Last week I did some pen sketching on my front stoop. My goal was to sketch quickly with confident strokes and I think I succeeded. It was very hot and I was in direct sunlight, so I came inside after about fifteen minutes and colored the blossoms yellow.
©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, Mini Petunias. Pen and colored pencil in 8.5 x 11 inch sketchbook.
“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.
When I was younger I used to make many small drawings on one sketchbook/journal page. One day my art teacher was looking through my book and suggested that I make my drawings bigger, to “fill the page.” Ever since then I’ve been making larger drawings, and I’ve noticed that they have more impact.
Even so, I tend to just plop my pencil down on the page without much thought. I also tend to leave a lot of white space, which can be good at times, but I think I generally underuse my paper. It is a design aspect that is easy to overlook, especially when I scan and crop most of my sketchbook pages.
Below is a photo of one of my sketches so you can see the whole page.
©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, Beets. Graphite in 8.5 x 11 inch sketchbook.
I spent about a half hour on it, but could have spent way longer drawing every little root. I also scanned it below so you can see the detail better.
©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, Beets. Graphite in 8.5 x 11 inch sketchbook.
Here is my latest colored pencil painting, entitled A Mild Winter. It was based on a photo I took this past winter in scenic Leyden, MA. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you have seen my work in progress photos over the past few months. I took my time on this piece, working when Cate was on her naps.
I was striving for a peaceful winter scene, using a lot of blues and browns. I really feel that the cold, crisp air comes across to the viewer and I’m happy with my work.
©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, A Mild Winter. Colored Pencil, 8 x 10 inches.
“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.
Today I found a brand new small moleskine watercolor journal mixed in with my art supplies. I must have bought it years ago because I don’t remember where or when I got it.
I took the opportunity to paint a quick watercolor sketch of some fresh organic radishes from the CSA. I love the way radishes look, but I’m not so keen on the taste.
©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, Radishes. Watercolor in small moleskine journal.
“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.
I spent some time at the Franklin County Relay for Life this past weekend. I would have loved to do even more sketching, but there was so much going on that I couldn’t manage.
©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, Campsite. Ink and marker in sketchbook.
My husband’s family gets really involved in the Relay every year, so I hope to sketch some more next year. Above I sketched a pile of firewood and the trash barrel at the edge of our campsite. Below I sketched the trees in the distance. The sun was starting to set when I was drawing these.
©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, Fairground Skyline. Pen in sketchbook.
“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.
I tried out a new pen this morning, the Pelikan Techno-Liner. I used the 0.1 size, which is a nice super fine line. I only bought one pen because I wanted to test it out, but I think I will be buying more next time I buy art supplies. I think this will be a nice sketching pen for me.
Some thoughts on this pen:
It makes me feel nice to know that I am not the only one who is obsessed with pens (or have mistakenly thought that new pens would make me draw better).
©2012 Carolyn A Pappas, Katie (6/4/12). Ink in sketchbook.