Grass Seeds

While on vacation over the Thanksgiving holiday I did a few quick sketches.  The cottage we rented was nice but the weather was cold and windy.  I only got to draw outside one day.  I picked the seed head of this grass plant as it was a day of 25+mph wind gust and around freezing.  The left side is drawn with a Pigma Micron pen 01 in black and the right side is drawn with Derewert Drawing Pencils in my moleskin journal.  I have given up using watercolors in this journal as the paper is too thin. I like how the pencils worked on this paper.

Autumn Reds

I had fun doing these sketches.  I have seen this type of mushroom before in the woods, beautiful but deadly.  I like to pick rose hips for herbal teas and they are so pretty and healthy.  One of my favorite trees is the Hawthorne Tree.   I love the red fruits that the birds and animals eat and the 2" thrones on its branches.  Sketched with my Pigma micron pen in black and painted with my current watercolor pallet on Arches Aquarelle 140 pound cold press paper.

Palm Trees

While on vacation in Florida I decided to try my hand at drawing palm trees.  This tree is near my parents' home.  I liked the fact that the dead branches had been trimmed and was curious why the brown sheaths were left in as well as the palm nuts.  The squirrels love to eat the nuts and tend to make a mess of them.  This tree is taller that drawn.  I wanted to show the details at the top and was unable to show the height (about 25 feet).  Drawn in my Stillman and Brin Sketchbook (7x7), with my Lami Safari extra fine point pen in Noodlers Lexington Gray ink, and my current watercolor pallet.

MagnoliaTree Seed Pod

Went for a walk with my father and came up to an area where the sidewalk was covered with these seed pods.  When I was coming up to them I thought they were pine cones.  This sketch was done in my 7x7 Stillman & Birn delta series journal with my Lami Safari extra fine point pen and Noodlers Lexington Gray ink.  I plan on adding color and text hopefully later today.

Eggplant Botanical

I have been wanting to draw the little eggplant growing in our garden.  I have never grown eggplant before and my husband picked up this one just to see how it would grow.  The fruit grows into 6 inch long globes of deep purple with white stripes. Only 2 globes grew at a time with the other globes waiting to grow until we picked  the ripe ones. I was going to draw the whole plant, but the fruit became so heavy that the plant toppled over and is now lying on its side, so I opted for the drawing of the leaves.  I haven't finished the whole page as I plan on drawing an eggplant dish either Eggplant Parmesan or other dish with it recipe on the other page.  Moleskin watercolor journal 5x8 with Noodler's Lexington gray ink Lami Safari pen and Smith and Daniel watercolors.

Sketch in ink of Buck

Decided to do a quick sketch of a buck whose picture was on the cover of the Woods-N-Water News.  I should have started out smaller.  Drawing is in my Only Sketch Book by Bee Paper Co.9x6 with a Pelikano Junior pen and Private Reserve Copper Burst ink.

Attempted Smile

This self portrait didn't turn out well.  Trying to have a light smile and relaxed eyes, so I wouldn't look like I was in a staring match, didn't work too well.  I have googly eyes that are staring into the mirror.  My hair is behaving more today.  I think I need to take a picture and then try to draw it to see a natural smile.  Oh, it was worth a try.

Garden Bound

 When I found out the Arches watercolor paper would crack and fall apart if I folded it and bound it into signatures, I knew I needed to find a different way to put my journal together. I cut all my pages in half (7"x7") and used them to sketch out the different assignments and figured I would have them bound with a spiral binding afterwards.  It was very hard for the lady in Kinkos but she was finally able to get the holes to line up.  It didn't help that the pages are all warped from the watercolor.  (They are now becoming flatter since they were bound.)  The cover is crescent board in black with gold lettering with Gellyroll Pen from Sakura. I drew the bamboo in dashes to simulate an embroidery technique in Japan called Sashiko.  I hope to do another journal this way, but I think I should get the paper bound first.

