BlueBird Hill

right now

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

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"right now" staying focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, an image from the week, with no words or a few words, that acknowledges the "right now". If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

Sketchbook Tuesday - housekeeping

2012-01-24T18:17:00.000-05:00

I realized that I had skipped posting this page earlier in the month and thought now would be as good a time as any to share. And naturally when I did the sketch I had put the wrong date down on the page. Oh well, January was newer then.

But yes, housekeeping. You may remember that I have occasionally mentioned various de-cluttering projects. Working with that in mind I have begun de-cluttering paper work and organizing my routine. All in an effort to simplify my days and create calm in our home life. I was inspired by this post to create my own 'life binder', so I have been organizing files and papers in an effort for it all to make more sense. In my younger days I never would have imagined myself as a woman who would be overly concerned with keeping house. I have actually had conversations recently about laundry detergent, of all things. From my own mother I learned that housekeeping created anger. But back then I never imagined that I would be a mom, homeschooling, and working from home either. Which brings me back to housekeeping. It's a job like any other, and when done with imagination and integrity it can bring comfort. And for that opportunity I am grateful.

right now

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

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Sketchbook Tuesday - green things

2012-01-17T16:54:00.000-05:00

Here we are in the grayest, darkest season of the year, yet I have managed to find some green things to sketch in my journal. This was done the other evening when I should have been getting dinner started. Because people were hungry. Sometimes meals are a little later in the evening when I cook, especially if I feel the need to get in a sketch first.

I found a hyacinth at the grocery and brought it home in order to bring a little spring inside on these gray, winter days. I was hoping that it would have blue blooms that I love. But it has begun blooming now and the blossoms are white. Still pretty and it smells wonderful.

You know, sometimes I leave a lot of white space on my journal pages when I do a sketch. Often times that space gets filled later on with writing or a quote from my reading. And sometimes I just like the feeling of space on the page with the sketch. One never knows. Just in case you were wondering...

right now

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

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Winter Field

2012-01-11T12:45:00.000-05:00

Winter Field

graphite on 500 bristol board

6 x 8 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

Here is my latest drawing finished. It was a pleasure to work in graphite again. The scene is from a view just down the road from my house, from last winter when there was much more snow on the ground. Although I am not complaining, not one bit. I am thinking of doing a companion piece or two for this one before I tire of graphite and get back to my colored pencils.

I have also made this piece available a prints and cards on my Fine Art America shop. Since I set this shop up some time ago I have pretty much left it neglected. Now, however, I have plans to keep it more active and will be occasionally adding works available as prints and rotating out some of the older pieces. There is also a link over there on the side bar if you'd like to check it out.

Sketchbook Tuesday - orange

2012-01-10T11:31:00.001-05:00

So, I was shopping with Kiddo at the mall and we stopped in at her favorite doo-dads store because she wanted to spend some of her gift money on a hat she had spotted there. As we were leaving, there was a display of handbags near the entrance and I swear I heard this one call my name. Even though I have never owned an orange bag in my life. I have brown, black, blue, and in some of my wilder moments have purchased khaki colored bags, but never orange. But I do like the style with a cross body strap and plenty of pockets. And now, whenever I look at this orange bag, it makes me happy.

right now

2012-01-06T14:12:00.000-05:00

As I was sitting here choosing a photo for this Friday's post I was thinking about trying something a little different with this idea, in order to make it more my own. I have been posting photos on Fridays for quite some time now and by doing so I have been motivated to capture all those little moments from the week that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Or at least lost from my visual memory. There are days that seem to slip through my fingers like water. While sketching does keep memories of a place or time alive, as an artist who is also a homeschooling mom, who has the laundry and dinner, spelling tests, lesson plans, and where are my socks to tend to, even a quick sketch sometimes just doesn't happen. I have found that by collecting these simple snap shots that a moment can be saved, and shared.

What I am proposing, in keeping with my thoughts for this year to stay focused on the present, mindful and in the moment, is to continue with photos on Friday, an image from the week, with no words or a few words, that acknowledges the "right now". If you would like to join me in this mindful weekly exercise, put a link in the comments for this post to share your "right now" image.

What's on the drawing board

2012-01-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

After finishing my last colored pencil piece, I was more than ready to do something a little different. I had been thinking about trees and snow. This is just the start of a new drawing in graphite, a snowy field. This field is actually right in my neighborhood and looked much like this yesterday with our bitterly cold, blowing snow day. It will be 6 x 8 inches when finished.

Sketchbook Tuesday - Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T11:48:00.000-05:00

It's a new year - 2012. Can you believe it? Gosh, I feel old. Yet, occasionally I still like to try new things. Like the clementines that I tried for the first time over the holidays. I had no idea.

And my new header up there. I'll try that out for a while and see.

Santa brought me a wonderful gift. I must have been pretty good this year. It all started when I picked up a copy of Joe's Journals, The Art and Tales of a Sojourner by Joe Miller, when in Cheap Joe's around Thanksgiving time. If you enjoy looking through artists' watercolor sketchbooks, this is a great book. It is filled with Joe Miller's beautiful watercolor sketches from his travels around home, here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and places farther away, as well as his thoughts and notes.

In the back of the book he notes his usual sketching supplies and referenced a watercolor palette and paints that he prefers. Because I enjoyed his sketches and the colors he used I went searching for this palette but couldn't find it. However, I did find the one sketched above on his website. Apparently it is a new item for Cheap Joe's. It's called the American Journey Voyager 12 Color Full Pan Set. Well, that went on my Christmas wish list!

And I love it. The box is a sturdy metal tin and bigger than the little tin I had been using, yet it folds up nicely into a convenient size for travel. It has plenty of mixing space and the full pans are removable so you can switch out colors if you'd like. I was feeling that I had gotten myself into a bit of a rut with the colors I had been using so it is really refreshing for me to have a change of palette. Here is the color chart that came with the set, filled in by me. You can click the image to see larger.

I plan on trying a few other new things this year. You may even get to read about some of them here on this blog. And for the first time in several years I haven't made a list of goals, or reviewed the last year's accomplishments or lack there of. Yes, there are those things I would like to achieve but more than that I want to focus on the present. Stay mindful and in the moment. Now, is my word for this year.

Happy Solstice!

2011-12-21T22:29:00.000-05:00

"Solstice Sun, Shining Bright!

Shortest Day & Longest Night.

