Sketchbook Revival

I received an email in May about an online "Sketchbook Revival". For 12 days videos from different artists were made available. Many of the artists shared pages from their personal sketchbooks, and demonstrated one technique or another. The videos covered many different art forms. They included making & binding books, pencil sketching, bold graffiti designs with markers, water color sketches using traditional water color as well as water color pencils, using regular colored pencils, botanical drawings, collages, and several others. I didn't have the opportunity to view all of the videos as we were in the throes of getting ready to leave Florida and my time was limited. However, the program reignited my artist-wanna-be fire! One of the artists, Liz Steel, shared watercolor sketches that she creates when she is traveling as a way of remembering her trip. Wow! What a fun thing to do. I am going to Europe toward the end of September and decided it would be wonderful to document my travels with my own sketches... and to be able to do this, I need practice. Lots of practice! Therefore ... I purchased a few different journals so I could experiment with the types of paper. I bought a nifty travel watercolor set, and a few extra brushes. I did get some markers and colored pencils as well. I made a commitment to sketch... every day! I am loving it. When I return from walking the dogs I pull out my box of journals and art supplies and sit down to create. It is a wonderful part of my day... and I have completed 44 different sketches to commemorate our travels, share what I see when I walk the dogs in the morning or simply things that strike my fancy. I have missed a few days, here and there, but I have done more in the past few months than I probably have in the past few years!

Here are some of my favorites!

Among my first sketches... watercolor pencil, water colors, marker & pen
3.5" X 5.5"

Watercolor and pen
3.5" X 5.5" 

Pen & watercolor.
I am a huge fan of how the oyster turned out. I'm not sure why!
3.5" X 5.5"

Watercolor & pen.
I was trying to capture the haze in the early morning.
3.5" X 5.5" 

Watercolor & pen
5.5" X 8.5"

Watercolor & pen.
This is my first attempt at doing people in wc.
5.5" X 8.5"

Watercolor & pen... and a lot of artistic license!
5.5" X 8.5"

Watercolor pencil, watercolor & pen
5.5" X 8.5"

Watercolor
I was not happy with the background. This is an area needing improvement!
5.5" X 5.5"

Watercolor & pen
5.5" X 8.5"

Watercolor & pen
3.5" X 5.5"

Watercolor & pen
3.5" X 5.5"

Colored pencil
5.5" X 8.5"

Only watercolor.
No preliminary pencil & no pen!
5.5" X 8.5"

Only watercolor.
No pen & no preliminary sketching with pencil
5.5" X 8.5"

All sketching accomplished with watercolor
5.5" X 8.5"

 My confidence is growing. The drawings most often do not turn out the way I envision them, but I  see progress and I usually find something in each that pleases me.

#41: Lucy & Remy

I was recently a guest at a family's home. I had never met the couple and it felt wonderful to be so graciously welcomed along with one of my friends and a woman she knew. We were in the Atlanta area for a Pickleball Clinic and the friend of my friend had made last minute arrangements for us to stay with her high school pal when the original airbnb plans fell through. 

The couple had adopted two large dogs, each having "issues". Lucy was a Greyhound/Great Dane mix who was very timid. Remy was a lab/Great Pyrenees rescue who had some fear aggression problems. The couple has done an amazing job of assimilating the dogs into their lives and they have made great progress in helping the dogs overcome their problems. 

Remy

Lucy

I wanted to thank my host and hostess and decided to sketch the dogs. I pulled out my pad of vellum and my 2HB and 4HB pencils and went to work. After completing the pictures I turned them into a note card to write my thank you note. I sent the top version of the card to the couple. 

What I liked about the pieces:

I was very pleased with the outcome. I really liked the eyes. Lucy has big "doe" eyes and I think my drawing shows a bit of her timidity. I liked the shading that I used in Remy's mouth.

Lucy
8 1/2" X 8 1/2" pencil on vellum

What I might do differently:

I was not pleased with my treatment of the background. The actual sketches, which I did send along with the card, had a monotone pencil treatment. The photos were retouched to darken the corners. I wish I had thought to do that to the original sketches. The background shading shows pencil lines on the lower left side of Remy. I should have gone over it again with a softer pencil and smudged it some more. 

