Babe 'n Boots - WIP

I've been feeling somewhat guilty about the lack of postings even though I'm inundated with holiday projects that will have to wait until after the holidays to be revealed so here is a little something - the second in my Tots postcard series.  I haven't had the chance to finish coloring it yet.  Stay tuned and Happy Holidays!

Graphite on Paper, 5"x8"

Duckling - Weekly Sketch

Connor was a duckling for Halloween in tribute to his favorite toy...yellow rubber duckie. He was so cute that I had to sketch him.

Graphite on Paper, 5" x 8"

Graphite & Digital, 5" x 8"

Monkey Business - Weekly Sketch

This week's subjects are again from the WetCanvas forum - the theme was zoo critters with some flowers,  shrubbery and a domestic pet thrown in for good measure.  It's usually a dog or cat...always a dog or cat I've noticed.  People really like them.  This time it was a dog.  I didn't draw the dog.


The first piece is a quick pen and watercolor wash I did as a warm up.  Monkeys.  Three monkeys to be clear.  The second, a lemur.  Just one.  The third which is in the next post for reasons that will become apparent includes said zoo critters,  flowers, shrubbery...but no dog.  Have I mentioned yet that I didn't draw the dog?

Micron & Watercolor on Paper, 5"x8"

Watercolor on Paper, 5"x8"

M. _ Water Garden & Cockerel - Weekly Sketch

This week's sketch is a 'two for the price of one'.  I frequent a pretty neat art forum that has some awesome artist (mostly traditional) and some not so awesome ones.  Some days I'm humbled while one other days I get a nice ego boost.  It's a learning opportunity either way.   They have daily, weekly, monthly events/challenges that I've begun to participate in.  It lets me hone my skills, paint subjects I usually wouldn't consider and lets me explore beyond my comfort zone.  I also like the help and suggestions available from other professionals.


This week's references were irresistible to me for their sheer potential.  I chose these two because well...I've never drawn either ever before and felt it would be a challenge to paint them in watercolor.  Boy, was it ever.  Watercolor is a beast that takes some planning.  While there is some measure for corrections, you can't simply paint over as you would acrylic or oils.  Still - I'm having a blast even if I'm not entirely pleased with the results.  Would like more contrast and I probably need to expand my color palette as it feels a little dull.  What do you expect for the bargain deal price of 2 weeklies for the price of one!


Almost forgot!  There is an easy challenge attached to this one.  First person to tell me the location (city) of the subjects in the paintings gets a print of my next piece (not going to say what it is just yet though).  Bonne chance!

Watercolor on Paper, 5"x8"

Watercolor on Paper, 5"x 8"

Panda - Weekly Sketch

I broke out the Faber Castell brush pen for this week's sketch.  Many artists I know love this pen for its line quality.  I'm not an inker per say but I'm always impressed by the work that other artists do with this pen (Check out Michael Stovall's blog).   The brush tip has proved to be more durable than the Tombows thus far.  The ink is even and smooth but I've heard that they tend to run out fairly quickly.  I've been yearning to try the Pentel brush pens, which are refillable, in comparison.


Sometimes I get the urge to draw something ridiculously cute just because I can.  There are very few things that I can think of which fits the bill better than a Panda.  Perhaps a baby panda...Awwwwwww!

Pen on Paper, 5"x8"

Connor - Weekly Sketch

I'm playing catchup this week since spending the extended memorial weekend in Austin.  I brought down my sketch kit with the intention of getting some work done but alas, utilized the better part of my trip shopping, eating and sleeping.  It was nice but back to work now.  I haven't been completely unproductive though...just haven't had a chance to scan anything until now.  


Here's the first - some quick sketches of the little guy.  Back in high school and college I would doodle in ballpoint pen next to my lecture notes.   These days it has replaced a pencil as my tool of choice for sketches.  I find that my penciling style is often too rigid and contrived.  The loose pen lines appear more organic and interesting.

