Time for some COLOR :-)

The other day I was out for a brief walk with Remy.  It was a blustery day, a bit chilly, with dried leaves and bare branches in gray and taupe.

Undoubtedly this is why, when I returned to my studio,  I was in the mood for colorful flowers and fruit (an apple and a couple of pears).  I brought out some Copic markers and ink pads to spread some color :-)

Copic markers and ink.

Ink.

I feel better now :-)

Spark Those 1-Liners

Plunging into part one of the first assignment from Carla for 2015: Year of the Spark, the task is a fun warm-up exercise, one-liners.

One-liners are continuous line (can't lift the pen from the paper) drawings that get the hand moving.  They are very quickly rendered to help push thinking, or over-thinking, out of the driver's seat.  These one-liners took 10 - 12 minutes to complete.

Ready for lots of drawings?

Fun stuff :-)

Links:  http://www.carlasonheim.com/yearofthespark/

Inking

I completed an imaginary landscape:

It is waiting for color...but I haven't chosen a medium.

I documented this drawing from the initial sketch and over time the changes and additions.

Sketch:

 

Interim 1:

 Interim 2:

 

Interim 3:

Interim 4:

Documenting my process helped me to limit the population of objects.  Each time I stopped to scan the drawing's progress, I could evaluate the density of images and rein-in or just stop the addition of imaginary things :-)

"Walkies" and some happy news

Yay, "Walkies" is done.  This is the next interim picture:

If you want to see more of my process, check out my two previous blog posts.

And the completed drawing:

"Let's go 'Walkies'".

The pastels were fussy to work with compared with colored pencils, but in the end I like the result.  I think I will use them again, too :-)

This sort of landscape really pulls me in - I get lost in imaginary structures and creatures; so I have to ensure that I stop frequently to assess it over all and then decide whether to proceed or not.  I think I stopped at a good point...

And the happy news?  My painting, "Flowers In The Mist" sold a few weeks ago:

It is a great feeling {big smile}.

Progress

The landscape is progressing.  Here are a couple of pictures of the process:

Adding pastels.

Unfinished but it already has a name: "Walkies".

I thought using pastels to add color might be less time-consuming but I believe it is taking even more time.  But, I love the effect.

Drawn into imaginary landscape...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, lately I feel compelled to return to drawing; the subject has been birds but yesterday I just wanted to make a landscape - an imaginary one.  Years ago I used to make 22" x 30" pen & ink and colored pencil drawings - like this one:

I used to make a complete layout in pencil before inking.

I was curious to see how I would draw my imaginary places now.  I have a couple of views of my process:

Smaller format: 6" x 8". Sketchy layout then straight into inking.

Changes happen :-)

Inking completed.

And now the color decision.  I would like to do something different so pastels perhaps???

Tangling

Beckah Krahula's "One Zentangle® A Day" online class, Week One, finished on Friday. I am looking forward to Week Two.
I've been investigating all kinds of 'tangles' (patterns) and some of them make me want to grab a 01 Pigma Micron pen and start drawing :-)
Although I'm posting just one tile, my sketch book is filled with practice tangles and tangleations. I had to stop exploring and get down to completing my assignment for class!

This is my tile for Lesson 3:

A mix of the organic and geometric.

These little tiles really are great - the theory being there are "no mistakes" in Zentangle. Also, in theory, a tile should take about 20 minutes to finish. I find that my tiles take longer than that to complete; I don't want to rush the drawing part which means I'll just accept that it takes the time it takes :-)

When you draw one

it just leads to another one :-)

My second Zentangle® tile:

So much fun to learn something new.

 The weather here is snowy with really, really frigid temps. So, I plan to stay inside where it's nice and warm and work in my studio; I will probably draw more of these tiles :-)

My first "tile"

Patterns interest me. In the past, whenever I would chance upon Zentangle® art I always found myself taking a second look.
So I couldn't pass up the chance to take a Zentangle-related class offered through Carla Sonheim's online classes: Beckah Krahula's "One Zentangle A Day". The class is based on Beckah's book of the same name.

Today was Day 1, Lesson 1 and this my first Zentangle tile:

Dizzying :-)

Each tangle (pattern) has a name and for some inexplicable reason I just think that's pretty cool. So I used "Hollibaugh", "Tipple", "Crescent Moon" and "Knight's Bridge" on this tile.

It's really is a lot of fun :-) 

BTW, does anybody see a dog in all of that patterning?

15 Second Stealth Sketch

Waiting for our table at a local restaurant, I sketched this fellow - the challenge? in less than 15 seconds and stealthily ;-)

Really fas-s-s-t gesture drawing!

When one draws really quickly, the "target" person or animal isn't even aware of being "captured" (heh-heh)

Fitting pose

I was sitting in my study checking out the little sketchbook I carry with me; this is apart from the larger sketchbook I have in the art tote that I keep in my car. This little guy is convenient, but I have to work smaller than I prefer.

• Should I opt for a larger, albeit more bulky sketchbook? 
• Is it a good thing to work uncomfortably? 
• Ought I to adapt..or not? 
• Etcetera...

Then Remy came over and did his normal "sprawl". From where I was sitting he fit perfectly:

Remy helping me reign in "over-thinking"...

Don't know what this means regarding sketchbook sizes, but synergy is at work here :-)

Dip that nib

and do some fun calligraphy!
Here are two vintage nibs - part of an order I just received from www.pendemonium.com
When I use a fountain pen, I want a very smooth writing nib with little to no feedback. However, when I'm using dip nibs, I enjoy the sound of the scratch, scratch, scratch of the nib on paper. The sound can be surprisingly loud, too :-)
The Gillott #303 is very nice - very flexy. The Hunt #100 is just fabulous for flex!

Scratchy, but that's just how some dip nibs write.

Such fun to use this nib!

Monday Bunny

It has been a bunny morning chez Cranna. Remy found a baby bunny in the back yard.

Remy was very, very excited. He was sort of nosing and pushing at something and when I saw clearly what it was I told him to "leave it"; he stopped. He was hovering over it and I said, "leave it" again and he moved away. I called Remy to me and he came (Good dog!!!) and he was rewarded with a high value treat and then another one!

Have you ever seen a baby bunny? This grey furball was maybe five inches long with a sweet face topped off with perfect little ears. He was so scared he was hunkered down and wasn't going anywhere. After Remy was back in the house, I went out to scoot the little baby away. He really didn't want to move to I sort of lightly touched his head and back with a dish towel until he turned and did a sort of slow motion hop away.

So here's a mixed media piece to celebrate Mondays (sometimes characterized as blue Mondays) and baby bunnies. A blue bunny...why not?

Happy!

This being Friday...

an apropos quote (makes me laugh!) and some of my calligraphy practice:

Written with an inexpensive Sheaffer calligraphy fountain pen, M nib, Sheaffer blue ink.

Black dog

a happy little guy.

This little fur ball makes me smile!