What I learned:

I need to learn more about working the background. I also have decided that whenever I have the need to thank someone I hope they have a pet that I can sketch to include on a Thank You card. The couple was very appreciative. 

Remy
8 1/2" X 8 1/2" pencil on vellum

#40: Derelict Boats

I have not had time for painting in over a year. I recently took a water color class and an acrylic class at our RV resort. Both classes inspired me to try painting some more. This painting was a class assignment for the acrylic instructor. I saw these half-sunken boats on a boat ride on an ox bow of the Caloosahatchie River.

They were haunting. My mind wanted to know their story. I felt sorry for elegant sail boats that no longer ride the waves toward new horizons. How sad to end up half-submerged in a secluded section of the river.

Acrylic on 9" X 12" canvas board

What I liked about this painting:

I really liked how the water and the reflections in the water worked out. Since Hurricane Irma the water in the river has been like a well-steeped tea. The water discolors all boats and these were no exception. I was able to show some of that discoloration. I liked the way the vines/brambles worked on the left side of the painting. It is a small detail, but you can see the vines and their reflection in the water. I also like the sky.

What I might do differently:

The boats do not look as bereft as I had wanted them to look. I am wondering if using darker colors would have had a more somber effect. I am not a fan of the trees. I may go back and add more varying shades of green, especially darker greens. That may also help make the painting more moody. I would consider adding more dead branches hanging over the boat and in the greenery on shore. It is for this reason that I enjoy acrylic!! It might be interesting to use a medium to create a 3-D effect to add texture to the water and for the leaves in the trees and those on the boats. 

What I learned:

Although I love the vibrancy of watercolors, working with acrylics is so much more forgiving! 

#39: Hollyhocks

12" X 18" pastel on pastel paper

I created this pastel for the "Paint Chip Challenge". I was required to use the specific colors in the picture as part of the challenge. I was in charge of the culminating event and was disappointed by the number of entries so the night before the show I drew/colored this. It has been a long time since I did anything artistic. I was not displeased with the end result.

What I liked about this painting: 

I like the depth of color, especially of the pinks. In some areas this depth really made the petals look curved, and even looked like they turned in on themselves. I liked the leaves in the lower half of the picture where I incorporated dark blues and browns for shadows. 

What I might do differently:

The paper I used was student-grade paper and quickly "loaded" with the pastels. It would be interesting to try using a better grade paper to see if it would hold more pastel. For some reason I failed to use dark colors with the leaves at the top of the picture to define folds and shadows in the leaves.

What I learned:

The dust from the pink flowers tinged the white fence when I sprayed fixative on the picture. 

#38: Singing

Last year I bought a Singer Featherweight machine. I had been reading about them on quilting blogs, and discovered they are all the rage with quilters. A week after receiving my first machine from eBay, I bought another one from a lady in the area. I have acquired more, but that's another blog post! More recently, I participated in an acrylic painting class. For our third class we were supposed to bring something to use for a still life painting. Oops, somehow I forgot that message. However, I did have my sewing machine with me, so what the heck. Why not! Oh my.... now I know why not! Black. Shiny. Detailed. That's why not!

What I liked about this painting: 

I am actually quite pleased with the impression of a black, shiny machine with silver details. She shading on some of the details, the pin cushion for example, lends a 3D effect to the painting. 

What I might do differently:

The perspective on the machine is all wrong. This was actually my second attempt, and there are areas that are still off. I am not enamored with the background. I realize now that the machine actually looks like it is falling off the back of the table! 

Abra cadabra.... the table edge has moved!

What I learned:

I learned to make black without using black! I mixed Cadmium red, Ultramarine blue and a dark yellow. It really didn't look black, but on paper, it works. The instructor was adamant that I not pull out my tube of black as she says it really looks flat and has no vibrancy. I'm not certain mine has vibrancy, but.... 

I was quite pleased with the impression of silver that I was able to create using various mixes of white with my black. Nowhere on the painting is pure white used. 

