More Ink work, and a Library Doodle

The turkeys are finished. I took the inked drawing from my last post and added some wash with a brush and then went back in with my technical pens to add a bit more line. This technique has possibilities, but I think I need to learn more patience with it. I want to just do it and get it done, and I think I need to slow down and take a bit more time with the washes.

While at the library this week I was inspired to create a small doodle. It started out with the book worm on top of a book then I added the words "Read More". It was fun to semi create a font for the text. Not a full font as I only created the letters I needed for these short words but still it was a fun exercise. I have no clue why this idea/subject occurred to me, but I had fun drawing it.

After creating the graphite drawing at the library I brought it home and added some ink to outline letters and objects then added colored pencil for some color. With suitable modifications I think this could be a fun poster design. But I fear it will never go any further than this sketch.  I even went so far as to think up a name for my book worm, "Billy the Book Worm says READ MORE". I suppose I could ask at the library if they would like it for real, maybe.

One of the pens I purchased in my binge buying of colored ink pens was a copic .005 grey pen. Since I hadn't had a chance to use it previously I though why not do a quick sketch with it. I happened to have a bottle of ink sitting out at around eye level so it didn't take me long to use it as a subject. Done in a sketchbook with just the grey ink, one of my ink bottles. I like this color and have to think about how I want to use it to show it off. Maybe with the blue copic multiliner I picked up at the same time.

Above is a not very good photograph of my progress on the latest Mandala. Center is basically done, the next out ring needs to be finished off but probably before I do finish it off, I will design and start coloring the corner elements of the first square. I am doing an under drawing with Derwent pencils then layering over them approximately the same color of PolyChromos. The Polys are more fade resistant so hopefully the resulting work won't just fade away in light. Course when it is finished it will be sprayed with a clear fixative that has some UV protection.

My Final photograph for today is of some trees that still had leaves earlier this week, I think they are now gone. But the subject of the photo is actually the white wall with the shadows of the trees on it. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and I was on my way to library when I noticed these shadows and thought they would make an interesting photograph. Not sure I have cropped the image as much as it should be but hope you enjoy it anyway. I have been reading about Notan, the Japanese concept of balancing light and dark, to me this shadow is a form of Notan, but wanted to include a bit more color which is why I left so much of the original trees in the image.

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

Pen & Ink WIP, and Some Camera Talk.

Another of the WetCanvas challenge images for November. This one I worked on toned paper with some colored inks along with my 4x0 technical pen. The colored pens were .005 Copic Multiliners. I really like how this one came out though it took me a heck of a lot longer than I thought it would when I started even though it is only 4 inches square. Had to make lots of lines though.

Another 4 inch drawing, this one I started in October as part of the #inktober challenge but never got it done. It still isn't done, I intend to add some washes of ink to this to add value to the turkey's feathers. The drawing combines a couple of my personal reference photos into one. The lines in the current piece were done with my 3x0 technical pen.

Sorry for the poor quality of the above image. The drawing is too large for my scanner (outer ring is 12 inches) so I used my tablet to make a quick photo (I would have had to use the flash on the SLR, and that causes other problems).

Anyway this is the current status of the new mandala I will be working on. Center drawn and inked, but I haven't selected any colors yet. I think this one is going to go heavy on the blues and greens though the Greek pottery that the motifs come from are red and black and/or white, but that was the limits of the materials the ancients used not because they didn't like/prefer other colors. Anyway I don't think I want to limit the mandala to those colors. The Greek flag is blue and white, again not enough colors but at least it makes the blue make sense. On Bristol Board smooth, a

As a final image, a photograph I made last week. The oak trees around me are the last trees to change colors. Sometimes they just turn brown, but this sapling oak had glorious red leaves, and I was able to include just a bit of yellow from another neighboring plant to accent the red. Focus is on the leaf in the center making the surrounding leaves a bit out of focus, intentional for this photo.