Solstice Wish of Hope & Cheer:

Peace on Earth, throughout the Year!"
- Selena Fox

Lots of projects going on around here. Many plans for our winter break have been made, including a healthy amount of "down time". We are enjoying the peace. Celebrating the turning of the year and so ready for the days to begin to grow longer again. In order to fully attend to the festivities and my many projects that I hope to accomplish, I am going to take a short break from this space. I plan to return refreshed and with new ideas and art to share. May you enjoy peace and light during your holidays and throughout the coming year.

Sketchbook Tuesday - Buddy Hollyday

2011-12-20T11:19:00.000-05:00

This is Buddy Hollyday, one of our Christmas decorations. When Kiddo was small she acquired many stuffed toys. The ones that were Christmas themed have remained as part of our decorating for the holidays. I don't remember exactly when Buddy joined the ranks, but he gets to come out of the box with the ornaments and other decorations each year and spend a few weeks sitting on a shelf observing the seasonal festivities.

And it wouldn't be Christmas for Kiddo without baking cookies. Lots of cookies. This first batch is oatmeal chocolate chip. Next up are decorated sugar cookies, then snow balls, and I think ginger snaps are on her list too. Did I mention fudge? Yes, there will be fudge. Oh my.

(this moment)

2011-12-16T10:04:00.002-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Details

2011-12-14T14:09:00.000-05:00

After posting this piece a few days ago, I was asked by Revelle of Image Maker to post a few detail, close up images. I know I always want to see art works up close and am often disappointed when artists keep their images too small to enlarge on blogs. You can click on the images here to see them even bigger if you like. Above is from the lower left where the water is splashing on the rocks.

This is from the center, where the water is rushing down between the rocks. I used my erasers to lift pigment for the white areas, and colored back into places to define the darker shapes. I used both kneaded eraser and a white plastic eraser stick.

In my previous post I had also asked for ideas for a title. You all gave me wonderful suggestions that inspired me to think more about the energy and movement. Which led me to Water Dance for its title.

Water Dance

colored pencil on Rising Museum Board

7.5 x 9.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

I have also added a page to this blog, Works in Series. Here I have put together my recent colored pencil pieces into two series, Finding Water, and Shaped By Water. To me, they all seem to make much more sense when seen together.

Sketchbook Tuesday - New watercolor pencils

2011-12-13T18:42:00.000-05:00

I received an early holiday gift, a set of 12 Prismacolor watercolor pencils. It has been a little while since I worked with watercolor pencils, and the ones I have are not Prismacolor brand, so I got this new set out and gave them a whirl. First I made the color chart shown below in the back of my sketch journal. What I immediately liked about these was the way they laid down on the paper. Very creamy and smooth, just like you'd expect from Prismacolors. They did dissolve nicely when touched with a water brush. I also played around with them sketching Christmas tree ornaments last evening. I discovered that the black is very intense and that drawing the snow man in graphite first was a bad idea. To brighten him up I went back in with a white gel pen, which I also used in a few other places on the other ornament sketches. And a little brown Micron pen too.

The range of colors in the set of 12 is okay. I love that dark umber and the Copenhagen blue. I can see replacing a couple of the others down the line though, if I continue to use these for sketching. I do like that every pencil mark doesn't wash away, leaving some saturated linear elements here and there. And again, I loved the creamy, soft feel of drawing with these. All in all, I believe I could have some fun with this set!

Stream - finished!

2011-12-11T16:15:00.001-05:00

Stream

colored pencil on Rising Museum Board

7.5 x 9.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

Betcha thought I'd never finish this one! Well, I have come to a stopping place and I am ready, more than ready, to move on. I must admit, that I haven't worked very consistently on this piece. More about that later. But I do feel the need to take a break from drawing water images for a bit. I've been thinking about graphite, trees, and snow. We'll see.

The thing about not working consistently is really due to a number of factors. One is that I have been more interested in just working in my sketchbooks these days. Another issue is that homeschooling kiddo has been taking more time this year. Her lessons require more time for her to do and more input from me. The realization that 7th grade is almost 8th grade, which is almost high school (yikes!), and skills need to be mastered, topics explored more deeply, and will we ever find success with a foreign language program? Then there's all of the other stuff I have been enjoying. Like helping Kiddo learn to cook, and working with her on her crocheting. All of this is probably one reason why a sketchbook format is more appealing for me now. Yet I do have lots of ideas I want to try, like what I mentioned above. I could easily fill several more hours each day.

One more thing about this drawing. . . I am not entirely satisfied with my uninspired choice for the title. Any ideas would be most welcome!

(this moment)

2011-12-09T10:43:00.001-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Sketchbook Tuesday - Poinsettia blossom

2011-12-06T11:20:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, I played around with trying to capture a blossom of our annual poinsettia plant in watercolor. Those reds were not so easy to match. At times more orange, then pink in places, it seemed they were changing hue while I sketched. But sketching a poinsettia is something I have done in my sketch journals consistently for the past few years. Gets me in the holiday mood every time.

(this moment)

2011-12-02T15:04:00.001-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Sketchbook Tuesday - a weekend of sketching

2011-11-29T16:37:00.001-05:00

I hope all of my American readers had a good holiday this past week. We sure did. It included a wonderful visit from a great friend who in addition to bringing photos and sketches from his travels also brought a new recipe to try for our Thanksgiving dinner. Mashed parsnips with carrots and parsley. Yum! Of course we all had to sketch the parsnips. Mine is above.

As is our tradition, we headed over to our local tree farm to pick up a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. It was unusually sunny and warm, about 60 degrees F! Above is a view looking across the road from the entrance to the farm, sketched from a photo once home.

This is a view from the tree farm, again sketched from a photo. The pine branch I added later from life, one of the clippings from our tree. And yes, our tree is now up and fully decorated. Just in time too. With the snow we are getting here today it really does feel like the holiday season has begun.

(this moment)

2011-11-25T11:09:00.001-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Sketchbook Tuesday - a lesson in seeing

2011-11-22T11:48:00.001-05:00

This is the second sketch that I did in my sketchbook of this bowl of apples. I am not going to show you the first because it did not make me happy. When I first sat down at the table with this bowl of apples in front of me and started in with my watercolor I was thinking about a billion things, none of them having anything to do with sketching. So I began by painting the bowl. I then looked, and had placed the bowl right in the middle of the page. Why did I do that? But, still without thinking I continued to paint, putting the apples into the bowl. It was awful. A struggle, to say the least. So I put my sketching gear away, disappointed with my lack of attention and my failed sketch.

