Sketches and Tools

At the Sketchcrawl I observed a woman doing all her work with a fountain pen. She then used a brush with water to smear the ink and create texture. Thought that I'd give it a try. Don't ask why the palm trees are leaning, I don't have a good excuse!

On the same day, I sat in the bleaches (where I was supposedly watching a soccer game) I decided to draw and paint the pile of backpacks and clothes in front of me. This was another piece where I got lost in time as I worked.

By the way, my team blew a 4-1 lead and the game ended in a tie. OK, I did watch some of the game.

Aubrey Beardsley

These are my copies of Aubrey Beardsley's work. I continue my study of "lines and grids" which was my topic for the Sketchbook Challenge. In many ways his he was a master of zentangles, he just didn't know the term.

He died at age 25 (1872-1898) of tuberculosis. There was a period where he did some erotic drawings. Towards the end of his life he converted to Roman Catholicism and wrote to a publisher begging him to destroy all obscene drawings. Naturally, that was not done and the publisher sold those drawings and forgeries.

The above is my copy of his self portrait (got that?).

Sketchcrawl

I had fun at the Sketchcrawl in Davis, CA yesterday. There were many talented people who were willing to share ideas and products. We were led by our fearless leader, Pete Scully. He is an intense red headed Englishman who paints at a furious pace.

Below is a sketch from the fun day.

Strathmore Journal

Being one to take advantage of a free offering, I've signed up for the Visual Strathmore Journal class. Not sure what I am doing or if I want to pursue this style of art but, I'm doing it. I'm learning to use Gesso, oil pastels and the odds and ends that I have floating around.We'll see where this project takes me.

Tree sketch

Yesterday was very relaxing as I had no outside commitments. From my second story studio, I drew our tree. I just sketched until I was tired of the project and that had such a calming effect.

Looking forward to Sketchcrawl in Davis, CA with our leader Pete Scully on Saturday, January 22 at 11am. Would be delighted to have you join us.

Bok Tower, florida

Bok Tower Gardens was the surprise that I relish when we go on vacations. I did have it on the itinerary, but had no idea that the gardens were so lovely. Edward Bok was the editor of Ladies Home Journal for 30 years. He was a Dutch immigrant and wanted to create a carillon bell tower similar to one in his homeland. The grounds include his mansion, a nature observatory and the Pine Ridge Nature Preserve Trail. 

Here the two resident swans are feeding at the base of the tower. One swan was rescued from Hurricane Katrina and is a bit territorial. The tower is 205 feet tall and was dedicated to the American people in 1929 by President Calvin Coolidge.

There is a shed with benches that will seat maybe 15 people. The above is the view through the window in that shed. Yes, I would have loved to stay to draw or just to relax in this lovely space. But wait, we had to go to a soccer game. Oh well, at least I got to enjoy this lovely American treasure.

Home and Enthused About the New Year.

Not sure where to begin. We are back from our two week vacation in Florida. Now let me explain, it is not always warm in the Orlando area. We were there to watch  soccer games including one at 8:30am on the 27th and a later game on the 28th. Both started late, due to a freeze delay. On later days, it did get warmer as it seems that the temperature can jump 20 degrees overnight. Bok Tower Gardens were a highlight for me and I'll show pictures in a later blog. We arrived home on Thursday afternoon and I went to the figure drawing class Friday morning before we even had time to shop for food. Hey, I have my priorities!

Each of these drawings were about 20 minutes in length. I was afraid that what little I had learned last year would have been lost as we have not had drawings sessions for about three weeks. Little by little, I am learning.

 

 The next picture is the cover of my Sketchbook Project. My dear friend, Barbara, made the lovely paste paper that I used for the cover. This is not a line and grid design, but it's my book and I'll be obstinate and do what I like. I'm very glad that I took on this challenge, but I could feel my energy draining towards the end. Planning a trip to Florida and trying to celebrate the holidays spread me a little thin. Oops! it happened again. I cannot see the picture of the cover, but you probably can. Think that is a message to stop talking for today! Cheers, Sandra