Wild Turkeys Inked

 

How often do I get to sketch wild turkeys in my sketchbook?!! These sweet birds make their daily journey down and up the mountain, walking right beside the cabin.  These were quite young, not nearly as filled out as the big ones. They are very tame here, almost as if they have no predators. I bet I won't see them on the banks of Lake Erie! Painting number 4573 in 4573 days. 

Ponderosa Pines Sketch

 

I LOVE using pen and ink to capture these ponderosa pines - especially in such a cool, vintage sketchbook!  I found this in an artisan flee market in Arizona several years ago.  I have dedicated the whole thing to pen and ink work exclusively.  These pines are iconic to this part of the Rocky Mountains, so I am immortalizing the ones outside my cabin to this page.  I love the sweet fragrance they emit as I sit on the front porch sketching!  Painting number 4553 in 4553 days. 

Prickly Pear Cactus

I sketched this lovely prickly pear at the top of the Window Trail Loop as we played with Casper and Kirby. These beauties are abundant here, so I captured them with pen and ink on the aged pages of one of my favorite travel journals.  We enjoyed prickly pear shiners and prickly pear tacos that were amazing, too!  These come in shades of yellow green to purplish pink, and I can't wait to paint them in oil and watercolor, too!  Painting number 5100 in 5100 days.  

Phlox in Ink

This little drawing is of the few garden phlox that retain their beauty.  I wish they lasted all year, but alas, they do not.  So, I must draw them while I can, before they fade away until next year,  Drawing number 1332 in 1332 days :)

Phlox in Ink
Pen and Ink on paper, 5x6

Atalanta and Meleager study

Today was Art Mob day at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art.  I LOVE that place!  It is so unbelievably inspiring to walk the halls, surrounded by masterpieces.  This very moving sculpture of Atalanta and Meleager grabbed me right at the start.  They have these little folding stools in every wing, which you can set up wherever you want.  This allowed me to get the best vantage, and I started sketching.  This is a wonderful way to study figures!  Only pencils are allowed in the museum, so this is my medium today.  I think I need to do this over in paint!  Drawing number 1330 in 1330 days, and then a delicious lunch was enjoyed by all in Rozelle Court :)

Butterflies in the Phlox

Butterflies in the Phlox
Pen and Ink on paper, 5x6
purchase here

Today finds me playing in the pen and ink.  It feels SO good to get back to drawing!  Getting back to my roots grounds and calms me like no other medium!  This is a quick one to capture the beauty of the phlox before they fade away. Their fragrance is intoxicating, much like lilac, and they last SO long!  They have lasted into November in a really wet season, but this is not that season! Drawing number 1328 in 1328 days.

Watering the Flowers - sketch

Watering the Flowers - sketch
pen and ink on paper, 5x6

After returning home from Michael's Academic Awards ceremony which immediately followed Alan's Second Grade Show, I am posting a vintage style pen and ink sketch of this woman tending her flowers.  I have an acrylic painting almost finished for my month of figure studies, but I am just too tired to tie up the loose ends.  I'll take care of that tomorrow.  This drawing makes the 1163rd piece in 1163 days.

Fishing - sketch

Fishing - sketch
pen and ink on paper, 5x6

A big reason I wanted to start a drawing journal was to improve my drawing skills with pen and ink.  I am very comfortable in graphite, but ink is so permanent - there is no erasing and that was daunting!  I grow more comfortable with each sketch, and if I am tackling a difficult composition, I will select a dryer Pitt pen that is running out of ink, to make those first marks!  So, if those marks really fail - its okay, they will be light and easily dominated by the darker ink!  I know, its a bit of a crutch, but it works!  This sketch is of my youngest son fishing on the banks of the Portage River, behind my parent’s house.  I think sketching these figures is harder than just painting them - so that must mean I need more practice!  This sketch is the 1158th piece of artwork in as many days, now on to the paint!