I have just discovered the Canon Digital Photography forums on the net and am currently lusting after a new lens for my Rebel. But at over $1,000 for the lens I don't think it is going to happen anytime soon. In any case I need to spend more time exploring the forum but have already realized that to make the most of my camera I really need to take it out of Auto mode. I need to start using one of the manual modes,and learn to adjust settings on my camera to get the best shots. In my defense Auto mode makes some pretty good photographs and I do switch out sometimes, like when I am in a Museum, or like I did last summer when I was trying for a better photograph of white flowers. Now I just have to be more consistent about it, selecting for conditions, sun, cloudy, shade etc along with shutter speed etc. Will this make be a better photographer? I don't know, but I won't know until I spend some time trying. Wish me luck.

That is it for today per usual comments are welcome.

Finished Mandala, and some pen and ink

Since I have in mind some ideas for another Mandala I finally had the motivation to push through and finish the one above. It is done, or as done as I am going to make it, it is even sprayed with its protective coating.

The art work was done using colored pencils on Bristol Board Smooth, with pen and ink outlines, size is fairly small as far as my Mandala's go, when I started this one I didn't want to commit to a lot of time, so it is only about 7.5 inches in Diameter.

I use various types of Derwent pencils (Artists, Colorsoft, Studio and Signature) and my newer PolyChromos. I usually layer all of my colors though the outer band blue is just one of the Poly's. Flowers are semi made up but mostly based on real flowers, daisy's, roses, pansy's, and poppies.

This is actually my 7th Mandala, though I only have 6 in my possession as I somehow managed to loose the first one I made back in 2009. For some reason this type of art work appeals to me. I usually choose a theme before I start working then select images to illustrate and expand on that theme. As for colors I seem to pull in a wide range, for this one there are a lot of complementary pairs, blue/orange, yellow/purple, so it makes a fairly dramatic statement.

The beagle above is from a Challenge reference photo in the WetCanvas Pen and Ink Forum. Because of #inktober I did not managed to work any of the October images, but really liked this reference of a Beagle for November and wanted to see what I could do. I used my 4x0 technical pen for this work.

The important part of this drawing to me is actually the paper. On one of my trips into Boston with the subsequent visits to Dick Blick I found and purchased a couple of pads of Strathmore 400 toned papers. Strathmore makes both a grey and the above tan. The paper is a lighter weight (only 80lb) than I would prefer for pen and ink, but the surface is fairly smooth and hard so it takes ink fairly well. The paper is slightly lighter in real life than in the above scan, but I really like the contrast of the black ink against the toned paper. I can envision using both black and white conte crayons on it, fun stuff.  

Not sure what I am going to do with the above drawing on a  6 x 2 inch piece of the Toned Grey Strathmore paper, maybe make a bookmark out of it, though it needs to be backed with something more substantial as the paper itself is a bit too light to make a bookmark with. I was just doodling with various pens including some with colored inks, can you see the green? Again the scan makes the paper look slightly darker than it is in real life. Still I like the colors and am happy to have this option to work with.

Even though it is getting late in the year there are still a few trees around me that have color and leaves. The above photograph was made in a local park last Saturday. Love how the sun was lighting up the upper left area of the tree. The sky could have been a darker blue, but one takes what one can get.

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

Back to the MFA, Mandala Update

Traveled back into Boston on Wednesday to re-visit the Boston MFA and the Goya exhibit. On the bus I drew a quick sketch of a fellow passenger just to keep my hand in. Not wonderful but not too bad either. It can be a challenge to draw on a bus as the ride isn't always smooth, and I don't really want my fellow passengers to realize what I am doing.

On the rest of my journey I started the above panels for I guess you could say graphic stories. I have, for a couple of years, been working on writing about some stories/adventures from my childhood. Some of these stories involved a cat we owned for a brief period of time. Or should I say he owned us. Anyway that cat was most adventurous and how he survived for as long as he did I am not quite sure, I am sure he used up more than one of his 9 lives in his adventures. Two of the panels have to do with stories about him, top and bottom. The middle was something that happened to me with a friend one day when we went exploring.

Anyway I have been wanting to add illustrations to some of the stories and have actually spent some time doodling possible images. Still not much has jelled other than a few concepts and I wasn't pleased with any of the sketches I drew.

As an aside one of the groups I am a member of (Everyday Matters), has an adjunct site Sketchbook Skool where they have classes for beginning artists. One of the classes that has been discussed is Storytelling. Add that thought to others rattling around in my brain, and I though to myself, why not do panels for the stories using the style of comic book art. That way the art doesn't have to be elaborate or even totally accurate, just enough so the readers know what they are seeing and can relate.

