Plays with Pencils

An Organge Page

2010-01-17T19:46:00.001-05:00

edm #117 draw something round. Some members of the edm group have journals with such marvelous pages! I love the designs, colors, and lettering. Well, being inspired, I tried to do a "page". I guess it's a start. The oranges were set up at the still life open session at the Institue for the Arts. Watercolor pencils.

Roscoe Loosens Up

2010-01-15T18:29:00.000-05:00

I thought Roscoe needed to loosen up a little, so I gave him a magic red scarf. Pitt Artist Brush and watercolor pencils.

Kelsey and Contours

2010-01-15T18:08:00.002-05:00

Portrait Thursday. Kelsey had on such a great coat that I tried a full sketch. She looks a bit like a cartoon. Must learn how to do realistic faces. Watercolor pencils.

Portrait Thursday. A little contour fun. Pitt Artist pen and watercolor pencils.

My First "Dippy" Pen"

2010-01-09T15:30:00.000-05:00

I bought my first "dippy" pen! And this is my first dippy pen picture. I used Higgins brick red ink to draw and also to wash. (I must say, I am proud of myself for actually getting the complete Roscoe, from head to feet, on the page!)

edm #61 a group of similar objects

2010-01-08T18:53:00.001-05:00

edm #61 draw a grouping of 2 or more of similar objects. At still life open session today, we had a bouquet of balloons instead of flowers. There were also bows, ribbons, wrapping paper, and a gift on the table, but I never got that far. Watercolor pencils, wet-on-wet.

Life Drawing

2010-01-07T19:28:00.002-05:00

I won't bore you with all of my really, and I mean REALLY, bad life drawings I did today, so I only posted three. I did one session last winter, that was my first ever time doing life. This is my second session. Looks like I need a few hundred more. This one is my third favorite out of the bunch, even though it doesn't have much going for it.

Why is the human body so hard to draw to proportion? This is my second favorite.

For this blue one (Derwent Graphite) I started with the triangle under his arm and from there filled in the negative shapes. I tried not to sketch in the sense of making lines. I like this one the best!

Popcorn Redux

2010-01-07T18:23:00.001-05:00

Popcorn is almost as much fun to draw as it is to eat! This is one heck of a piece of popcorn with a sprinkle of real butter (not that fake stuff). And salt. Watercolor pencils, wet-on-wet.

edm #158 draw a kernel of popped corn

2010-01-05T20:04:00.000-05:00

edm #158 draw a kernel of popped corn. I call this the "2,000 year old Popcorn in Purple" and then, of course, there is the diagram of the demon that lives in the corn kernel. Shhh! He's sleeping. If you heat up his little house, he will wake up and become angry. He may become so angry he'll explode! Just having fun today with pencils and ink.

edm #114 draw something ugly that you love

2010-01-03T19:58:00.001-05:00

edm #114 draw something ugly that you love. I bought these at a sale, they're old, chipped, with worn-off paint. Don't know where or when they were made. I think they are glazed clay. The little one (there's actually 2 of them) is a salt shaker. I think the large one is a sugar bowl. Watercolor pencils, wet-on-wet. Oh yeah, if anyone out there knows anything about these, or has ever seen anything like them, please let me know! Thanks.

edm #250 draw something you got for free

2010-01-02T20:19:00.001-05:00

edm #250 draw something you got for free. I was at my friend's house admiring her paperwhites and she gave me one! This is the bottom half. Wet-on-wet watercolor pencils.

edm #250 draw something you got for free. The top, and may I say, very fragrant, half of the flower. Wet-on-wet watercolor pencils.

edm #58 draw a hat

2010-01-01T20:04:00.003-05:00

edm #58 draw a hat. I love the hat my father is seen wearing in an old photo. (He's actually standing in a boat fishing.) I tried to sketch it directly using a wet Inktense pencil onto a wet page in the sketchbook.The hat looked to small for his face so I tried to make the hat bigger.

edm #58 draw a hat. I tried a sketch with a regular pencil to get a better feel for the proportion. I went over the pencil lines with a Pitt Artist pen, sepia. This is on the thin paper between the watercolor sheets, that's why it's wrinkled.

edm #58 draw a hat. I tried again on the watercolor paper using the same proportions as #2. I like this hat and pipe, but I actually like the face in #1 better. Do again? You know Andrew Weyth sketched Helga over 200 times and painted her 45 times? He really liked to get to know a subject. Not that I am, in any way, comparing myself to that great artist! LOL

I really wanted to see what the hat that I liked looked like on the face that I liked so ..... this is the first wash. Wet Inktense on wet paper.

This is the second wash and I think I'll stop right here for now!

edm #234 draw something that belongs to someone else

2010-01-01T12:30:00.002-05:00

edm #234 draw something that belongs to someone else. My nephew Nik left this guy, actual size 2", at my house on Thanksgiving. He said that I could draw "one of his guys" so I drew this one. Inktense colored pencils.

That's funny, I was looking at this in my sketchbook, and I think I did a better job on the foreshortening of his right arm in the mini version than I did in the larger one! I worked a long time on that arm! And I did the mini in a minute. Mmmmmm, always fighting that "learned" version against what I really see.

Grandma Ruthe J.

