Just a little something....

Just a little something, I did this morning, while I was sipping my coffee. I actually did it with a sepia pen, but for some reason it scanned black. I am still working on the boat picture, trying to do it in oils, I am very apprehensive with it. I guess I need to just sit down in front of it and paint...what's the worse that can happen....what is the best? I certainly won't find out if I don't just sit down and try to do something with it, now will I??

He's in the house.....

Remember this guy....I sketched him back in April....scroll through posts to see....well, he won our hearts over, and weaved his way into our lives...The decision came when he came limping up to the house one day, a bite wound on his back leg...we took him into the vet to have it taken care of and that led to vaccinations, antibiotics, neutering....and a big price tag....he is adapting well, no major problems....still in the getting to know his brothers and sisters mode...but all in all he is doing well...he's a little purr box, and loves to sit on moms lap. I haven't done anything artistic since *the boat* which I worked on so much I ruined it...and became discouraged. I am going to be taking a colored pencil class at the local museum, hoping I can get the fire burning again. I tend to shut down upon failure...and I forget that all I have to do is get back up on the horse....

coming soon....

I have been working on *the boat*...I am almost finished, and I have it sitting up where I can view it, and decide my next step...I am doing it with WC pencils, I think I need to put another layer of wash on the water.....It makes me nervous.

On Vacation....

Going back home to the beautiful U.P. of Michigan...I am taking my sketching and wc pencils....I hope to post some work when I get back....

Last two pictures for Kates class

The first picture is my neighbors house. Where I sit and draw, I see it through our open door, and through our porch windows. I imagine it is a cinder block house that has been stuccoed, as ours is...only we put vinyl siding over what the previous owners had (shingle like material)...I visualize the stucco house across the road painted a clay color and having round wooden beams coming out the side near the top. It looks adobe-like.

The second picture is *pumpkin* he belongs to another neighbor. I was feeding one neighbor cat, Blackie...then Spot came...(see previous posts for his pic.) and now Pumpkin....They all seem to get along...but for about 10 years it has only been Blackie....At first he was a little put off by the new comers....and still reluctantly comes up to get food with the other two....Blackie and Pumpkin have homes and *people*...Spot...we don't know...as he has taken up residence in the little dog house on our porch I put straw in for Blackie last year. We also keep our door ajar to our porch in the winter time so Blackie can get out of the weather...It will be interesting to see how many cats will come in out of the cold this winter....

robin on a rock

This is WC Pencil on hot pressed paper. Done for Kate Johnson WC Pencil class...Most of the pictures I have done for this class are posted on Flicker, instead of here on the blog. Flicker is the classes *show and tell*. Below is my sketch of *the boat*, which I am working up the courage to add color too. I have not forsaken it, I do plan to do a few more boats from this series of photos, so plan on coming back to check my progress.

The boats of Ensenada

I am in the process of sketching...and then will be applying WC Pencil to the above sketch. I seen a series of these boat pictures on facebook and asked the photographer (who happens to be a VP with our company) if I could use a few to sketch and paint...and the answer was yes, if he could have a copy of my best one....I think I have choosen the most difficult one to do with my experience level...but I am forging forward. I decided to enlarge the picture, using the grid system. I have a difficult time with this method, as I feel it isn't exactly true art, I myself would rather sit down look at something and sketch it....however, even if I am just sketching in one inch increments, I am still sketching what I see...and then when that is done, tweak the overall picture. Its a tool, and I felt that I should enlarge it this way. Sorry if the sketch isn't too *viewable* I did try to adjust it, and darken it. The colors are red, black and white...I am not sure if they use these boats as fishing boats, (I would assume)...but they are all pretty weather worn, and very appealing to me as potential subjects.

Second landscape

This is a WC in my journal....Just from my memory...memories of working in the desert in Nevada. I didn't actually come across this *scene*, but it certainly could have existed. I think I need to add some sage. My memories are of the wonderful smells of sagebrush, hot and dry, dry river beds...and just a feeling of serene, of course wild horses...

Audubon Exhibit at Ella Sharp

This exhibit was absolutely amazing. 60 original Double Elephant engravings, rare oil paintings, books, photographs, other personal artifacts, one of which was a field notebook, which was closed. I wish that would have been opened up to one of his entries. I also wish I could have taken notes...I have always loved Audubon's style, and the way his subjects are portrayed in their natural habitat. I am already thinking I will be going back to see this exhibit before it leaves the end of August. Truly amazing!!............I feel inspired..................

