Finishing Off Old Starts

 Most of what I am posting today was started last year. The above is the inked final of a piece I started a while ago in pencil but decided I wanted to ink it instead of leaving it as a graphite work. Problem was I didn't have any nibs that made a fine enough line and for this one I really wanted to use a dip pen with India Ink. So for Christmas I asked Santa to bring me some Hunts Crow Quill nibs, which Santa was kind enough to do. In anticipation of the gift I had brought the pencil version of this with me to my Sisters over Christmas and then did the inking there after Christmas Day.

This is done on Stonehenge toned paper, though the color isn't really showing up in the scan. Size of paper is 7 x 7 inches though I think what is in the scan is more like 6 x 6 inches. I don't have a name for it so if anyone has suggestions I would love to hear them. Just goes to show you can stipple with a dip pen, if you are careful.

 Again this was started last summer when I was first experimenting with using color washed cold press watercolor paper as the background for my ink drawings. The flowers here are Foxglove, both the larger flowers and the whole plants in the background. All are based on some personal photographs.

I used a dip pen with acrylic Sepia ink for this one, the nib is a Japanese Manga nib, so it gives a relatively fine line, not as fine as the Hunts Crow Quill but fine. I am rather pleased with how this came out, even if it did take way to long to finish. The good thing about art is that usually it will wait.

Someone asked about the technique, it is just semi short parallel lines made so they are drawn close together to create the tonal value I am looking for, not close together for lighter areas, and basically overlapping for the darker. I did do a pencil sketch, at least outlines prior to inking.

Now this piece is new. I did the background watercolor wash on a long strip of cold press watercolor paper and cut it in two to make two bookmarks. The design is based on some of the architectural features I photographed on buildings in Chicago over my Christmas visit. I used a dip pen with the Manga nib to ink this with black India Ink. I think it is kind of fun and am thinking about using more of my reference photographs for additional works. It isn't quite finished I need to give it a few coats of Acrylic Medium to waterproof and stiffen it, but I wanted to wait until the ink was thoroughly dry prior to bushing the Medium on over the ink. The size is 6 inches by 2 inches.

Two photographs from a recent visit to Daniel Webster, MA Audubon site in Marshfield, MA. The above shows a mallard duck taking off from the Green River. They were feeding on the river when I walked by and started them.

The above photo was made in the Bird feeder area at Daniel Webster, both Mr. & Mrs Cardinal. The male is top right and the duller female is at the 2nd feeder lower left. Love the new camera that lets me make these bird photos without them being totally blurry.

That is it for today, yeah, I have actually managed a 2nd post this month. Not sure I will get back to weekly updates but hopefully I will be able to keep up the bi-weekly ones. Per usual comments are welcome.

Presidents Day Update

Today's update includes a couple of ATC (Artist Trading Cards) that I have been working on. Sometimes I seem to come up with a design that won't go away until I explore several iterations. The flower design I came up with a couple of weeks ago is one of those. Both of these cards use the design, the top one with the flowers mostly the same size just moving across the card. For the lower image I simplified some of the flowers and varied sizes quite a bit. I rather think I prefer the 2nd card to the first, but that is me, and I have a feeling there are others who might prefer the top card. Whichever doesn't matter to me.

Both cards were done on Stonehenge paper with inked outlines and colored pencil fillers.

Not sure if I am done with this series or not, only time will tell. In the meantime if you want to tell me which one you prefer I would love to hear.

Since last Monday communities were still digging out from our major snowstorm I decided to not to to the Long Pose Drawing Session. Roads weren't in good shape and while the day had been warm meaning that melting had happened I was concerned about ice on the roads after Dark. Anyway by Tuesday things were a bit better so I went out to the Short Pose Session again. Our model was lovely and very good, striking many lovely poses. While I am not thrilled with a lot a drew that night I thought I would share 4 drawings that for one reason or another I rather like.

The above 2 drawings are pen drawings of 3 minute poses. I start out with a chalk type pencil to warm up and then move to pen for many of these very short poses.

When the poses move to 5 minutes I switch over to a soft lead pencil (4B). The 2 drawings above were both 5 minute poses. She also did a couple of 10 minute poses for us, but I think by then I was getting pretty tired and I am not totally happy with those drawings.

The above photograph is of a male mallard duck flying. The background looks blurred because I was moving the camera trying for a photograph of a non-blurred flying duck.