Ballpoint Pen on Paper, 5"x8"

Parallel 001

I recently came across some sketches by an artist, L Filipe dos Santos, that's reminiscent of the Rorshachs in my psychology days.   The idea is to create an illustration from the shapes of random inkblots.  I decided it would be a neat exercise to stretch my imagination and found that I really enjoyed the exploration. 


I first used acrylic to create the image below in my Moleskine sketch.

Acrylic on Paper, 10'x8'

I then illustrated my interpretation using pen over the inkblots.  I will upload my drawing at the end of the week but I'm extremely interested in what everyone else perceives.  Post your interpretations or better yet,  download the the image above and create your own vision using whatever medium you'd like.  

Il lettore - Weekly Sketch

A little over a year ago in a rare act of sibling solidarity, my brother and I agreed to get matching themed tattoos if I design them.  We decided on Roaring 20's sparrows.  Maybe it's my aversion to pain or my knack for procrastination but to this day no birds yet.  I think it's some deep seated psychological issue because really...surely even the most tardy offender must be able to knock something out in 18 months.


In an effort to get inked sometime this decade, Chris went solo instead and asked for an image of a fox reading a book; I suppose because he lives for books and fancies himself clever.  I envisioned something dark, gothic.  Mr. Fox in a heavy velvet robe sitting in the armchair of Poe's library.


This is what came out.

Watercolor on Paper, 5"x8"

It's probably because of my recent submersion into watercolors yet somehow, this actually reminds me more of my brother - light, whimsical, skinny legs?  I'm still working on the tattoo but this nevertheless is dedicated to you Brother.

Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Pan Set

I needed a watercolor pan set for plein-air painting and sketchbook journaling.  Most of the artist sets were priced higher than I wanted to pay considering I didn't want a double investment in both tube and pan colors.  The opposite end of the spectrum just didn't pass muster so I was happy when I came across Winsor & Newton Cotman colors.  WB artist line is highly popular with watercolor professionals and the student line is reputed to be quite good.  The variety of palettes, from compact cases to all in one field boxes, also attracted me - in the instance, it was their sketcher pocket box set.

Winsor & Newton Sketcher Pocket Box Set

This particular set consist of 12 half pans with most of the essential hues and a collapsable brush.  At around 2"x4", it fits nicely in a pocket or purse.  The case is made of sturdy plastic and although perhaps not as attractive as metal tins, certainly is more robust for the field.  However, unlike traditional sets that clip into rails, the pans sit in the molded wells of the case which causes them to rattle and sometime fall askew when transported.

While it can be observed that some of the colors were not as intense when compared to the best artist colors, it was nevertheless highly satisfactory and better, with many single pigment colors, than most any other student set.  The discrepancy was mostly found in the 'hues' that were used to replace some of the more costly colors although they do also make real cadmiums and cobolt colors (none were in this set).  

Overall - the price, quality and size were perfect for my intended purpose.  Have a handy waterbrush loaded and this set is perfect on the go.  My only complaint was the lack of black in this pallet on an outing to the Arboretum last weekend, but in the future, I intend to refill the empty pans with my choice of artist tube colors.

I tested the set out on an illustration of my brother.

Ink and Watercolor on Paper, 5"x8"

More Dancers - Weekly Sketch

Some flirty dancers. Practicing a variety of styles and techniques for each of my weeklies.

Watercolor on Paper, 5"x8"

Moleskine Watercolor Notebook

I think from time to time I will try to do a product review because I like to experiment with different products and from my experience found that there's a scarcity of comprehensive information readily accessible.  My inaugural review will cover the Moleskine watercolor notebook. The Tombows that I have been using were adequate in the Moleskine classic but they neither blended well as watercolors on the paper nor was the nib fine enough for my inking taste.  I was therefore impressed to try the watercolor notebook as most enthusiast recommend it for journaling and field studies. 