2009-12-31T17:51:00.001-05:00

Still playing with pencils! This is Grandma Ruthe J., an artist in her day, she went to art school with Walt Disney in Kansas City and worked as a commercial artist her whole life. I used a black and white photo from the 50s as a reference for this wet-in-wet (wet paper, wet pencil) payne's gray Inktense pencil sketch. I didn't want to use a brush, but did some mopping and smudging with a paper towel.

edm #251 draw perfume - Sun Moon Stars

2009-12-31T13:57:00.001-05:00

edm #251 draw perfume. I spun the bottle around three times and drew each angle so the name would make sense - Sun Moon Stars. Still playing with those watercolor pencils.

Stinky the Cat

2009-12-30T18:45:00.001-05:00

Messing around with the watercolor and Inktense pencils. The color is too heavy on the cat?

Stinky moved over to the loveseat. I drew a little quicker. I think I like this one better because it is looser.

Half a Homer

2009-12-30T15:44:00.000-05:00

Who said half a Homer is better than none? This is from a plate used in Course I Cours de Dessin drawing school taken by Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent van Gough among others. I didn't give up, I just thought he looked cool half done, sort of mysterious. Like an ancient artifact found with parts missing. (I probably would not pass the course!) 2B graphite and stump

Sunflowers Dark

2009-12-28T16:44:00.001-05:00

This was fun! I saw a painting of sunflowers on a dark background in the Pastel Journal. So I painted the page with umber acrylic and then used Inktense, Derwent Watercolor, and Prismacolor pencils to draw the sunflowers.

CarArt

2009-12-26T19:22:00.003-05:00

Just for fun, sketching with my Pitt Artist brush pens while in the car coming home after the holiday. I was using my Chinese Brush Painting Bible for reference.

edm #13 draw a phone

2009-12-26T18:59:00.000-05:00

This is a rare specimen of the Dialus Dragonfoneflymium. It was spotted by myself in Connecticut over the Christmas holiday. Sketched with Pitt Artist brush pens.

Blind Margaret

2009-12-18T19:31:00.002-05:00

I think I'll stick to being the queen of funky faces. When I draw, this is just the way that they come out. So, instead of trying to "fix" them, I'll just create them. I painted the page with acrylic paint and then sketched with dry pastel.

Portrait Thursday. This is a quick sketch of Blind Margaret done only with a No. 12 round brush and Payne's gray watercolor.

edm #46 Christmas Decorations

2009-12-18T19:28:00.002-05:00

edm #46 draw something winter holiday themed. Still life drawing of Christmas decorations at the Institute for the Arts. Watercolor pencils and ink.

Light and Shadow 2

2009-12-16T08:55:00.001-05:00

More shadow play. I really liked this one until I made her arms too dark. Then I got out a razor blade and tried to lighten them. Now the arms just look dirty. But the legs came out good. Pitt Artist brush pens in shades of gray.

Light and Shadow 1

2009-12-14T18:24:00.000-05:00

Thanks Dan for the inspiration! This was done from one of my old favorite photos. It was taken in black and white at a playground in Pomano Beach, Florida. I used Pitt Artist brush pens in 4 shades of gray and a black.

Just a Pineapple 2

2009-12-12T19:03:00.001-05:00

I did yesterday's pineapple from a photo. I was not really happy with it, so today when I went grocery shopping I bought one. Much more inspired with the real thing! Watercolor and ink.

Just a Pineapple

2009-12-11T19:45:00.001-05:00

Busy, busy, only time for a pineapple. Watercolor.

Pines with the Pineapple

2009-12-10T19:07:00.000-05:00

Keeping with the pine tree theme, here's a still life with pines, a pineapple, a few pomegranites, and some citrus. Watercolors.

edm #252 draw a pine tree

2009-12-09T22:43:00.000-05:00

edm #252 draw a pine tree

I drew these from a photo I took Sunday when we had the snow storm. The snow was the kind that stuck to all of the trees, making the yard look like a winter wonderland. There wasn't much light and there were still dark gray clouds in the sky. I drew contours of the trees and then used watercolors.

Brown Pot Series

2009-12-08T20:31:00.003-05:00

Photo of part of the still life set up at the Institite of the Arts.

I've already posted this, but though I'd put it into this series. I became frustrated during the first attempt. I liked the brown pot but went a little crazy when I didn't like the flowers and splashed and splattered my way to happiness.

Time has passed, so I decided to revisit the brown pot. I watched a video by Charles Reid and really liked his style. So, I drew the pot as a contour and tried a wet loose technique. I'm happy with the bottom third of the picture and I really like the background.

I like the fruit and the table. Yummy wet washes and lots of light. But the flowers at the top seemed too dense, too compact.

I wanted to work on the flowers, so I started again on the back. The back of the watercolor paper is smoother so I knew things would look a little different, especially the texture of the background.

I like how the flowers look in pot 3, especially the white daisies. The pink yarrow, blackeyed Susans and nasturtiums are loose but have more form. Maybe I'll return to the brown pot another day and give it another go.