That is it for today, per usual comments are always appreciated.

Finished Mallard

Here she is, finally finished my female mallard duck. In the past few days I finished her feathers and add some background so she isn't floating in space. I deliberately left the background a bit blurry, not only because it is in the photograph but because I want her to be the center of attention. She about 8 x 5.5 inches, done with graphite on Stonehenge paper.

I don't think I need to add that I am pleased with the final result. I am sure there are some errors, but at this point I am not going to go looking for them.

Above is my Nature Journal page from a visit to Daniel Webster the last week of September.

Top image is of a Sensitive Fern frond. I see quite a bit of this type of fern along one of the paths, though mostly on a northern edge where it wouldn't get a lot of direct sun. From what I have read it is called a sensitive fern because it is sensitive to cold and will be killed by the first frost, even last week some of them were starting to look a bit ragged.

Next image is my stand-by tree stump showing how low the water had dropped in the pond by that Monday. It was higher this past week, and I expect to see the water even higher next week since we have had more rain.

The lower image does't read as well as I would have liked. It is showing two white tailed deer heading for the trees. I had caught a glimpse of them through the trees earlier on my walk and when I finally walked out into one of the fields I startled them and they took off. Two does, I think, at least not mature males, no antlers, their white tails and white rumps really flash when seen from behind.

Above is my figure drawing from Monday. Model was a bit twitchy and had a difficulty (it got painful) holding her left arm in the position she started with so I am not pleased with how it came out. I didn't realize in the first session that it was going to be an issue and didn't get it defined as well as I could have at that point. During the rest of the evening she didn't quite recapture that position so I had to more or less wing it, and it shows. Also her dark hair almost makes it look separate from her body, not a look that I was trying to achieve.

For today's two photographs the one above is a close up of a dragonfly photographed at Oak Knoll. I observed last year, but am really noticing this year that the late summer/fall dragonflies are mostly red. I am sure it is one specific species but so far I haven't taken the time to do any research on them.

Last photo is from Daniel Webster, an image of the open fields surrounded by trees. The trees are only showing a bare hint of color here and there. That Monday was a partly cloudy day with some dramatic clouds appearing off and on in the blue sky.

That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome.

Working on Projects

Well she still isn't finished but I have made progress on her. First I put her aside to finish the pen and ink work, then I got distracted working on Nature Journal pages and trying to figure out varieties of oak trees by looking at leaves and acorns. I promise I will get her done, as I think she is coming along rather nicely. I find the patterns on the feathers beautiful though I admit a pia to draw which is why she is taking so long.

Above is one of those Nature Journal pages that I have been spending so much time on. I actually used a bit of colored pencil on these pages which feature two types of goldenrod's that I have been seeing on my walks. There are a lot more varieties of goldenrod than just the 2 I was featuring here but these two were mainly what I was seeing at Daniel Webster on my walk. One is more suited to the shade of the red maple groves and the other was growing along the sunny edges of fields, and was more of a small bush than one slender stalk with flowers.

The other image is my standard one of the tree stump in the panne. This week the water level hadn't changed much from what it was the previous week. Meaning it was a bit higher than the low point I had seen earlier in the summer.

All drawings are from my September 10th visit to Daniel Webster in Marshfield, MA.

Above is my figure drawing from Monday nights session in the Studio. I am much happier with my drawing this week. It might be the pose or it might be the lighting. I found the strong light from directly above the model to be something I didn't particularly enjoyed drawing. I said so at the start of this weeks session and the several of my fellow artists took me to task. They said they enjoyed the changes and that the same light week after week gets old. Hmm, I understand what they are saying, I don't want to draw the same pose from week to week, but I think my objection to the lighting is still valid.

Fairly close up photograph of one of the Goldenrod's I have been seeing in the sanctuaries I visit. They are pretty yellow flowers and the bees love them. They don't seem too attractive to butterflies, unless they are the only blooms around. I expect the flowers don't have much in the way of nectar, so the pay off for visiting is lower. The bees also want the pollen so find the flowers more attractive. As an aside the pollen that most people are allergic to this time of year is ragweed, goldenrod pollen is too heavy to float in the air.

Photograph of a landing seagull, made at my local Brockton park. This is probably a first year gull as it has a lot of brown on its head and body. Mature Herring gulls are white with some black and grey, and just a little  brown around the neck in winter.

That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome.
 

