Inktober 2017 - 'Teeming'

Staedtler Pigment Liners, Faber Castell Pitt artist pens, Zig Brushpens and
Derwent Coloursoft pencils in 7.5" x 7.5" Handmade Sketchbook

I've discovered that drawing fish makes me very sleepy. I really needed some colour today so absolutely went to town with it. Anyone else doing Inktober 2017? Enjoy! 

Inktober 2017 - 'Run'

Staedtler Pigment Liners (various nib sizes) 
in 7.5" x 7.5" Handmade Sketchbook.

#Inktober, #Inktober 2017
[Legs from an internet photo; landscape scenery is mine]

I can hardly believe it's Day 11 already! Anyway, today's subject was 'Run' and I was not so sure of my final image but posted it anyway and by the end of today, I'd received 79 'likes' on the 'Inktober' FB page so I'm sitting here very humbled and hugely encouraged.

Inktober 2017 - 'Gigantic'

Staedtler Pigment Liners (various nib sizes) 
and Zig Brushpen in 7.5" x 7.5" Handmade Sketchbook.

#Inktober, #Inktober 2017

This is for Day 10 of Inktober - 'Gigantic'. I've had a few busier than normal days so rather than beat myself up about being behind, I simply omitted a few entries.

Happy creating!

Inktober 2017 - 'Under Water' (from a photo by AnupamNath)

Staedtler Pigment Liners (various nib sizes) and

Tombow Brushpen in 7.5" x 7.5" Handmade Sketchbook.

#Inktober, #Inktober 2017

273. Road Back from the Supermarket

Pilot G-Tec and C4 pen,  Hybrid Gel Grip pen and Winsor & Newton

watercolours in re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5" (x2)

Can't get enough of this super view. My cousin's house is only one minute on from that bend on the horizon and my late parents' house is a further two minutes. Bliss!

I get my new glasses today - yippee!!

(Day 24 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

272. Dotty and Scratchy

Pilot G-Tec and C4 pen in re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5" (x2)

I thought you might like to see my first marks on the page when I'm sketching. I learned many years from a video by Charles Reid to put little dots on the page in order to  map out the image and recently heard Marc Taro Holmes (Urban Sketchers) say exactly the same thing. If you look closely, you'll be able to see where I changed my mind a few times about the placement of the sea edge, wall, etc, before actually settling on the final shape of it. To dot out a straightish line for the horizon, I anchor my little finger under the sketchbook and run the pen from left to right. (I do the same up and down for my street poles - see post 273.)

It's helpful that the pen is water-soluble so a little of it dissolves into the paint. If it starts to look muddy, I just lift it out with kitchen towel but most times I actually like to see those marks on the page, as in the clouds.

(Day 23 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

267. Supermarket View from Upstairs

Winsor & Newton watercolours and Pilot G-Tec C4 pen and
Hybrid Gel grip pen in re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x7.5" (x2)

If you go upstairs at the supermarket, where there are more shops and businesses, this is the view that meets you! It really has to be seen to be appreciated; I haven't done it much justice here. Have a great weekend everyone!

I wasn't totally happy with the previous image (now below) and could not think what it was that bothered me until I had to fit it onto Leslie's '30 in 30' page then I saw it! I much prefer the cropped version above; what do you think? (NB. It's in my sketchbook so is still in one piece - smile.)

(Day 17 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

266. Rain on the Horizon (Road to Supermarket)

Winsor & Newton watercolours and Pilot G-Tec C4 pen

in re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x7.5" (x2)

The supermarket is about four minutes drive from the house and this is the view on the right hand side. The clouds are sweeping over the Blue Mountains.

(Day 16 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

265. Not Boring!

Pilot G-Tec C4 pen and Derwent Coloursoft pencils in

re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5"

My cousins and their cook took delight in creating a series of wonderfully tasty vegetarian 'clean eating' meals for me while I was there clearing my parents' house. They and some of their friends were also an invaluable help in the process. As always, they took great care of me, again making me feel so welcome and not once made me feel a nuisance (that I probably am!). I'm so privileged and honoured to have such lovely people in my life. This particular meal proved that tofu does not have to be boring!

Made a bit of a 'Horlicks' of the glass (below) - yuk! I've now gessoed over it - the paper buckled a bit (amended version above).

Happy art-making everyone and thank you for your lovely comments that keep appearing.

(Day 15 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

262. Coconut Vendor

Pilot G-Tec C4 pen and Derwent Coloursoft pencils

in re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5"

I'm not sure what you call the spiky bits but that's how the coconuts look when cut down and the vendor cuts them free and will also slice off the tip and add a straw to your coconut so you can have instant refreshment!

(Day 12 of Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30'.)