Elder Moon Snow 1

2009-12-07T22:29:00.000-05:00

Seven inches of snow Saturday night! I took a winter wonderland walk around the yard and snapped some reference photos. Today I made a quick watercolor sketch of elderberries in the snow.

edm #40 draw something with folds

2009-12-06T22:14:00.000-05:00

edm #40 draw something with folds. I drew this from a reference photo I took this past summer at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park of the 1983 lava flow that closed the park road. The flow goes right over the road and you can hike on it out to a point by the ocean where you can see the steam from the current flow as it pours into the Pacific. The harden lava has sort of a graphite sheen to it. I used a carbon pencil.

edm #249 draw a coffee pot

2009-12-05T18:36:00.000-05:00

edm #249 draw a coffee pot. First of all, let me say that I have never had a cup of coffee in my entire life! Oh, I've had a sip to taste, but never drank a cup. But mom is visiting so I have taken out my very small coffee maker. Second, after the portrait debacle of the past two days, I just felt like making a quick sketch (actually while I was talking on the phone). Drawn in graphite and worked over with ink.

Keep It!

2009-12-04T19:59:00.001-05:00

I smudged her face a bit, held the tracing paper back over her face and marked where everything should be. The model had a square face, huge round eyes, and she kept smirking with one side of her mouth (she was probably looking at my drawing). She wore lots of make-up, bronze blush and very shiny lip gloss. While this isn't pretty, it might be more human! Again, thanks everyone for all of the great help!

Don't Throw It Away!

2009-12-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

Thanks everyone for all of the great help! I decided to give Stacey one more go. So I traced the shape of her face, then set in the porportion lines according to: drawsketch.about.com/library/weekly/aa121202a.htm Next I redrew her features on the marks.

Throw it away!

2009-12-03T18:54:00.002-05:00

Today is portrait Thursday (open session at the Institute for the Arts) and I am not happy with the results. My husband said it was so bad that I should not show it to anyone and to tear it out and throw it away. My mother (Blind Margaret) said keep it so I can see my progress. What do you think? Be honest, I'm trying to learn! Pastels in watercolor sketchbook.

Duck

2009-12-02T18:49:00.001-05:00

Love this Claudia Nice duck, so I had to try a sketch of it. He looks a little too chubby and maybe his wings are too small, but he's kind of cute. Watercolor with ink.

Watercolor Sketchbook Hummingbird 2

2009-12-01T19:23:00.000-05:00

Just had to do one more bird today! This is a rufous hummingbird. These birds do not live around here, although sometimes one travels through the area. The flower is from a hanging basket on the front porch. Still blooming in December!

Watercolor Sketchbook V Hummingbird 1

2009-12-01T13:26:00.000-05:00

Another bird in motion. This time I looked in Claudia Nice's book "Painting Nature in Pen & Ink with Watercolor" and found this lesson. I really like the results. Maybe the watercolor gives a better sense of motion than the colored pencils.

Watercolor Sketchbook V edm #1 draw a shoe

2009-11-30T19:16:00.001-05:00

edm #1 draw a shoe. I decided to start my new sketchbook with edm #1. That in no way applies that I will continue in any particular order! I joined edm at about number two hundred and something and I have 44 done so far. Anyway, thanks for all of the encouragement! I used Prismacolor pencils to sketch this wooden shoe. From Holland? No, the flea market by way of Michigan.

Watercolor Sketchbook IV finished!

2009-11-29T18:49:00.001-05:00

It's November 29th, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, the temperature is 60, and there are flowers in bloom and butterflies on the wing. Not the typical weather for these parts! I'm celebrating the completion of journal #4. That means I have done over 100 sketches since July. Yeah me! Now on to journal #5!

Watercolor Sketchbook IV part 3

2009-11-18T19:18:00.011-05:00

November 28, 2009 edm #94 draw a spoon

edm #94 draw a spoon. This is an old tarnished spoon with slots. Don't know where I got it, don't know why I keep it. It was made by the original William Rogers Co. I used Prismacolor colored pencils, Derwent Graphtints and Derwent Metallic pencils.

November 25, 2009 Bluebirds are thankful for...

Same bluebird, different medium. This VERY QUICK SKETCH, was done with a splash of blue watercolor and a scribble of Prismacolor pen. I'm thankful for my family that's coming to visit, but I'm busy getting ready for the holiday feast. Bluebirds are thankful for a handout of mealworms.

November 24, 2009 edm #247 draw something creepy

Working on cross hatching and human anatomy and came up with edm #247 creepy! Sanguine and black Pitt Artist pens.

November 23, 2009 Bluebird

And yet another bird. Trying to draw birds in motion with colored pencils. This bluebird was colored with Derwent Inktense pencils.

November 22, 2009 Goldfinches

More birds. I used Derwent Inktense pencils to color these Goldfinches.

November 22, 2009 Redwing Blackbird #2

Today I revisited the redwing blackbird. There were a few things in the first version that I wanted to change. Same bird, same Inktense pencils, but this one is a little looser. Thoughts on #1 vs #2?

November 21, 2009 Pat's Cactus

Big day! It's the 5th Anniversary of the International Sketch Crawl. See: sketchcrawl.com People all around the world get together and sketch all day and then post on the web. It's very interesting! Check it out. And the other big event: I got Cathy Johnson's book " Watercolor Pencil Magic". Inspired by her pages on rocks and cactus, I "crawled" out to the front lawn and sketched. I used my Derwent Watercolors to paint it. OK, I know this looks nothing like Kate's but I'm learning lots of new things already!

November 20, 2009 Redwing Blackbird

Today I worked on Angelica Park matters. Their symbol is the redwing blackbird, so I thought I would try to draw one. After a discussion about static bird drawings with someone, I tried to show this one in motion. Derwent Inktense pencils.

