Tag: pen and ink

January 7, 2015

Intentions for 2015

First, a wintry drawing for the start of the bitterly cold part of winter…

2015 will be a year of adventure for me. I will be leaving my safe and secure little nest on the edge of a lake for a house of my own. I am a little nervous, but mostly excited. My house won’t be very pretty in the beginning, but I will perfect it over time. My mind has been busy formulating ideas for how to set it up and design it. The most exciting part is that I will have my own studio, a big room for myself…plus a separate bedroom, a bright kitchen, and a living room with a fireplace. My daughter will also have a nice neighborhood to grow up in. I have been dreaming of my house for years now, and it’s surprising how much of this house is actually what I was dreaming of all along.

In terms of my artwork, I have a lot of work to do because I have empty walls to fill. I can understand the feeling of overwhelm that artists can feel before a gallery show at the sheer amount of work to do. However, I have no deadlines, and that might work against me too. In the words of Neil Gaiman*, “Try to make your time matter: minutes and hours and days and weeks can blow away like dead leaves, with nothing to show but time you spent not quite ever doing things, or time you spent waiting to begin.”

My art goals this year are to keep working on things and always have a project in the works. I also want to concentrate on pen and ink and watercolor and different combinations of the two.

*I really liked Neil Gaiman’s new year’s post.

December 20, 2014

Merry Christmas

Carolyn A Pappas, Festive Old Door. Ink and colored pencil, apx. 7 x 5 inches.

I would like to wish everyone a lovely and stress-free Christmas. I am having a wonderful time with my family this year, and my daughter, who is 3, is so much fun at her age. I did not buy her too many toys, but instead only a few nice ones.

This drawing is what I used for my Christmas card this year, based on this Creative Commons licensed photograph. Because I used this photo for a reference, I will release my drawing under the same license for other people to use as they would like. Feel free to download the high resolution version on flickr.

I used a dip pen and colored pencil and it has a whimsical feel that I enjoy. When I was working on this drawing, I was reminded of an assignment I had in a pen and ink class I took once, to draw a doorway. Breaking out the dip pens was also a rewarding experience, and I was reminded of all the advantages of the dip pen, mainly the variation that is possible in line width. Drawing with a dip pen is also a slower process for me, and I find it more relaxing.

October 30, 2014

More sketches of blossoms.

I wish I had done more ink drawing in October. I have, however, started going to the gym again after over a five year break, so I am proud of myself in that regard. Already I have noticed a huge improvement in my sleep and clarity of thought.

Below are some more sketches I made in my new gray toned sketchbook. I really like this book because of the soft feel of the cover (almost a silky feeling), the general substantial feel of the book in my hands, and the color of the paper. There is some drag on my fountain pen which I don’t like, but I enjoy the color of the gray ink on the gray paper, so there are tradeoffs. I tried out colored pencils but I would like to do some experiments using black and white colored pencils for drawing.

October 11, 2014

Weeknight Pen and Ink

I’ve been continuing to work in pen and ink for #inktober and I’m pleased that I have sketched most nights this week, although I haven’t done much by way of experimentation. One of these days I hope to take out my dip pens for a change.

October 5, 2014

Dirt Floor

You know, people talk about this being an uncertain time. You know, all time is uncertain. I mean, it was uncertain back in 2007 – we just didn’t know it was uncertain. It was uncertain on September 10th, 2001. It was uncertain on October 18th, 1987 – you just didn’t know it. -Warren Buffett

October 4, 2014

Inktober

I’m a few days into the month already, but I stumbled upon Inktober and I think it’s a great idea, considering how much I love ink. I decided to participate, with some modifications as I’m sure I won’t be able to complete a daily drawing, or even post every day. I will be able to put some work in on a drawing every day though, and I will post updates throughout the month.

This is the drawing that I have been working on in my sketchbook after work this past week. It is loosely based on a photo of mine, but mostly made up. I like flowers with many little parts and drawings that are done slowly and repetitively.

September 13, 2014

Birches

I left the sketchbooks in the freezer for 5 days and there are no signs of the spider mites, except for a few spots on some of the pages indicating that the bugs that were alive are now dead. I’m glad to have my books back. Also, my strategy of using the rubbing alcohol to wipe down my desk has worked. I am now looking out for an artificial plant as I’m not going to risk bringing in a live one after this experience.

Here are some things that I came across recently that I liked:

Wil Freeborn wrote a great informative article about pens and inks: All I Know About Inking.
PBS did a nice program on Whistler in James McNeill Whistler: The Case for Beauty. Check it out if you can.

September 5, 2014

Infestation

On Tuesday I sat down to work in my sketchbook and I noticed teensy tiny little bugs crawling across the page. They were brownish orange and so tiny that you would not normally notice them. I was so bothered that I decided to put my sketchbook in the freezer to try to kill them off. Then, I noticed the bugs were all over my desk and were crawling up and down my lamp and had built teensy tiny spider webs on it. I was so repulsed! Then, I noticed that these bugs were coming out of my plant (a palm), which I had gotten in the past month or so. The plant was completely covered with these near microscopic bugs and there were tiny webs all over it.

Some leaves on the plant had recently been turning brown and I thought that I must be over watering it. But after searching online, it seems like the poor plant was infested with spider mites. The little buggers must have crawled up my lamp cord which was touching the plant and got onto my desk from there.

I burned the plant in the firepit and then swabbed down my desk and lamp with rubbing alcohol. I also found the spider mites in another sketchbook (my moleskine), so both of them are now in the freezer. I’m thinking of leaving it in the freezer for a few days and then thawing it before refreezing, to give any eggs a chance to hatch in case they survive the freezer. I hope this takes care of them.

When this problem is gone, I will get a silk plant. I have also gotten a new sketchbook in the meantime. A hardcover, 8.5 x 11 inch Strathmore Artist Journal with gray toned paper. I will let you know what I think of it in a future post.

August 10, 2014

Filling my Reservoir

I took a bus trip to Newport, RI yesterday with my sisters. I am close enough to Newport that I could go whenever I want, but I don’t go as often as I would like and it was nice to go via bus because I didn’t have to worry about driving or parking. I didn’t take very many photos but I felt like I soaked up a lot of inspiration like I always do whenever I visit. I really like the seaside/nautical atmosphere and water in general.

Right now we are in a drought and the water level in the lake is very low. My energy/creativity levels have been somewhat on that same level lately but I feel that this outing yesterday refueled me creatively. The prospect of fall coming is really starting to excite me. The most exciting prospect of this upcoming fall and winter is that my space is now fully insulated and heated and I will have a comfortable place to work.

August 2, 2014

Settling In

I moved back home a week ago and I’ve spent the last week getting settled in, which will be an ongoing process I’m sure. It is so nice to have fully insulated smooth walls, air conditioning (not in a window), hardwood floors and a closet. I got rid of a number of unnecessary possessions to make room but also upgraded some others. My space looks more cohesively decorated with a new rug, lamp, metal cabinet to store my art supplies and a cute little bluetooth speaker to replace my old clunky stereo. I even got a miniature palm tree.

I feel very relieved to have this project done. Already my sleep has improved just from being in a more comfortable environment and I am looking forward to getting back into my sketchbook. The sketch below was one that I found in my sketchbook from June, before I packed it away in a box and forgot to use it.