#100dayproject #watercolorpencils #littleart #coloryourworld
Sometimes the presence of a blank page can be daunting as hell. Breaking it up into small “thumbnail” squares somehow makes the task more approachable. It’s also fun to catch just a snippet of what you see inside a little box. It’s quick, it’s satisfying, and it doesn’t need to be perfect. You can cover a lot of ground, fill a lot of squares with a variety of perspectives. Sketch in a square while waiting at the doctor’s, while on hold on the phone, while the dinner cooks. There’s no excuse not to fit in a little drawing a day.
Another commission for a happy customer. I just love how this guy came out. Micron pen and ink on vellum cardstock.
During some Spring cleaning I discovered this sketchbook from college. If my memory serves correctly, I found this book. The first few pages have the barely legible writing of someone at odds with a situation and a broken heart. I chose to flip the book over and begin sketching from the other side. Here is a sketch of a lamp with a scarf tied around it, circa 2006. I look back and wonder what happened to this artist? We are one and the same, and yet I struggle to recognize her. This drawing is nothing like my style today, which feels rushed and chaotic. I miss this version of me I think. I wonder if she is tucked away somewhere.
A few minutes of uninterrupted time yielded this result: an ink drawing in my sketchbook of my sons’ toy hammer. This is done in Micron black ink, on a smooth paper roughly 9×12. I really like how this came together!
A little ink work in the new sketchbook. I’m trying to take the suggestion from an article I read in a recent issue of Artist’s Magazine. Without looking up the quote, the artist interviewed essentially said to stop looking for inspiration in other people’s artwork, but instead create your own. How many wasted minutes have we scrolled through Pinterest looking for inspiration, only to lose sight of the real goal of seeking inspiration? She feels that when we go searching like this, we are really seeking for artwork to copy, rather than create something original. She also said to use a variety of materials and experiment with them; stop placing so much pressure on yourself to create a perfect piece every time… Or at all. What better advice? Don’t we place too much pressure to make everything perfect, especially the first go around, because we are all so short on time.
In this sketch I drew my morning coffee cup, and I didn’t care that you could see all the lines I used to get the curves accurate. I also used several ink options, and made notes to the left to remember which pens I used. I placed a little anecdote in the corner about my dsncing boys, who were engrossed in their Lego playing, which allowed me time to focus on my art (I didn’t even mind the few interruptions from the boys asking me to pry those tiny Lego pieces from their counterparts). Ahhh another peaceful Monday morning. Let there be many more this year!
P.S. I would like to fill the rest of the “white space” in, and may do so later in the day.
Captured one of my little ones still snoozing after a car ride home. He was successfully transfered from car to couch, and is sunken down into his coat. Done with #FaberCastell PITT pen in size B in black in my moleskin sketchbook.
Today was sort of a lazy day around our house, which does not come often. The sight of my moccasined feet up on our reclined couch? Rare! So I thought I’d sketch while I had the chance. This is done in Micron black ink in my Moleskin sketchbook, roughly 5×8.
I’ve been sort of into ballpoint pen art lately, and it’s sort of funny, but I remember the typical Bic being the go-to artist utensil all through grade school. I probably have hundreds of drawings and notebook covers displaying my artistic doodles in black and blue ink. So, I did some research about the best ballpoint pens, and decided to to try out the Zebra F-301 black ballpoint (average cost at the local Walmart for a 2-pack is just under $4). I like the pen, but the ink balls up sometimes and then transfers to the drawing, which bugs me. On the other hand, I think it gives the drawing character too.
So, this is what I’ve drawn so far. I used a copy write free image from www.pixabay.com. I can see errors in the layout, but I’m sticking with it 🙂
This Artistic Life 