November 19, 2009 Glen

A small pastel still life that reminds me of the Bremen Town Musicians (Germany), a story in which a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster, all past their prime years in life and usefulness on their farms, leave home and decide to set out together to Bremen, a town know for its freedom. They will live there without owners and become musicians. They stand on each other's backs to perform.

Open portrait session #3. Much happier with the results of this session than the first two. I know the first time I went the results were pretty scarey. Last week, was a step in the right direction, this week even more so. Pastels.

November 18, 2009 Meet Roscoe

This is Roscoe, I just got him this week to help me with figure drawing. Worked on him with ink to practice crosshatching. Irene gave me good advice (see cow pies)! Thank you so much Irene. That's what this group is about, learning from and helping each other. Everyone is so supportive, I love it! OK, now I need advice from Sharon on how to get the feet on the page!

Watercolor Sketchbook IV part 2

2009-11-14T21:10:00.005-05:00

November 17, 2009 Cow Pies Crosshatched

Second, cow pies with some cows in the background. Sheila is trying to teach me to crosshatch. This is my first try. I think the hatching on the cow's neck should have been done with curvey lines. The cow most to the right moved and I didn't notice right away. Her hind end didn't match her front end, so I tried to "fix" her. Lots of learning going on here.

November 17, 2009 Mother of Ten

Doing stream studies with students today. At lunchtime I managed to do some sketching. First a dandelion. The words were inspired by "A Basket of Herbs." "A mother of ten, when food was scant, set out with a basket to gather the plant."

November 16, 2009 Cactus Monday!

Here's my contribution to cactus Monday - a Thanksgiving Cactus in bloom. Watercolor and ink. And, drum roll please....16 days of "sketch everyday." Will she make it until the end of the month? Stay tuned!

November 15, 2009 Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area

Beautiful weather today. It's a November day with sunny skies and almost 70 degree temperature. Sat at Middle Creek for about an hour with my husband and did two sketches. Watercolor and colored pencil.

Second sketch at Middle Creek today. This is a branch with rose hips at the edge of the little sunfish pond. Each rosehip had a drop of sunshine on it. Watercolor, acrylic, and colored pencils.

November 15, 2009 Cabela's "A leaf on A Stream"

In front of the Cabela's store is this statue by Vic Payne titled "A Leaf on A Stream" from the quote by Daniel Boone, "My life was like a leaf on a stream, twirling, drifting back and forth, but always going forward." Daniel Boone was the inspiration for the statue but it is not supposed to be him. Derwent Metallic pencils.

November 14, 2009 edm #220 draw the moon

edm #220 draw the moon. One night while crossing the railroad tracks, I noticed how the light from the full moon was reflecting off of the rails. The clouds in the distance seemed a different shade of dark (gray? black?) than the ones more overhead.

November 13, 2009

Trying to do a still life. Sketched it first, but didn't like the pot, so it got bigger and bigger and then the flowers looked too small. So I just splashed happy paint over it and will try to do better next time!

Watercolor Sketchbook IV

2009-11-06T20:07:00.006-05:00

November 12, 2009 Portrait Sketching Day

Thursday open portrait session at the Institute for the Arts. Golly! Why can't they hire models that look more like my sketches! Pastels.

OK, this is Harold again. It started out as a scribble sketch with Pitt Artist Brushes, got too dark so I painted over it with white acrylic, then put pastels on top of that. If I hadn't put these sketches back to back on the same page, I would cut them up and put the parts that I like the best together and see if it looks more like Harold. Anyway, I borrowed a tape, Steps to a Likeness: Pastels by Perri Sparks. Maybe I can learn how to make a portrait that actually looks like the person that I am sketching!

November 11, 2009 edm draw a peach

edm#133 draw a peach. This could probably qualify for the oldest thing in my refrigerator, it's sort of an aged vintage peach. Pastels.

November 10, 2009 edm#209 draw a shadow

edm #209 draw a shadow. I picked a sprig of Bradford Pear to sketch. As I held it up to get a closer look, it cast an interesting shadow on the sketchbook page. So I drew the shadow! Pitt Artist Brush pens.

November 9, 2009 edm#96 draw something sweet

edm #96 draw something sweet. Sitting in my car, eating lunch, and waiting for my next class of kids to show up at the stream, I took out my sketchbook to fulfill the "sketch everyday in November." I wanted to draw sweet yummy gummy bears, but when I had finished, they looked kind of spooky, like gummy zombie bears, rising up and taking over the lunchbox. I found a piece of wrapped candy in my purse and drew that, too. Pitt Artist Brushes, watercolor, Derwent Metallic pencils, and white acrylic paint (just your basic everyday car supplies).

November 8, 2009 More Car Art

More Car Art. More Claudia Nice. Lesson on drawing dogs. The chow is watercolor pencils - Faber-Castell Art Grip Aquarelle. The the other one is sepia Pitt Artist pen.

November 7, 2009 Car Art

CarArt, edm #44 draw an animal - pet. Car trip this past weekend. Took Claudia Nice's book along to try some lessons. If the horse looks short and fat, that's because she is. That's my mare Corey. Derwent Drawing Pencils.

CarArt, Lessons from Claudia Nice on using geometric shapes to help draw birds and flowers. Dervwent Drawing Pencils.