#37: Doc & Duke

We toured Ocala, FL. This area is also called the "Horse Capital of the World" as there are more horses, per capita, than anywhere else. The area has a huge Thoroughbred breeding and training presence, but there are other breeds represented as well. While there, we took a carriage ride past some of the farms. Doc and Duke, sweet black Percherons, provided the horsepower.

I decided to make notecards for fellow travelers, I decided to try the black gouache and white charcoal pencil technique I had learned in an online class with Val Webb. 

What I liked about this drawing:

It always amazes me how much can be done with black and white. I love how the character of the horses seems to come through. I like that the dots, bits, buckles and hames look like silver. 

What I might do differently:

I needed to take more time smudging the white, and blending it into the black. I didn't have any paper stumps or tortillons, but I'm sure I could have improvised with something - or I could have put the piece aside until I had the chance to visit a shop. Well, heck, I could still do that! I should have used more of a dry brush technique for the hairs sticking up between the ears. 

What I learned:

I forgot to leave the eye white. I think had I been able to use charcoal to make the eye black, instead of using the white charcoal to make the white areas of the eye, the effect might have been different. 

#36: Adventure Trails

While traveling on the Grand Circle we had the opportunity to see ancient petroglyphs (images scratched into rock) and pictographs (images painted on rock). No one is quite certain why the ancient ones left the images, and what their true meaning might be. However, there are a number of images that are found throughout Arizona, Utah and Colorado. We can only guess at the interpretation. 

I wanted to emulate the Indian images to tell the story of our Grand Circle tour with Adventure Caravans. I wasn't pleased with my finished piece. There was too much contrast between the small pictographs and the background image, so I tried again.

At the end of the tour I gave the second finished piece to the president of the company who happened to be touring with us.  The possible interpretation of the images is: Many people danced together and traveled from one valley to another for 42 days. The community was moved, and the people experienced success and happiness in their new location. 

12" x 18" watercolor on rag paper

What I liked about this drawing:

I liked the color variations of the background, especially the splatter. The background is very reminiscent of the red rocks we saw throughout the tour.

What I might do differently:

I began with a mottled yellow background and then used a masking fluid to reserve the lighter colored area for the pictograph images. It might have been interesting to vary the backgrounds of the images, so that they had more shading of yellows and lighter oranges and reds. 

What I learned:

After I viewed my first attempt, and realized that I didn't like the contrast of the spiral images and the other pictographs, I remembered the "disappearing purple" technique I had been introduced to at a drop-in "paint with me" session in Arizona. After masking the pictographs I wanted to remain light colored, I painted the spiral in a  light purple. Then, when I put on the layers of oranges and reds, the purple grayed out and became a subtle shadow. 

#35: Greetings

I can't believe I haven't posted since May. 

I can't believe I have ONLY posted 34 other pieces of art.

I can't believe....

I have actually finished a lot of pieces - I just haven 't cataloged them. I am guilty of not working on my art, as I've gotten involved with some other things that manage to steal the day away! I have a new grand baby. We have been traveling. I have been quilting. I have been taking care of horses. Busy!

This fall my husband and I went on a trip with Adventure Caravans. We spent 32 days visiting a number of National parks in the southwest. We saw amazing things and met amazing people. Among those people were Clif and Joan. Clif celebrated his 80th birthday with us. I hope I look that great and have that much energy when I turn 80!

For once I thought ahead and began a drawing of Clif and Joan standing on the rim at Canyonlands National Park. I presented it to Clif at his Birthday party, along with a poem. There is a lot of 'artistic license' in this picture. I loosely used a photo I had, but much of it was just made to look similar to what I had seen.

Colored pencil on vellum
6 X 9

What I liked about this drawing:

The colors didn't come across in the photo. They are quite vibrant when viewing the original. I like how I was able to blend the color pencil and bring in the colors of the canyon. In some areas I feel like I was able to show the depth of the canyon and the sheerness of the walls.

