©2010 Carolyn A. Pappas, 8-31-10 sketchbook page. Ink in 9 x 12 inch sketchbook.
©2010 Carolyn A. Pappas, 8-25-10 sketchbook page. Ink in 9 x 12 inch sketchbook.
I am craving a neat house — I’m still working on that right now. Please excuse the slow posting these days. I am working on drawings, but I am on a bit of an internet hiatus.
©2010 Carolyn A. Pappas, Work in progress. Graphite on 9 x 12 inch bristol board.
Some time ago I wrote that I was working on a “secret drawing” and that I was scanning it in as I worked. It has taken me longer than I had anticipated because of all the other things I have going on right now. I then lost the will to keep it a secret so I showed it to the person that I meant it for as a gift. I knew he was going to like it either way though. This is the first scan, representing about two hours of work on and off. I have temporarily stopped working on it, but will resume as soon as I get set up in my new studio.
©2010 Carolyn A. Pappas, Ocean Sketch. Pitt pen in large handbook sketchbook.
This is a sketch I made of the ocean at low tide when I was visiting Ogunquit, Maine a few weeks ago. It was a nice mid week mini-trip and I took lots of reference photos. I will most likely start working from these when I finish the big drawing that I am working on (more on that later this week) and get everything else settled down.
I am very busy these days, but also very excited. In a few weeks, I will have a new studio to show you all! The walls are purple, which is not my first choice, but I am still very excited. I never had a separate space all to myself for my artwork so this is an excellent development for me. Right now everything is all a shambles and I don’t have my supplies organized yet, so I will be making sketches with ball point pens for the next few days.
©2010 Carolyn A. Pappas, NCMallory. Graphite in 8.5 x 11 inch sketchbook.
This was a fun drawing I made of NCMallory for Julia Kay’s Portrait Party. It was a relaxing portrait that I drew after work one day when I had the house to myself. I highly recommend his photostream as he is very talented and an all-around interesting guy. You can see all the artists’ interpretations of him here. He is very prolific and active in the group, so I’m sure he will draw you if you join up.
Shana! Congratulations, I hope you enjoy your books. Send me an email at carolyn at capappasart dot com with your mailing address and I will gladly mail off your Beanys. Thank you for everyone who entered my giveaway. I am already thinking of more things that I can give away in the future.
And because I don’t like to make posts without showing a drawing, here is something I did the other day after I found a stash of old teacups in the basement. I sketched some of them in black pen and then later added the background color on the computer. For really good teacup and tea related artwork, check out Kimberly Shaw. She also facilitates tea swaps which look really interesting and she sells greeting cards and other gift items from her shop.
©2010 Carolyn A. Pappas, Teacups on Blue, digitally altered pen and ink drawings.
©2010 Carolyn A. Pappas, Roadside Foliage. Ink and watercolor wash, 5 x 7 inches.
This is a quick reminder that I am hosting a giveaway of the first three issues of The Beany by Michael Nobbs until August 26 at 9 pm EST. Click here to enter.
This is my submission for the Virtual Paintout centered in Prince Edward Island, Canada for August. So far this month there have been a lot of beautiful pieces posted on the blog. My submission is fairly simple, but I enjoyed drawing and painting it. Recently I have been doing a lot of running around so it was nice to just sit and draw and zone out for a change. This particular watercolor paper is not the best for pen though, so I might just use it for plain watercolors next time. I did this while listening to episodes of the podcast Artists Helping Artists. It is very informative and uplifting and I highly recommend it.
Last year, I had bought myself a set of the first three issues The Beany, which is the illustrated journal of Michael Nobbs. I enjoyed them and I am now looking to give them away to someone who will enjoy them as well. At one time in my life I wanted to hold onto all the things that I liked, but these days I just don’t have the space, and I’m trying to simplify all my possessions. I’ve never done a giveaway before but I think this would be the perfect thing to gift to one of my readers (and more fun than just throwing them into the box for Goodwill).
How to enter:
Leave a comment on this post with a link to a website, blog post, YouTube video, TED talk, or anything else that you find interesting. I’m not picky. The deadline to comment is Thursday, August 26 at 9 pm Eastern Time. Then I’ll randomly pick a winner and announce it along with my thoughts on your links on Friday, August 27.
I read the other day that Michael Nobbs is in the process of selling off his final 40 sets of the Beany for $15.95, so there won’t be too much time left to get some copies if you want to buy them brand new.
I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a productive week ahead. Be sure to check back here later on this week because I am going to be posting details about a giveaway that I will be hosting. I’m excited! These are some cool videos that I came across recently. I hope you enjoy them.
I found this video via Steve Penberthy. It has some great shots of artist Don Colley doing some urban sketching in Cleveland and is worth watching if you look past the fact that it is really a long commercial for Faber-Castell PITT artist pens. I really like Don Colley’s large format sketchbooks and I think I’ll be on the lookout for something similar.
I found this movie trailer via the blog A Brush with Color. It has been awhile since I saw a good foreign film (I don’t mind the subtitles) and this looks like something interesting. This is the type of movie I will reserve for watching alone on a rainy day with a cup of tea perhaps.
And now for my cautionary tale:
I was driving (alone) down the highway last weekend and I pulled over into a “scenic rest area” and sketched this view with my new pens. It was in the middle of the day and I locked my car doors, but I got nervous for some reason so I got out of there really quickly. I did the watercolor from memory when I got home. I found out later when talking to someone that this particular rest stop is infamous for “anonymous encounters” (yuck!). This is a good reminder, especially for single women, to not risk your safety when out and about, and to trust your gut instincts. After this I decided that I’m going to take someone with me when I go out sketching in public places. When I am drawing and mentally absorbed in what I am doing, I am probably not as attentive as I should be to what could be sneaking up behind me. These days you can’t be too careful with all the crazies roaming around!
©2010 Carolyn A. Pappas, Valley Sketch. Ink and watercolor in 7 x 10 inch sketchbook.
©2004 Carolyn A. Pappas, 8-12-2004 Sketchbook Page. Blue fountain pen ink in sketchbook.
Right now I am blogging from someone else’s computer so I feel so awkward typing this. I don’t have anything new to show you yet, but I am in the process of making a “secret” drawing (at least until I give it to the person). I am scanning it as I work, so hopefully I will have a series of WIPs to show you when I am through. This is a sketch that I made six years ago. The mug was lost for a few years but I have since found it and it now holds a place of pride along with all my other favorite mugs.
©1999 Carolyn A. Pappas, Untitled. Colored pencil, apx 9 x 6.5 inches
Keep your old work. You did it. There are virtues and there are faults in it for your to study. You can learn more from yourself than you can from anyone else. -Robert Henri in The Art Spirit
I found my old, old sketchbook the other day when I was cleaning out through boxes of stuff. This is the sketchbook that I had from 1997 through 1999. It is really shocking to me how I thought that certain things were good when I made them, but now when I look at them I am more embarrassed than anything else! Even my handwriting is so different. I remember drawing this picture from a little resin charm that was attached to a pair of pants from American Eagle Outfitters. I was really pleased with it at the time and even now I like the drawing because it is so bold and colorful. Do you ever go back and review your older work? Do you show it to other people?
Something to check out:
I really liked this “mini podcast” from Michael Nobbs about how to avoid “ideas exhaustion,” or rather, when you can’t get anything done because of all the ideas floating into your head. I can really relate to this! Also he has a new microMagazine Getting Your Important Work Done, which is a email newsletter you can sign up for that goes out every two weeks. It is very interesting, and has helpful tips and links.