Water Plus Color Equals Fun!

To celebrate this beautiful spring weather I did a two  5x7 watercolors this evening. What better way to think spring than pastels and little birds?
I used Strathmore watercolor paper and my Windsor and Newton field set.
I am posting directly from my phone for the first time so I hope this goes through ok.  I'll edit it and add more tomorrow!

Project Update: Loving Hands

I did a little more work on this one the other day.  Here are two more work-in-progress updates:

Hoping to get some serious drawing time in this weekend so stay tuned for more!

Almost Finished and Just Starting

I'm almost finished with my "Modern Mona" drawing.  Here is a progress image:

I've decided to set this one aside for just a bit until I can figure out what to do next because it just isn't RIGHT yet and I can't quite put my finger on what I need to do next.  Soooo.... in the meantime, onward with a new project!

I have three works-in-progress to share with this one.  First is the basic outline.  I did this dark so it would photograph and you could see it.  But then I practically erased all of the lines until they were almost "ghostly"...

The second WIP I put in the first layer on the mother's arms with an HB pencil and blended with a chamois. Chamois are great for blending smooth skin tones!

Now I'm getting to the good stuff- the part where you discover your range of tones and things start to "pop"!    Layering the HB now to add definition and using a little bit of 4B to start to define the shadows.  And below, on the left where the baby's thumb rests on her mommy's finger, is a teeny tiny bit of 9xxb.  Just that one little dark spot and the lightest spot (which will be the light reflection on the mom's thumbnail on the left) will help me to determine the rest of the tones in the drawing.

In the past I've always worked a drawing from left to right since I'm right handed and didn't want to smudge my work.  I don't know if I've become brave or foolish for doing it this way instead, but we'll find out.  This might be a good time to get out my brand-spanking new drawing bridge to use and review for you!

Until next time, may the wind be at your back and a scenic view be in front of you!!

Modern Day Mona

Here is an image of one of the projects I am currently working on that I'm thinking of calling Modern Day Mona:

I still have a LOT of details to add before this will be complete but I think it's coming along nicely.  I used layers of HB blended with a chamois, then 2B for the skin tone (which is very smooth looking right now but it won't be much longer).  I used a 9xxb for the pupil and a combination of 2B and 4B for the irises.  The hair is 2B, 4B and a little 9xxb.  I didn't really know what I wanted to do with the background of this drawing so it sat on my drawing table, untouched, for nearly two weeks intimidating me.  So, last night, I just jumped in and started randomly applying graphite with some General's graphite sticks (2B, 4B and 6B) and blended my graphite "splotches" with a cotton pad.  With the first layer I thought "Oh no, I've just ruined this whole thing!" but I kept on layering and blending.  Finally, the drawing itself seemed to decide what it wanted the background to be and now I have a clearer image in my mind of where to go from here.

To get you caught up with the procedure up to this point, here is a pictorial summary of the work in progress:

Stay tuned for more updates!!!!!

Classic Romance

Here is the finished project from my sketchbook, titled "Classic Romance"

I did take one other WIP photo before the final piece (see image below).  I was reluctant to post it because I took the picture with my phone and it's a little bit blurry- please accept my apologies!  I did use a touch of 4B to detail the draperies.  I love, love, love my Paper Mate Tuff Stuff eraser stick!    It really helped me to fine tune the whites in this drawing.  You can sharpen it with a pencil sharpener or use an exacto knife to get the type of point you want. 

I had fun working on this little project.  It's time to get back to original three projects I was working on before I became distracted.  In my next post, I think I'll show you my progress and info on "Modern Day Mona".  See you soon!

Romance Inspired Project

Inspired by Valentine's Day, I decided to do a "quick" drawing of one of the most famous couples of all, Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler.  I'm posting three work in progress photos of what I have so far.  I'm thinking it will take about one to two more hours to complete.  Really, that is "quick" for me.  I'm just doing this one in one of my sketchbooks.

• The sketchbook is a "Cachet" by Daler Rowney.  It's a decent quality, 10" x 7", spiral bound sketchbook with a sturdy black cover.   The paper is a soft white color and provides a decent black/white contrast. The texture of the paper doesn't have a lot of tooth but it has plenty enough for basic sketches and simple drawings.
• The drawing is about 6.5" x 8.5" in size.  I've used an HB and 4B mechanical and a Kimberly 9xxb graphite pencil so far.  I like the 9xxb for the dark value it provides without the graphite shine but it is a little grainy (not as smooth as a conte).  I applied a light layer of HB on their faces and used tissue to smooth the skin tones. I lightly layered 4B on the background and used a combination of tissue and blending stump (for the tight areas) to blend the background.  For the darkest areas (stripes on the dress, suit, hair) I've used the 9xxb.  I'm still experimenting on blending techniques with this pencil as it is rather new to me.

Here is the first work in progress (WIP).  It shows the general layout and the blended background:

The second WIP using the Kimberly 9xxb for the darkest areas.  This is about an hour into it:

The third WIP, about ninety minutes at this stage and almost bedtime so I decided to make this my stopping point.

I'll be posting more updates on this very soon.  I've also got three other projects in the works so I should have a lot to share in the upcoming months!  Hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day!

Lorikeet Study

Lorikeet Study

I've been quite busy working on several graphite drawings at once right now, but I took a little break from them to do a quick study of a Lorikeet.  They are such beautiful, colorful birds!  I'm thinking about doing an 8x10 acrylic painting of this one- maybe- I don't know for sure yet.  For the study,  I just used some student grade semi-moist watercolors I'd found in storage.  I'm not sure where they came from or what the brand they are.  I wish I knew because then I could avoid using them again- way too grainy!  After the base colors dried, I did a little detail sketching with some of my new Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens.  I just LOVE my Pitt Pens!!!  I think I'm going to really have some fun with these!

More to come!

A Whole Lotta!

It's been a long time since I've posted anything here as life has been very, very busy for me.  I hope now that things have settled into more of a routine I can get back into blogging more often.  I've done a few things here and there but not as much as I would have liked.  I only did one commission last year,  Sleeping Beauty

Also, I did a series of Universal Monsters for Halloween

And just recently, I drew Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest as part of a Draw-Along on Deviant Art.

The reference photo for this one was provided by Christina Otero and I highly recommend you check out her work:  

http://senju-hime.deviantart.com/

I'm working on several drawings at once right now and I really hope to start posting regularly again!