Category: Caran d’ache

Day 249 -More birds

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This is a leftover bit of Sketchbookskool homework I just finished up. One of Cathy Johnson’s assignments was bird drawing. I seem to have gotten stuck there. This is done with caran d’ache watercolor crayons in my Stillman and Birn zeta.

The Stillman and Birn Zeta rivals Strathmore 500 Mixed Media art journals for great paper to work on. It’s much whiter and about the same price. Only problem. I have to get them in Atlanta. Sigh. Nowhere to be bought in Augusta Ga. I can get the Strathmore at Michaels and Hobby Lobby. 

Cardinals frequent my feeder and are a big favorite of mine and most other backyard birders. The males that visit my feeder are more salmon colored than red.

Background cerulean, pen is a Noodler flex pen loaded with de Atremis brown document. I love that color!  Double lines done with my sepia brown Pitt pen. And for once no mistake to cover up with the ledger paper. I just thought it would be a nice addition. I did want to add Washi take but couldn’t find any the right size or color so NO Washi tape. 

Thanks for looking!!

Thanks for looking. 

Day 24o – The End of Downton Season 5

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I meant to draw more of the players but somehow it did not record. So I drew Lady Violet Crawley Dowager Countess of Grantham. What a name?! I hope I got it right. Nobody is better than Maggie Smith in her part. 



My favorite character Lady Violet always has some smart answer. 

I drew her with my Noodler Creaper Ahab loaded with Carbon Black Ink. I love that pen. Makes such great lines because of its flex nib and so cheap. 

I drew the face and hat. Added a lot of crosshatching shading with the Creaper. A bit at a time.  Hard to go back once these too much.  

I originally had her name and the quote below Lady Violet who was in an oval.  Originally I intended to paint the “mat” area. 

 I ran out of room for the quote so I got the bright idea of making an oval mat out of old ledger paper. I use it because the pen does well on it. Some paper the pen feathers on. Not a good look. 

How did I get that oval? I might add it was perfect on the first attempt. I cut a piece of paper the same size as the sketchbook page. The I clipped it over the page, held it up to a sunny window and drew the oval. I then carefully cut it out from the inside out. I really was amazed that it fit exactly. 

She was colored with caran d’ache and  some Watercolor markers I got at Michaels. A lot of fun. No idea if they are lightfast but there are 24 of them. Cheaper than the nonlightfast Tombows. 



Here’s the whole double page spread with more Lady Violet quotes. She’s so funny to me. All lettering down with the Noodler Creaper Ahab on Strathmore 500 Mixed Media paper. 

Thanks for looking!! 

Day 238 – Life modeling

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After 30 minutes drawing. 

Tom, Ruth and I made our weekly trek to lifemodeling today. I used caran d’ache and fabriano watercolor.  

 I wasn’t too thrilled with my view of the model.  Mostly her head but glad to say she turned out looking better than I ever thought my view of her would look. Usually drawing from a foreshortened angle is tough but for some reason I did her correctly  today. 

I liked the way she looked at our first break. I drew her with yellow ochre. Scrubbed out the incorrect lines with my old Grumbacher filbert hog bristle brush. It’s also great to lift color with. 



This is after another half an hour.  And she’s done for the moment. Still a bit more to do like the background and a few shadows. I almost made the mistake of using burnt umber on her til I heard Charles Reod saying NEVER use anything darker than burnt sienna on a young model. The only place I used it was on the hair, the eyebrows and the eye. 

I used the old grumbacher hog bristle brush to scrub out the highlights on her face near her mouth. And some on her nose. Also across the top

Of her left shoulder.  I did manage to retain the whites on her right shoulder.  I sprayed the bottom of the girl and the drapery with my spray bottle to get a few runs in the caran d’ache. Always a fun technique. 

Colors used: flesh, pink, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, lavender, burnt umber. 

Thanks for looking. 

Day 233 – Madly Sketching

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Nothing unusual about that is there?

Both of these are on Strathmore 500 Mixed Media and done with my beloved Noodler Creaper Ahab.  

grantchesterbw

I drew this last nite while I was watching Grantchester on PBS Mystery. Mystery is my favorite show on PBS.   I just love Grantchester, and of course it doesn’t hurt that the hero James Norton is such a cutie.I wasnt wild about him in Murder at Pemberly….too foppish for me. BUT in Grantchester he plays a wounded but sweet guy.I looked at his face and though as square as his face is its NOT hard to draw and I was right.  His partner Robson aka Geordie was NOT as easy to draw though I think it looks like him. His face is too wide.  I did draw him off the tv.

His side kick Robson Green is not bad either.  He’s been a favorite of mine since his show Wired in the Blood where he’s a profiler. Wired in the Blood is A VERY creepy show set in Scotland.  Even my sons love it!

Grantchestercolor

I don’t seem to be able to leave them in black and white.  I finally threw in the towel and colored it with my Caran d’ache watersoluble crayons.  Was nice curled up on the sofa coloring and them painting with the water brushes. 

Some of the lettering in this version was done with the Kuretake- the heavier lettering.  I have five of Kuretakes and rarely use them. I was so surprised because I kept adding words and the Kuretakes dried INSTANTLY. I painted over the lettering at the top immediately after writing it…usually a guaranteed bleed with my Pentel Brush Marker especially when its heavy like the word Grantchester.

I think it got a little cluttered…I kept adding words to it as I thought more about the characters…I could have done a better job organizing it!! 

zoequilt

My faithful companion Zoe snuggling on the sofa while Mom aka me messes with the computer.  I think I am drawing a dog everyday lately. Well most days!! Zoe is helpful laying next to me on the sofa.!! This one is still in black and white.  I had just watched Andrea Joseph’s video in SBS…maybe where I got the idea for all the crosshatching??  Or maybe its because I drew her with the brush marker yesterday.  I wanted to see what the Noodler would do with her fur…MUCH easier to draw and get good results.  I dont know why people complain about their Creapers.  I LOVE mine…had it four months without a problem.  

Thanks for looking!!