Finished Japanese Garden Page

I was planning on making this my last page of my Virtual Trip to a Japanese Garden journal.  After looking at it I thought it would be better as my first page.  It shows a sketch from each lesson plan and would nicely fit as the first page even though it has sayonara on it.  This was sketched on Arches off white 140 pound cold press watercolor paper.  Watercolor paints are from Daniel and Smith.  The bamboo is drawn in copper ink with a  Pelikano Junior fountain pen, and the writing was with a bamboo pen and watercolor pigment. Just want to thank Laura for letting me know about the class.

Goose sketching

While at work I noticed a Canadian goose browsing around the grassy areas around the parking lot.  I didn't have my journal with me so I used the back side of my productivity sheet to try to capture his moving about.  People would walk right by him and he would look, but he figured they were not a risk to him and he kept eating.  One guy came to a sudden halt about 3 feet from him and wasn't sure if it was safe to walk by him.

 I feel I am getting  better at trying to sketch the basic shapes of my subject as quickly as I can.  When he came close to the window he stopped for a minute to eye me threw the window. He stood still enough for me to draw his eye and part of his beak. Drawn in ball point ink on copy paper.

Carwash

 I was looking for a look of water running down the windshield.  I had problems with the mask tearing the paper and the light and sign post fuzzing out too much, and with the remaining part not fuzzing out enough.  I took my moleskin journal with me hoping for a chance to do some quick sketching while we looked for dead fall.  Every spring we cut firewood to heat our home. I am planning on only using this journal for dry media from now on and starting another for a regular journal.  I feel I can't get a real feel for watercolors using the wrong paper. 

Quick Sketching

I am trying to improve my speed in sketching.  Especially with subjects that move around.  Today I looked out and saw a groundhog that has taken residence in my neighbors yard.  I quickly looked around and tried to find something to sketch with.  The yellow pad and ball point pen was the only things around.  Within less than 5 minutes he went out of sight.  I need to make sure I have drawing materials around next time.

Learning to let go

I have been inspired by some of the artist I am meeting in the online workshops I am taking.  Being inspired byTerri Morse, who has some beautiful doodles drawing on her blog, I decided to start one.  I had an idea and started to work it out.  I am not done yet, but wanted to post my progress since my watercolor Easter journal entry is needing more time.  It is not as elaborate as Terri's, but I wanted to give her some credit as the connecting flowers in the heart idea I got from her but I changed them a little bit.  I need to loosen up and express my inner creative self.  I think this is a good start.

Working in Watercolors

I have been taking the free lessons online by Strathmore www.strathmoreartiststudio.com and learning how to use watercolor. I have been enjoying this course and plan on taking the other 2 course, doodles unleashed and force in drawing. This picture is a drawing using water soluble ink and a brush.  Our dog Rocket broke one of his toes.  We were told to keep him still, but that was impossible.  He acted as if the cast wasn't there. This is drawn on Stratmore 400 series 140 lb. watercolor paper, with Pentel fine point water-soluble pen in brown.  I wasn't sure if I would like the results while applying the water, but I think he turned out nice.  I miss him so much his birthday was this month.

Drawing Outdoors

I like trees, and this tree I have seen for years and wanted to draw it. I was afraid that I might have waited too long with the recent storms.   The structure on this tree is amazing. I almost expect a elf or other mythical creature to come froth.  It stands along a walking path on the Ford Motor Company's World Headquarters.  Just less than 500 feet from the expressway.  The path has many different species of trees and I hope to draw many of them.  I wanted to draw this tree before its foliage came out so to better show off its structure.  The two lower branches dip to  less than a foot off the ground.  Drawn with PIGMA Sakura Micron 05 sepia pen.  It was windy and getting colder so I didn't take much time to draw as I would have liked.  Next time I plan on bring a chair.

Lips in Ink

Its been awhile since I drew anything in ink.  I decided to play around with a sepia pen in my art journal and while holding onto a mirror draw my lips in different poses.  I had difficult holding the mirror and drawing so eventually set the mirror on a box of oatmeal.  I need to remember that with ink less is more.  the first one looks like I have hair around my mouth.