The next day, feeling calmer, I decided that I really did want to try to get a sketch of these apples in this blue glass bowl. So I started in again, only this time I began by looking at the apples. I painted in the apple shapes one at a time and when satisfied enough then I began to concentrate on the bowl. Even though the perspective isn't perfect, by looking at the apples first I was able to get a sketch that pleased me, the one posted above. I suppose some days are like that. You are either looking at the bowl containing the apples or seeing the apples in the bowl.

(this moment)

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Sketchbook Tuesday - Two for one

2011-11-15T12:54:00.001-05:00

Two sketches today, just for one visit. Above is a sketch from a photo that I took through the car's wind shield with my phone's camera while driving home one evening last week. With the moon rising the light was magical. I posted the photo here.

I had been wanting zucchini bread for breakfast for some time now and finally made some last weekend. No one complained. It's a recipe that I have had for so long that I don't even remember where it came from. Back when we could grow zucchini I used to grate it and freeze in baggies in 2 cup quantities, since my favorite recipes using zucchini call for 2 cups. In this way I could make zucchini patties, muffins, and bread throughout the winter. Here's my zucchini bread recipe :

Zucchini Bread

(makes 2 loaves)

~ 3 eggs

~ 2 cups sugar

~ 1 cup oil

~ 3 cups flour

~ 1 tsp. baking soda

~ 1 tsp. salt

~ 1/2 tsp. baking powder

~ 2 tsp. cinnamon

~ 2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini

~ 2 tsp. vanilla

~ optional ~ 1 cup oatmeal

Cream together eggs, sugar, and oil. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Bake in 350 F oven 1 hour to 1 hour + 10 minutes or when tested done with a toothpick. Cool.

This bread freezes beautifully.

(this moment)

2011-11-11T09:01:00.001-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

The next step

2011-11-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Here is my current colored pencil drawing in its next stage. That point when I am already looking forward to the next piece that I will do and really wishing that I could get this one to a state of completion. But drawing this way is not something that can be rushed. Since I posted the last WIP of this drawing, I have filled in the rocks in the upper right and begun filling in areas of color in the water at the central part of the composition. These shapes of color are then further defined and altered by drawing the white shapes back into them with either a kneaded eraser or white plastic eraser stick. Then I go back with more color to deepen the contrast or adjust the shapes. As I expand the areas of color I tend to go back and further define previously drawn areas. Kind of like two steps forward and three back. But eventually I get there. Somehow.

Sketchbook Tuesday - here again

2011-11-08T11:14:00.000-05:00

How can it be so long since my last post? Well, I was kind of busy doing other things and before I knew it an entire week had flown by. Even though I had done a few sketches and worked a little more on my current colored pencil drawing, I just didn't feel that I had anything significant to share. But I do plan to be back on track now. Anyway, here are a couple of things found in my yard on a November day, watercolor in my handmade sketchbook.

(this moment)

2011-10-28T12:04:00.001-04:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Sketchbook Tuesday - soup time

2011-10-25T18:18:00.000-04:00

One of the many things that I love about autumn is making big pots of soup. Soup keeps us going on busy days. For our family of three I make enough soup at one time to feed at least twelve. Sometimes more. Leftovers are frozen in serving sizes appropriate for the three of us. Then I am afforded days when my most difficult task preparing dinner is thawing and re-heating some of that goodness. This past weekend was the first pot of minestrone for this season - a favorite with the Professor.

I was catching up with one of my favorite blogs of late, Beauty That Moves, and am now inspired to make some changes in how I shop for groceries and what I keep stocked in our pantry. Because we are omnivores, I know we could never meet her $400/month grocery challenge, but perhaps some planning ahead beyond just one week could stretch our grocery dollars a bit further. Maybe it's the cooler weather that has me wanting to stock up, be prepared, ready to make lots more soup, of course!

(this moment)

2011-10-21T09:25:00.000-04:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

A little progress

2011-10-20T17:43:00.000-04:00

I have made only a little progress on this piece that I started here. (it's 7.5 x 9.5, colored pencil on Rising Museum board) Still quite a way to go but I am beginning to get a feel for how to draw the rushing water. Somewhat the same yet also different from drawing oceans and surf. With this drawing there is not only the water and the foamy splashes, but also the various colors and forms barely visible beneath the surface. So even though the water is moving very fast, my drawing of the water is very slow. That's okay though.

Sketchbook Tuesday - Beach stones

2011-10-18T11:05:00.000-04:00

I'm back from a few days away visiting with family. It's funny how just a few days can turn into a week with the preparing to leave and then the resettling once home again. Although the days away were a flurry of activity we did get out to look at the ocean for an hour or so. On that wide expanse of beach there were no shells in sight. I did pick up a few stones from the surf and dropped them into my bag. Back home, I dug them out and sketched then last evening. They seemed a good companion for this poem I came across a while back.

Tangled

We return to hear the waves

rolling onto the beach one

after the other connecting

us like blood.

We were listening long before

we came here, remembering

wind spinning salt through

interrupted sunlight.

This is a place where dreams

return as fish bones

tangled in seaweed.

Whatever sorrows come

are folded into the sea,

rinsed clean and kept

- unbearable secrets.

-Marjory Heath Wentworth-

South Carolina Poet Laureate

Sketchbook Tuesday - Autumn

2011-10-11T11:50:00.000-04:00

It was such a gorgeous weekend here that we played tourists and joined the "leaf-lookers" for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The colors were amazing, almost impossible to capture with a camera or sketch. But we tried anyway. I did this sketch from a photo once home.

(this moment)

2011-10-07T10:01:00.000-04:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Sketchbook Tuesday - Falling leaves

2011-10-04T17:58:00.000-04:00

And falling they are. It is starting to get really pretty here with the Autumn colors of the leaves. These were leaves that blew onto our deck.

This was a leaf that I found in a parking lot and brought home to sketch. I know, I'm just a little weird that way. But with the colors of the trees changing daily, how can I resist?

It's a start

2011-10-03T15:49:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have started another colored pencil drawing. I began with a loose grisaille in warm grays, mostly to map in the darker areas of the rocks and shadows in the water, to keep from getting totally lost. It measures 7.5 x 9.5 inches. I have started with the local color from the top left. As I move along in the image I continually go back into previously drawn areas to make adjustments. This back and forth dance will continue until I have the entire image covered. Then it's more tweaking before I call it finished. However, this is one of those subjects that has me wondering, what must I have been thinking to take this one on?

