Watercolor birds and Remy's 300# snack

I decided to use water colors today in the pink-y orange-y range.  The pink, peach, and yellow combination appeal to me :-)

Three Little Birds, ink and watercolor

O, about Remy's 300# snack, this is what I rescued of the quarter sheet:

He chose the "good" paper, Arches 300# (638 gsm) hot press.

Even as a puppy he enjoyed ripping up paper and eating it (oh, no-o-h).  I've learned to close the door to my studio and office lest he grab a quick "bite".

He's really a sweet boy.

Remy with his octopus.

A face from my art journal

This face is from the Draw section of my art journal.  I cropped away the usual ink "boundary" lines to focus on his face:

Pan pastels and ink.

He is drawn from my imagination but I think he looks like a golden retriever, a lot like my golden, Remy.  Hm-m-m...

From my art journal

I continue to create daily art journal pages.  It has become a valuable and rewarding practice. 

I took some photos of Remy - they were a little underexposed and there were extraneous objects in the frame - but not to worry.  I wanted some references for a couple of quick sketches for my art journal.

First one:

Remy often looks at me like this, head tilted with a little grin <3

The second:

He's listening...

And then some word art doodling:

Ink and oil pastels.

Art Journal - Hearts and YOU

I see all sorts of Valentine's Day images while I am out and about.  It obviously engendered the shameless use of multiple hearts in my art journal page yesterday.  See what I mean?

Ink and oil pastels

I am certain that intermittently I will be under the influence of heart-shaped things and mushy-thoughts for the next few weeks :-)

Word art and Hamster

The words invite and include came to me a couple of weeks ago; I made them into word art.

gel pens, Sharpie pen, Pitt big brush pen, paint pens

I think it's a nice idea :-)

From my daily art journal, out of nowhere, a quickly sketched hamster:

Graphite sketch

I love hamsters and as a little kid I kept six of them as pets.  I would love to have hamsters around to watch now, but I haven't believed in caging animals as pets for a very long time.

Drawing about thinking and Getting into the Zone

From my art journal page today:

"Thoughts" - ink, watercolors, Copic markers

Drawing patterns and doodling are relaxing.  I can get lost in the Zone - and fill up a page.

This bit of word art is from the Misc section:

Ink and Copic marker

Get into the Zone  :-)

From my art journal, I dreamt of flowers...and "Y is for Yellow"

A freshly brewed cup of coffee, my large art journal and some selected pens - what a great way to start the day :-)

Creating a journal page every day is a wonderful and productive ritual, too.   From the Draw section today:

Ink, gel pens, Copic markers

I'm also at the start of another year-long class ("Y is for Yellow", creatively taught by Carla Sonheim) ready to complete the assignment for lesson 1.  I was thinking and doodling and this name stack appeared:

Ink and gel pens

I had to choose five animals for the lesson and these are mine.

Some days

There are some days when I draw in my art journal just what is in front of me:

art journal -  mug of coffee and a pen

However, there are other days when I am distracted or uninspired (or maybe not even fully awake!) and I just stare at the Draw: section.  The action that gets me moving is to grab any pen and just begin.  I make a pattern using circles and lines only.  I don't have to think except to select another color to use:

art journal on another day - lines and circles in ink

In no time I am enjoying the process and getting fired up to create something with intention :-)

Blue bird spring

I was thinking of spring time as I gazed out my window at a cold and snowy scene.  With a bit of ink and some watercolors I can create a very different scene in my art journal - in an imaginary garden a bird and a word :-)

"Blue Bird Spring"

And all the while Remy was gazing out the window looking for bunnies or anything else braving the weather. 

He is also thinking "walkies!" :-)

Love this boy <3

Daily art journal entry - sketch and word art

I watched my Remy playing in the snow today.  He was having the best time following his nose and digging in mounds of light, fluffy snow.  I like to poke a treat into the snow and let him find it, too.

In my daily art journal I made a sketch and some word art.  Can you imagine what the subjects were?

ink, Copic markers

Remy has so much fun I forget that I am freezing! :-)

Pattern Stacks

I've been stacking again; this time I indulged in patterns which I doodle all of the time:

Vivid colors

Sparkly

Color, muted a little

I used a Pigma Micron pen, Sharpie pens, and all kinds of gel ink pens.

Walkies and Sketches

Remy and I went on walkies for the first time in days and days.  He sniffed so much I was tired just watching him.  It always amazes me that dogs don't pass out from all that non-stop sniffing.

My happy boy :-)

These sketches are from a couple of days ago:

Golden in Motion

Sitting

Dogs are one of my favorite subjects to draw.  I suppose coffee mugs and imaginary flowers are in the mix, too :-)

Blot recovery

My art journal is a place where "there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-mistake"... in theory.  I still cringe when the unexpected happens.  By that I mean a drag mark of ink or paint from my sleeve because I always seem to get my cuff or elbow into paint or glue, even coffee!

In this instance it was wayward ink.  I had just cleaned my fountain pen and had installed a new ink cartridge.  Since the nib and feed were completely dry I was shaking the pen to encourage ink flow.  But I was doing this over my journal and, wow, a big, blue blob of ink magically appeared.  Oy.

My recovery was this:

"Ink Blot Birds"

I am adhering to the art journaling precept of "there is no-such-thing..."  :-)

From my art journal

more imaginary flowers:

Copic markers and ink

 I am thinking crazy-happy red violet flowers Yes!