Breaking through the dry spell...

Remember this bust? I got her in January 2010 and I'm just now getting around to sketching her. I've not been sketching much at all lately--there is always something else that needs my attention, like cleaning or cooking dinner. I know it is nothing but procrastination, but unfortunately, it wins sometimes. No, I'm not proud of that fact, but there it is. Anyway, today was beautiful, in the eighties, sunny. I don't enjoy Texas summers much, so I figured I needed to spend as much time outside as possible before it gets here. I mean, eighties!!... in February!? Since the backyard is in that ugly stage it gets after dealing with a week of hard freezes, I picked the Diana bust off my desk to draw and carried all my supplies outside. This is modified contour in my Lamy Safari fountain pen with watercolor added. Limited palette of cadmium orange and pthalo blue. The colors on the scan aren't quite right, the background being more of a greenish blue.
One thing happened on this sketch that you wouldn't think would make me happy...but did. It has been a long time since I've really gotten into a sketch so much that the outside world fades away. If you look closely at her chin, you'll see a little 'blip' in the ink line. My husband had come through the back door, crossed about twenty feet of the back deck (wood, never quiet!), paused a sec, and then spoke. The noises had barely registered in my brain, so it startled me! Seems strange, perhaps, to be happy about something like that!?


I did this one yesterday and it is fairly obvious that I hadn't been sketching much. I did it for Julia Kay's portrait party. This is "Stacey" of staceysketches on flickr. Again, the scanner didn't quite get the colors right...the background is more of an orange color than pink. I wasn't happy with the results, but considering how rusty I was when I did it, I'll be thankful for what I managed!

This evening we went to Baytown and met up with my first cousin, once removed, who I hadn't seen 1986. I took my sketchbook, intending to draw in the restaurant (there were five of us, total, so the focus wouldn't just be on me). The thing is, I was too embarrassed to do it. It is easier for me to sit alone and sketch in public. If I'm with family, it somehow feels like I'm showing off. Do you sometimes get that? I read so many blogs where the artists do this all the time. Am I just being insecure?

Yevgenia Watts, of Watercolored Hands

Also known as Yevgenia Watts! I really need to start doing these a little larger! This is about five inches square, making her face only an inch and a half? It's hard to do too much that small. Although, you would think it would stop me from overworking!! This is for Julia Kay's Portrait Party again.

A Busy Couple of Weeks...

Two weeks ago, I was contacted by Melissa Rovner, whose two children had written a book about the oil spill. She wanted to publish the book, so she asked some of the artists who had contributed to Ripplesketches if they could contribute pictures for the book. I said okay. It's to raise money, so really, it's just a donation; I don't get paid. But, I was so excited to be invited that I couldn't say no! I decided to do three versions, and let her pick which she liked best. You can see a write up in the Walton Sun.

This is Jerry Waese, a participant in Julia Kay's Portrait Party. I tried using just two colors, indigo and burnt sienna. I had never done this type of exercise before, so poor Jerry was my guinea pig. I got the reference photo from here.


This was a piece of watercolor paper with preexisting splashes of paint on it. In the midst of the swirls, I could barely make out a bird. So I found a photo which seemed like it would fit and this is the result. BettyfromTexas tells me it is an African Grey.


And this is my semi-new workspace! Before, my desk was L-shaped and I had two areas that I could pull up a chair. The problem with this arrangement was that I'm a little lazy and disorganized by nature, so the end opposite of my computer became a place to stack my junk! What to do? Grab a round saw and cut off the last two feet (didn't take the desk outside...it was too heavy!), swing it around to the front, and attach. Wha-lah!! U-shaped workspace! Okay, now, don't laugh...but, this is CLEAN! And because everything is within reach, I am managing to keep it relatively so! I love my new space!

Update: I should have mentioned that I did not post any of the pictures that I've done for the book. I'm not sure what the rules about such a thing are, and I decided to wait and see which one she decided to use.

More for Julia Kay's Portrait Party

This is Wally Torta of CrackskullBob. He recently did a caricature of me for Julia Kay's Portrait Party which I was thrilled with, so I wanted to do one of him. The pencil sketch was scanned in just in case it became necessary to finish it digitally. I was really happy with this (and actually, I do like it) but I felt it was getting away from me there at the end. I accidentally made the shadow under his chin too dark, and the shadowy side of his shirt got confused. The light circles in the background were actually orbs of light on the original photo. They aren't very noticeable until you change it to black and white. I liked them, so didn't edit them out. This is done with pencil and watercolor in Canson Mixed Media sketchbook.



And this is NC (Norman) Mallory. He thinks I've made him look like an elf and assures me that he's really a troll. It's done on used computer paper (sorry Norman, I was watching a movie and didn't think I'd do a sketch worth keeping), with pencil and a watercolor wash for the background.

We're having a blast at the portrait party; you should join us! All levels welcomed!

First Entry for Julia Kay's Portrait Party: Ujwala Prabhu

So I finally got around to doing a portrait for Julia Kay's Portrait Party; this one is of Ujwala Prabhu! Didn't do a great job on the skin tone, but I'm still learning. It's done in a tiny little sketchbook (only 3.5" X 5.5") I made as per directions from Sketchalina. I know I'm always complaining about sketchbooks being so small, but this one needed to fit in a small fanny pack that I have for walking. I think the size made me paint tighter than I normally do...if that' s even possible!!


I also posted some pictures of myself, for those who were wondering if I actually look like that little cartoon icon or not! It's here. It's been a busy weekend for me, so I'll be catching back up with you all tomorrow! Have a great weekend!!