(this moment)

2011-09-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Sketchbook Tuesday - Season's change

2011-09-27T20:09:00.000-04:00

With the change of each new season I begin a new sketch journal. This pumpkin came home with us from the grocery last week so it marks the first sketch in my Autumn sketch journal.

Here is my now retired Summer journal and my newly begun Autumn sketch journal is the blue and white one on the top. It makes the eighth journal that I have made myself for my sketching use. Since the very first one that I began in the winter or '09-'10, I have consistently made and started each new journal with the beginning of each season. At first it just worked out that way. Now it's something that I have to do. Every quarter turn of the year I am planning and constructing a new sketchbook. I have never run short of pages yet I don't always fill every page before the next Equinox or Solstice arrives. And sometimes I think I should just wait until I completely fill the current sketch journal before moving on to the next, but I don't. The urge to start again with the new season has become too great. It's my ritual now, I suppose.

In case you are wondering, my handmade sketchbooks wouldn't win any prizes in bookbinding, that's for sure. But they do work very well for me. The pages are 5.5 x 7.5 inches. With this size I don't have any paper waste when tearing down the paper for the signatures. It takes two full sheets (22 x 30") to make one sketch book. I also like working with this scale and proportion as a sketching format. I have seven signatures of Canson Edition paper, which is a sturdy, multi-media paper that I enjoy. I have used bright white, cream, antique white, vanilla, I like them all. I also have a signature in the front and in the back that have one sheet of Canson Edition on the outside and plain, old copy paper, about 10 sheets, inside each. So there are 9 signatures total in my sketchbooks. In the first signature (with the copy paper) I paste in calendar pages and use these as planning pages. In the last signature with the copy paper I keep a written journal, reflecting on what has happened during that season. I use fabric for the covers of these books, mining my stash left over from sewing days. I may actually have to break down and buy some more fabric soon though. I have used various papers for the end papers inside the cover, most often Mi-Teintes, again, because I happened to have that sitting around. A pocket inside the back cover and a ribbon bookmark makes it complete. And that's how I make my sketch journals. For now, anyway.

"All my journals are like strangers to me when I meet them

and are my best friends by the time I have to say good-bye."

Caatje of Caatje's Artsy Stuff

More information and inspiration on book making
Paper and Threads
Trumpetvine Travels
(I use her instructions for stitching my signatures)
Creating Books and Boxes by Benjamin D. Rinehart
(I follow the instructions in this book for making the covers)

(this moment)

2011-09-23T09:57:00.003-04:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Sketchbook Tuesday - Marsh Memories

2011-09-20T18:21:00.000-04:00

Sitting here in our mountains on these cool, wet foggy days, I find myself longing for the Low Country. A wide horizon with a watery view. This is a quick sketch from one of my many photos, done with watercolor pencils and a little colored pencil over top.

(this moment)

2011-09-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Sea Urchin

2011-09-15T17:24:00.000-04:00

Sea Urchin

colored pencil on Rising Museum Board

5.5 x 7.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

A little here and a little there and I have finally reached a stopping point with this drawing. It still needs a bit of cleaning up, and I may still do some tweaking, but I am ready to let this on sit a while.

This little sea urchin is one of our beach finds and now lives in a pretty glass bowl on a table near our front entrance, along with other treasures from the sea. Now to select my next project. I have been thinking about getting those oils out again, but do I really have the time? Hmmm. . .

Sketchbook Tuesday - Trees

2011-09-13T18:10:00.001-04:00

Busy days lately. I still haven't established a workable routine for myself since we started back full time with our homeschooling schedule a few weeks ago. I suppose I was spoiled with summer's lack of structure. Now that we are back at the books my days just slip away. When I realized how long it had been since I had scribbled anything in my sketchbook (or work on any other art), I stole a few moments last Saturday to sit in the sunshine on the deck and play with watercolor.

(this moment)

2011-09-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Sketchbook Tuesday - Pickle day

2011-09-06T14:26:00.000-04:00

It poured rain all day yesterday, as tropical storm Lee made its way up through our Southern mountains. So we did what any family would do on a washed out Labor Day holiday - we made pickles. I've had my mother-in-law's pickle recipe for years but never tried to make her delicious bread and butter pickles. Thinking about those pickles recently inspired us to give it a try. We bought a ton of locally grown, organic cucumbers (because you know we didn't grow cucumbers ourselves!) and pint jars, and set to work boiling jars and heating vinegar. Several hours later we had 10 pint jars filled and just a few left over cukes. It was a good pickle day.

(this moment)

2011-09-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

What's on the drawing board

2011-08-31T15:59:00.000-04:00

Here's the colored pencil drawing I am currently working on in its beginning stages. You can see where I have begun blocking in some of the darker areas and bits of color here and there over my first layer of a creamy yellow. It still has a long way to go before completion, but it's only approximately 5 x 7 inches, so hopefully this little sea urchin won't take me too awfully long to finish.

Sketchbook Tuesday - sage

2011-08-30T16:24:00.001-04:00

Despite my neglect, my herb garden has done well this year. I had plans to neaten it up and mulch around all of the plants but never got around to doing that. However, all of the herbs flourished and filled in the entire bed so that no weeds could be seen, so it didn't look too badly neglected. I have begun cutting some of the herbs for drying. I have oregano, thyme, chives, tarragon and sage. A lot of sage. The scent of sage is one of my very favorites.

How can a man grow old who has sage in his garden?

ancient proverb

(this moment)

2011-08-26T05:30:00.000-04:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

Sketchbook Tuesday - Squash

2011-08-23T18:07:00.000-04:00

No, I didn't grow these. Are you kidding me? But they looked great at the grocery with all of their various twisty stems. I just had to buy some. They are destined to be dinner later this week.

We started back full-time with our homeschool lessons this week. It's always tough getting going again after a break. Right now there seem to be so many reasons not to stay on task and the days so far are dragging on and on. Hard to convince this 12 year old that she could finish her work sooner if she didn't dawdle so much. Oh well. I am hoping we will ease into a more comfortable routine soon. And that I can stop dawdling and get some art work done.

(this moment)

2011-08-19T13:20:00.000-04:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-inspired by Amanda Blake Soule of SouleMama

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I apologize for the lack of posting this week. I was away for a few days and since being home it's all about catching up, you know. I do so appreciate all of the kind and encouraging comments on my last post. You all are the best motivators! I promise I will be back with more art very soon.

