Cay Denise

In this practice effort, I surprised myself with being able to capture the 'bones' of the source image in this 5-minute sketch with my Muji pen.  Two to three hours later, the bones were fleshed out (a cute turn of phrase, don't you think?).  The two masked constructed beings are supposed to have head covers of burlap.  To suggest that, lines were used to simulate the fabric and its areas of dark and light. After finishing the three figures, the background was completely white and didn't look right.  So, I added marsh grasses behind the figures.  They ended up competing with them.  So a light wash of tan was added to the grasses, to tone them down, but that didn't help.  Next, an Inktense pencil was used to create a black border around the three subjects while allowing for a slight aura of white.  Even with this change, the remaining grasses were still competing for attention.  So those too were covered -- this time with charcoal grey.  ...

Do you procrastinate about starting a new painting or drawing project because it feels overwhelming?   Do you feel you don't have the time to do any art because life is busy, you may have children, your calendar may be full, and/or you feel you have no time for yourself? Do you imagine that your work has to be just so in order to be valuable? Do you gasp in horror about possibly making 'ugly' work or one that comes that out that way in your opinion? I'm here to tell you that a 5-minute sketch each day means by the end of the year you will have done 365 pieces of small practice work for a time commitment of about 30 hours.  The 'chunking out' of 5-minutes a day, can be done by rising 5 minutes earlier or staying up 5 minutes later, taking a shorter shower or lunch, doing one sketch during your break-time, doing it while watching TV.  It doesn't take a monumental effort to make the time, but it can take a monumental effort to motivate yourself to do the...

The Pixeladies' Photoshop Elements, Level 2 course has just begun.  I'm so glad to be my continuing of learning from Kris Sazaki and Deb Cashett, instructors, who know the program inside and out!

As I continue working my way through last year's NYTimes Style Magazine titled '24 Hours in the Creative Life: The Artist's Way, I read about an artist.  So, I looked her up (not having heard of her before) and found her work and the volume of it -- is awesome!  She is 88-year young, Sheila Hicks.   Her website is filled with fiber works that have a sense of poetry to them.  You can see her work by clicking the link below, and there is a great slideshow on the splash page of selections from her portfolio of installations of quite sizable works! The Art of Sheila Hicks

What can a pen do?  What kinds of lines can it make?  What kinds of pressure does it take to make different types of lines?  How can lines make dimension, form or illusion?  How can lines give a sense of texture? How can line work show light and shadow?  How does the use of lines convey expression? These are some of the questions I think of when looking at the two pieces below -- done today,  In addition to pen, there is a bit of pencil shading that has been added to both, colored pencil used on the pupils in the left image, and white Posca Pen used to highlight the eyes in both drawings.  Both pieces were done with a Muji (brand name) pen.  It is my favorite because of the very small nib that I love drawing with! Both of these pieces were drawn with the intention of capturing and conveying expression.  The one on the left is intended to convey kindness while the one on the right is intended to convey exuberance and fun.   If you do pen ...

I've inherited a new set of 120 non-toxic, non water-soluble colored pencils and took them for a spin today.  I like the array of colors in the set and that all of them were pre-sharpened (which was done very  nicely).   To test them, I sketched this piece with pen and filled the drawing in with the pencils.  I liked how the grey toned down the black pen line when applied over it.  I also liked some of the blending, but need more practice on that. Since the paper used is the same used for recent sketch work, I may need to change the substrate.  Cardstock may work better -- since it has a smoother, glossier surface.  A new rabbit hole to jump  into and explore! 

Wow...oh, wow what a technician!  In an effort to tease out a list of my favorite artists from the classical period forward, an image by artist Michael Bergt appeared in the internet search and captured my attention and intrigue.  Michael Bergt is an incredibly gifted artist who specializes in drawing/capturing the human body.  He mixes the classical approach to figurative drawing with a modern take.  In this video, he talks about having tried to recreate Botticelli's 'Birth of Venus' by using a live model.  It didn't work because the model couldn't contort her body into the position reminiscent of the classical painting.  It was a moment when he realized the need to adjust the goal and work with the body in front of him...which altered his intention overall.  He is a master of using line work to create definition and depth, and he has an excellent command of his mediums.  Looking through his website, be aware you have to be comfortable looking at...

I've been doing some pen sketches lately.  Only one of the selected ones below has been partially colored in with Caran d'Ache water-soluble pencils.   Top row (l to r):  5-min. timed sketch, 10-min. timed sketch                                                                                       Bottom row (l to r):  Both are 1-hr. sketches                  

This is one of my favorite live oak trees in the neighborhood -- that last fall pruned its summer cover to prepare for wintering as it is now doing.  It will soon burst forth with newness blossoming a dense foliage that will fill in the blue areas such that they won't appear any more except through slivers of space between the volume of leaves that will dance along this tree's branches.

Among my favorite emails from artists and creatives are those from Helen Wells, a British visual artist.  She is amazingly generous with art and creates and shares many videos about her practice, sketchbooks, materials use, and idea generation.  Her art is wonderful!  Typically, it is filled with beautiful patterning (and a very graphic quality), and she likes to incorporate collaged elements that become invisible within the overall design because the integration is so seamless. In 2021, Helen had long Covid.  Going through that--there was much time she was either in bed or reclining on a sofa.  To pass the time, she pulled out her sketchbook mostly using pens and some watercolor to work with (easier and more convenient I would guess).  Pattern is very apparent in this video tour of one of her sketchbooks from that year.  A 2021 Sketchbook Tour - Helen Wells If you don't know of Helen already and like what you see, I highly recommend signing up for her...