Starting to Catch Up

I seem to have regained my desire to draw now that summer is on the wain. Above is a drawing of a female mallard that I started last spring. This week I pulled it out and have been working on her, she obviously isn't anywhere near done, but progress is being made. I also have a couple of other projects in the works, a larger version of the Green Heron I drew in my Journal and a pen and ink drawing of one of the Cape Cod Canal bridges.

I enjoy drawing birds just wish I could get better photographs of the more unusual birds that I see on my outings. I suppose what I need to do is make friends with some of the other photographers I see at various MA Audubon Sites and ask if I can use some of their better photos as reference for my drawings. In the meantime I will continue to draw using my better photos even if the subjects are every day birds.

Above is a catch up spread I drew this week in my nature journal. The visit was in July so you can tell I am weeks behind with my drawings. Subjects have all been selected, I just have to do the work.

Top left corner is a drawing of two morning doves sitting on the fence around the parking area. Normally they are quite shy so getting a good photo of them can be tricky. They are really kind of funny looking birds with small heads and rounded bodies. If they are on the ground their buff colored bodies they do tend to blend into the background.

Middle right is my old standby of the tree trunk in the Panne. Water level was about the same as the week prior, but I was able to make a photo of the mallard family swimming in front so I thought I would use it.

Bottom left drawing is of a Green Heron, there were actually 2 different Green Herons in the sanctuary that day. One was a young bird who sometimes had difficulties figuring out how to eat what it caught. There was at least one fish that got away. It had slightly different coloring through the breast (more white) than the older more experienced bird. It was so fun to watch them, and I did manage a couple of good photos, not sure which bird this was, not a good enough view of the breast feathers.

The figure drawing above is slightly out of order, meaning that I made this drawing the week prior to the drawing I used in my last post. I am still a couple of drawings behind when it comes to posting. This pose was a bit tricky, with the head angled away from me so I was looking at the underside of her jaw. I am not sure that I got the distances just right with the features. There are other issues with this drawing, but there are also some areas I like, legs and feet for one.

Above is a frog I photographed this summer at Houghton's Pond. Usually frogs jump in the other direction when they hear me coming, but I must have been quiet enough to not scare this one. It actually hopped toward me and was sitting right next to my shoe. I lowered the camera and was just shooting blind for this photo, one reason for the odd angle, though I actually rather like it.

A photo of a field at Daniel Webster, made the same day as my Journal visit above, in July. They mow most of the fields at least once every summer. If they didn't the trees would take over and the open habitat some of the birds require would be gone.

That is it for today, per usual comments are always welcome.

Labor Day 2012

Happy Labor Day to everyone here in the States. I am hoping you don't have to work, but if you do, hope it is at least a good day for you. Here in MA. we will have a lovely partly sunny day while we wait for the remains of  the latest Hurricane to drop a couple of inches of rain on us in the next couple of days. We can use the rain, though we haven't been as dry as the central US, and hopefully won't have the flooding they have down in the Gulf States.

Above is another of my mallard duck drawings. I was up at the Trailside Museum in the Blue Hills over the weekend and was photographing mallards. I managed to capture some different poses with the ducks this week so I thought it would be fun to draw one. A fairly quick drawing done in my sketchbook. The male mallards are starting to molt into their breeding plumage. The one above is starting to darken through the head and lighten through the under body/back.

Above are a couple of photos of mallard males, the lower photo was made this weekend and the top one last winter when the males were totally in breeding colors. Not sure that the lower male was the same one that I used for my drawing, there were several in various states of molting, but you get the idea. A couple of weeks ago all the males looked pretty much like the females except for their bills, female bills have black/dark areas on them.

I am slowly working in the Nature Journal trying to catch up. Not making a lot of headway, but at least I am not getting further behind. Above page is from a visit to Daniel Webster back in July. A glossy Ibis was back for a visit and feeding in the shallows.

The top drawing is of the tree trunk. You can tell from the amount of exposed trunk that the the water level in the Panne had really fallen that week. We have since had rain and it was back up a bit higher these past couple of weeks.

A figure drawing from one of the Monday night drawing sessions in August. I almost have her face as a portrait, It wasn't an easy pose for her to hold and she was able to hold it quite well. Scott seems to be into no frills poses since he got back from VT. I look forward to seeing what is in store for us tonight.

Here is the photo of the Glossy Ibis that I used as reference for my journal page. I didn't get the head shape quite correct, but I suppose it doesn't matter too much.