What I might do differently:

Some areas of the drawing are flat. For example, the area just over the heads of "Clif and Joan", and a bit to the left. I'm thinking I should have added more shadow to bring that hillside into three dimensions. 

What I learned:

I suck at drawing people! Poor "Joan and Clif" look pathetic. But... I also learned friends are not as critical. Clif loved his drawing and said he was going to have it framed with the poem!

This drawing led to my creating some other 'art', and printing it out to make greeting cards for each couple on the trip. I made six cards. Each had copies of the art work printed on white paper, approximately 2 1/2" X 4", layered on card stock with a label on the back identifying the piece, date and my name. The images were taken from the following:

Kaibab Squirrel - Jacob Lake, AZ

Pencil 5" X 8"

Thor's Hammer - Bryce Canyon

Colored pencil on vellum

8" X 9"

Cathedral Rock - Sedona, AZ

pastel on paper

11" X 17"

Bighorn Ewe & Lamb - Capitol Dome NP

Pencil 5" X 8"

Adventure Trails

Watercolor

12" X 18"

(This painting will be described in a future post)

Our travel friends enjoyed the cards. Several said they would never use them. Some said they were going to get them framed. 

I enjoyed the challenge of making the cards and think it is a wonderful way to celebrate our travels, providing a nice memento for our friends. I am experimenting with different papers that I can use to simply print the art directly on the card, and not do the layering of papers. We will be traveling again this winter, so I'll try it again!

#34: Hollyhock

Inspiration:
It was a rainy day. It was dreary and grey. I decided to bring some color into my day by drawing. I also was a bit behind in my online class, and had not tried incorporating a bee and a dragonfly. I like hollyhocks and I found a few pictures on the Web to use as reference photos. As I was half way through my drawing, I realized one of the reference photos had some water drops on a flower. I had never tried those, so decided to add some as well.

#34: Hollyhock

Colored pencil on 9" x 12" vellum

What I like about the drawing:
I used the technique I learned for drawing shiny fur to bring out highlights in the flowers. I think it was quite effective. I worked to make the leaves look 'blotchy' by adding small blocks of color. This seemed to work on most leaves. When I thought I had finished the drawing I realized it was very plain. I added the fence, and later some soft color,on the sky. 


What I might do differently: 
My bee, and to some degree, the dragonfly don't look grounded. I am going to add a bit of shadow under the insects to see if it helps make them look more realistic. I made an error in the composition and of the drawing. The water droplets look more like the bee peed on the flower!

What I learned:
I was really pleased with the way the foundation of dark umber created dimension in the flowers.  I was finding it difficult to lightly color he sky without pencil lines showing. I made a "puddle" do color on a scrap, and rubbed a cork in the puddle and then rubbed that on the paper. 

#33: Iris

Inspiration:
On a beautiful spring day I went outside to begin cleaning up my gardens. You know, weeding, dividing and moving perennials, that sort of thing. I noticed one perfect blossom on my dwarf iris plant. It was stunning. Since I had already tried drawing some iris from a  picture for my online Heirloom Garden class, I decided to try drawing one from life.

#33: Iris

5" X 8" colored pencil on vellum

What I like about the drawing:
I was really pleased with the depth of color I achieved by using many layers of colored pencil. The petals are very rich and almost look velvety. I used sgraffito to lighten up edges of the petals and expose under layers of different colors for highlights. 

What I might do differently: 
I used the wrong side of the paper. This is a rough vellum and up until this picture, I had been using the smoother, back side. I had a very difficult time covering the white of the paper. However, that may have been a 'happy accident' since the layers of colored pencil contribute to the richness of the end result.

What I learned: 
I discovered that I could burnish with the violet pencil, and still have other color show through. I tried burnishing a test spot with cream and didn't like how it dulled the colors. So, since the annoying white indentations of the paper continued to show,  I had no choice but to keep rubbing.

Sitting in the iris bed

I've Been Framed!

Inspiration:
The picture below is another of my friend's pups. I have used the gouache "ink" technique on dogs with black and white before, could I pull it off on a totally black dog?
I sent my friends the drawings of her dogs, Brae and Shasta (#30). She loved them so much, she had two of them framed as a gift for her husband.