I have decided to resume my weekly postings of (this moment) images. I had let it go last winter and recently realized that I have very few images saved of our day-to-day since then. I miss that. Sometimes I wish there was a button to push, a way to stop time and say "now!", because each day is so precious. You turn around once and years have flown. So one way to do that is to cultivate the habit of saving images on my camera. Participating in (this moment) is the inspiration I need. If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link in the comments. I would love to see your extraordinary moments!

Daybreak

2011-08-12T09:33:00.000-04:00

Daybreak

colored pencil on Rising Museum Board

10.5 x 13.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

Here it is, more or less finished. I am stopping on this for the time being anyway, although I may go back and tweak a few things here and there after I have looked at it a while. I have to say that the sand/beach area was the most challenging area of the entire drawing. In the end it was cotton swabs that saved the day. They were just right for lightly smooshing (art terminology) the color together to get that sandy texture. I don't know that I'll try another one this large for a while, but I am glad that I did this piece in this size. I know it's not that large by any leap of the imagination, but it was just enough of a jump in scale to create new challenges for me. However, with smaller sized pieces I can explore many more ideas in the same space of time. So I figure it's a good thing to stretch yourself every now and again, just to keep everything fresh.

Sketchbook Tuesday - a little water play

2011-08-09T11:13:00.001-04:00

After working for so long on my current colored pencil piece I really needed a break to do something loose and splashy. So here is a quick sketch done with watercolor in my hand made sketchbook, a view of the creek at a nearby park. I haven't been out sketching as much as I would like this summer, just too darn hot. Hopefully that will change soon.

A quick update

2011-08-07T15:34:00.000-04:00

Here is where I am on my current colored pencil piece. As I move into each new area I continually go back and rework some of the previous parts. As you can see I have just begun to block in the color of the wet sand. When I move into the sand/beach at the bottom portion I will likely be making more adjustments to the water. I find I need something there in terms of color and value in order to make decisions about all the other parts and to hopefully bring a sense of unity to the scene.

Getting an image to post of this piece continues to be a challenge for me. At 10.5 x 13.5 inches it is too big to fit on my scanner. So it's taking photos indoors, outdoors in the shade, waiting for the sun to come out and then outdoors in the sun. Making comparisons to choose the best image. Trying to adjust the most acceptable image in photoshop. I miss being able to use my scanner! I have come to the realization that if I am going to work this large I either need a larger scanner or a professional photographer. Hopefully, the next time I post I will have a better image of this piece to show you! If all goes well, that is. And the light is just perfect for photographing. And the planets are aligned just so. And I have more patience with the whole process.

Sketchbook Tuesday - You say tomato

2011-08-02T18:14:00.000-04:00

I am a terrible gardener. There. I've said it. Not an easy thing to admit but it is time that I face up to the awful truth. What you see here are the only tomatoes from our 4 tomato plants. I could blame all of the rain that we have had that seemed to do the plants in before they really got going. Or our poor, clay soil (that I have done so little to help along), or that even though the vegies are planted in the sunniest location there is still a good amount of shade. But really, it has more to do with my inattention to the plants in general. Yeah, I've tried growing tomatoes and other vegies in pots and planters on the deck in quality, organic soil and where there is more sun. But just plain ignoring them, wherever they are planted, obviously doesn't produce results. I start out each spring so hopeful, full of good intentions, that I ultimately never follow through with. It is time that I realize it is actually in my best interest not to put these plants through the agony of neglect and never bring them home in the first place. Then I wouldn't have all of this guilt and the plants would have a chance to live productive lives in someone else's garden. I say that now. Please remind me to leave the vegetable plants alone when next spring rolls around, okay?

Progress

2011-07-29T16:08:00.000-04:00

I have made some progress on my latest colored pencil piece. I still have the breaking waves and water washing the sand, as well as the sand itself, to tackle. The waves will be challenging in that it was a very "flat" morning so they are small, subtle ripples instead of the bigger, splashing surf that I have done in the past. I also see now that I would like to darken some of those clouds and I am not entirely happy with the water to the right of the sunlight's reflection. But it usually works best for me to get everything up to a level of completion and then go back and do the fine tuning. The scene is from an early morning at the Outer Banks. Sure do wish I could be there now, putting my toes in the water. Lately, it has been hot for us here in our mountains. Has it been hot where you are? Let's go then.

Sketchbook Tuesday - Summer Blooms

2011-07-26T10:59:00.000-04:00

Some flowers from our garden. A cosmos, purple cone flowers and black-eyed susans, all in full bloom now. It has been so warm, wet, and steamy here that all the vegetation looks very lush and wild. I have heard that these Southern Appalachian mountains are a temperate rainforest. Well, this summer is certainly proving that to be true.

Back to the drawing board

2011-07-21T13:13:00.000-04:00

Slowly. Now that my tables are all painted, I am slowly getting back to working on this drawing that I first showed a bit of here. I still have a heck of a time getting a good image to post, but this does give some idea of where I am with it now. Overall, it is 10.5 x 13.5 inches, too big for my scanner. I don't know what I was thinking! I have the sky complete to a point, as I am sure that once I begin putting in the ocean and the sand that I will be making adjustments to the sky. This is all colored pencil (Faber-Castell Polychromos) on Rising Museum board.

I want to paint it

2011-07-14T15:09:00.000-04:00

white. Or why I haven't been drawing much lately. You see, last December I decided that this year was the year I was going to tackle our much neglected house with a few home improvement projects. Then the Professor added his own projects to the list and well, that has made for a pretty busy summer around here.

One of my projects was to refresh our living room. I had acquired these great end tables and a coffee table from a friend several years ago. (Hi Beth!) I had told her that if she were to ever get rid of them that I would like them. So when she replaced them with something new for her house, it was me or the donation pile and I gladly took them off her hands. We had talked about refinishing them but never seemed to get around to it. So last winter when I was brainstorming ideas for our living room I got out some magazine pictures I had saved over the years for inspiration. Looking through them I realized that a common theme to all of those saved photos of interiors was painted furniture. It turns out that I really like painted furniture. A little sanding, a couple coats of primer and paint later and I have new white tables for our living room.

