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One Year

I made this card for my daughter’s first birthday. I painted it in watercolor first, and then went over it with diluted Noodler’s Eternal Luxury Blue ink in my flex nib pen.

mysterious lake

©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, Lake Eden, VT in various blues. Watercolor and ink, 4 x 6 inches on a 5 x 7 inch greeting card.

I wrote a message inside the card and sealed it. I am planning on making one every year and then giving them to her on some later date. I am generally not a sentimental person, but I think it will be an interesting thing for her to open when she is older, and also a good way to document how my artwork changes over the years.

Stormy Day

I was so blessed that we didn’t suffer any damage or power outages from Sandy. She was not so kind to many other people however, including some of my family, so I am sad about that. Work was called off on Monday, giving me more time with Cate (which I am so thankful for). I did get a lot of work done around the house, and on some projects I’ve been working on.

pumpkin pen and ink drawing

Pumpkin Stalk 1. Pen and ink on 140 lb hotpress paper, apx 5 x 4 inches.

One of the projects that I finished was a 2013 Pen Sketched Calendar, which I now have hanging in my cubicle at work. It was made up of small 10 minute sketches of nature subjects around my home. I have been thinking of some more projects that I can complete in many little steps, as I don’t have large blocks of time anymore.

pumpkin pen and ink drawing

Pumpkin Stalk 2. Pen and ink on 140 lb hotpress paper, apx 5 x 4 inches.

These are two similar sketches that I completed over the past couple of weeks, one of which I used in my calendar. Feel free to download my calendar and print it off for your own use, as I have licensed it through Creative Commons with no restrictions.

Crumbling

front stoop

Crumbling. Photograph ©Carolyn A Pappas

“right now” staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, with no words or a few words, that acknowledges the “right now.” Inspired by Ann.

Cold Days

sketchbook

Modtone Sketchbook with drawing. ©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, 10/27/12 Tree Sketch. Pen in 4 x 6 inch sketchbook.

In my mind, fall and winter and early spring are merged into one season and today I officially brought out all my cold weather gear. I recently bought flannel sheets and slept with them on my bed for the first time last night. I love them; they are so luxurious! I also bought a flannel duvet cover which is on backorder and I can’t wait until that gets shipped.

I have been doing some pen sketching lately. Here is one I have done in one of my new sketchbooks that I bought in Northampton. The paper has a very light colored print on it, so it is a little different for me to draw on. I think I might keep this sketchbook in my tote bag so I can have it on me if I’m out.

I’m considering concentrating on pen and ink for the next few months because I am under a lot of stress right now with my illness and I need something very simple. Drawing really does relax me and I think that if I’m using simple materials, I might do more of it. As much as I love watercolor, it still involves some set up and clean up which is too much work for me right now. I’ve been following Ian Sidaway Fine Line which is a nice collection of pen sketching that I find inspiring. The drawings are made of sloppy lines but in a controlled way and I love that.

I was getting a little excited for this hurricane that is coming up the coast, but it looks like it will miss us and hit areas more south. I have some friends down that way and I hope they don’t have too much damage.

Late Blooms

pink roses

Late Blooms. Photograph ©Carolyn A Pappas

“right now” staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, with no words or a few words, that acknowledges the “right now.” Inspired by Ann.

Sunny Corner

window

Sunny Corner. Photograph ©Carolyn A Pappas

“right now” staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, with no words or a few words, that acknowledges the “right now.” Inspired by Ann.

Slow Day

lace curtains

The morning light. Photograph ©Carolyn A Pappas

Yesterday was a sick day–Cate and I both have colds and I was feeling so weak and run down. We spent the day holed up in the house, taking it easy. I kept the TV off all day and just played the radio for Cate. I did do a small amount of watercolor sketching, but nothing big. It’s a mini heirloom pumpkin from the CSA.

©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, Pumpkin Sketch. Watercolor in small watercolor moleskine.

Rainy Paradise City

northampton massachusetts“right now” staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, with no words or a few words, that acknowledges the “right now.” Inspired by Ann.

All Day Artist’s Date

northampton ma ink sketch

©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, 10-6-12 (Northampton). Pen and Copic Marker in Stonehenge paper wirebound sketchbook.

This past Saturday I had the chance to have the entire day to myself, which I spent in Northampton, MA. I have a lot of good memories from there, and it has a lot of creative energy.

I only made one sketch all day, but I did have a good time and I got a lot of inspiration from it. I also did a lot of driving, up and down route 5 & 10, and up 116 through Sunderland and Deerfield. I wish I could have taken photos from the car because there were some amazing skies, especially when the sun was setting.

Ominous Clouds

“right now” staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, with no words or a few words, that acknowledges the “right now.” Inspired by Ann.