My sister doesn't believe I did this one in the car, but I did! I actually had the gingko leaf in my purse (Who doesn't carry around rocks, seeds, and leaves?) I covered the paper with a yellow wash, then I put watercolor on the leaf and pressed. I painted around the leaf with the same color using a drier brush. Repeat using different colors. What fun!

edm #207 draw something that has a shell. This is Homer. He lives at my sister's house in CT. Pitt Artist Brush Pens.

November 6, 2009 Nuclear Energy Seminar for Teachers (NEST), Susquehanna Riverlands

Went to a Nuclear Energy Seminar for Teachers (NEST). There was a great display on the wall that included Einstein, Franklin, Ohm, Ampere, etc, so I included Einstein in my notes. Six days of sketching in November!

Mmmmm, how to describe this? Well, this was done from an actual slide in the security presentation at the Nuclear Power Plant. You will be happy to know that the plant is prepared to handle ANY attack! Notes on the side are from the nuclear physics presentation.

Watercolor Sketchbook III November

2009-11-03T11:37:00.006-05:00

November 5, 2009 Institute of the Arts

November 4th and I have sketches! Art everyday! I went to the Institute of the Arts and sat in on the portrait open session. Second time doing this. Pictures are not as scary as last time. Well, maybe this one is.

This one I did with layers of soft pastels in my watercolor sketchbook. I know I used some funky colors, but I'm working towards something...don't quite know what it is yet...but I'll get there eventually...it's all about the journey.

Institute of the Arts again. I stayed for part of the still life open session. I did a small warm up but then I had to leave. This is the last page in my third sketchbook. Mmmm...I don't see much progress yet. Maybe that'll take a hundred sketches or so. Anyway, it was a great art-full day. On to sketchbook #4!

Novermber 4, 2009 Yatamoto at Kutztown University

I did another sketch about Yamato today. The group consists of both men and women. Everyone drums, and some play other instruments as well. This is the Shamisen. The quote by Misato Sugiyama is from the program.

November 3, 2009 edm #223 draw your favorite sound

edm #223 draw your favorite sound. Tom and I went to a performance by Yamato, a Japanese drumming group, at Kutztown University. I've always loved Native American drumming and now I am a big fan of Japanese drumming! You don't listen to the drums - you feel them through your skin, your bones, right to your core, your soul.

November 2, 2009 edm #125 draw a bird

edm #125 draw a bird. This sea gull was done with Pitt Artist Brush Pens and Titanium White W&N acrylic paint. First I covered the page with the brush pens using lots of colors: blues, greens, grays, oranges, reds. Then I painted over the color with the white acrylic paint. To finish, I touched up a few dark spots with the pens. I am pleased with the result! Thoughts on this process? Has anyone tried this? Inspiration for the gull came from Jamie Wyeth's gull painting "Daydreaming".

November 1, 2009 edm #83 draw a nearby body of water

edm #83 draw a nearby body of water. I took a walk across the soybean field to the neighbor's small man-made pond. The cattails were just starting to be at that great fuzzy stage. Fun to sketch in ink and watercolor.

October 27, 2009 edm #34 draw a fall leaf

edm #34 draw a fall leaf. On the way into the house, I picked up a dry leaf from the Tulip Tree. While having a cup of tea, I took out the colored pencils and started sketching. The sketching lasted longer than the cup of tea so that leaf is not finished. Later on, I picked up a fresher leaf from the maple tree. I stippled in sepia Pitt Artist pen and lightly washed with watercolors.

Watercolor Sketchbook III Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

2009-11-01T14:19:00.004-05:00

October 30, 2009 edm #78 draw a souvenir of a place you've been

edm#78 draw a souvenir of a place you've been. A few days ago, my friend Sheila and I went to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. She showed me around Rehobeth and Lewes. I bought a colorful pair of socks with sparkling gold stars, a moon, sun, and fat cat. We listened to the waves, watched the birds, and sketched. The socks were done with Pitt Artist Brush Pens and gold glitter. The fish above it is done in a sepia Pitt Artist pen. That's where we had dinner, Striper Bites, the crab cakes were fantastic.

October 30, 2009 - draw a butterfly

A page in the sketchbook done while down in Delaware. The top is a sketch I did just standing on the beach at Rehobeth and studying the waves. The bottom is the path that leads down to the beach from the boardwalk. The seagull flew in during the sketch. The Monarch butterfly was found on the beach, it was dead with no visible signs of injury.

October 30, 2009 edm #87 draw your lunch

edm #87 draw your lunch. Sheila and I had lunch at a British Pub called "go fish". The fish and chips were fantastic! The place had lots of flair and was very friendly. I especially liked the modern version of the British flag - all spattered with many different colours.

October 29, 2009 edm #136 draw something that's alive

edm #136 draw something alive. These sketches were done while I was down in Delaware. The fiddler crabs were in the tidal salt marsh at Bombay Hook NWR. The gulls and the rocks were in the Little Creek area. Sketches were done in sepia Pitt Artist Pens and later watercolor was added.

October 29, 2009 edm #72 draw somewhere new, Bombay Hook NWR

edm #72 draw somewhere new. I drew this winged sumac at Bombay Hook NWR. I researched several sites on the internet to learn about it - it is of high ecological value because it is food for lots of wildlife including: deer, rabbits, song birds, upland birds, moths and butterflies.