Another big project has been some major de-cluttering. Bags and bags and bags of books have been donated to the library. It now feels like our book shelves can breathe. The bedroom closets and the attic are next. A dozen years in a house and so much stuff accumulates. Lately I have been reading about minimalism and find it a very attractive concept. But can two artists and a creative 12 year old come anywhere close to being minimalists? "Artist" and "minimalist" really do sound like opposing concepts. We are in the business of making stuff. Yet it seems like a worthy goal if for nothing else than the freedom of space for creativity to happen. Aside from the minimalist blogs listed in my side bar under 'Lifestyle', here are a couple more I have found that are also good reads.

miss minimalist
The Minimalist Woman
and this blogger, A Big Creative Yes, recently had a great post on clutter and creativity

Sketchbook Tuesday - There's always the laundry

2011-07-12T13:34:00.000-04:00

A quick sketch from last week that I did when I sat down to scribble a note in my sketch journal and spotted the laundry basket still waiting for its trip upstairs. For a household of only three it seems that most of our clothes, sheets and towels, most definitely towels, are in a constant state of transport by laundry hamper or basket. There's always laundry waiting to be done.

Other than laundry and a few sketches I have been mostly busy with home projects. I hope to get back to drawing soon. Maybe I'll take a few photos of my home fix-up projects for the next post. Just so you can see that I really haven't lounging around all summer.

Just what I needed

2011-07-05T14:06:00.000-04:00

We had a string of delightfully beautiful summer days last week, with highs barely reaching 80 degrees, low humidity, and lots of sunshine. Just had to get out for a little sketch outing so we stopped at a nearby park. As you can see, I didn't have my grove, or planets aligned, or something, and wasn't satisfied with my sketch. But it didn't matter. The idea of going out to sketch was nice enough. Once home, I tried rescuing my attempt with brown ink and white gel pen. That helped a little.

So it's not always about getting a good result. Sometimes it's just the doing that's important. I have been reminded of that as I read through Cathy Johnson's newest book, Artist's Journal Workshop. I have been waiting for this book to come out ever since I took a class from Kate of the same title back in 2009. It was as a result of that class that I began making my own sketch journals. Her instruction really helped me focus on the what and why of keeping a sketch journal. And now I am so pleased to have her book, Artist's Journal Workshop, it is a real gem. Beautiful illustrations from a variety of artists combined with the experience and wisdom of Kate's writing makes this book a valuable addition to my library. If you only get one book about journaling, this should be the one.

And so it begins

2011-07-01T10:09:00.000-04:00

This is just the very beginning of a large (for me) drawing. Overall, it is 10.5 x 13.5 inches in colored pencil on Rising Museum board. What you see here is only the start in the upper left corner of the drawing. The sky in this scene is a moody one, which should be fun to try to draw. However, it has been a long time since I did a piece that was too large to fit on my scanner. So it is a bit of an ordeal for me to get a "good enough" photo for posting. Hopefully I will have much more going on with this drawing soon, and so more for you to look at!

But since you are here and I have your attention I thought I'd take this opportunity to share with you a few art blogs that I have been enjoying lately. Maybe you already know of these artists. Maybe not. Either way - enjoy!

Catherine Hale - I discovered her landscape drawings on Flickr and fell in love with her expressive use of colored pencil. Checking out her blog revealed that same expression of mark making carries over into her oil paintings. Go see for yourself, her art is lively and wonderful.

Liz Patterson - I found while cruising through the blog listings on Colored Pencil Central. I don't know how I missed her gorgeous work before but it is very definitely worth a look.

dr kennedy jones - Oh my. I first discovered this wonderful collage artist through the Etsy blog and was immediately in awe of her work with cut paper. Amazing, strong graphic qualities combined with a few vintage elements give her work an other worldly feeling. If you are not familiar with this artist, well you just have to go see for yourself.

Do you have a recent artist blog discovery? Share a link in the comments if you do.

Sketchbook Tuesday - At the market

2011-06-28T10:44:00.000-04:00

Here's a watercolor sketch of some onions that I found at our local farmers' market last Saturday morning. The vendor where I purchased these had two stacks piled high with these colorful onions. I knew I was buying them primarily to sketch and hunted through each pile until I found an assortment that visually pleased me, while the Professor and Kiddo patiently waited. When it was my turn to pay, the Professor asked if I had looked through both piles of onions in order to find the perfect bunch. I mentioned to the vendor that I was choosing the onions based on which would make a good still life for painting. He smiled and then began discussing their rich color variations with me and how he peels back the outer layer in order to expose more color and loves the deep reds and violets in this variety. Then we had a good laugh about choosing vegetables based on aesthetic qualities.

It took a long time

2011-06-24T09:29:00.000-04:00

Long Time

colored pencil on Rising Museum Board

5.5 x 7.5 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

For some reason it took me a long time to complete this drawing. Partly because I have been busy with other projects lately. But also, I would only work on this in short spurts. I had difficulty sitting still for this one, as much as I wanted to see the finished product. So now, I am finally calling it finished, although after I live with it a few days I may tweak it a bit more. And I'm off to choose the next drawing subject, not sure what just yet. I still have other projects going on, too. Summer's the time for fixing up the house and yard. Lots to do there while we can, while the sun shines!

Sketchbook Tuesday - Summertime

2011-06-21T10:12:00.000-04:00

The Professor and I recently celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary. This is an occasion that we don't usually mark with gifts, choosing instead to dedicate a trip taken or a new item for our home for our anniversary. I happened to pick up these bluebird salt and pepper shakers and they became our anniversary gift this year. The other evening I sketched them in graphite and added watercolor pencil for a bit of color.

This sketch is one of the last remaining page spreads in my Spring sketch journal. And now today marks the beginning of summer. Time for a new season and a new sketch journal.

Happy Summer Solstice!

In summer, the song sings itself.

~William Carlos Williams

One at a time

2011-06-16T13:18:00.000-04:00

Tide 2

oil on canvas

6 x 6 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

This is the second painting in my Tide series and painting #60 of my 100 painting project. I still don't know how many of these little paintings of the surf I will do but I am enjoying the challenge of painting them. I am also enjoying the balance of alternating working in oil with colored pencil drawing. I don't know if I would ever settle on just one media as each has its own challenges and rewards. I suppose that if I had a larger working space I would have several projects going on at once. As it is, I paint one day, draw on another, and it's all good.

Sketchbook Tuesday - Distracted

2011-06-14T18:54:00.000-04:00

I have been distracted these past couple of days. Which is evident with my attempt at copying a quote from my current reading on this page. Oh well. Hopefully it will pass soon. This afternoon we paused on the lawn of the Jone's House to do some watercolor sketching. The flowers there are really looking beautiful.

