3-ring sketchbook pages

When life gets chaotic and the opportunities or inclinations to go out and sketch about town are limited, I always resort to sketching favorite movies or youtube videos...especially if my creativity is running low. I've done a WHOLE lot of that in the last six to eight months. So much so that I could probably post something everyday for the rest of the year and still have images left over. I'm not going to do that because one, it allows me to hide the worst of the worst; and two, I want to eventually catch up and show you more current stuff. There was a noticeable improvement as I went along that I hope you will see too. Though, it is difficult sometimes with a scanner that just doesn't pick up certain colors. I've tried making adjustments in Corel, but the originals look so much better. Ah well, maybe that's an excuse to get a new scanner/printer?

The first spread is one I did while watching 'The Pyramid Code' on YouTube. Done directly in ink, so I'm happy with how it turned out. I love any documentary on Egypt or archaeology!

This was actually done from an article on The Daily Mail (UK). Again it is archaeology...so of course I had to do this page. The blue boxes which appear on these pages are just personal writings which are...you know, personal!

This page represents the beginning of a very long string of drawing/painting from movies. Seriously, I did almost one movie every night. Sometimes taking two nights if I've been busy. There are all kinds of shadows in that pipe which I couldn't, for the life of me, get to show up here.
I forgot to hit pause after the first sketch in order to do more sketches on part one...so I popped in part two and did a double feature. Had to get up and walk around for a while after that...too much sitting!

I'm so tempted to throw them all up here at once. Maybe when I catch up, I'll put one of these up next to one of the more current ones so you can see how much I improved on these. I love seeing that!

International Quilt Festival in Houston 2011

I recently attended the International Quilt Festival in Houston for the second year in a row. Not that I have even the remotest interest in quilting, but because I go to meet up with Shirley and any other acquaintances from blogland that attend. This year I also met Melanie Testa, Ricë Freeman-Zachery, and Jane LaFazio. I also made new friends: Roz (not Stendahl, but I somehow didn't get her card so I don't have a link!), Cheryl Sleboda and Judy Coates Perez. I loved being around so many creative people!

Our first stop was the vendor section. I began perusing all the gadgetry and baubles and knickknacky-type stuff so popular with mixed-media artists. I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of it and by the crowd of people around me. And then I learned a big lesson from Shirley. I glanced over to where I had seen her last and there she was, already sketching. She had pulled this old lock out of a basket and wasted no time getting down to business. So I joined her. I added the paint and the border later at home.

It is quickly becoming a tradition with us to head over to the art-dolls for some sketching time. The above doll is called "Allergic to Dogs" and is by Neva Waldt. It was among the most popular of the exhibit. And as I stood in front of this one sketching, getting jostled about by others trying to get a better look, I felt a bit of annoyance with me for taking the best viewing spot. I stood my ground though, sketched quickly, so I could get out of the way.

I was worried about adding the paint to this. I've been working in a giant sketchbook with drawing paper in it which turns everything grayish. I was beginning to believe that I had forgotten how to paint with cleaner colors. But all fears were laid to rest with this. Though the scanner hardly does any justice to it at all, the colors are rich. I'm very happy with this one; I wish you could see it in person!

This was another very popular doll. Everyone's first response was to laugh, and then lean in to appreciate the wonderful face, which is made of cloth by the way. I sketched this one from a photo. It was only when I started writing in the information on the page that I realized it was also by Neva Waldt. This one is titled 'Myrtle Hits the Beach'. Isn't that t-shirt she's wearing a riot? I've seen them around and wondered who would wear such a thing, but somehow it seems perfect for her. I went back through my photos and realized that of the five taken of the dolls, three of them were from this artist. What talent!
I'm really disliking my scanner. I had to go in and darken the blue background and the gray of her hair just to get the colors to show. I liked it better before, but I'm still happy enough. I'm thinking about making the background darker so she pops out better. Think I should do it?

This one was done in that big sketchbook that turns everything gray. I never intended it to be the sketch of this doll that I post, but liked the way she turned out. It is called "Fine Feathered Friends" and is by Nancie Roach. The doll had such a pretty face!

And here we are! I think if I smiled any harder my cheeks would burst! I had such a great time, I hope even more of you can make it next year!

You've been missed, my friends!

