EYE IN A BOX #1

I am still avidly putting things in boxes. I am sure it is my way of trying to control things in my world gone mad...anyway, I have always been fascinated by eyes, and when I learned that there is a science (irisology??) that studies the macro of irises, and their link to what is going on inside our bodies, I was doubly amazed.  This man's eye (I think) gives the viewer a look into his personality...strength, intensity, and a real interest in what he is looking at.  I keep practicing to get the most personality possible for humans or animals...do insects have feelings?

PYRALIS FIRE FLY SKETCH

 

It won't be long before the fireflies are out and lighting up the night!  Beetles are some of the most colorful creatures in the insect world...I plan on doing more of these.  I used inks and watercolor pencils for this one.

GLORIOSA LILY

Just for a bit of color, I found this interesting lily to draw.  I used my bright felt tip ink pens for this piece.  I left the leaf abstract for a bit of interest, and a quiet place to let the eye rest.  Old school art school lessons die hard!

SOMETHING DIFFERENT...ROOSTER SKETCH

 

Just for something completely different...I drew a rooster!  I was inspired by my sister-in-law, who got rid of her old broody chickens and bought all new chicks this year.  I dug through old photos from her old group of poultry, and found this guy.  What a proud (and pretty mean) temperament he had!  I especially loved working the details around his eye, and tried to make his wattle thingy shiny looking.  I am NOT a farm girl, but isn't it fascinating?

KITTY IN A BOX DRAWING

 

With etching on my brain lately, I decided I could put other things in boxes.  I had fun containing this kitty in my little box.  

FISH DRAWING #5

 

One of my favorite mediums to study is etchings...I am fascinated by the process, and the outcome of simple beauty.  That is why I have chosen to do these studies in little 'boxes'.  I have never had the chance to do etchings first hand, but no matter what the subject matter, that embossed 'box' in the etching process catches my imagination.  Hence....fish in a box!

ART CHALLENGE #81 SUN CHALLENGE

The Sun Challenge is the most popular one of the year at Art Challenge.com.  You pray that you will be picked up as one of the lucky suns for CBS Sunday Morning show.  So many of the competitors have been good enough to see their art on the popular news show...and I hope mine is one of them!  I chose a simple design with a sweet and happy face.  I didn't want to be a negative influence on the show if chosen.  I am really disappointed in myself for not getting into my painting studio and doing the sun that is in my head...it is a painting that I will want to do for me.  It is there, percolating, simmering, and not quite ready to be created.  Maybe by next year I will have it done!  Meanwhile, I am quite fond of this sweet-faced sunny disposition.  It made me smile to create it!  Happy Sun-day!

FISH DRAWING #4

 

I am always amazed at how much color is actually in nature.  It looks brown, but it is wonderfully colorful!

FISH DRAWING #3

 

This is one of my favorites. The ink I used for the orange spots seems almost to glow.  I used to love fishing with the kids for these sunfish.  They put up a great fight, and we almost always released them back into the water because they were "too small"...

FISH DRAWING #2

 

 

This minnow was so simple that I thought it needed a border of light shadow around the edge of the box...I WAS WRONG! It just took away from the illustrative look of the piece.  Won't do THAT again!  Back to simple...

FISH SKETCH #1

I have spent a great deal of time lately with my conservation-loving Mom at the nature center where she works.  It got me in the mood to draw some fish studies, guidebook illustration style.  I used a fine tip felt tip, watercolor pencils, and ink brushes for this series.  Shadows were done with a 30% cool grey Copic brush pen.

BUILDING AN INSPIRATION JOURNAL

 I was looking one day to contain some of the 'keywords' that inspire me when looking for some ideas in my artwork.  I found this tiny (4"x6") text book on teaching art to children.  It has wonderfully heavy and slick pages to glue onto. I started by cutting interesting, inspiring key words out of magazines...

 ...I then started gluing them into my new inspiration journal.  I grouped them together as I felt so inclined to, and at one point, even cut up words into odd syllables and re-assigned them into new words for inspiration!

I also put words on pages to give me ideas for subjects to paint.  I moved the words around to give me ideas on how to paint them.  Metal bugs...fish weeds...square oranges...I look at my book often to get inspired, and I continue to add to it on down days when I can't even get inspired to pick up a brush.