COBRA SKETCH

 

I am actually really pleased with this sketch.  I used three different photos from a trip to the zoo, and none of them were really helpful.  I did a bit of research for the eye...cobras actually have a round pupil, unlike a lot of other reptiles!  I especially like the blocky, squarish scales on the head, and the self-satisfied smirk on the snakes' face.  Reminds me of someone I know...

ROCK SKETCH USING POINTILISM AND WASHES

 

 

I found this stone while on a nature hike the other day, and decided to work on some of my pointillism skills.  They look kind of like tiny ants crawling all over the rock, so I guess I had better work harder...

CHICKADEE IN INK

 

 

This drawing is for my mother, who turned 81 this month.  She loves the active little chickadee, and delights in it's cheerful antics and pretty patterned feathers.

ACORN AND BRANCH: OVERHEAD VIEW

 

 

Still drawing sticks...I loved the acorn with this one.  I had to chase off two squirrels to acquire it!

WHEN YOU'RE SICK, DRAW A STICK!

With my cold making me bleary-eyed and whiny, I decided to take a break and go for a walk in the woods.  I came back with a couple of interesting sticks to draw.  My momma ( a watercolor artist and very wise woman) always told me that if you can draw a stone, you can draw anything.  I figure the same has to be true about sticks.  So here they are!



FLOWER MANDALA

 

I decided to dig out my drafting supplies today, and used a compass to make a perfect circle.  I used the protractor to plan out where each petal of the flower should be, and then I used a fine tip pen to start sketching my flower.  Brush pens gave it a bit of dimension, and I tried to liven it up with curves and uneven line work. 

DRAWING A CHOCOLATE WITH WRAPPER

 

 

Sharpee brush pens are fun, fun, fun!  I chose a simple shape and sculpted with the colors.  This was about all I could handle today...a cold virus has descended upon my household!

FLOWER SKETCH WITH INK BRUSHES

 

I continue to keep up with my sketching, and I especially love my grey gradient ink brushes.  I am working on composition, and some interest with abstraction. I love leaving a bit of the drawing to the imagination...

PAINTING COMPLETED: ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK

Finally! A completed painting! If you have stuck with me the past couple of months, you will notice that the early pics of this painting had leaves hiding the bird's tail.  I finally owned up to the fact that I was hiding behind them, and painted them out.  I am pleased to have learned a lot about myself, my procedures, and my creative processes with this painting, and I should be able to move a bit quicker from now on...with less struggles. I am proud to have GROWN with this painting!

      (detail of Grosbeak: learning to be more painterly with my brushstrokes, less detail oriented)

YES, I AM PAINTING!

Yes, I really am painting!  I have been fighting my new computer tooth and nail...I am not sure that I like Windows 8 at all!  Finally capable of downloading pics from my camera, though it takes 3 times as long. I am still not on mobile...what is the difference between SMS and MMS?  It obviously doesn't like SMS, so will try the other when hubby stops swearing...and Blogger doesn't seem to like my new search engine and keeps rejecting me...it is like being in high school all over again!!!  However.... back to the painting.  I am actually finished with this painting, and will post the pictures ASAP, but I wanted to show you a bit of the process.  Initially, I used Ultramarine mixes in the background, and didn't like it at all, so switched to Cerulean, and am much happier.  I did what I call 'sculpting' of my paint, starting with some base darks and building up to really give some dimension to the bird.  I am using acrylics, by the way.  I decided to throw out my usual OCD detail work, and have started working the feathers in such a way as to give movement rather than a stiffer 'perfect' brush stroke, and I am finally feeling like I am developing my very own style!  It has taken years to get away from technical training enough to find the art in my soul.  It is coming along....