 Wow, did things ever get complicated around here.  Some of you know from our EDM group, or from comments that I've made, that I was in the process of moving to Idaho back in late May.  Well, I'm still here in Houston, having just gone through one of the worst (that would be HOT, HOT)  summers I ever remember.  Oh well, it is a very long story, but the short of it is, I stopped drawing, and when  I started again everything I did was really really bad.   I'm back on track now.  I finished up two sketchbooks and I'm over halfway through a third (huge one, 11 x 14).  It has been too hot to sketch outdoors, so the internet has been my friend. Of all those pages that I've filled, I only scanned twenty five of them because most of them are figure drawings and I don't want to have a blog filled mostly with sketches of nekkid people!   It took me ages to figure out which scans I did want to include in my first post back.  I'm afraid I couldn't resist picking out most of my favorites.  Not that I don't like the rest, but there's a little less color on the other pages. 

This sketch (above) is done directly in ballpoint, watercolor, and on regular drawing paper (as are all of the sketches in this post--in a sketchbook with 'drawing' paper).  The model was on the figure drawing tool here.  At least, that is where I thought I saw her.  I'm on that site a lot though, and I've not seen her again since.  Maybe they took that one off? 

 Hmmm...I can't remember where I got this photo either.  Probably the same site.  What I really like about this sketch, is that I did it directly in ballpoint pen and if you look closely, you'll see that I didn't make many mistakes in my first lines.  I didn't have much to correct.  Her right arm doesn't look quite right now that I look at it on here.  Yep, I think the foreshortening is a little off.  Even so, I'm really happy with it.  That dark looking shadow on her lower back is actually a tattoo. 
Well, since I can't be sure where I got this, here are links to the sites I go to for photo references:

http://www.pixelovely.com/gesture/figuredrawing.php
http://www.female-anatomy-for-artist.com/photos/freeSample/thanks
http://www.posespace.com/shop/books.aspx

 This giraffe was also done directly in ballpoint.  I was going a little faster with it, got tired of making the spots, so I just finished it up with the watercolor.  I like the sketchiness of it and would be very happy if every sketch turned out as well when done this quickly. 

I've sketched so much lately that I've been hitting that zone where everything seems to come easily, the first time.  On these days there is very little need for an eraser. Though I still get days when I'm just off, and everything is a struggle, and I erase, erase, and erase!  Happily, the on days now outnumber the off ones.   I recently went back through some of my older sketchbooks, and I can actually SEE some improvement.  This of course makes me want to sketch even more!  

 Okay, this is a truer idea of how most of my sketchbook pages look.  Mostly pencil sketches, not very much overlapping or unity of the page (I'm working on that!).  These are quicker sketches.  I especially like the two bottom horses.  The bottom right horse is actually a pretty good representation of how most of my sketches start.  Sort of a combination of contour, with gesture for arms and legs.  Then I go back and add in details, make corrections, etc.

 It was quite some time before I realized that the figure sketching tool that I linked to in the second paragraph also had an animal sketching tool.  That is where I got the references for these.  I really like the cat and horse to the right.  I can't wait to get back to a sketchbook that has actual watercolor paper in it.  I think (hope) they would have looked even better had I not had to fight with paper that dried almost as soon as it was moistened. 

Another one that I liked a lot.  Though I had to walk away a couple of times...those spots were driving me nuts.  It is pencil and watercolor

I wish that I could show you my current sketchbook in it's entirety.  It is by far my favorite.  Unfortunately, it won't fit on the scanner.  It is even hard to look at in person because I used it landscape-wise instead of the portrait because of its size.  It is spiral too and I always had the spiral at the top, so every page has to have the book tilt in the other direction  to see it right-side up.  That is something I didn't think about when I started this one!  But I am proud of it.  It has less 'bad' sketches than I have ever had.  And I have NO pages that I hate, unlike every other sketchbook that I have.  You know, those pages that you just want to go away and stop reminding you how bad you were that day?

Well, I hope that I'll be posting more frequently now.  It was hard knowing what to say after being gone so long and having so much happen in the meantime.  My temptation was to come on here and start at the beginning.  But believe me, that would take a week of posting everyday...big, long, wordy posts too!  So, I've hit one giant edit key, and hope I can just take off where I left last time.  Oh, and thank you so much for your emails.  I'm sorry I didn't answer.  It was one of those frozen-because-I'm-overwhelmed situations.  I currently have over 200 edm emails sitting unopened in my mailbox.  The more they backed up, the harder it got to even check my mail!  I'm going to make an honest effort to get through it all.  I'll be around to comment again very soon!