Ella Sharp Park

This is done from a photo I took last year. Using WC Pencils, part of a project for a class I am taking online, by Cathy Johnson. Very tenitively done...

sometimes you just have to work faster than your mind...

Another beautiful Sunday morning...I was laying in bed, actually feeling a bit depressed, for no particular reason...thinking all sorts of thoughts...depressing thoughts, feeling sorry for myself thoughts...grass is always greener on the other side thoughts....I got up put the dogs out, fed them....and went back to bed for a bit, I laid there for a while and thought...I should run, then....outside or inside. Can I run? I have on the treadmill in 7 Min's at a time segments...BUT I could walk... I got up, put a comb through my hair, put on some comfortable clothes, my cell, and my pedometer, and set out onto the open road, all in the span of a couple min's, before I had a chance to change my mind, and...two miles later, and 38Min's I was back home. My outlook had changed. The sun was coming up, the robins were out, the squirrels were playing in the dewy grass. I found a small metal pencil sharpener, and a black feather I thought I could make a composition, but as I was walking I had some ideas. I guess that would sum up my walk...it cleared my head, it gave my restless soul something to do...and I got an idea...

Its raining *coptors*

These are the coolest little things.....maple seeds, or more commonly know as helicopters...I love gathering up a handful and tossing them into the air....Its beautiful here today, a slight breeze....warm, but not too warm....just a calm gentle wisp of a day.

To sit back

and

watch

the

graceful sprial

*dance of the copters*

hope your day is peaceful...

Sunday, May 24th

I am currently in the first week of my WC Pencil class with Cathy Johnson. My first lesson is to play with my pencils. I am making a chart of all my current colors. I have three sets now. I can see it is an addiction. My art is collecting art implements I do believe. I held off from buying more WC pencils, but from reading how people claimed these Faber-Castell, Albrecht Durer pencils were to die for.....I hurried up and hit *buy* button, on the Dick Blick site, (where they have been sitting in a cart for weeks)before my logical brain told me NOOOOOOooooo. My motto has been of late...SHOP AT HOME FIRST....and having two WC Pencil sets already...did I need more..NO....No I didn't....but it is a treat, and I hope it will encourage me to learn from them, and become more creative....they will justify themselves...I believe if you use substandard products you will achieve substandard results... if the results are more encouraging....it will help my tender Psyche....and that can't be anything but good! Now I must go and create!!

In color

Well......this is why I am taking a WC pencil class.....I have much to learn. It didn't turn out as I had imagined. I need to spend more time with my pencils and learn how they react. Anyway....thanks in advance for any and all critiques.

bleeding heart II

I sacrificed a stem of my bleeding heart, and did a closer study of it. I plan to use WC pencils on this piece. I am started Cathy Johnsons WC pencil class on Monday, so I am looking forward to that, and learning all the in's on out's of this medium, so please stop by to see how I am doing...

DRUM ROLL PLEASE..............

I used Random.com to obtain the results for the drawing........and the winner is

*****************SHERRIE ROBERTS******************

I want to thank everyone for stopping by my blog and for all your kind words...it helps to motivate me to become a better artist.....thank you all for your support.....

bleeding heart

I took a bench out to the garden and tried to sketch parts of my bleeding heart...and really when you sit and study something and sketch it, you *know* more about it, I basically knew what a bleeding heart looked like...I thought, until I sketched it. This is just a quick study, I plan to go back and capture more of it, and then do it in color.

update on cat sketch

Well I worked most of the morning on this. I don't know...I don't know if I still captured his personality. It is a cat tho. He is white and black, so I wasn't sure about colored pencils or watercolors..so I just continued on in pencil.

rough sketch

Had a visitor tonight, one of the neighborhood cats paid a visit, was sitting outside our door on top of the cat house, looking inside. He is a pretty young cat, mostly white with black on his face and black splotches on his body, he has a Holstein look about him. This is a rough sketch, I thought I would post my progress with him. Not sure if I want to just sketch him, colored pencil or water color pencils.

Happy Easter

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day...

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY

In celebration of my *One Year Anniversary* with my blog, I am offering this wonderful book. Just make a comment on my blog and you will be put into the drawing. I will draw the lucky winner on the first of May....Good luck everyone.

New Watercolor Pencils

I bought these new watercolor pencils yesterday...I think I like them. It was a set of 12, of course I would love every color they make....but 12 will do for now

April 11, 2009

Celebration on 1 year on Speaks will pencil....come back for a posting on a give away.

