violet on the bottom.

The pink is quinacridone magenta. The purple is made with the manganese and Quin magenta. Top splattered with the purple. Bottom splattered with some darker blue violet. Aka I added more blue to my purple mix.

Flipping thru my almost full sketchbook I had the thought that I had drawn/written a book. Yes it’s about my life but still a book. People are always telling me to make a picture book and I tell them too many pages. It takes 32 drawings to make a picture book. And I have filled 70 pages. Maybe I will rethink that picture book?!

Thanks for looking!!!

Day 205 – Fast and Slow

January 26, 2015January 26, 20152 Comments

Taking Sketchbookskool beginnings and Seeing. This is the homework for Seeing, Danny Gregory’s Fast and Slow assignment. Yes HOMEWORK!!!!
Despite the fact that it was the h word it was a lot of fun. Betting I will do a few more.

I had already collaged the background with old accounting paper and a piece of paper bag from Little Shop of Story’s in Decatur Ga – our favorite independent bookstore. It has quotes from story books on it- Wild Things is my favorite.

First choose an intricate object to draw. I chose Henry’s Rocker. Rockers usually give me fits.

Next you make a soupy puddle of any color watercolor and using a big brush you try to paint the object quickly. I used Daniel Smith piemonite and American Journey cobalt with a size 8 sable brush.

Let it dry. Take a fairly thick pen (Noodler Creaper Ahab) look at the object carefully and attempt to draw it. Add in details with a finer pen(Lamy Vista Fine Nib).

And that’s it. Of course I had to decorate the page. The words Henry’s Rocker are painted in his favorite color in this case Holbein cad red light. Background is Daniel Smith new gamboge with a touch of Holbein cad light.

Lettering done with my Noodler Creaper Ahab loaded for business with Platinum Carbon Black INKC 1500.