Tides

2011-06-09T16:12:00.000-04:00

Tide 1

oil on canvas

6 x 6 inches

©Ann Thompson Nemcosky

This is painting #59 of my 100 painting project and the beginning of a series within that project. This is the first painting in that series focusing on tides. I have mentioned here previously my obsession with photographing the water and waves every time we visit the ocean. So I decided to put that obsession to good use and do a series of small 6 x 6 inch paintings, each focusing on the surf. My intention is to then hang these as a grouping. I have no plans for any specific number of paintings, just to keep going until my obsession is satisfied.

I want to thank everyone for their interest in my Pear tutorial posts last week. I have been looking for your pear drawings, so if you have one to post please let me know! Here is one very successful pear from Freebird Drawing.

Sketchbook Tuesday - This and that

2011-06-07T13:41:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple of sketches from last week, both were done in my handmade sketchbook. We finally got around to getting some flowers for the summer planters. These are sitting on our back deck.

And the nectarines at the grocery were so colorful that I couldn't resist picking up a few, to paint and to eat. They just say 'summer' to me.

Let's Draw a Pear! - the final steps

2011-06-03T12:03:00.000-04:00

This post concludes the tutorial, Let's Draw a Pear! with the final steps, 6 & 7.

Step Six : Using a kneaded eraser as a drawing tool to create texture

Now you are going to create the textured surface of the pear. Make your kneaded eraser into a pointed shape as shown in the photo above. Dab at areas to make spots where there are dots on the pear. You will probably need to keep reshaping the point on your eraser as it fills up with lifted colored pencil pigment. Your dots don’t have to be perfect. In fact, the irregularities will better mimic the actual spots on the pear. (Notice that I place a scrap piece of tracing paper under my hand to avoid smudging the drawing.)

Also dab at the edges of the white highlighted shapes in order to soften and create irregular edges.

Next, fill in some of the dabbed out dots with Light Yellow Ochre or Brown Ochre to create the dots on the pear. Use Burnt Umber for the dots in the darkest areas.

Step Seven : Putting the final touches on the drawing

Dab at the dots again in a random fashion, less carefully this time. This will make them more irregular in shape and tone. Then go over the entire area of yellow, except for the white highlights, with Cadmium Yellow Lemon. This will help set the textured dots into place. If a dot seems too big or misplaced, continue dabbing to lift pigment and then filling back in with yellow. If the dots you want to adjust are in the red areas, use the same process but fill back in with Light Cadmium Red.

Congratulations! You have now drawn a pear in colored pencil! Thank you for following along with my colored pencil process. I hope that you have found this tutorial helpful and that you will be able to use some of these tips, from photographing your subject to completing a colored pencil drawing, in your own art work.

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If you would like to give the drawing a try yourself, please let me know in the comments with a link to where you are posting your results. I would love to follow along with your progress too!

Also, don't forget that if you would prefer to work from a paper copy of the tutorial you can visit my Tutorial page here on this blog and follow the links to a free PDF file that you may download for yourself.

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Something that I learned while putting together this tutorial is that I don't tend to work in such methodical steps. My drawing process involves much more back and forth, a little here and there, jumping from one area to another. So it was a bit of a challenge for me to try to sort out the process into stages that would make sense to someone else! Which made for a good learning experience for me to really examine what it is that I am doing when I draw. Hopefully it is helpful for you too!

Let's Draw a Pear! - Step 5 continued

2011-06-01T10:31:00.003-04:00

This post continues with the tutorial, Let's Draw a Pear! Taking up where we left off in step five with applying colored pencil in layers to create form and depth of color, today's post is about adding the shadows to the pear.

D. Putting in the shadows

Carefully erase the remaining pencil outline except for the cast shadow shape.

Apply a light layer of brown Ochre to the bottom and right, shadowed side of the pear.

Deepen the shadow area with Burnt Umber on the right side of the pear, keeping the edges soft and feathery. Lightly go over the Burnt Umber with Burnt Carmine on the right edge of the pear.

Begin to lightly fill in the cast shadow with Burnt Umber.

Add burnt umber to the right side of the stem for a darker edge.

E. Deepen the shadows

Use Dark Indigo down the right side edge of the pear and on the right side edge of the stem . Add a little Dark Indigo to the base of the cast shadow where it touches the bottom of the pear.

Remember to look carefully at your reference picture! The dark edge is not consistent all the way from the top to the bottom of the pear.

Bring the Dark Indigo out into the cast shadow on the table. Add Burnt Carmine, Light Yellow Ochre and Cadmium Yellow to the shadow’s edges. Dab the cast shadow with a kneaded eraser to blend and soften the edges. Also erase the remaining pencil outline.

Friday's post will complete the tutorial with steps 6 & 7. I hope you are enjoying seeing this process. Remember, if you would prefer to work from a paper copy of the tutorial, you can visit my Tutorial page here on this blog and follow the links to a free PDF file that you may download for yourself.

Let's Draw a Pear! - Step 5

2011-05-30T10:12:00.003-04:00

This post continues with the tutorial, Let's Draw a Pear! If you are following along with the steps of this drawing, please don't forget to put a link in the comments. I would love to see your pear drawings!

Step Five : Applying colored pencil in layers to create form and depth of color

A. First color layer

First, lighten the pencil outlines by dabbing with a kneaded eraser. Using light pencil pressure, fill in the entire pear shape with Light Chrome Yellow, leaving the white highlight areas the white of the paper surface.

Because our reference photo shows the pear with all-over yellow cast to the color, you will begin with an even layer of yellow over the entire shape of the pear. With each layer of color, use uniformly light pressure when applying the colored pencil to the paper. I often will turn my paper in several directions when coloring in, to vary the direction of pencil strokes giving a more uniform quality to the layer of color.

B. Second color layer

Now you will begin to look for variations of color within the pear shape and on the stem. Observing where these variations form general shapes of color, begin with Light Yellow Ochre to block in those places of darker, warmer yellow on the pear. Add Light Green to those areas with a greenish tint. Add Cadmium Yellow and Cadmium Yellow Lemon to the brighter yellow areas on the front and light side of the pear. On the stem, use Light Yellow Ochre, Brown Ochre, Sanguine, and Light Green to block in those color shapes.

Remember to keep a light pressure when applying your colored pencil to the paper. Rotate the paper’s position to keep changing the pencil’s stroke direction.

