Mr Bean on the Diving Board, Lamy fountain pen and colored pencil in sketchbook, Jan 2009
I love Mr. Bean. I’m normally a very serious person but I find Rowan Atkinson (especially his Mr. Bean character) so funny. I paused the video at 3:13 to make this tiny sketch.
The highly esteemed Ces of Ces and Her Dishes awarded me with some blog awards, which I will now pass on to some other people. I think you are supposed to pass it along to 7 people or something [excessive] like that, but I didn’t get the instructions.
The “I xo your art blog” award goes to Stephen Hall. He’s based out of the UK and he does some really detailed work that I appreciate.
Next, the “Kreative Blogger” award goes to Kimberly Shaw. She paints lovely watercolor greeting cards of teacups (teabag included). I visit her blog when I feel like indulging my girly nature.
I have never been a risk taker in life. Generally, my attitude has been “Life is about survival and I am going to make it through unscathed.” However, recent circumstances I’ve found myself in over the past year or so have led me to do some rethinking. I’ve realized that a lot of things in life are completely out of my control so I might as least be an active participant and maybe have some fun.
On Saturday I went snowboarding for the first time. I can honestly say that I’ve never been so bad at something in my entire life. I went with someone that I didn’t know too well and I felt bad because I sort of ruined it for him. I have never been a very athletic person but I have never felt so out of touch with my own body either. But I wasn’t a quitter and at least I can say that I tried it. Upon talking to another friend of mine, it turns out that it is actually quite a difficult thing to learn how to do so I don’t feel quite so bad. I did injure myself quite badly however, and I am just starting to feel a little bit more human, even with popping tons of advils.
On Sunday I made some sketches of some food items. It is a subject that I feel at ease drawing, and very comfortable with.
1/25/2009 sketchbook, sepia Pitt pens
1/25/2009 sketchbook, sepia Pitt pens and colored pencil
Bread Assortment, Tombow Pens in sketchbook, January 2009
Pottery on Marble Pedestal, Tombow Pens in sketchbook, January 2009
Markers are a fast way to get some really bright colors in your sketchbook and the permanence of them is also an exciting challenge. These are some recent sketches done with my Tombow dual brush pens. I really love the range of colors that these markers come in. I bought the entire set over 5 years ago, and they are just starting to get worn and frayed tips. I usually use the brush tip, although there is also a fine line tip on the other side. There is a colorless blender available, but I find that the best way to work is to test the colors you are going to use on a seperate piece of paper to avoid mishaps caused by choosing the wrong color. These are available in open stock, as well as sets of various colors so you can replace individual markers as they get worn. If you are looking for a good brand of watersoluble markers, I would consider these.
January 2009 VSD, pitt pens and colored pencil in sketchbook
January 2009 VSD, graphite in sketchbook
This week I have been preoccupied with other things and I didn’t feel like making a very detailed drawing of the clementine for the January 09 VSD. It would have come out really nice but I just wasn’t feeling it. Instead, I felt like making an ink drawing and coloring it in like a coloring book. The caption is inspired by Jeanette Jobson’s post. I also made a small graphite sketch above.
Sketching Men at Panera Bread, graphite in sketchbook, 1/19/09
Today I was feeling so yucky both mentally and physically. My body is all achy and I feel feverish, like I am coming down with a winter sickness. I happened to come across Katherine Tyrrell’spost about how being creative can help a person get out of depression. It inspired me to get up out of bed and go out in public. I went to Panera Bread, got myself some lunch and did some sketching afterwards. The man on the left was sitting across from his girlfriend and I wanted to draw her too but they got up and left before I had a chance. I sketched the other guy on the right a couple of times. He could sense I was drawing him. He kept moving around and fidgeting and he asked me if I was drawing something. I should have shown him my sketchbook, but I was too nervous! I have never drawn someone in public before where they realized that I was drawing them. I need to be more discreet next time, but drawing in public definitely gives me a rush and it is an excellent way to get out of a bad mood.
Orchid, watercolor on 5 x 7 greeting card, 1/11/2009
I cracked. I painted another flower. That day I happened to feel very sad and flowers cheer me up so much. I was actually considering buying myself fresh flowers, but I got cheap and used a reference photo I’ve been saving instead. I painted this on a blank card so either my mother or one of my sisters will get this come birthday season.
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:12
Cats I, sanguine Pitt pens (each drawing 2.5″ x 1.75″), December 2008
Cats II, sepia and sanguine Pitt pens (each drawing 2.5″ x 1.75″), December 2008
Cats are beautiful animals but they are very challenging for me to draw. Here are some drawings I made in December of my sister’s cats. I put the top four drawings in a set of photo coasters for her for Christmas. You can’t see it well in the scan, but the paper was a pale pink color. It looks especially nice with the sanguine ink. I drew the top drawings with the brush tip, and I tried to be bold and confident and not overwork them too much.
Fruit on Black, colored pencil on black paper, December 2008
I don’t eat a lot of fruit normally, but I live with people who thrive on fruit. I put these small drawings (2.5″ x 1.75″) in a set of photo coasters and gave them to my sister for Christmas. They came out quite nice and they looked really sharp in the coasters. I think this would be a great handmade gift idea, especially for someone who likes to work small. And if the person really hates your artwork, they can always put their own photos in there.
Washington St, Hartford CT; Sanguine Pitt pens in 5 x 7 sketchbook, 1/9/2009
I took the day off from work on Friday to take care of some official business in downtown Hartford. I came early so I could get some sketching in, even though I was hardly in the mood to do any sketching. I sat in my car in the Walgreens parking lot on Washington St and drew part of this old building. It looked like it had originally been a house but was since turned into a Spanish language church.
In the afternoon I bought myself a zune and went bargain hunting for clothes on clearance. For the past few years I have completely ignored music and I thought that it is high time that I get back into it. I have finally realized that life is empty without music! Plus, I am planning some plein air type activities later on in the year and I want to be fully prepared.
Yesterday was also the 21st Worldwide SketchCrawl. I had originally intended on participating, but decided against it. I spent the day ripping cds, listening to music and orgainizing various playlists. Plus, we were expecting snow and it was just so gloomy out. Next time I am going to pay more attention to when future SketchCrawls are being planned as this one sneaked up on me and I wasn’t mentally prepared for it. I did manage to sketch my boots, below.
Boots in Garage, graphite in 9 x 12 sketchbook, 1/10/2009
O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?-Deuteronomy 3:24
These were two sketches that I made when I was in terrible pain with my hands. This past Christmas was my one year anniversary of being pain free and I can honestly say that I think about how thankful I am at least every day. I wrote a very long “summary” of my ordeal here. Needless to say, I didn’t do much artwork at all during that horrible year and in a way, I want to make up for lost time. I have never been more dedicated to my artwork. For the first time in my life, I can’t wait to get home from work and start drawing.