Hmm, well the result is the 3 panels above. Not sure where I am going with these as they are only thumbnails and the real art work would need to be much larger. But I think I finally have an idea that I can work with. This will be a totally new adventure for me as I have never done this type of work before. I previously never had any desire to draw a comic strip, which just goes to show that you never know where art can take you.

You're probably going to yourself "what is that"/ The above image is a close up a pattern on a Greek Vase. After going through the Goya exhibit for a second time, this time with the narrative device that they rent to attendees, and which is fairly informative and supplements the notes next to the pictures. I wandered over to the part of the museum that has ancient art on display and found the newly renovated Greek and Roman Galleries. They aren't quite done with the renovations but I totally enjoyed viewing what has been finished.

I have been making it a habit to photograph esp. ancient pottery with the repetitive designs the artisans used. I consider these photos as reference materials to be used in some of my own art work at some point. Esp. with the mandala drawings I create I am always on the lookout for designs that can be used in panels. Vases are circular to designs used on vases are esp. appropriate.

I spent a little time translating the design in the above vase to my notebook. I used various technical pens to ink this, and did a terrible job, but still I like this pattern and am looking forward to finding a use for it.

Speaking of Mandala's above is an update on where I am with the one I have been working on. Since I am motivated to start another using Greek motifs I really need to get this one finished. I am in the outer band, and even better I would say I am about half way finished with it. I am getting there. Not sure how I feel about the over all piece. Some parts I like and others could have been designed differently. Looking at it as I write this I think I have an idea for some changes that I can still make and which might improve one of the inner bands.

Even though Wednesday was overcast with no bright sun I think I finally managed to get a fairly good photograph of the Indian statue that stands in front of the MFA. With the backdrop of the changing Oak tree the statue is placed in relief and becomes very visible. In other photographs I have made of it the horse and rider seem to blend with the background.  Sorry I don't recall the title of the work or even who the sculpture is.  Oops will have to pay attention the next time I travel to the museum.

That is it for today, nothing major finished, but some generated concepts and an update on a major piece. Per usual comments are welcome.

More #inktober, update on Mandala

So far so good with the #inktober project. I am still missing one day but otherwise have managed to keep up. Above is my drawing for Oct. 4th. I was doodling in a sketch book something that looked like a tree and decided it would make a good subject for my daily ink work. So above is the tree done in brown ink, stippled with brown and black ink with added green for leaves. It holds a nest with two yellow/orange chicks, and sits on a green hill.

All colors used are from various colored pens I happened to have in the stash but rarely use. I mostly don't like the color of inks in pens so tend to stick with just black ink, but this tree just cried out for color so I pulled out the pens and went at it. Actually it was fun to do, and I rather like the result, proving that colored pens do have their uses.

Above is Oct 5ths drawing. A made up fish with just one poor frond of water plant to keep it company. I used the 3x0 technical pen for this work after lightly penciling in the fish, bubbles and plant. Background is a bit different even for me. I initially drew spirals hoping it would look water like, but it wasn't dark enough to make the fish or plant stand out. So I drew wavy lines crossing the spiral lines, still didn't make the back ground dark enough so I added a third layer of small squiggles. Finally I had the background dark enough to make the fish and other objects stand out, and the wavy cross hatching has created a mosaic like texture.

I like this background, now I just have to remember how I did it in case I want to do it again, though I have to say using the 3x0 tip meant creating very fine lines and it took longer to make this background than I initially anticipated.

Above is the drawing for the 6th. Much simpler after the previous 2 days efforts. Drawn from life, a couple of Beech nuts and cases, a couple of acorns, and one hickory nut. Drawn again with my technical pens. I am not happy with the lettering and should have waited to check some references prior to doing it, but I got in a hurry and just wanted it done. Ah well I still have quite a few more of these to do so I will just have to have more patience if I decide I want more lettering on one of these.

All of the #inktober drawings are done on Bristol Smooth paper, paper size is 6 x 6 inches, drawings are 4 x 4 inches, Pens are as referenced for each drawing.