A trip to Indiana

Left around 7:00am this morning for a Casino trip to Four Winds Casino. We stopped by this wonderful *northwoods style* restaurant. Beautiful furnishings and view. The Inn is rated as *One of the top 25 resorts in the Midwest* by Midwest Living Magazine. www.indianainns.com
They offer a full breakfast buffet and according to their site **the almost famous omelet chef**. I had a veggie with egg beaters, and it was wonderful...

WATERCOLOR PAST

I used to quilt, when my eyes were better, and my patience...just a gathering, a collection from those days, watercolor pencil in my moly.

first watercolor pencil work

A simple banana. I did this on a Canson 140 lb 5.5 x 8.5 watercolor journal, with prismacolor watercolor pencils. I found a niji waterbrush, and I do like working with it better than a regular watercolor brush and water. Seems like the water is more controlled.
********
Today, I also joined a *Love my journal* online class, which runs for 21 days. It seems like everytime I tried to sign up it was always in progress. I am excited to start another 21 day adventure in art.

different strokes from different folks

I have added this blog to my list of blogs. A picture is posted and artist submit their interpretation of it, its pretty interesting to see on others *see* the photo. I would like to try this.

Prismacolor watercolor pencils

I used my 40% off coupon and splurged and bought a 12 pack of Prismacolor Watercolor pencils. I have been wanting to try them. Would have loved the 36 pack, but common sense prevailed. I played around a little with them today, nothing to post however, tried them on 140lb cold pressed, and am wondering if hot press may be the better way to go, being a smoother surface, and since I don't have any, for now, I won't know. I am just experimenting, so far I am not to fond of the pencil mark from the color, and I want to *not see it*, do I need a lighter hand or smoother paper..hmmmm. Obviously I shouldn't judge on my 1/2 hr experiment.

enlarged picture of grandma's tea cup

Grandma's cups

This is a sketch of one of my grandma's tea cups. She had a quite a collection, that was collected through the years. She would board deer hunters from the city, and they would bring gifts to her, in the form of teacups, gram would also get them from family too for birthdays or Christmas. One day, many years ago, we were sitting around the big oak farm table, and her daughters thought they would pull a joke on her. Gram displayed her tea cups on shelves on the dining room wall. When she had left the room, her daughters took some of the cup and saucers down and put them on the table, so when gram came back into the room to pour coffee she would have a surprise. Grams tea cups were her pride and joy, so you can imagine this quiet gentle woman's surprise as she spotted this...she was very upset and could barely speak, *we are not using those cups* she said, clearly disturbed. I felt bad for her that they would do this knowing it would upset her, they got more enjoyment out of it than gram did.
I think gram has been gone now over 30 years....This small memory feels like it happened just yesterday.

Thing-a-day is over....

I may have not posted all of my 28 entries, on the days I didn't sketch I submitted a photograph. Since this blog is dedicated to sketching only I didn't want to post those entries here. I have completed my month of Saturdays in my downtown drawing class, it is going in a direction I didn't anticipate...pastels....I wanted to do a drawing of Rachael, my bosses daughter, and the next thing you know I am doing a pastel of her, I have never done pastels before. I have done, oils, acrylics, watercolor, not pastel...but I want to remain open to other forms of artistic expression...its just that, I keep wanting them to work in a way that they don't want to work in. It feels like a fight. I think I am ready to move into the finishing stages next week, and then I will get back into drawing, detailed drawing. My teacher does art in color so naturally he wants to move us into that direction, but I didn't expect it in my second class. I did find another interesting *learn to draw* site on the Internet last night. http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/17130
It looks like it has a lot of good information. Since TAD is over I need to move on, so I will be hanging out there, and also try to be more active on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/everydaymatters/ ane in the meantime, continue to draw everyday....

t.a.d. 23 cat nose

This is a sketch of a cats nose. This and the eye below were studies on http://www.onlypencil.com/blog/. Go check it out.

t.a.d. 22 cats eye

This is a study of a cats eye, trying to work on details. I missed a couple thing a days, I am hoping to finish out the week, maybe doing cat *parts* and then putting them all together in a final drawing.

t.a.d. 19 The Cure

Heike, my german sister-in-law says of my cold, "drink a warm beer and go to bed", she says thats what her mother would have told her. I don't think Coors can compare with a stout German lager...but I poured some in my mug and microwaved it, and drank it warm....and now I am off to bed.

t.a.d.18 skull

My entry tonite, was started last night, coming down with a cold so, did some shadow work...and called it done.

EDM 211/T.A.D. 17

These are Georgia O'Keeffe's Oriental Poppies, 1927. My EDM sketch in the style of.....I tryed to do it with colored pencils, but it wasn't working, that is why the left hand poppy is darker. I saved the image in black and white.

t.a.d.16 pinecone and pencils

Pine cone and pencils...a very quick sketch...unable to load up on T.A.D. I am hoping I will be able to get it up there later.

