Monday, November 25, 2019

GRAPHITE AND CARBON PENCIL WITH A LITTLE WATERCOLOR


I admit, I was missing some color in the Val Webb online course using graphite and carbon pencil.  So I just had to add some color to his leaf :)


The goal for this drawing was to make the little beetle look shiny.  


I am having some issues with my neck and shoulders so taking more breaks and moving through things slower.  And haven't really worked on the gouache any so need to get back to that!  And then I hear there's a holiday season coming!!!

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

GOUACHE ON BLACK



Still working on the gouache on black painting - slowly building.  I think gouache is a slower process, but probably more like acrylics and oils in the slow build up to colors, shapes and values.  

This is on the Strathmore black mixed media paper.




Wednesday, November 13, 2019

FRUITY - SECOND TRY



I didn't add the plant, just drew this little guy.  I am happier with the lighter touch on the wings, giving them more texture without overpowering them with strokes of pencil.  

I'm calling this one Fernando :)  


These drawings are all on a block of Arches 140# hot press, 10 x 14 inches.  

Monday, November 11, 2019

FRUITY



I did the next lesson in the Val Webb online course.  A fruit bat in a banana plant.  I have seen fruit bats in trees in Australia.  They are called flying foxes because they are really cute with fox-like faces and are a reddish color.  There were hundreds in the trees in a park we visited in Cairns and when evening came, they all starting flying around - amazing!  Really cute little things, too.

As per my usual, I got too heavy-handed with this little one and the banana.  So I decided to try again, with just the flying fox and keep my touch as light as I could - not easy for me!  I think we all have our own artist touch and that could be light or dark or in between (Sweetie says I even write with a heavy hand, so I guess that's just me).  

But I will try this one again.  Isn't he cute, sleeping there beside his favorite plant? 


Saturday, November 9, 2019

TRYING TO FIND FALL COLOR



Just some photos from a short trip we took to try to find fall colors - in General Butler State Park in Kentucky.


We watched the ducks and geese hang out around the pond - there are cabins in the woods on the opposite side.


Then we took a nice hike in the woods around the General Butler family home.






















This was last Monday, before the weather turned so cold and windy.  Our last warm, sunny day, I think.











I'll get back to the pencil work and the gouache work soon.  













Thursday, November 7, 2019

PLAYING WITH GOUACHE


Decided to take out some of the black all media paper (Strathmore) and try gouache on it.  Doing a fall scene of leaves and acorns from a photo I found in a magazine (so just for play and learning).


It's a bit harder to get coverage over the black but it's a learning experience.  


Sunday, November 3, 2019

BUMBLEBEE AND IRIS



After watching Val demo the iris, I did this one, trying to keep the flower soft and delicate.  Not too shabby and I like the little bumblebee on the leaf :)


Our next lesson is going to be about drawing fur texture - on a honey possum!

Just a reminder, we are using 9XXB graphite pencil and a Wolff's Carbon Pencil set B, 2B, 6B for the class.




Friday, November 1, 2019

BUMBLES AND FLOWERS



Val was having some time constraints last week so we didn't get our 2nd video for our lesson on Bumblebees and Flowers until Friday.  So I did a bee and then put in a flower, using a photo Sweetie took at a local nature center (he went there when he was mentoring a high school student in photography).  So I had some bumblebees and flowers - just not the flower Val was going to have us use.  

Again, pretty dark, but I'm getting used to the fact that it is the way I do my line work and carbon pencil work - we don't all have to do it the same way!

After I got the 2nd video, I did another bumble and the iris Val sent and demoed.  I TRIED VERY HARD to do the iris pale and delicate...you'll see if I succeeded in the next post!