If you are on Facebook, Google+ or tumbler you can do a search on #inktober to view what others are doing with ink this month. I have found a lot of Manga and comic book type art, not my cup of tea, but as someone mentioned on another site it is still early in the month so who knows what will be done.

Above is an update on the Mandala. I am still working on the outer round, but all inking has been finished and now it is just a matter of selecting colors and drawing them in. I am repeating the blue used in the inner square in this outer round, also adding red which contrasts with the blue and green. So far I am liking how it is coming along.

Another photograph of an item in the Boston MFA collection. This is a painting by J. M. W. Turner the English painter. I believe it is the only Turner at the MFA, but then most American Institutions have very few Turner's, his paintings tend to stay in Great Britain or where ever their current home is and not travel. I love his sky's and his use of color, in that way this is a typical late Turner painting.

The subject of this painting is rather grim, which according to the blurb about it, is why we have it. It portrays a slave ship which is the process of dumping overboard sick slaves so the captain can collect insurance monies on the slaves that supposedly died on the journey across the ocean. Turner's agent sold it to John Ruskin for Ruskin's son, but son found the subject so disturbing that he sold the painting to an American who brought it to NYC. Eventually it was purchased by a Bostonian family who sold it the MFA in the late 1800's. To see a larger image and read more about the painting click HERE

I have color corrected this photograph in Photoshop.

Another photograph of fall color, this is some type of Locust tree, probably a Sunburst Honey Locust. I just wanted to show that we also have yellow/gold leaves as part of our fall color. I find it interesting that again these colors echo the colors used in my posted painting. I didn't deliberately set out to do that but.. probably unconsciously.

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

Plants, more in Transit drawings and a MFA visit

Another week, another trip into Boston. Again I had to wait for the Bus, not quite as long a wait as last weeks but I did wait. This week I drew one of the buses pulled up in a bay near one of the marker stanchions. Not wonderful, but not too bad either. Graphite in my sketchbook, I am using a mechanical pencil with a B lead, it works OK, but I find it a bit frustrating as while it is a fairly thin lead (0.7mm) is also isn't as pointed as I can get my leads when I sharpen them and I miss having that sharp tip for details.

A fellow passenger on the Red Line into Boston. While in a way I am happy that most passengers occupy themselves with their smart phone/readers/tablets whatever, meaning they never notice I am drawing them. It does give me a skewed look at their faces (tilted down), which isn't always the view I would prefer to draw. Oh well, I will take what I can get.

I rather liked the cap and wish I had done a slightly better job of it.

Some of the rose bushes the city has planted along the edge of a parking lot are producing the largest rose hips I have seen. Anyway the above pen and ink drawing is of one of them portraying two different views, side view and top down. Just a quick sketch with one of my technical pens in my sketchbook.

A quick sketch of a small flower/plant that I picked on my walk to the bus station. I don't know what it is as I didn't recognize it, a light purple flower with more rays than petals. I don't think it is a wild flower, maybe some kind of herb escaped into the lawn.

At long last (it has been about a month) an update on the Mandala I am working on. I finally made some decisions about the outer ring, have the poppies drawn/inked in and have started coloring them. I have also started drawing the other decorations that will go into that ring but so far haven't started inking them. That job really needs to be finished soon as I can't start on the backgrounds until I have finished inking and erased my pencil lines. Still quite a bit of work to go, but I am making progress.

Above are two photographs from the MFA Bright Matter exhibit. The top is an installation work that was set in a room by itself, painting on mirrors that reflect the bright lights onto the walls casting shadows. The bottom two images are paintings/collages that are a contrasting pair.

The artist is Shinique Smith and she uses a lot of fabric in her art. She not only collages fabric into her paintings but creates soft sculptures with stuffed animals and clothing she has acquired. I have a feeling she is a frequent visitor to her local thrift/second hand stores.

I didn't expect to like her art, there is a lot of modern art that I think is really junk that is being called "ART" by some supposed "expert", but I did. I love her use of color and the curving lines that she tends to use appeal to me.