The silent pencil....

T.A.D. 13, didn't happen today...sorry. I am disappointed in myself, because I did want to do this for 28 days straight. I did a lot of *things* on the 13Th, I went to work, I used my lunch hour to grocery shop, and put things away at home. The week all cascaded upon me by Friday I was too tried to be creative, and headed off to bed around 8:30, even turning the TV off durning the Red Wings game...yes, I know...but I was THAT tired...I have my second drawing class today downtown, preceded by breakfast with friends. We woke up this morning to two inches of snow, so everything that was melted away with our two day heat wave is now covered. It looks nice and *clean* again, and peaceful.

t.a.d.12 puppy

This was a puppy I seen in a magazine. I started it at work, on break and tried to finish tonite, I hurried as it was late. I couldn't load it up on thing a day site, so it is here...again for proof, 12 days and counting...

t.a.d.11 goldfinch

I wasn't sure if I was going to make my *thing a day* tonite....but I am happy to say...11 days and counting...This is a rustic woodcarving of a goldfinch, that I decided to sketch.

t.a.d. 10 cody revisited

This is another try at Cody...I am still not happy with it, I will be revisiting this picture again.

t.a.d.9 Mac 1 continued

Ok, this isn't done, but I needed something for todays sketch, I worked on it tonite, but as I look at it I will be able to see what I need to do next...just have to step back and then come back to it, it has some problems, but still some hope.

t.a.d. 8 mac2

This is a different angle of Mac, I was trying to apply some of the techniques from class and apply it this today's picture. Mac is a Black Lab/Retriever mix. He is a very gentle sweet dog.

t.a.d. 7 mac

This is a start of a drawing of one of our dogs, Mac. It isn't the best scanning. I started a drawing class today, and I decided to stick with what I love, animals. It was a little scary to go into a new class and put pencil to paper....exposed to the world, so to speak, and try to focus. I got some great tips, on how to begin, and expand a drawing..I am hopeful...

t.a.d.6 sketchy cat

This is my sketch, day 6. Its from an online lesson...he appears to be quite introspective....

t.a.d.5 macaw

This is a sketch of a macaw I took a picture of at the Binder Park Zoo.

t.a.d. 4 cody

Well...here is #4....I have tried to draw Cody before, and he is a challenge. He is a long haired black and white cat. He is my buddy, I wish I could do him justice. I don't particularly like this sketch, but, it is what I did for today...and this is a learning journey....and this is my truth for the day.

Thing a Day...Day 3

This is a pencil sketch I did today for my Thing a Day...day 3. This is Bailey, my brother Steve and Heikes kitty. She is a calico, and I tried to portray that with different pencil intensity's.

Thing a Day...Day 2

This is day 2. One of my goals was to walk 10,000 steps a day, as you can see above I walked 10,355 today, with the help of the treadmill, on most days I was an average of 7000 steps at work. Three days a week I walk after work on my treadmill.

Thing a Day....Day 1

This in my first post for Thing a Day. It is a pencil sketch of one of my cats; Lilly...or Lilly Monster as she is sometimes referred to as. I sketched this from a photo I took of her. This took longer than an hour, we have four cats, and they all were jumping up on my lap to observe the progress.

Sketch a day....day one

I started to sketch my dog Mac, then one of my cats Jaz jumped up on my lap...and well...I lost the pose....

A new class...

I was walking downtown yesterday on break and in the window of the art supply shop was a sign, drawing classes.....it was a SIGN.....so I went inside to inquire. It is only four two hour sessions each Saturday in February....I would like to try someone Else's *teachings*. I know ultimately...it is up to me to PRACTICE....which I could be doing now, I know, and I do pick up a pencil and scratch out a small picture, a shoe, a cup....nothing much...... Classes give me a reason....perhaps the class I need is Motivation....I suppose I could take all the classes in the world, if I can't be self-motivated then what good are they....I don't know the answer to this...I just know it can't hurt. Maybe the class I need to take besides motivation, is discipline. Maybe I will take my sketching bag to work today, and on break sketch something outside..Well, actually I need to walk down to the art supply store and put a down payment on the class to hold my spot....once that is done, well...its a done deal...I think I am getting excited.

Paint pony

Just goofing around with microsoft paint on my computer, since I haven't done much sketching...just bits and pieces. Thought I would throw it out there...

2009...Ah....a Fresh New Year!!!!

New years resolution......


DRAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!