This is the first sketch I did at Bombay Hook NWR. The salt marshes were stunning. There were Canada geese, great herons, and snowy egrets at the fresh water impoundment.

Watercolor Sketchbbok III continued

2009-10-23T16:00:00.005-04:00

October 24, 2009 edm #38 draw at a museum

edm #38 draw at a Museum. Great day with my art friends: Sheila, Lynne, Judy, and Cindy at the Brandywine Museum of N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth fame. Andrew's granddaughter, Victoria, gave a wonderful tour. I sat on a bench and drew the Brandywine Creek from the large museum windows because of the pouring rain. I used my new Derwent Tinted Charcoal pencils and a Derwent Chinese White pencil.

October 23, 2009 edm #246 draw something "October"

edm #246 draw something "October". I was waiting for my students to arrive at the Angelica Park and it was so beautiful I had to get out the sketchbook. I quickly wet the page and floated some watercolor on before they all arrived. It was fun doing a quick study.

October 17, 2009 edm #63 draw something from a nature walk

edm #63 draw something from a nature walk. I took a stem of Teasel to a Nature Journaling Workshop by Sheila Cohen and used it for the blind and modified contour drawings. Then I did a quick sketch of it. It was raining out so we walked around the library where the workshop was held and drew what we saw.

Watercolor Sketchbook III

2009-10-05T19:13:00.007-04:00

October 22, 2009 edm #38 draw something related to Halloween

edm #38 draw something related to Halloween. I went to my FIRST portrait drawing session today at the Institute for the Arts! I did my first sketch with pastel and charcoal pencils. Yes, the model was really wearing spider web earrings. No, her skin did not have green tints. You can't see, but she was also wearing Halloween socks.

My second attempt was done with sepia pens and finished with a light red watercolor pencil wash.

For my third try, I started with a light watercolor wash and then I drew over it with Pitt Artist Pen.

I got out the good old graphites for my last try. Oh well, as they say, there's no where to go from here but up! Practice, pratice, pratice!

October 12, 2009 edm #190 draw your palette colors

edm #190 draw your palette colors. Can you run out of things to draw while riding in a car? I doubt it! I bet you can guess what I used to paint this palette of colors!

October 12, 2009 edm #236 draw the palm of your left hand

edm #236 Riding in the Miata, not much room to sketch, what can I draw? Looking around...mmm...Oh, yeah! My left palm. Used watercolors and Pitt artist pen. Looks like I've been squeezing grapes...nope, just playing with color.

October 11, 2009 edm #152 draw a nut

edm #152 draw a nut. The other day I picked some hickory nuts up off of the ground and put them in my pocket for sketching later. Pulled them out toady and this time I wanted to try colored pencils. Then I added some lines with the Pitt artist pen. The page needed something more...A Hickory Nut Hunter! He was done with Pitt artist pens and brushes.

October 11, 2009 edm #233 draw your favorite drink

More traveling in the Maza Miata sketches - this one is of my favorite drink - WATER! I used my favorite pencils, Derwent Inktense, and Pitt Artist pens.

October 6, 2009 edm #109 draw a clock you have around the house

edm#109 draw a clock you have around your house. Yes, I really have this clock in my kitchen, and yes, the eyes and tail do move! After 75 years these clocks are still being made. They come in both battery and electric, and in a range of colors from sunflower yellow to blueberry blue to Rio red. Visit www.Kit-cat.com.

The Kit-Cat Creed: Put a smil on everyone's face; Love in everyone's heart; Energy in everyone's body; and be a positive force in everyone's life.

October 5, 2009 edm #88 draw something breezy

edm #88 draw something breezy. Just a quick sketch today. I was watching the towels on the line and noticed that they were taking turns - only one at a time would move up and out with the breeze!

Watercolor Sketchbook II

2009-08-21T19:54:00.030-04:00

October 4, 2009 - edm #21 draw something old, antique, or vintage

Sunday was Pennsylvania German Day at the Festival. Everything there was old antique, or vintage including most of the people! The background painting is the Gruber Wagon Works built in 1882. Many wagons were on display plus there were demostrations of horse-drawn plowing. There were old time crafts (represented by the distelfink) and lots of music (represented by the words). The song I picked was one that I remember my father sining when I was young. Although he sang in German not Pennsylvania Dutch.

October 3, 2009 - edm #179 draw an onion

edm #179 an onion - Today I bougnt an onion to make turkey orzo soup. I decided to draw it before it went into the pot. My husband called me outside to help paint a Kokopelli on the barn and I almost didn't get back inside in time to get my sketch done! I used Derwent Inktense pencils and W-N watercolors in my wc sketchbook (Strathmore).

Update: Kokopelli is a trickster god of the Native Americans of the Southwest and is usually depicted with a humpback, wild hair, and a flute. He is the god of agriculture, children, fertility, and music.
Truth in advertising: O.K. I admit, I drew the onion while everything else was already in the pot and then I cut a very large chunk off of the onion for the soup while keeping one side in tact so that I could see the colors for painting! By the way, the soup was delicious! Patty

October 2, 2009 - Virtual Paintout - Belfast, No. Ireland, UK

The Virtual Paintout this month is in Belfast, No. Ireland. I found beautiful buildings at the Queen's University. I imaged it was late and I was getting back to school from the pub after too many pints o' Guinness with me mates. Watercolors and Inktense Pencils in my wc sketchbook.

