• Collage of sketchbook pages showing various drawings of clouds, mostly in bright and light blues, some that are gray and violet. They are simple studies of small cloud shapes. Text on the collage states: Calming Cloud Drawings in Colored Pencil & Marker
    Drawing,  Sketchbooks

    Calming Cloud Drawings in Colored Pencil & Marker

    More small studies, similar to my lace ones that I recently posted. This time the focus was clouds and thinking of them more as three dimensional forms rather than flat. These studies were fun and quick, and a nice way to start December. I’ve tried to approach these as: OK what’s the simplest, easiest and fun version of the subject I’m studying – even if it’s a doodle on scrap notebook paper – and how can I refine and push that version to something else? Hopefully this approach challenges me while still allowing me to maintain a non-judgemental view of my skill as an artist overall.

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  • Sketchbook page with a linear drawing of a living room, showing a futon, lap, wall coat rack, and coffee table.
    Drawing,  Sketchbooks

    Living room sketch

    I took time this morning after drinking coffee to sketch the living room. It was a fun exercise, sticking with pen only (and later brush markers for shadows) and having to commit to the lines I put down. The perspective and proportions got way off for the coffee table and the heating vent just beyond the doorway. But I like how it turned out, even if it’s a bit skewed.

  • Sketchbook page with ink drawings of objects. Behind the sketchbook is a can of sparking water, a laptop, and a mechanical pencil and eraser.
    Drawing,  Sketchbooks

    Late Night Sketching

    Tonight’s sketchbook page: the objects on the coffee table in front of me. Hey, sometimes you just gotta work with what you have. I didn’t sit down to draw until 9:30pm-ish, so considering it took me about 45 minutes of drawing time, I feel pretty proud that I completed a page. I was not feeling good after dinner and had convinced myself that art and blogging were not in the cards tonight. But after laying down for a couple hours and drinking room temp sparkling water, I’m happy to say I still reached for my sketchbook.

  • Featured image of two sketchbook pages, colored pencils, and brush pen marks, with the text Sketchbook Update
    Sketchbooks

    Sketchbook Update

    How is there only one week left in January!? I really wanted to finish filling Sketchbook No. 4 before the end of the month, but I still have 10 pages to go. The balance of wanting to both practice digital painting regularly and keep a traditional sketchbook practice is enough to make my head spin.