Sketchbook Skool - Urban Sketching

We've been doing urban sketching in bootkamp.  It is something I really need to work on. First it was buildings. Its been so cold I did not want to sit outside so I drew this view from inside my car.

Then it was people.  I went to the local library to do some sketching.

Everyone is working on their computers. I am finding these exercises hard, but the only way you get better is to keep doing it.

Here I spent time at creating a longer drawing.  It took me quite some time to draw all of those bricks. I used ink and pitt pens in shades of grey and watercolor paint. The drawing is far from perfect but it does have character and it tells me I can draw buildings if I just keep practicing.

I also captured my lunch before eating it.  I usually forget about that and then its too late.  A fun exercise.

Sunday Sketches

This was another selfie exercise from Sketchbook Skool Bootkamp. The one on the left was from my imagination and the one on the right was looking in a mirror. I need to work on the eyes a little more. I think I got the shape of my face correct but the eyes are too round. I leave that for the next time I do a selfie this way. Posting for Sunday Sketches.

Catching Up With Sketchbook Skool Bootcamp

I had gotten way behind in this bootcamp course so it was time to catch up. We were to choose an artist and see what we could learn.  This is by John William Waterhouse and its called The Soul of the Rose.

We were to do a simple sketch and record what we learned.  Wow I was humbled by this project. The painting is really complex when you start drawing it.  I love how the bun in her hair even looks like a rose and her dressing gown mimic flowers too. The colors used in the piece fascinated me too. The red of her hair is repeated all over the painting. So many shades of green are also used.  The background seems simple but really it is not simple at all

The next two exercises are about your personal history.  I was drawing from tiny little photos but learned a lot from this too. I could see my same eyes in every photo.

Here we were to go to google earth and find our childhood home.  To record the differences. Another fun exercise that had me going down memory lane.

Next we were on to selfies using the fast slow technique. First with watercolor in 60 seconds or less and then in pen for a long time.  Someday I'll make a selfie that I think really looks like me.

This selfie is one continuous line, I look a little scary. A good exercise to practice seeing before you put pen to paper. Its hard not to lift that pen off the paper.

Bootcamp Begins

Its January so a new session of Sketchbook Skool has started.  Since I have taken all three courses I was invited to take Bootcamp.  It s free course open to those who have taken all three courses.  They plan on covering aspects of all three previous lessons. We have 3 sessions a week.

This first exercise involved fruit and drawing at various steps.  It was quite a fun little exercise. I drew it in ink and then painted it in watercolor.  It was fun stopping and eating between each drawing.

This one I drew on Saturday while watching football. I drew it from some images on Pinterest.  I combine two different ideas.  I made the nose way to short but kept going anyways. I colored her in with InkTense pencils and a waterbrush. Simple but fun.

What did you do to express your creativity today?

Drawing With a Ballpoint Pen

In Sketchbook Skool this week the class was with Andrea Joseph.  She is amazing, you can check out her work here.She does some amazing work with a ballpoint pen.  This was my first attempt. I drew things on my desk that were black.  It was the only ballpoint pen I could find.  I prefer gel pens so digging up a ballpoint was a little difficult. I found it easier to draw with than I thought I would.

The I found a red pen, so I drew some red pens on an index card.

Our next assignment was to draw a collection of things.  Here I chose some buttons.  I used a fountain pen for this one, basically because I didn't have any blue pens to use.

Our last assignment was to do some lettering.  We started with basic writing and then embellished some of the surfaces of the letters.  It was pretty easy and I think it makes my handwriting look a little more special.


Kate

Sketches- Selfie's And More Fun Stuff

I have to admit that trying to get my writing done for the week and all my Sketchbook skool assignments have been keeping me busy.

This was done with that blue lamy safari pen. I drew it on a piece of mail by looking in a mirror. Then I wrote yuck on the paper.  Then of course I said, just keep going, finish the drawing.  I am glad I did.  The thing about drawing is you just keep going, keep practicing and at some point you become satisfied with your skills.  Its all part of the process.

My next selfie was created from a photo. A contour drawing where you try to not lift the pen I did it mostly that way but not all.  It was fun. I used a Lamy Safari fountain pen with a fine nib. The hair was incredibly fun to do.

This selfie was drawn from a mirror.  Its kind of wonky but fun.  I am liking how all of them look totally different.

This is  selfie #7 drawn from an old photo before I got my haircut.  Also with glasses on which was its own challenge.  Well I did it, a selfie a day for 7 days.

This drawing was from a magazine photo. I wish I hadn't tried to add shadows to the face with pen. There was no fixing it after that. I like the picture so much I may have to draw it again.




















This is a photo of my sister and my daughter.  The fingers are a little too close together but I think you still get the idea.