I like how she included the original pictures, and notes I sent her about the drawings on the back of the frame. She plans to get the last picture framed at some point in the future. 

#31: Brae

Reference Photo

What I like about the drawing:
Not much! Yeah, it looks like a black dog, but I don't think I captured Brae's personality very well. I am fairly pleased with the white charcoal highlights, however. 

What I might do differently:
I made Brae a bit too fat! Oops, sorry about that, girl! My gouache was not thin enough. It isn't visible at first glance, but if you had the picture in front of you, and held it a bit sideways, you would see areas that were quite thick and a even a few bubbles. 

What I learned:
It would be helpful to test the gouache on a scrap before beginning to paint. In a previous gouache drawing I lost sight of the lines of the drawing. This time I made a copy of my sketch before I covered the original with gouache and I found that helpful to use as a reference.

#30: Shasta

Inspiration:
While taking the online Drawing Cats and Dogs class I practiced by sketching dogs that belong to my friends.  Shasta was especially intriguing with her short hair and her coloring. I created one drawing and shared it online. She went nuts over it, and asked if I could send it to her... she'd even pay! (I didn't charge her.) I decided it would be fun to surprise her and include another drawing... or two. 

#30: Shasta

9" x 9" pencil on vellum

What I like about the drawing:
I love the pup's expression. To me, she looks like she is inviting the viewer to come play with her.  I feel like I was able to show the dimensions of her face by using more strokes, creating a darker area. I am pleased with the background. I like the variation I achieved with smudged pencil.

What I might do differently:
I am not certain that her ears are accurate. Again (and again, and again...) I must move away at several stages of the drawing process to assess my work. I used very little shading by smudging the pencil. I think that might have helped differentiate areas of different color.

What I learned:
Val Webb (course instructor) says that the eyes are the soul of the picture, and I agree. Val puts them in, first thing. It certainly does make the drawing come to life, right away! I am not a patient artist. I don't like taking a lot of time with my work. I want to see it... NOW! Were I to take more time, step back more, and revisit the work another day I think my work would be more refined. I also find that view a picture of the art work helps me get that "view from a distance." I shall try looking at a picture of my work on my next piece.

#32: Echinacea - Botanical Drawing

Inspiration:

This was one of the projects for the Heirloom Garden online drawing class I have been taking. 

#32: Echinacea and Swallowtail

9" x 12" colored pencil on vellum

What I like about the drawing:

I like the shading on the petals of the flower, and on the 'cone'. The blush of orange on the butterfly is pleasing. I think the shading on the leaves where they fold is effective.

What I might do differently:
The body of the butterfly is a bit chunky and clunky. I failed to do the underdrawing in Dark Umber, as was suggested in the instructions. Burnishing it with cream helped a bit, but it all seemed to get too large. There isn't much sense of where the light is coming from. The shadows are all over the place. I need to be more purposeful about selecting a light source and sticking with it.

What I learned:
I loved how the v's and inverted v's created the bristly look of the cone.

#29: Pumpkins

Inspiration:
I am taking an Heirloom Garden online drawing class with Val Webb. She is teaching us different techniques for drawing with colored pencils.  This was one of the projects from the class.

#29

8" x 11" Colored Pencil on Vellum

What I like about the drawing:
The color variations are pleasing and help build dimension. The colors in the green pumpkin moved around a bit, instead of blending, but I like the end result.

What I might do differently: 
The middle pumpkin is a bit squared off. Although I like that the 'shoulder' looks like it has dimension, The bottom edge on the left isn't very good. The top pumpkin seems to be sitting on a slightly different plane. I probably should have reduced the size of the back side of the pumpkin to make it look like it was more upright. 

What I learned: 
I enjoyed blending the colored pencil and burnishing the final result. I like how the colors can be layered, and built upon, almost like using water colors. In a more recent class, Val cautioned us about burnishing dark green with a white pencil, as it turns it into a "strange bluish color". Aha! That is what happened to pumpkin #2! In this instance, I think it turned out to be a "happy accident"!