I did a lot of wandering around the MFA on this visit, trying to get to know the old wings and the new in relationship to each other. I think I saw most of the special exhibits even if I didn't take time to examine them on this visit. Course the museum is so large that I think it will take me quite a few more visits before I become totally familiar with what is where and can find my away around without getting a bit lost.

Last image today is of a Sugar Maple that is growing in my neighborhood. It is obviously changing colors, with these glorious reds and oranges. Coincidentally the colors here are repeats of the colors used in one of Shinique's paintings above, cool blue (sky) hot red orange (leaves) with dark branches instead of black lines.

I have a feeling the owners of the house/yard where this tree stands have no clue it is a sugar maple. I have to wonder if the original owners used to tap their tree in the spring.

I worry about these trees, here in MA we are getting toward the southern range of the Sugar Maple, they like cold winters and I worry that with global warming these trees with their beautiful fall color won't survive in my area.

Just a FYI the only thing I did to this photograph was to crop it, colors are pretty much as they are in real life, enjoy.

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

Repeat Patterns, Playing with Pen and Ink

Some of the trees around me are starting to change color and loosing some of their leaves. We have had a fairly dry summer and I expect the trees are stressed so dropping leaves early would help them conserve energy and water. Anyway, I picked up one of these yellowing leaves on one of my walks to the Library. I believe the leaf is from a Eastern Cottonwood tree. I recognized the shape as being one I remember from my childhood in Illinois. There was a tree I and my friends spent a summer climbing, as I recall we were playing ship at sea, and the tree stood in for not only the ship but one of the masts, anyway it had the same type of leaves so must have been a cottonwood. 

I used the leaf I picked up as the basis of the above pen and ink work, tracing around the leaf with a technical pen 5 times and then using various fills to create tone and texture. Done in one of my sketchbooks. 

I seem to be into repeat patterns this week, I suppose not a total surprise since I have been working on the Mandala and that requires repeated patterns. The problem is how to get variety within the repeats. For the work above I sort of wish I had varied the size of the leaf, but I only picked up the one so with what I had at hand (no scanner) I had to work with it alone. 

Last week I made a trip into Boston and stopped at one of the Dick Blick Stores, I was looking for more colored pencils but they didn't have the mfg. I was looking for in open stock so I purchased some different items instead, like replacement pen tips for 2 of my technical pens. The above is a doodle I created when I was making sure the new tips were working properly. Not sure what to call it, and you can see what you want in it. Oh, the tips are working fine and I am having fun playing with them. See the two drawings below.

More doodles with my new tips. These I scanned and pulled into Photoshop for some additional work/play yesterday. The resulting image is below.

Above is my Photoshop creation. It might work for wallpaper or fabric, though I think the background needs more work. Originally it was just plain blue, but I felt that was too boring so I added the green squiggles. Still a bit on the boring side so I may do some more playing around with it and add another darker color to the mix.

I have often thought it might be fun to design fabric, not that anyone would ever ask me to do so. Still it was sort of interesting to play around in Photoshop to see what I still remembered of how to create documents from scanned images.

Last image for today is an update on the Mandala. The final ring has some inking, I finished the pansies and added some toning to that rings background. Now I have to decide what the flowers will be for the final ring. I think it needs some punch/color so we will see.

As a final photograph today, some poppies I found growing just outside the fence in someone's garden. Aren't they a pretty red. They are much smaller then the orange perennials that bloom in spring, but still recognizable as poppies.

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

Alphabet Work and Mandala Update

Well I have finished the letter A of my Alphabet and it is above. A is for Aster and Alpaca, I used a dip pen on laid paper. I don't remember if this is a hand made paper or not, it was in my stash of papers and I know I purchased it years and years ago when I was collecting various papers to try.

The Alpaca is a bit wonky but it has the smirk that they sometimes can have so it will do. The feet were tricky and I am not entirely happy with them, but again they will just have to do.

I have started on B, and have the letter sketched below:

The animal for B will be a beaver and I have some reference photos that I will use to generate the simple drawing. I think the flower will be the balloon flower, Platycodon grandiflorus, I see and photograph many of these in local gardens. Mostly I see the blue variety and they have a pretty open blossom. A much more simple flower than the Aster, and another flower that I have a number of reference photographs for.