Girl with Horse - sketch

Girl with Horse - sketch

Drawing is just like all other skills, if you don’t use it, you lose it.  I don’t normally do thumbnails, or sketches before I embark on  painting, and so I am doing so now in an effort to keep up with my daily drawing!  I am going to concentrate on figure work this month, and so here I have the figures of both girl and horse.  I will be using loose, impressionistic strokes when painting - which will be quite a contrast from the linear pen and ink sketch.  What will be a real plus though, is that I will thoroughly know my subject before painting.  I want to be able to effortlessly add figures in the landscape, where detail is at a minimum, and where the placement of the strokes show the movement.  It is something I need to strengthen, so it will be my focus - even though I may just slip a few other paintings in to break things up!  This drawing makes 1157 in 1157 days.

On the Perch

On the Perch
Pen & Ink on paper, 5x6

Today is Mike’s birthday, and after dinner and cake, I finally get to my easel.  I am working in pen and ink tonight, and the change from bold, vivid oils to pen and paper is a drastic one.  It is a bit of a struggle to go from such loose, free brushwork to the very linear work here.  I have slipped a bit in keeping up with my sketch journal, but I am determined to catch up.    I really need to get faster to be able to squeeze one more thing into my daily routine!  I will be doing figure painting this month, and I sat down to my journal to sketch out some figures......but the pen went where it would, and I have ended up with a couple of sweet cat drawings - in preparation for paintings to come.  This pen and ink piece is number 1156 in 1156 days.  Perhaps I’ll get to those figures tomorrow!

Charlie in Ink

Charlie in Ink
Pen and ink on paper, 5x6

This sweet little long haired cat, is one of the most lovable cats we have ever had!  He will climb up to the balcony, and sit outside of our bedroom windows and call to us, if he hears our voices.  He has even pulled one of the screens completely from the window, so as to help himself inside!  He is very vocal, and swirls around your lap or feet at the slightest attention!  He is not very fond of our big dog, Beau, though he adores our little puppy, Chewy.  I am playing with the pen and ink again, and trying out different tips.  The superfine seems to be my "go to" pen, though I sprinkle in some of the others whenever the subject calls for it.  I can se already that I need to lengthen the hair on the back of his head, because it should be fluffier.....oh well.  I'll need to make that adjustment, and take another photo.........tomorrow!  Artwork number 1117 in 1117 days, and Day 24 of the current 30 Day Painting Challenge :)

Beau in Ink

Beau in Ink
Pen and Ink on paper, 5x6
purchase here

Just when I think the days can't be busier - they become full to the point of bursting!  This day started long before dawn, and I am just now getting home to get my drawing and posting done - and it is nearly midnight!  Yikes!! Oh, how I wish I had more hours in each day!  I think I would certainly use a couple of those hours to get a little more sleep!  Beau is improving each day - and he is actually eating well tonight, for the first time in three days! Yay!  His medicine comes in a yummy chewy square that he thinks is a treat - and that is SO much better than the old days when I had to hide a pill inside of meat or cheese!  It has been a very long time since we had any animal sick enough to need medical treatment.  I have returned to the pen and ink (Pitt pens, in this case), and am drawing on a smooth paper - which I do not use for any other medium.  I much prefer a vellum finish on bristol for all graphite work, and had not found a good use for this smooth bristol until exploring pen and ink.  This drawing is 1110 in 1110 days and Day 17 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge.

Exploring the Kitten

Exploring the Kitten
Pen and sepia ink, 6x5

I spent much of the day caring for this little lab - who is now hovering 100 lbs.  He became very lethargic to the point of alarm, so we ended up spending a lot of time at the vet.  Blood work points to an infection, and he had a very high fever, but all the really bad stuff has been ruled out. He is not quite 2 years old, and was healthy and vigorous just last night!  After getting fluids, shots and meds, he came home, acting better than he had all day.  He has now been asleep since that time, and has hardly moved.  I hope he improves greatly by morning.  So, tonight I am sketching Beau with a little sepia pen and ink on paper.  This drawing is the 1108th in 1108 days, and Day 15 of the current 30 Day Painting Challenge.