Moeskine Watercolor Notebook

The books come in a pocket sized 3.5" x 5.5" and a larger but still extremely portable 5" x 8" landscape. With 60 and 72 pages respectively, there's an ample amount of creamy, thick 200gsm, 25% cotton cold pressed paper and unlike some other thread bound sketchbooks, I like that the pages lay flat for use when open.  The cover has an elegant yet professional leather texture with an elastic closure similar to the classic series. 


I purchased my large notebook from the University Co-op art store for $19.99 but subsequently found them for much less from online vendors such as Dick Blick.  Tragically, a quick assessment of my art cache revealed a shortage of any decent watercolors paints so for this demonstration, I was relegated to using the Tombows ABT duel brush pens and some Fiber-Castell watercolor pencils. 


Voila! A quick study of barn owls.

Mix Media on Paper, 5"x8"

The owl on the left side was painted using the pencils while the pair on the right, a combination the brush pens and micron.  I primarily used a #5 Royal Aqualon round that I purchased in a variety 3pk on clearance for $0.01.  For that price, I couldn't resist trying them out and found them quite favorable at least for this application.  The watercolor pencils are a scholastic grade so it was hard to get the intensity and pigmentation to do proper gradation and blending.  I found this frustrating to the point of turning me off to watercolor pencils but I will definitely try a better grade and see how I fair.

The versatility of the brush pens became more apparent when using the proper paper.  I was able to easily blend using the colorless blending pen or a brush, control the intensity of color by dipping the tip in water and building up hues by glazing.  I liked them enough that I ordered a set of 10 beyond my usual shader colors.

The paper held up extremely well even with heavy washes with no bleeding whatsoever.  There was only minimal warping and doubtful any with lighter applications.  The slight tooth of the paper is also ideal for techniques with other media such as charcoal, graphite, and pastels that cannot be achieved with the classic smooth paper.  Needless to say, I am extremely pleased thus far with this notebook and suggest it as an companion to those who already love the classic Moleskine.

On a related note, I just ordered my first Kolinsky sable brushes and of course some artist quality watercolors.  I am beyond giddy.

I CanCan Weekly Sketch

Who's up for a pinup?  I used a micron and Tombow brush pens again, although watercolor markers are not ideal on the non-absorbant Moleskine sketch paper.  Made my life a little more difficult but what can I say - that's what I had handy and what's a little challenge.  It also gives me a reason to try out my new Moleskine watercolor book next time. 


I have to credit the ever effervescent Jason Chalker and his sexy women (albeit the blue and green extraterrestrial variety) as the inspiration for this piece. 

Micron & Brush Pen on Paper, 5"x8"

Ribbons

I took this past weekend off to visit Austin.  It's been more than a year since I've been back and didn't realize how much the city has changed although some things remained as good as ever - El Chili, Polvo's, Jerry's Artorama...I-35 traffic.  We also hit up Eeyore's Birthday and the Buda wiener dog races in addition to catching up with some dear relatives; overall a great break and I look forward to returning more often to reconnect with some dreadfully neglected friends.  For now though, I'm happy to get back to work.


This is a study for a large watercolor that I'm planning.  The sketch was completed using a combination of micron, brush pen and Prisma marker.

Mix Media on Paper, 10"x 9"

Famous Dogs in History

I dusted off a 5 year old moleskin recently and started greasing the rusty gears so to speak.  I have a tendency towards precision - a mechanical pencil sort of anal-ness - and in the past, would have trembled in fear without my trusty eraser to correct any errant lines.  My main goal now is to attain a much looser and free style.  Alright...some of you may think that I haven't given up much control by the initial sketches but...baby steps - no eraser right! I bought some Tombow ABT duel brush pens a while back that I decided to finally try out.


The subject choice?  People love dogs but people love dogs dressed up as humans even more. Easy! I've posted the progression of the first four and will update as I finish.  

Leica the Dictator (not really)