In My Sketchbook Tonight

Taking Sketchbook Skool has really made me fall in love with my sketchbook. I am loving drawing in it, experimenting and just playing.  These Hare's I drew just for fun.

This is a sketch I made with a very big Lyra Graphic crayon.  It was a quick and easy way to create a sketch. Feels like a cross between pencil and charcoal.

I did this as an exercise for sketchbook skool - seeing. It  is called fast/slow.  I started with watercolor to do the blue lines.  That is the fast part.  Then you do the slow part with ink to correct lines and add detail, that is the slow part.  Really frustrating at first but quite a fun experience.  I think I will be trying this one again.

This one was an exercise in really seeing.  To spend your time really looking at the toast and recording the image slowly. It is truly amazing how many holes there are in bread.

I got this in the mail today.  It's the Pentel pocket brush pen and is sold by Amazon.  It the only brush pen that actually has bristles.  The ink in permanent and comes with cartridges.  Its pretty nice to work with.  I really like the different marks you can make with it.

Do you have any new favorite supplies?

Kate

Drawing My Kitchen

My kitchen, oh my there are so many mistakes in this drawing.  Nothing is the right size or shape but I kept hearing Tommy Kane's voice in my head saying "finish the drawing" so I kept plugging away. The handles on the cupboard are different for a reason. I when I made the error on the left I was dismayed but decided to make the other side correct. I learned a lot with this drawing. Its always encouraging to realize that the next drawing is going to be better.

I got my Derwent Pencil Bag in the mail yesterday.  I love it.  It will hold 130 pencils, a sketchbook, watercolor box and more. There are three sleeves to hold pencils and you can add more.  Right now I added all my Inktense pencils and my Graphitint pencils.  Whenever I get to the zoo to do animal drawing I'll take it for a real test run.  Just using it at home has been great because everything is right there in the bag.  I don't have to go looking for anything.

Art Every Day

Self portrait in graphite pencil.
I am linking to Sunday Sketches and Art Everyday Month today.

I have always wanted to do Art EveryDay Month but since I am already writing a book it always seemed insane.  I can't go a month without doing art though so I decided I would join in this year.  I am not going to stress if I don't get art done every day.  I am going to use it as a way to warm up my creative muscles and then I'll get to the writing,

Using A Sketchbook Again

Many of you know that google reader is going away.  I have used Net News Wire which is only for the Mac and Bloglovin which I think works for both systems.  I am sure there are others out there.  Lately I have just been putting all the blogs I read in my link list and just go to them from my own blog. It doesn't tell you about updates so that won't work for everyone.  If you've found an awesome reader please share.

My journal is full of backgrounds and often I don't know what to do with them. The backgrounds are so beautiful I think simple is best.

This page started with a spray ink background with the birch trees stencil.  I added decorate tissue around it and then some images. I am not sure if this is done yet.

This was painted newspaper. I saw this turtle and butterfly in my stash and loved it on this paper.



Another shot at the painting, I am sure you are getting tired of seeing this.   I promise the next pic will be the last.  I added the tree, made the square stones round and covered up the barn. I am not sure what I will add in that green area, more animals, flowers, my hammock nothing seems right yet so I will sit with it for awhile.

For awhile I have been toying with the idea of doing a sketchbook again.  Inspired by my friend Lynn's book, "One fish taco and a half an order of guacomole" I thought of drawing in public again and trying people this time. About all I did was think about it though. I am in a group on Facebook with April Cole and they are going to do a sketchbook challenge in April. So I thought I might take part. There is nothing like a challenge to get you moving to do something you keep thinking about. Then my friend Connie did this post on her sketchbook and I took the plunge. I had a book I got at Hobby Lobby last fall that is perfect.  Its like a moleskine with sketchbook paper, it opens flat has a pocket and all that jazz.  So I decided not to wait till April and begin now.  I am using pen like Connie suggests, these are rough drawings, just a part of my day.

What was on my messy desk was my first sketch.

The next day it was my mug at a coffeeshop and a quick sketch of my kitty sitting on my lap.

A kitty again and some scenes from my yard that I might eventually add to a painting. I am really enjoying doing these simple sketches.  Maybe its time you picked up a sketchbook again.  Why don't you join me and share bits of your sketchbook too!

Face to Face

Signed up to take Misty Mawn's Face to Face course. It started in January but you can sign up any time.   I had the paper taped to cardboard and was dismayed when the cardboard showed through.  It does make for a interesting texture.

