Tuesday 8 March 2011

going nuts!

this was a shape study I did in ink pen and watercolour crayons

i am thoroughly enjoying the process of working directly in ink pen

i used one of the reference images i photographed back in 2009

the idea of placing colour swatch boxes on the page is very appealing to me

i have felt so inspired since taking Alisa Burke's Sketchbook Delight class

it's like a lightbulb has turned on and i am seeing with new eyes. everything i see is now a possible sketch subject. i was so picky before.

The nut does not reveal the tree it contains.
- Proverb from ancient Egypt

~ Love, light and peace ~

22 comments:

  1. Serena I took a peek at the class description. Looks like it was an excellent class. Amazing what you can sketch. Anything and everything. Have fun!

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  2. Wow Serena!!! These are gorgeous drawings. Love the proverb!

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  3. Love this study of nuts. You're really doing some interesting ink sketches in Alisa's class.

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  4. Gorgeous Serena! Your drawings are fabulous and this layout is so beautiful. Hmmm, I'm thinking I could use some superlatives here. :) I am always in awe of anyone who can look at something as simple as nuts and sketch something of beauty. I wish I could do that! Hope you are having a great day. Tammy

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  5. wOW, wonderful Serena - I love this sketch book page..

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  6. I love everything about this. The framing, the limited palette, the text, the style ..... superb! x

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  7. I like the color swatch idea too...looks awesome!!!

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  8. I love this spark that she started inside of me. EVERYTHING I look at now is different.

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  9. These sketches are so cool!! I like seeing the color boxes on the side too!

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  10. Oh how lovely! Love the colours. Haven't seen you using such dark colours before.

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  11. OMGosh! You really have been inspired! These are also gorgeous and full of life. This must be a case of right place, right time with that class. Exactly what you needed when you needed it. I am so happy for you!! :):)

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  12. Hi Serena,

    Hope you and the family are doing well. :)
    When I read the title of your post, I thought something was making YOU Nuts! :)
    But happy that it was not the case. :)
    Love how you drew the nuts. The photo that you used is great.

    Hugs

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  13. Wow Serena! Your sketches are out of this world. I love the way you write what type of pens you used and the color swatches. Very nice, very nice. Black in pen and white Uniball pen? What type of pen in black and where do you get the white uniball pen please? :)) Have a great rest of the week Serena.

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  14. You are on a creative roll!!
    I love this and the seashells from your previous post!

    How do like working with watercolor crayons? I have some, but have been shying away from using them. :)

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  15. I completely understand what you mean. Can you believe it's the last week of the course already?? I have loved it, and like you, I now see possible subjects to draw wherever i go. Adding even just a bit of colour can make such a dramatic difference!

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  16. this is a great ink drawing :D such a wonderful job with the textures of the nuts

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  17. Hehe. Very clever title for this post! And it's exciting to see you so excited about your sketchbook. Art is all that much better when it is fun! :-)

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  18. Just love how you are making your sketchbook glorious with your art.
    I checked out the class. It looks very inspiring Serena.xx

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  19. Thanks all....your feedback is always appreciated. :)

    Gloria - For this particular page, I used a Pental SuperFine SF70 black ink pen as it blends well with water so gives a nice watercolour effect. The white one is a Uniball SIGNO pigment ink pen. I bought these from a newsagent here in Brissie but I imagine a good stationery shop would stock them.

    Jo - I love working with my watercolour crayons, however, I use them a little differently in that I don't put the crayon directly to paper. With a wet brush I pick up the colour from the crayon and use the brush to apply it to the paper. If I want to mix a new colour, I will use this same method and blend the new colour on a plate/lid.

    Eveline - I know! The class was so much fun that it just flew by so quickly....it's kinda sad that it's over.

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  20. Love your nuts Serena and the purple just sets them off perfectly.
    Lee:)

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