260. Electrolyte Refreshment

Pilot G-Tec C4 pen and Coloursoft Pencils in

re-cased Seawhite sketchbook, 7.5" x 7.5"

On quite a few occasions, I was presented with one of these. Coconut water is low in calories and is one of the richest sources of natural electrolytes; they also contain sodium and potassium. These were perfect in the 40C heat that we were working in during the day - even the nights didn't drop below 30C!

Sip, draw, sip, draw… yum!

The pen and ink drawing before adding colour.

241. Calm Challenge

Schmincke and Unison soft pastels on Clairefontaine Pastelmat, 7" x 9.5"

This was my submission to our 'CALM' challenge amidst 'Brexit' fever!!

(Posted later.)

232. Hampstead Heath Sketch

Lamy Safari fountain pen and Tombow brush pen

in Stillman & Birn Epsilon (lovely smooth) sketchbook, 8.5" x 5.5" (x2)

Hampstead Heath is right around the corner to the Royal Free Hospital where I had a treatment on Wednesday. Decided to have a rest in front of the river and pulled out my sketchbook before going home.  (I made a B&W copy and added colour to it yesterday; will post later.)

202. Fundraisers 7 and 8

Parrottee Beach 2,

Acrylic and pencil on 3mm gessoed board, 4" x 4"

Negril,

Acrylic and pencil on 3mm gessoed board, 4" x 4"

Here are the final two tiles; I also submitted a 9.5" x 12" pastel painting of this beach that sold. I painted it back in September.

If I concentrate really, really hard, I can pretend this is the view outside my bedroom window. No, it's not; it's foggy!  :)))

201. Fundraisers 5 and 6

Seven Mile Beach,

Acrylic and pencil on 3mm gessoed board, 4" x 4"

Parrottee Beach 1

Acrylic and pencil on 3mm gessoed board, 4" x 4"

Yep, you were right!  The theme was either going to be the beach or trees… or both, wasn't it?! I also painted this set of four tiles for the fundraising event; two of which are here and two of which I've scheduled for tomorrow's post. There are no ink sketches to go with them as I just drew the faintest outlines before painting on top. I never tire of painting Jamaica - it's just unbelievable that somewhere looks like that all year round. Interestingly, when the hurricanes come, although the leaves may fly off, the palm trees simply bend down; they don't break. There's a moral in there somewhere!

Happy Monday my dear blog friends. xx

193. Sketchcrawl - Vauxhall Bridge

Lamy Safari fountain pen, Neocolour II wax pastels 

and Tombo Brushpen in Handbook Travelogue Journal, 5" x 5" (x2)

Done at the Urban Sketchers London Sketchcrawl: 'Let's Draw Battersea". This is Vauxhall Bridge from the Albert Embankment. It was full of such interestingly shaped buildings, cranes, etc - my husband had to drag me away to the next spot as I was getting very carried away.

192. Cumbrian Lake

Lamy Safari Medium Fountain Pen in 

Handbook Travelogue Journal, 5" x 5" (x2)

Hah! Can you tell that I can't remember which lake this is? Shame on me! I'm not totally happy with the background perspective; somehow I've managed to make these majestic mountains look like hillocks. Ah well; I shall just have to draw another one! :)

173. Workshop - Coniston, Lake DIstrict, Cumbria

Schmincke and Unison Soft Pastels

on Daler Rowney Murano Paper, 16" x 12"

I was privileged to do another workshop with the enigmatic and thoroughly enthusiastic Impressionist pastel artist, Eiko Yoshimoto, at the Mall Galleries last week. We work from a selection of our own photographs because she dislikes seeing students walk out with ten identical paintings at the end of the day where they've copied the tutor's demo. I took the photograph below whilst in the Lake District in Cumbria. (Eiko always insists I sign my name "properly, not just initials!")

If you ever get a chance to study with her, please do; her teaching style is unique as she teaches using stories and analogies which, of course, you remember more easily.

171. Beach View 2 at Westcliffe-on-Sea

Staedtler 0.05 Pigment Liner,
Tombow brushpens and Derwent Coloursoft Pencils, 

in Handbook Travelogue Journal, 5" x 5" (x2)

Second of two sketches done today - the perfect day for a sketch. After we had lunch and had done a couple of walks, I turned 90 degrees clockwise from this morning's view and did this. The 'frame' in these two posts was formed by laying my sketchbook down on the pebbles on the beach.

170. Beach View 1 at Westcliffe-on-Sea

Staedtler 0.05 Pigment Liner,
Tombow brushpen, Neocolour II and Uni Pin 0.5 Fineliner pen

in Handbook Travelogue Journal, 5" x 5" (x2)

What a lovely day - fabulous friends, fabulous scenery, fabulous weather. Grateful!! This is sketch number one of two I did earlier today. The tide had gone out and left behind wonderful colours and patterns in the sand. I haven't quite captured the depth though - that is an oil refinery in the background. Why did all the poles have green hats on top?