That is it for today. Per usual comments are always welcome.

Mid August Update

Muggy has been the operative word here in MA this summer. While we haven't experienced the high heat and drought of the mid-west it has been muggy, and warm enough to make it uncomfortable. Since it is now mid August I am sure some cooler weather will be arriving soon enough, I am looking forward to it.

I still haven't been doing a lot of drawing. The mallard duck above is one exception. I call it Duck with Attitude. Actually it was a duck looking for more duck food, but hey, I don't think I need to explain that too much more.

I am not sure if it is male or female, the males in non-breeding plumage look a lot like the females, the color of the bill is supposed to be the indicator but since color can vary it can sometimes be hard to tell. The photograph this is based on was made at the Trailside Nature Center in the Blue Hills Reservation. The ducks are used to being fed so will get quite close. For this photograph I was sitting on the ground.

 
Thought you might like to see the original photograph.

The only other drawing I have been consistently doing has been my Monday night figure drawing sessions. I am a bit behind posting them so I will post 2 this week in an effort to catch up.

Not much to say about these. The artist whose studio we use has returned so I expect the poses will go back to being more lounging with no backs. What can I say, the sessions have been run by one of the female models while he has been away, and woman aren't as fixated on fronts as men are.

I need to get back to drawing more during the week, both for the blog and for myself, as I am not totally pleased with how the Monday night figure drawings have been coming out.

Though I haven't been drawing I have been busy visiting various nature centers and making lots of photographs. Several of the best butterfly photos I have posted to my flickr account, if you care to look.

Above is a bumble bee on some blooming catnip. Photo was made at Daniel Webster where I have been observing lots of birds this summer, Hummingbirds, Green Herons, Great Blue Herons, various Hawks and the Ospreys. It  has been a good summer for birds observation even if it hasn't been all that good for bird photography, the birds tend to be too far away from me.

One last photo for today, this one was made at Oak Knoll in Attleboro, MA. A skipper on some black eyed susans. The color of the skipper butterfly blends with the yellow/orange of the flowers. I just liked the colors, though I probably have some more spectacular butterfly images over on the flickr site. I have been lucky enough to see and photograph some mating butterflies this year, some American Coppers and also more Monarchs, it has been a good year so far for butterflies.

That is it for today.  Per usual comments are always welcome.

A couple of birds, a figure and a Nature Journal

I have been in the mood to draw birds lately. So above is a small sketch of a female mallard. She is one of the birds in the photograph in my last post. She had the look of a disinterested observer to the 2 males tussling, but I am not so sure. Actually I was really attracted to the patterns on her feathers. The females may not have the brilliant color of the males but I think in their own way they are just as beautiful.

For my next subject I used a photograph I made of one of the Red Tail Hawks on exhibit at the Trailside Museum. I have a feeling she injured her other foot which is why only one is visible on her perch. I think this is a female since she was larger than the other bird in the cage. Not sure I did her justice, but not too bad either.

Below is my Nature Journal spread from a visit to Borderland State Park last week.

More dog walkers and dogs this for this entry. I should really bring a checklist of breeds when I walk at Borderland, I see so many different varieties of dogs with their owners. The smaller dog to the right was I believe a miniature collie, and the woman was walking a golden retriever. The challenge with these drawings is to get the woods to have the right feeling and look. And believe me it is a challenge.

The sketch on the bottom of the page is of the needles of an Eastern Red Cedar. Their "leaves" are finer than the Northern White Cedar, and they have what look like berries instead of miniature pine cones. The bark/trunk is also very distinctive. At some point I will start drawing tree trunks to illustrate the look of various barks. Probably not until spring when I will have leaves to help identify the trees.

Last nights figure drawing. I have mixed feelings abut this one. It is OK but I wish I had spent more time on the face and head. Ah well there is always next week.

We did have a good crowd for the session which was good and bad. The good was more people the bad is that 2 were young women who smoke. Can I say here I hate the smell of cigarette smoke and the older I get the more I hate it. UGH, I have no clue why young people start smoking now a days, how they can afford it is a complete mystery to me.

The above is a photograph from my walk at Borderland. This is the largest spillway in the park and as you can see there is plenty of water flowing over it. While we haven't had a lot of snow this winter we have been having rain so the lakes are full.

That is it for today. Next time I will share images that I am working on as the center for the border I finished a few weeks ago. In the meantime comments are always welcome.