October 1, 2009 - edm #243 draw a pillow

My sister gave me this pillow, but I like to toss it to my husband! I used Derwent Inktense pencils and W-N watercolors in my wc sketchbook.

September 29, 2009 - edm #126 draw a sponge

edm #126 - draw a sponge. Remember these? Someone gave me this as a "gag gift" and ahhhhh, I thought, perfect! Pitt artist pen and wash.

September 25, 2009 - Virtual Paintout - Lisbon, Portugal

Virtual Paintout, Lisbon, Portugal: virtualpaintout.blogspot.com/
I "walked" up and down a few streets and came across this industrious fellow. He was doing a terrific job - the streets looked great. I decided just to make a quick sketch of him with pen and wash as if I was actually "plein air".

September 24, 2009 - Monthly Sketch Project - Flamingo

Still trying out the new soft pastels, this time I used them in my watercolor sketchbook instead of on black paper. I think I actually got a much softer look on the rougher paper.

September 23, 2009 - Monthly Sketch Project - flamingo

I bought a box of 15 Rembrandt half stick soft pastels and I just had to play! These are new to me and I can see that I have a lot to learn. I sprayed this with a fixative and the eye got duller. Oh, well....So many art supplies, so little time!

September 22, 2009 - Everyday Matters #232 the last thing I bought

The last thing that I bought was an old cigar box from West Germany. I saw it at a "flea market" for 50 cents. I liked the way that it opened in the middle and I liked the little latch to close the "doors" with. I loved the painting on it - so I handed over the big bucks to get it! I used Pitt Artist pens and brushes to copy the painting and now I'll put it on my desk and fill it with nonsense.

September 20, 2009 - Everyday Matters #24 a piece of fruit

Sitting at the Lyons Fiddle Festival today listening to great blue grass music, I drew this wonderful large pumpkin that was on the stage. I used Pitt Artist pens and brushes.

At the fiddle festival I started to draw a bass, but something weird happened and I blame all of you who have been posting too many zentangles! Anyway, it was great fun and I really enjoyed "tangling" while listening to the music! (Plus I had some new colors of Pitt brush pens that I wanted to try out!)

September 19, 2009 - Kempton, PA

We went to the PA Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Festival on Saturday. While we stopped for a drink of water and a rest under a tent, I copied part of their poster. The poster was a ripoff of Julien Dupre's work "Faneuse." They had added windmills and solar panels and the sunbrust in the hay. I sketched with Pitt Artist pens and brushes.

September 18, 2009 - Monthly Sketch Project #1 (vsd)

Monthly Sketch Project (vsd) #1, an out building at Glamis Castle. Watercolor, #12 brush, Pitt Artist pen in watercolor sketchbook.

September 13, 2009 - Strausstown Car Show

I saw this car at the Strausstown Car Show on Sunday and loved it even though it was quite an odd shade of green. The bright red car next to it was reflected on the chrome and fender paint. Can you find 6 red cars? I believe this is the second time in my life that I have drawn a car, the other time being in 1969. I should probably try this more often than once every 40 years, ya think?

September 12, 2009 - Harrisburg, PA - Gun Show

I did this while waiting for my husband at the gun show. This sketch of my wallet is my first "edm", Every Day Matters, even though it's number 3 on the list. Yeah!

August 27 - September 3, 2009 - Hawaii

Our vacation in Hawaii was awesome! Not much time to sketch, but I took lots of reference photos. Hope to use them for some pastel studies. The first night we watched the sun set into the Pacific Ocean at Buddha Point, the next day we hiked on old lava flows at Vocano National Park. Our second day on the big island found us over 100 feet below sea level in an electric submarine. We saw many fish on the coral reefs, two ship wrecks, and several divers.

(Fourth Picture)The small picture is the last one that I actually sketched in Hawaii. I was walking along the "Art Walk" at the hotel and it was just getting dark when I came across this small zen garden adjacent to the Japanese Tea Room. I liked the glow from the little pagoda near the foot bridge. I used Pitt Artist Brush pens. For the background I did a quick sketch of one of the green sea turtles that live in the lagoon at the hotel. I used watercolors and a #12 brush to color it.

August 26, 2009 - Flight to Hawaii

Getting help from Phil Metzger's book "Perspective Secrets." These were done during my flight to Hawaii. I used my Pitt Artist Brush Pens.

August 21, 2009

Quick study of a bird's nest that fell out of the maple tree during last night's high winds. It contained a bit of blue egg shell, a dry oak leaf, dark scat with berries, and a live green fly. Before the paint on this page dried, the nest was shredded by my husband when he mowed the lawn - it was in pretty sad shape.

August 19, 2009 - Millersville, PA

This crepuscular creature creeps carefully past a cerulean ceramic container as he contemplates creating chaos. Will he crack a cherished china cup? Whatever he decides to do, it is certain that he will cover all the clues that he was close by.
Watercolor and Prismacolor Fine Line Markers, I encountered this guy in JudyBec's wonderful garden where he lives! Check out her work and her website: oobos.blogspot.com/

Staedtler Karat Aquarell WC Crayons

2009-08-17T13:32:00.002-04:00

August 14, 2009 - riding in the Miata on the way to CT.

