Actually a rooster, but he’s kind of funky from some perspectives.

My friend, Jo Castillo, sketches in ink. Only in ink. Way too much pressure. So irrevocable. I will generally draw in pencil until I get it like I want it, then draw it in ink. But I thought, what the heck, and attempted to capture this little guy (about 2 1/2 inches high) in ink. Ever fearless.

I’ve always loved this little guy. He stays out with my plants all spring, summer, and fall, but every now and then I look down, and there he is in the dirt, with his feet up in the air. Croaked again.

Angry bird, pencil, white paper

Not sure what this fat fellow is mad about, but he had a definite scowl. Maybe because his shadow looks like a fish. This one doesn’t have as much detail as the previous two.

I was settling into bed at 10:20 and realized that I hadn’t done a sketch today. So I hauled myself into the dining room and did this quick sketch, just so I don’t let myself down.
Any practice is better than no practice at all.
And habits must be built through repetition.

Drawing of another bird from those I’ve collected over the years, and keep in with my plants.

I look for grace, strength and wisdom to meet the changes and challenges that will come this year.

One of my many goals for the new year, drawing or painting or doing some type of art every day is at the top of my list. This is a sketch from this evening of a small iron bird that I found in Fredericksburg this weekend.  No. 2 pencil on white paper.

The second item on my goal list is to ask “will this matter in an hour… or next week?”, before I react to something in a negative way. There is so much to learn in life, and to instill as part of our character. I want to learn to value what is truly important and to be grateful. Period.

Before I found how much I loved pastels back in 1999, I worked with colored pencil quite a bit, as I enjoyed the meditative aspect of drawing and the interesting effects one could get with a variety of applications.

But because of the hierarchy of “importance” in the art world, oil paintings are Number 1 on the monetary value scale, and colored pencil falls toward the bottom of the list. Which in many ways is very sad, because pencil artists – especially these excellent artists featured on the CPSA website – spend an amazing amount of time creating their beautiful pieces.

I hope you’ll take the time to look these over – they are very impressive!!

pencil, 4"x6"

Practice, practice.  Learn to see — attempt to get the shapes down correctly, note to try more straight lines than curves sometimes— study the light – the source, the reflections, the shadows, and the shapes of the shadows—work on annoying ellipses and view upside down to see anew

Indigo Lion

Mellow Elephant

Pastel, 13″ x 13″ — (Click for larger view)

I’ve started a new series. I’ve never really even done a “series”, but decided a while back that I wanted to try something new. So I’ve spent the last few weeks having a lot of fun and working on the first couple of pastel paintings. These are jungle animals for kids – with bright and unusual colors, not scary faces, and maybe a little mystery, for sale as prints. That’s what I’m going for. I don’t know what to call this series, so if anyone has a suggestion, I’d love to hear it!

PRELIMINARY SKETCHES

Prior to painting these in pastels, I did preliminary sketches freehand in pencil.  The lion was basically a quick study, mainly focused on how I wanted to do the mane.  The elephant was more detailed, because I was less familiar with their facial features. But tracing these on my light table with the sanded pastel paper taped on top of the drawing did not work well, since the pastel paper is so thick – I ended up squinting a lot and did most of the drawing all over again, using these as a reference.

Siamese Cat - Rough Sketch - 5x7, pencil

This Siamese cat sketch in pencil was done from a main photo of my cat, with her standard superior expression, and collecting the coloring, head and body shape of Siamese cats from other photos. I actually did about six different drawings until I finally liked this one.

Once I had it the way I wanted it, I got out my little 2 ft x 3 ft light table, and did several more drawings and watercolors by tracing my original sketch. You can do the same thing by taping your original to a window on the sunny side of the house, and tape your watercolor or drawing paper on top of that.

My final version is a Conte pencil and charcoal drawing, with a few changes from my original sketch.  It’s difficult to catch that condescending look of a Siamese…

Siamese - Conte Pencil and Charcoal