I really like the idea of making drawings from family photos. Its been fun. I think I want to do some vintage photos next. Kate

Drawing My Novel's Characters

I have been thinking about drawing my characters in my novel for awhile now.

My main character Caitlin is the focus of the drawings.  Here is a first try of what she might look like.

Then I went with more of an action shot.  She is an archer from a Celtic like society. I didn't really like the way this turned out.

Then I had a journal page in process so I added her to the page.  She came out looking much older than she is, but it was still a fun page to create.

This was a page for Sketchbook School Storytelling. We were to do a cover for a book or travel journal so I thought I would add elements of my book. Its way too big for a cover but it was still fun to create.

I think I'll be doing some more of these, maybe for some of my other characters.

If you are intrigued by my book at all, make sure to sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar. My newsletter subscribers will be the first to know when it's published and available for sale.

Kate

Learning New Things

Having a blast with sketchbook Skool once more.  I don't know what it is about this course but I just love it.  The people teaching are amazing artists dom all over the world and the classmates are just the best.  All so encouraging and fun. I mean we even have our own T shirts, mugs and such.  How much fun is that. This time I am taking 2 sessions, one on seeing and on on storytelling. One started two weeks after the other one which is helpful.  This weeks teacher is from France so its been delightful listening to him talk, and seeing his sketchbooks and learn from him.

This was drawn from a magazine image.  Pencil, then ink and inktense pencil for the color.  Its small created in my Japanese moleskine journal.

I had been wanting another fountain pen that had a finer nib than the one I have so I ordered this one from jet pens.  In an earlier class I learned if you turn over the nib you can get a lighter line. Its a pretty cool technique.

In the Seeing course we are doing self portraits all week.

This was done looking in a mirror.  Really hard to do. I think it looks like I am 12.

So then I took this picture and drew my next portrait from it.

At least I look a little older here, but it still doesn't seem to look like me.  Other people seem to see it but I don't.

Here is selfie #3, drawn by looking in a smaller mirror.

Do you feel like your self portraits look like you?

Kate

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

Working On Re-Entry

Its taking me a while to get back to blogging.  I have been home since Monday but I had a lot of writing to do. Re-entry is always a process for me and this time has not been any different.  After the laundry and the clean up and catch up I really had no desire to add blogging to the mix. I was up till midnight finishing some writing for my coach so this morning I am dragging a bit.

I drew this on and off yesterday while watching TV.  I have been using my Lamy Safari fountain pen a lot lately.  I love how the ink flows out of it. Pure pleasure to work with.

Then I added color with InkTense Pencils and a waterbrush.

This is a silly car I drew when I was stuck in a construction zone. It gave me something to do while I waited.

Here is Dave cooking out in the campground. Thats corn on the grill not fish. I did this for Sketchbook Skool. A drawing that tells a story.

Sketchbook Skool Storytelling

Sketchbook Skool has started again. I took the Storytelling course this time. My instructor is the lovely Koosje Koene from the Netherlands. She is the co founder of Sketchbook Skool along with Danny Gregory. She has a wonderful blog and lots of videos and classes on drawing, you can find it here. I always enjoy her Draw Tip Tuesday short videos.

This is my first drawing for Storytelling.  We are supposed to create a recipe.  This is not something I normally do but it was quite fun.

Our second homework assignment is to create a manual or set of directions.  Here I describe how to use a 3 x 5 gelli plate.  I started this in pencil and then went over it in pen and erased the pencil lines. Then I added watercolor and some colored pencil.  I think it is a fun illustration. I think it tells a little story.

Kate

Sketchbook Skool Is Finished

Sketchbook Skool is over with for now.  It was six weeks of a whole lot of fun.  I love it when you are really changed by a class.  I will be taking the next session which I think will be  in October. Meanwhile I saw these books talked about in class and thought they would be great to go through in the meantime.

This is full of advice on getting started along with lots of great tips.   I think it will be invaluable.

This one was described as the nest book on watercolor and so far I really like it. It started off explaining how watercolor paint is made and then went right into colors and where they came from.  I love history so this will be great to learn a little more.  The rest of the book looks great too.  I've got some fun reading ahead of me.

At The Zoo

 I took myself to the zoo to sketch. I got to use my brand new Derwent bag, but I forgot a paper towel, so any mistakes in color I was just stuck with. I took my 3 legged chair and it worked perfectly. Most people said not a word to me. One little girl said "she's a painter" and inside I felt pretty proud at that.

Here the female kept pacing, so I didn't record her at all.

The lions were my best subject.  They just slept in the sun.

The camel cooperated only so much, I never did get their head.  There were two of them and they kept moving their heads around each other and then completely changed positions.

At the Penguin cove I got some contour drawing done.

The pig just slept while I was there. A sleeping animal is so much easier to draw. That is all I did in the two hours I was there.  The next time I will stay longer.



 Some music for your enjoyment.