I didn't start out crabby when I started this piece because I thought it was
going to be a fairly simple sketch. My plan was to do a plain black and white
crab but, as I worked on it, I decided to add colour and more detail. What I
thought was going to be a quick and easy sketch turned into a more complex one, thanks to my obsession with detail. So that made me a little crabby with
myself.
I wasn't at home most of the day either because we popped over to visit my
Mum. Then, when we dropped my sister home, we stayed for a cuppa before heading
home. My other son visited late afternoon and, when he left, it was time to
sort dinner. It's been a pretty full-on day and not much time to
sketch.
So this crab sketch is a work-in-progress.
I will finish him tomorrow and post pics.
For now, this is as far as I got
I will journal the days events into the blank area when completed
To check out the work of other AEDM participants, click
HERE.
As mentioned in a previous post, I didn't finish INKtober all the way to the end but I did get to #27 which I'm very happy about as I beat my efforts of 24 sketches last year.
So here is the final wrap up...
INKtober 21/31 - Aussie Magpie - I sketched this beauty with Sumi ink in a Strathmore grey toned sketchbook. The highlights are done with white gouache.
I have a huge soft spot for magpies as, apart from being very clever birds, I adore how their babies are so loud and demanding when it comes to wanting food. They certainly keep their parents busy. Even now, as I type this post, I can hear a young magpie badgering their parents for food in a neighbour's yard. An interesting note is that the Aussie magpie is actually an entirely different bird species to the European magpie so they are quite different in nature. They were only called magpies due to their black and white markings.
I found a video on YouTube of our Aussie magpies and butcher birds looking for a feed. Not my video but it shows exactly what I mean about the magpies' loud and demanding babies. Too funny! We have had magpies fly into our kitchen waiting on us to put out some food, just like you see in the video. Please watch it all the way to the end as there is more than one baby.
Click HERE if the video below does not play for you. If an advertisement pops up on the video, just click the little 'x' on the top right corner of the ad to close it off.
INKtober 22/31 - Country Church. This time sketched with Speedball India ink in my Moleskine watercolour notebook. I sketched this from a photo I took when we went on a country drive out past Beaudesert earlier this year.
INKtober 23/31 - Pineapple - I started with a loose pen sketch in my Moleskine watercolour notebook.
Then added some Kuretake artist quality watercolours
As a child, my favourite fruit juice was fresh pineapple juice...still is. Pineapple is so refreshing diced up on a hot summer's day. Sometimes, I will spoil myself even further by adding a large dollop of either vegan coconut or soy ice-cream. SO delicious!
INKtober 24/31 - Bat - I used the official INKtober prompt for that date which was BLIND. I thought of the saying 'Blind as a bat'. But, funnily enough, bats aren't blind and their vision isn't all that bad...just better suited to night time. I sketched this fruit bat, also known as Flying Foxes here, in my Moleskine watercolour notebook using Sumi ink.
INKtober 25/31 - Boo! - My Scribble Picnic pals would have seen this one already. Sketched with a Platinum Carbon fountain pen then inked in with a Pentel Pocket brush pen. The green shoes were done with a Tombow brush pen.
INKtober 26/31 - Mouse - I used the official INKtober prompt for the date which was SQUEAK. This little cutie was sketched with a mix of ballpoint pen, Dr Ph. Martins Bombay ink, and Speedball India ink. The pinks and yellow tones were done with a touch of watercolour with white gouache to highlight.
INKtober 27/31 - Climb - which was the official prompt for the date. My final INKtober for 2017 sketched with Speedball India ink in my Moleskine watercolour notebook.
Even though INKtober is now done and dusted, I hope you will continue to follow my posts as there will be lots more sketches to come...
Thank you for all the wonderful and encouraging comments. I plan to catch up with your blogs very soon.
Numerous thoughts rushed through my mind — A white sketch on black paper, a Zentangle Wolf, a black ink sketch on white paper, a chess set, a zebra etc.
The Zebra is what stuck in my mind so I did a rough pencil sketch to start with. I wanted to create a cute, baby-like Zebra...a character in my mind, if you will.
The first layer of watercolour
And the end result
I wonder if anyone else thought of a black and white zebra?
Michael hasn't put the page link up for this week yet so I will come back and add it when he does.
Next week's prompt is WATCH OUT! To find out how to join in on the fun each week, click HERE.
Okay, just checked, and our illustrious leader has put up the post for this week so you can click HERE to see the contributions from my fellow Picnickers.
I thought you might like to see a couple of my zebra art pieces from years ago.
This one was done with acrylic paints on an ACEO card made from matte board
And this one was a love job for one of my sons. I called it 'Zebra Sunset' and painted it with acrylics on a 36" x 24" gallery-wrapped canvas.
I'm still dealing with back and hip pain...some days are good, some are quite bad. I feel like I'm developing a permanent limp but I will give the physiotherapy more time to work.
It's Scribble Picnic time again and, this week, Michael chose WATERMELON for the theme. Who doesn't love watermelon?
