Category Archives: sketch book

Sketchbook Revival

Posted on by under sketch book

A week or so ago, I saw that there was a free sketching course that has a variety of artists doing short tutorials for a couple of weeks. So I decided to join. It’s called Sketchbook Revival. You can still join in if you’d like, just click on this link.

I have been watching the videos but not doing all of the specific exercises. I decided that I would use this opportunity to start sketching in my small nature journal again. I want to sketch something from my daily walks. I am using different techniques, the tamarack branch is done with pen and markers.

I found three antlers already this year in and around our property. We have lived here for 15 years and these are the first ones I have found. This one is pen and watercolor.

And here’s a piece of wood that was interesting. I meant to pick up another one but left it behind. But this one was smaller and easier anyways. Again, pen and watercolor.

This is the first exercise in Sketchbook Revival tutorials that I decided to try. It is from day 4 by Val Webb. I thought it was a very useful tutorial including ways to use ink to make textural marks and feathers. I might have to try some more birds now. I am still working on my class homework too but trying to spend 15-30 minutes a day on sketching. Hopefully, I can keep sketching and practicing my drawing skills. I always enjoy it when I get started, it is just the getting started part that is hard.

 

More Stamps and a Drawing

Posted on by under Level 3 Art and Design, printing, sketch book

I have been traveling over the last week so haven’t gotten much done. But before I left, I did carve a few more stamps. I finished up the birch one today but haven’t gotten to print with any of these yet.

Here’s the stamps. The ones on the left are ogee shaped. The are meant to be a repeating pattern that fit together. The one on the right is a birch tree from a sketch I did several years ago.

I tested the ogee stamps with an ink pad in my sketch book. the two on the bottom are actually a stencil I created. I didn’t have time to test the birch one yet.

While I was riding in the car to Philadelphia, I did a small sketch in my travel sketchbook. I used markers first for the background colors of the leaf and then I added in the details with colored pencils. I really like this method because the markers cover the white of the paper and you don’t have to do so many layers with the colored pencil to cover the white background. I don’t care for how the shadow turned out but since it was an experiment, I am not going to spend much time worrying about that. I will definitely being trying this technique again.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

A Couple More Samples

Posted on by under Level 3 Art and Design, sketch book

I have been working on these leaves for several weeks now. They involved multiple layers of paint and acrylic mediums.

I used the shapes of real leaves to create these. They are about the thickness of leaves and almost feel like real leaves when they are fresh. If you look closely at the photo on the right, you will see I started with newspaper.

Here’s another rock study. I had a really hard time taking a photo of this. It has multiple layers of paint, acrylic media and then colored pencil. The camera couldn’t seem to focus on it at all. Weird. I had hoped to get a lot more done today but we were dealing with snow!

We got nearly 8 inches of snow in the last 24 hours. We usually have snow starting in late November, this is a bit early for a big dump like this. And we’re expecting it to keep snowing until Monday. Anyone want to come help shovel?

Rock Studies

Posted on by under Color, Level 3 Art and Design, sketch book

As promised, I worked on rock studies this week. I found a variety of rocks including some semi-precious stones.

Here are a couple of studies looking at line and value.

And a color study. I suddenly remembered that I have the names of each type of rock somewhere and I need to add that to my documentation.

Here are a couple of texture studies. I have a few more of these in the works.

And here is what I think that Montana river rock would look like as cobble stone. It is interesting what you can come up with when you examine things closely!

Sketches and Color Finding

Posted on by under Level 3 Art and Design, sketch book, Sketching

I’m still trying to make time to sketch a bit every day. The every day thing isn’t working out but I am getting two or three done per week. Also still practicing the color finding with colored pencils.

This is a sketch of a wild lupine in standard pencil and the leaf with the colored pencil beside it. Greens are still really hard to do.

Here’s a different green of the snow on the mountain leaf. The sketch was done with water soluble graphite pencils. This one took several days to complete as I only have 10 or 15 minutes in the morning before I go to work.

Here’s a dried up leaf that I did this morning with watercolors and permanent pen. I had more time today to try to get a bit more detail into the sketch. I had a bunch of dried leaves but decided to start with just one.