First time using these WC crayons - they go on smooth and "wet" up nicely, a different feel than the WC pencils. Has anyone else tried these?

Derwent Inktense Pencils

2009-08-17T13:21:00.007-04:00

August 14, 2009 - Riding in the Miata on the way to CT

This is the Green Man, the spirit of nature that represents humankind's connection with the earth, a symbol of wildness, and an icon for the environmental movement.

August 16, 2009 - riding in the Miata on the way home to PA

A PA native fish, Lepomis macrochirus, a member of the Sunfish family Centrarchidae. Note the black "ear" really part of the gill.

August 18, 2009

Went out to the garden to sketch the old metal seat, black cloud to the west, hurray, hurray, Thunder!, splash, splash, done just as the wind picks up and a drop falls.

Pouncing Calico Cats

2009-08-09T11:02:00.005-04:00

These pictures were done with Derwent Inktense colored pencils and a waterbrush on Arches Hotpress 140 lbs. while riding in the car on the parkway.

Mom Calico catches.

Daughter shows her claws.

Sideways pounce!

Berks County Heritage Center

2009-07-28T14:50:00.002-04:00

Old Cemetary at the end of the field - 7/10/2009

Grazing Goose - 7/10/2009

Red Bridge - 7/28/2009

Watercolor Sketchbook I

2009-07-19T19:28:00.016-04:00

August 12, 2009 - Leesport Farmer's Market

Went to the market this morning, it was crowded. The baskets of dark reddish-brown beets caught my eye, maybe it was how they looked against yellow plastic. Plopped myself down on my 3-legged stool and took out the paints while many people walked by. Some stopped to chat and comment on the sketch or ask if I sold my work!

August 9, 2009 - Kitchen

Today's snack - a plate of yummy cherries!

August 7, 2009 - Evergreen German Club

Oh my, how do you draw people in constant motion?

August 7, 2009 - Reading Fairgrounds

Lunch time at the Reading Fair! They were all sleeping in a big pile, then suddenly (I guess they heard the dinner bell) they all jumped up and ran to mom!

August 6, 2009 - Backyard

Looking down the garden path,trying for a bit of "perspective".

August 5, 2009 - Home

No, this is not the attack of the bees, it is my "collection of one" tea pot.

August 4, 2009 - My Garden

Sunflowers get more interesting as they age, this one is making seeds.

August 1, 2009 - Deck

Margaret, who lost her sight, is doing a blind contour of an owl.

July 19, 2009 - Evergreen German Club

Car Show, music by the Headliners, food and beer under colorful umbrellas

July 12, 2009 - Landis Woods, Lancaster, PA

Flint Knapper

Nature Journaling at Camp

2009-07-14T19:02:00.004-04:00

23rd International Sketch Crawl July 11, 2009

2009-07-14T17:48:00.015-04:00

Welcome to our sketch crawl!

Sheila trying out a new "paint over" technique!

Judy studying the proportions of the pond.

Pat sketching the Koi pond with ink and watercolor.

Pat's sketch.

Lynn sketching the butterfly garden.

Cindy did a painting of the Koi pond.

Judy with her sketches of the fish pond and Pat in the hat.

Sheila trying out the butterfly bench.

Pat's sketch of the butterfly bench.

OUR WORK!

Charcoal Sketches - Live Model (Nude)

2009-07-11T20:59:00.009-04:00

These charcoal sketches were done at the F&M College Tuesday night figure drawing session with a live model.

2 min poses

more 2 min poses

20 min pose

Bonus Pose

2 min poses by TiTi at home

Botanical Illustrations

2009-07-10T19:48:00.021-04:00

These drawings were done from life with colored pencils on watercolor paper.

Pussy Willow Twig in January

Curly Willow Twig in January

Tulip Poplar Twig in January

Red Twig Dogwood in January

Box Elder in January

Star Magnolia twig in January

Red Oak twig in January

Sugar Maple twig in January

Silver Maple twig in January

Northern Catalpa twig in January

Sassafras twig in January

Brush Pen on Watercolor Paper

2009-07-09T21:14:00.021-04:00

All pictures were done with Pitt brush and artist pens on 140 lbs Arches watercolor paper made into a sketchbook.

Bamboo with Grasshopper

Reading

Music

Orchid with Ladybug

Mums

Plum Blossum with Bee

Strawberries and Snail

Sunflower

Cat with Blue Yarn

Frog

Squirrel

Stag Beetle

Basket of Cherries

Chinese Brush Painting

2009-07-07T20:58:00.015-04:00

These Chinese Brush Paintings were done with watercolors on parchment paper.

Orchid

Poppies

Bamboo

3 Koi

Plum Blossoms

3 Pears

Blue Birds

Tea Pot and cups

Red Birds

4th of July Week-end Sketches

2009-07-05T20:54:00.013-04:00

All of these sketches were done over the 4th of July Holiday weekend. Each subject was first quickly drawn with graphite pencil, painted with watercolors and a #12 round brush, and finished with a Pitt artist black ink pen.

Yucca plant blooming in the backyard.

The Hobby Horse pow-wow circle by the east gate

Dancer waiting for his turn

Sunflower

Blueberries

Sulfur shelf mushrooms

Turk's Cap Lily

Comfrey

Tom