The following image popped into my mind and wouldn't leave until I put pen to paper.
Uh oh! This mouse took on more than he bargained for when the watermelon he was pushing home picked up speed going down the hill. He hopped aboard to try and slow the melon down but it turned into a very scary ride instead. YIKES!
It's not finished yet but I'm pleased I was able to get some colour on it using Prismacolour colouring pencils.
To see the work of other Picnickers for this week, click HERE.
Last week, the theme was fox and this was as far as I'd managed....
As promised, here is the final result for those of you who don't follow me on Instagram
To find out how to join in on the fun each week, click HERE.
I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has done for this week's theme.
I'm running late again after a very busy week. I'm rushing just to get this post done in time before I have to head out yet again.
Scribble Picnic is hosted by Michael Macvean and is a weekly event which includes a prompt/theme for each week. This week's prompt was FOX. I did attempt some illustrative fox characters but they just weren't working out for me so I decided to sketch one in a realistic style which I'm more comfortable with.
My fox is very much a work-in-progress at this stage. A little more colouring and I also need to bump up the lights and darks. This is done on Strathmore Toned Tan sketch paper using coloured pencils, a mix of Derwent and Prismacolor. I will post the finished piece next week so stay tuned.
To see the work of other Scribble Picnickers for this week, click HERE.
Next week's prompt is WATERMELON. Why not come along and join in on the fun each week — to find out how, click HERE.
We've had another horrible week of high heat and humidity. The nights are hot and muggy too so no relief. I dream of faraway places with snow...
This weekend marked the second month for the new Moment Catchers project over on Candace Rardon's BLOG. I was considering a trip into the city for some Urban Sketching but opted for Forest Lake instead. It is a man-made lake smack-bang in the middle of suburbia. It is home to quite a few species of waterbirds, turtles, etc.
It was such a hot day so I found a shady spot on a park bench to sketch this tree.
Then a splash of watercolour with more pen detailing
Next up was the water dragon sculpture in the lake. The heat ended up getting the better of me and we headed home where I finished the sketch off with watercolour.
See below for more daily sketches from the past week or so.
I find sketching with ballpoint pen so versatile. It can be soft enough to almost have the appearance of graphite, yet with more layering, it can be quite dark. Of course, it can't be erased but I can live with mistakes.
I thought you might like another process sketch this week. A rooster to mark the Chinese Year of the Rooster — the Fire Rooster to be precise. According to Chinese astrology I'm going to be in for a tough year and I can believe it if the beginning is anything to go by. I was born in the Year of the Earth Pig and I have always found the Chinese Astrology to be uncannily accurate. Which Chinese sign are you born under?
A pen sketch to begin with
First pass of watercolour
Final stage with more watercolour and detailing
I'm linking up with Sunday Sketches again. To see the work of other participants for this week, click HERE.
Hi everyone. Thanks for all the well wishes regarding my fall last week. My foot is pretty much better now and, in hindsight, my daughter and I believe it was actually a pinched nerve causing the severe foot pain that night. A couple of days rest and it was fine...so it could have been back/hip related after all. My hand is still in a fair bit of pain when I try to carry out heavy tasks but that is to be expected with nerve and soft tissue damage.
Over the past week, I have been busy with daily sketching for Inktober. I have been posting my sketches over on my Instagram feed if you want to see them daily as I don't get time to post here every day.
A meerkat sketched with water-soluble ink and then a water wash was applied.
This emu was sketched with permanent ink, then washed with water-soluble ink.
The eyes are done with ballpoint pens.
Getting the beak to look right was quite challenging.
This little cutie is called Teenie.
She is my Mum's pomeranian.
I sketched her with a Platinum Carbon pen and
ballpoint pens in suitable colours.
Then some white ink and a light wash of watercolour to finish.
A mirror selfie, sans-wrinkles.
Sketched with a Lamy Safari fountain pen
containing water-soluble ink.
Then a water wash applied with a brush.
I adore all animals but I admit to having a soft spot for pigs. This mother and baby sketch was prompted by my utter disgust at how the pigs were treated in Burlington, Ontario, recently when the truck taking them to slaughter rolled over. The treatment of the injured pigs was nothing short of cruel and apathetic on the company's part. Pleas from a local animal sanctuary's owner to take the injured pigs into sanctuary care went ignored and was even laughed at. The poor, injured pigs were left to suffer for hours before being callously killed where they lay and then were unceremoniously dumped in a dumpster at the site. I hate how apathetic the human race has become. Did you know that pigs have the intelligence of a four year old child? They are smarter than dogs and yet we get away with committing such atrocities against them. It is so very wrong!
This is the initial pen sketch of a reference image on Sktchy.
I finished her with ballpoint pens in various colours
and a touch of white ink and watercolour to finish.
Yesterday, I was visiting with my Mum so didn't have a lot of time to sketch.
I managed a quick, loose pen sketch of some new inks I bought recently.
I used the ink colours to paint and spatter them with a brush.