Right now the above is just a sketch, but I rather like this and am intending to develop it into a finished drawing. It will need color and at this point I haven't decided if color will be colored pencils or watercolor. I will be using some pen work which ever way I go with the color. The figure is from my imagination, though I have a feeling she is based either on something I have seen, or drawings/doodles I used to make. She somewhat reminds me of the flower people I was drawing a few years back.

The bird is based on a reference photograph of a sparrow that I made, but I don't think the bird in the finished work will be so drab in coloring. Haven't decided what colors the bird should be but I don't think it will be brown. The mushroom is based on some of my mushroom photographs, though I didn't use a specific one. I also still have to work out what the background will be, though I think I will keep it fairly simple, the tentative title is "Sing".

I have been working on the Mandala, started the next ring out from the roses, though I am not entirely sure I have finished with the rose segments. The flowers in this ring are pansy's, and I think I know how I want to color them, just have to get started on it.

In the meantime I spent some time last night starting to sketch in the final ring. These lines will make the whole look like a giant flower, though I don't yet know what flower will go into the larger areas under the arcs. I don't think I will use more rose buds, doesn't feel quite right so will be thinking about this as I work on the pansy's.

The photograph above is of some American Holly with drupes (berries). The drupes don't usually turn red quite so early, but it has been a relatively dry summer and the nights are starting to cool so the bush (this particular plant is only bush sized) may be stressed and getting ahead of itself.

The American Holly is an interesting plant as it produces either male or female flowers, not both. For the female to produce drupes there needs to be a male Holly somewhere in the area. Birds will eat the drupes which will stay on the Holly through winter, though they are said to be poisonous to humans.

This species is native to North America, and prefers acidic soils.

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

Revisit to a Pen and Ink Still Life, and some doodles

For some of you the above image is going to look familiar, that is because it was the lead image in my Blog posting of Aug. 7th. Unfortunately when I made my last blog update I made an administrative error and deleted the Aug. 7th posting.  I put a check mark in the wrong spot and oops a whole posting is gone into cyber history. This is the first time in all my years of blogging that I have done such a thing and I hope I will never do it again or at least not for as many more years I suppose once in 5 years isn't too terrible.

Anyway the still life was done in pen and ink from one of the August challenge images in the WetCanvas Pen and Ink forum. It is pretty sketchy, but I rather like it anyway.

The rest of the images today are more or less doodles, none are very finished drawings, this cat is probably the most finished and as you can see it isn't very. Still I think I captured that wary look this cat was giving me as I made its photograph.

My next door neighbor puts out food for the neighborhood strays and this is one of the ones who comes to dine. It is actually a very pretty kitty that must have some Angora in its background because it has very long fur, it is mostly white with some tan streaks. I hope at some point to do a more finished drawing of this cat.

Above is just a doodle, done directly with pen and then colored with some of my few colored markers, didn't want to use colored pencil on this so used the markers. Using them just reminded me that I really don't find markers a satisfactory tool.

And again just a doodle, though this one I colored with colored pencil. I was watching an older Craft in America while drawing this and I think I was inspired by the subject, Holiday, which is episode XI in the series.

Still working on the Mandala, the roses are supposed to be peach colored, I think it is working, now I just have to decide how to modify the background color for these segments. The color they currently are isn't quite working for me.

I have two photographs today, I am not sure what the above flower is, it is spiky and has purple flowers. I managed to capture this bumble bee while it was visiting one. I just like the colors and the shapes.

Above is a curiosity that I wanted to share. This is one of the benches that are located outside of the library, there are 3 of these arranged in a circular stoned area. I think there is suppose to be a fountain or sculpture in the middle, but so far that space is empty. I routinely make use of one of these benches on my trips to the Library. We are not allowed to have drinks in the library (there is a water fountain though) so when I am walking to the library I pause here to have a drink prior to entering. I keep the bottle in my bag while in the Library so no one hassles me.

Anyway at some point this afternoon someone applied blue chalk to the to the top of one of the benches, just one, the other two were still just stone. I found it curious, and have no clue why someone would do something like that, but decided that it would make an interesting photograph, I don't expect that it will last very long but in the meantime I have it documented.

That is it for today, per usual comments are welcome and I will try to not delete any more blog updates I promise.