This was done in charcoal. I had really a lot of problems here. The porportions are all off. I kept trying to fix and then putting my hand in places I had already worked and then having to fix that.  It truly became a nightmare after awhile.  I decided I had done enough and it was time to work on something else.

Here I am using a desk pad to draw face parts and more.  This course is pretty incredible. I know I will be a better artist when I complete all the exercises, plus I am having a great time. This course is pretty expensive but I think worth every penny if you want to improve in drawing and painting faces.

New pencils

It all started with needing some new pitt pens.  Then I started looking at what else was on the shelf.

Then I found all sorts of different pencils and some had to come home with me. These pencils are called Gioconda and they are made by Koh I Noor.  There were only about 5 shades and I came home with three as they were expensive.  They are peach and brownish tones.  The felt a little like pastel pencils but I am not sure what they are.

These pencils by the same company are called Progresso. They are woodless graphite pencils with a very soft lead. They were inexpensive at 1.35 each so I thought I would give them a try too.

Here is today's face. She was rendered with the Gioconda pencils and then some Carb Othello pastel pencils that I already own. They were fun to use. Tomorrow I may try the woodless graphite ones.

Sunday Sketches August 12

Here is today's sketch. I used graphite  in 2B and 8B for the sketch and some Graphitint pencils in the background.  You can check out what other sketchers did here.

The Art of Breakfast

I saw this on a blog and loved it I know you will too.


The Art of Breakfast from DannyGregory on Vimeo.

Drawing Lab- Cats

Some of you may have heard all the talk about this book, or seen it on other blogs.  You can also check out some fun stuff on Carla's blog

Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun (Lab Series)

In the first lab you are supposed to draw 30 cats sitting in bed.  You can do it on a pillow or use your non-dominant hand. Its a great exercise because none of these are so called perfect cats.   Here are some of my funny cats.  Then we are to choose one we like and paint it.  The only one I liked was in the upper right corner.

So here is my little blue cat, rendered in watercolor.  He was actually sort of fun to do. I like painting him better than drawing all those cats. I think working with this book will really help conquer those art fears of not being right perfect or correct.  I have been wanting to try some whimsical stuff so here is my chance. Maybe this little blue cat now needs a series of adventures.

The Blue Angels are in town and they have been practicing over my head or roof I should say.  Maybe that is why the cat is blue.  Those blue planes are quite exciting to see so close. Flynn doesn't like them very much though, he keeps chasing them all over the yard.  Dogs are funny sometimes, he will chase an airplane but he is afraid of the vacuum cleaner.

Drawing again

I have wanted to get back to doing some drawing in my moleskine sketchbook. I have been taking it to church again and sketching during the service. I find it relaxing and it really helps me to pay attention if I am doing something. I am not sure why I am drawing hats, it just seemed to turn out that way.

I drew this from a magazine image, I really like the woman in the picture although I really didn't capture her essence but still it was a good exercise in drawing.

This actually was a drawing from a magazine. I want to learn how to do poses and this was my first try at that. I added the tree and the feet and I know both feet wouldn't be going in that direction but I couldn't seem to figure out how to do it.  Perhaps next time.  I want to do this again.  I like to practice this way before I actually try doing this with real subjects.  The pictures don't move on you like real people do.

If there is some new technique you want to try I suggest you learn by trying what others have done. They seem to be my teachers of late.

Have an Art filled day.

Creative Everyday - this week

My post for Creative Every Day is a hodgepodge this week. Lots of different creativity in different genre's are showcased. I have been in a little quiet Art period of late. I have started lots of journal pages but nothing seems to be finished. I have experienced the same with Wreck this Journal activities so I figure it is a cycle that I will snap out of soon.











This first group are some cereal boxes that I plan to make into ATC's. The spray paint worked great on that cardboard.


















This page is in the paper bag journal. I am finding that the spray paint looks really different on the paper that paper bags are made of.


















Here is another female face I drew why listening to a poetry reading.



















This is the latest scarf off my loom. It is rayon chenille in black and variegated blues, woven to appear like a window check. I like the way it looks. I am now threading a simple cotton warp for another scarf. A couple years ago I was going to be part of a show so I wound all these warps. The show fell through and I never move the items. This summer I am hoping to weave up most of them. Then when I get that etsy shop open I will have something to sell.

Have a wonderfully creative day!