The April calendar sketches are now complete
but I've yet to take photos of the finished spread.
I'll do that tomorrow and upload a finished pic in my next post.
I'm pleased with how it turned out.
While I've thoroughly enjoyed doing a daily mini-sketch for April,
I'm not sure I'll continue on through May.
I am thinking of doing a much simpler monthly spread of doodles instead
as I'm yearning to get back to sketching in a larger format.
I also found the Moleskine sketchbook paper to be more
than a little frustrating when working with watercolours.
I also found the Moleskine sketchbook paper to be more
than a little frustrating when working with watercolours.
I'm linking up to Sunday Sketches this week.
You can check out the other participants HERE.
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Cody and Jack were groomed in recent weeks
so I took some 'before and after' pics.
Cody BEFORE
Cody AFTER
I forgot to take a BEFORE pic of Jack
but I did get some AFTER pics.
You may remember me saying once before
how much Jack hates the camera.
Well....here he notices my camera phone aimed at him
He is not amused, hence the blur because
he is already on the move to....
EXIT stage left...
That's all, folks!
Your mini sketches are very cute. Your doggies look very handsome and well groomed.
ReplyDelete#SundaySketches
Thanks, Emma. :)
DeleteI love the idea of mini sketches and started one in my journal ~ yours is exquisite ~ Mine, not so much ^~^
ReplyDeleteSweet photos of your doggies ~ yet not sure they like their hair cut ~ They are so sweet!
Happy Week to you ~ ^_^
Thanks! I'm sure your mini-sketch calendar is lovely too, Carol.
DeleteCute doggie! Lovely work on the April calendar too, quite a challenge!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine. :)
DeleteThe mini sketches are lovely, what a challenging challenge! Your pups are super cute.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they feel much better now with their hair cuts :)
ReplyDeleteand I've never liked the Moleskine books for watercolours, great for ink pens but not with watercolours and even the books that are for watercolours I don't like
Yes, they do....particularly Cody as his fur grows long.
DeleteI also like their sketchbooks for pen, ink, and graphite. I guess they weren't meant for watercolours so we give them a bad rap unfairly. I actually don't mind the Moleskine watercolour notebooks but I've heard they have changed the paper in them and some say it's not as good. :(
i love your drawings for your calendar page. I did this a few years back -- for the whole year! i don't think i'll do it again. that's all i ever got done! no time to paint anything else :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sue. :) Well done on managing a whole year of calendar sketches! One month was enough for me. I doubt I could maintain it for a whole year. I did enjoy it and may do a month of calendar sketches here and there. I agree, it takes away time from painting/drawing anything else.
DeleteI probably wouldn't mind keeping on with the inchie sketches if you had a watercolor paper journal. I, personally, am one of the few people who kind of can't stand moleskines. Yup--because I like ink and watercolor and they're not good for that. The regular writing paper isn't very good for fountain pens, either, and tends to bleed through. I wanted to love them--but I don't.
ReplyDeleteBoth the boys look cooler--and basically naked--LOL! They always do look shorn for sure after a trip to the groomers, but has to be great for the hot summers. Have a spectacular week, my friend! :)
If I do another month of sketches, I will definitely use sketchbooks designed for watercolour. There are quite a variety of different types of papers in the Moleskine range. Their sketchbooks are like card-stock - off white/cream in colour - and I find they are fine with ink pens, although Speedball ink does bleed through. I think it depends on the type of ink. I like their watercolour notebooks because they seem to work well with pen, permanent ink, and watercolours.
DeleteI needed to get Cody done before the cooler months arrive. By the end of winter, he will desperately be needing trimmed again. :)
That calendar spread has some amazing miniature works of art. I think it's harder to work on that scale, so my hat goes off to you. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Arnoldo. Very true, I quickly discovered that it is quite hard to do details on such a small scale. :)
DeleteWhat a wonderful thing you are doing with your art calendar. It is beautiful. I do not know how you are able to get all of that beautiful watercolor detail into those tiny blocks. You are amazing.I must admit that the pig with it little shout looking out at me is my favorite one. What a great accomplishment. Kudos to you. genie
ReplyDeleteThanks, Genie. It is hard to achieve detail on such a small scale...something I quickly learned. hehe I'm so glad that you like No. 13, the little piggy...it is my favourite too. I love pigs! :)
DeleteOh my that calendar artwork is incredible Serena. They would certainly start your day off to a great start!
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in your paints and brush. I've got those paints, but they're in a black container. I believe the ones you use are better, according to a reliable source, so maybe I should get some too.
As to your before and after shots... they are just too cute. I can relate to Jack's reluctance to be on camera as I'm the same... especially with him wearing a bow. He's possibly thinking about his street cred ... but there's no getting away from it... they're both adorable.
Have a great day!
Thanks, Neesie! :) Yes, that's right. I was actually going to buy the black Koh-i-noor set thinking they were maybe opaque, more gouache-like watercolours but, when I mentioned that I already had the white set, she told me that black disc watercolours are actually student grade watercolours whereas the white disc watercolours are of a higher quality, more artist's grade.
DeleteJack definitely doesn't like his bow and usually manages to pull it out within 30 minutes. hehe
I'm loving your calendar illustrations. I'm simply amazed that you create something so small and with wonderful detail! :) Cody is OH so cute! Our doggie isn't a fan of the camera either so we always have to catch him on a "good" day. haha :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alexandria. Yes, that's us with Jack and the camera. hehe
DeleteLovely photos and your calendar illustrations are gorgeous! You have an amazing talent.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lovely comment, Linda. :)
Delete