Tag: trees

pen and ink winter trees

Bonus Art Day

The blizzard we had yesterday turned out to be a blessing in disguise, an extra day off work and time to spend inking and watercoloring. I made the picture below, plus got a good chunk done on something else which is in progress. I had fun experimenting with the circular format (4 inch diameter) and now my little card is on its way in the mail as an after Christmas thank you note.

pen and ink winter trees
©2015 Carolyn A Pappas, Snow Trees 1. Ink and watercolor on 5 x 7 inch greeting card.
pen and ink inktober trees

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.

pen and ink inktober trees
©2014 Carolyn A Pappas, Spring Woods Sketch (10-10-2014). Ink in 8.5 x 11 gray toned sketchbook.
ocean rocks ink inktober
©2014 Carolyn A Pappas, Ocean Rock Study (10-8-14). Ink in 7×10 inch Stillman & Birn Epsilon Series sketchbook.
pen and ink inktober
©2014 Carolyn A Pappas, Spring Vignette (10-7-14). Ink in 7×10 inch Stillman & Birn Epsilon Series sketchbook.

birch trees ink drawing

Birches

birch tree ink sketch
©2014 Carolyn A Pappas, Birches (9-12-14). Ink in 7×10 inch Stillman & Birn Epsilon Series sketchbook.

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:

reservoir

Whimsy

reservoir
©2014 Carolyn A Pappas, Drive Over the Reservoir (2-26-14). Ink in moleskine.

A few weeks ago someone came to visit my house to look over some of my artwork (kind of like a studio visit, but not quite). She said to me that she sees whimsy in my work some of the times but not at others.

This has got me thinking a lot about the direction that I see for my work in the future. I have never thought of my work as “whimsical” before but I have been feeling that my work has been missing something for awhile now and some whimsy might be just right.

I have started a new pen and ink (and watercolor) which is based on my imagination and memory. It’s a little scary to work on because I am not using a set up from life or even a photo references for the most part. When I have more of the ink done, I will post some work in progress pics.

tree trunk

Special Tree (5-3-14)

tree trunk
©2014 Carolyn A Pappas, Special Tree (5-3-14). Ink in 7×10 inch Stillman & Birn Epsilon Series sketchbook.

Part way through drawing this I realized that I was using quite a “vice grip” on my pen. Afterwards, I made a conscious effort to hold my pen more gently and I could see how this made a difference in my line quality. I will be thinking more about my posture and grip when making my next drawing.

I really love the Epsilon Series paper in the Stillman & Birn sketchbooks for pen and ink. The pen glides over the paper with no resistance. Unlike other papers, the ink dries quickly and doesn’t sit on top of the paper increasing the potential for smudges. I wish this company sold this paper in tear out pads though. They do carry it in 22″ x 30″ loose sheets, but I don’t have a good way to store paper this size.