C. Third color layer

Fill in the area of red-orange with Light Cadmium Red. Use Cadmium Orange to feather the edges of the red.

Next use Burnt Carmine to deepen the darker red areas out to the right shadowed edge. This will darken and neutralize the yellow-green on the shadowed edge of the pear.

Now add a couple of touches of Burnt Carmine to the darker edges of the stem.

*If you would like to work from a paper copy of the tutorial you can visit my Tutorial page here on this blog and follow the links to a free PDF file that you may download for yourself.

Wednesday's post will continue with step five, adding shadows with colored pencil layers.

Let's Draw a Pear! - Steps 3 & 4

2011-05-27T13:34:00.001-04:00

Today's post continues with our pear tutorial begun in the last post. Click here in case you missed steps 1 & 2. Or go to my Tutorial page and follow the links to download a copy of the entire tutorial, Let's Draw a Pear!, in PDF.

Step Three : A list of materials used to make this drawing

Here are the supplies that I used to make this drawing of a pear. For my support (paper or other surface for applying art media) I used my favorite Rising Museum Board. It has a slight texture and a somewhat firm surface. This allows for lots of layering of the colored pencil. Another good support for colored pencil work is Strathmore Bristol Vellum 500 Series. It has similar characteristics to Rising Museum Board and provides a very suitable surface for colored pencil.

The other items I used were tracing paper, artist’s tape, a mechanical pencil, pencil sharpeners, kneaded erasers, and a white plastic eraser stick.

The colored pencils that I used for this pear drawing were all Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils. I used the following colors (in this order):

Light Chrome Yellow, Light Yellow Ochre, Brown Ochre, Sanguine, Light Green, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Lemon, Light Cadmium Red, Cadmium Orange, Burnt Carmine, Burnt Umber, and Dark Indigo.

Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils are often available as open stock from art supply retailers.

Step Four : Transferring the image to the drawing surface

Mark your drawing support for a 5 x 7 inch format. Place tracing paper over the photo reference and mark the corners. Trace the outline of the pear shape and shadow with pencil. Other than the pear’s shadow, we are not concerned with any of the background. If it is too difficult to see the shadowed edge of the pear against the dark back ground through the tracing paper, draw that edge with a white colored pencil directly on the printed out photo reference.

Turn the tracing to the back side and draw along the pear shape with a soft lead pencil.

Now place the tracing right side up over your marked drawing surface, lining up corners and tape the tracing paper to the drawing paper at the top.

Draw over the pear shape outline with a pencil, careful not to press down too hard. Using a heavy pressure will impress lines into your support. Now the outline of your pear shape should be transferred onto the drawing support.

Monday's post will show the first stages of the colored pencil layering techniques in Step 5. Hope to see you there!

Let's Draw a Pear!

2011-05-26T12:50:00.000-04:00

Pear

colored pencil on Rising Museum Board

5 x 7 inches

I am trying something new on my blog. I have put together a tutorial for doing a colored pencil drawing of a pear and will be posting the steps throughout the next week. I invite you all to not only follow along, but if you would like to give the drawing a try yourself, please let me know in the comments with a link to where you are posting your results. I would love to follow along with your progress too!

Also, if you would prefer to work from a paper copy of the tutorial you can visit my Tutorial page here on this blog and follow the links to a free PDF file that you may download for yourself.

Today I will begin with the Introduction and steps 1 and 2, just to get you started. Have fun!

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There are as many different ways to draw with colored pencil as there are colored pencil artists. Drawing still life objects is always a popular subject and one which lends itself well to the medium of colored pencil.

In this tutorial you will see the process that I follow for drawing a still life subject in colored pencil, from setting up and photographing the subject to the finished drawing.

The steps outlined here for drawing this pear are

Taking a good photo reference of the pear
Adjusting the photo and creating the composition in Photoshop
A list of materials used to make this drawing
Transferring the image to the drawing surface
Applying colored pencil in layers to create form and depth of color
Using a kneaded eraser as a drawing tool to create texture
Putting the final touches on the drawing

Step One : Taking a good photo reference of the pear

Here is my usual set up for photographing still life objects. I use indirect, natural light coming in through our back door with a white painting board balanced on top of a small pedestal table. I place my still life object on the white board and photograph from many angles with the object(s) in various positions. I never use a flash for these photos as a flash will wash out the light and shadow.

I have used black denim fabric when I want a dark background for my object but my preferred surface is this white laminate board. It reflects a bit of light and nicely catches the shadows from the objects.

Though I do have to be careful that my “assistant” doesn’t confuse my still life set up for his snack!

Step Two : Adjusting the photo and creating the composition in Photoshop

This is how the photo I chose to use for my reference appeared straight out of the camera. I liked the position of the singular pear including the turn of the stem. I also saw that it had a good value range from light to dark, a nice distribution of color and interesting highlights and shadow.

Next, I made my adjustments to the photo in Photoshop. First I cropped the photo to my desired 5 x 7 inch size, centering the pear within the format. I then used the auto levels and auto color functions. I increased the saturation by 15, the brightness by 30, and the contrast by 15. I applied the unsharp mask with a setting of 50%, radius 1.0 and threshold 0.

I printed out a copy to check the result. Because pictures always seem to print a little dark on my printer, I went back and increased the brightness setting by 12 and printed out my reference again. If all of these settings and numbers are unfamiliar or confusing, don’t worry. Basically, I cropped the image to its desired size, adjusted for contrast, increased the brightness and color saturation, and sharpened the image. All of that took my okay picture and created a very acceptable reference photo.

Below is the final reference photograph ready for you to print out and use for your drawing of the pear.

Click on the photo to open a larger size. Hopefully it will print as a 5 x 7 inch photo for you!

Friday I will post steps 3 and 4. Stay tuned!

Sketchbook Tuesday - It's Wednesday, I know

2011-05-25T10:34:00.000-04:00

I was all set to post yesterday only to find that a glitch with blogger was preventing me from signing in. So my planned posts for this week are a little backed up, but there it is.

We spent last week at Edisto Island, SC, our favorite get-away. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. We had fun playing on the beach, wonderful meals, and the company of a good friend. And we all enjoyed spending some time with our art. Above is a sketch of a few found shells, in my handmade sketch journal.

The screened porch was my favorite sketching spot at our little rental cottage. Every morning we were visited by a pair of bluebirds that would sit happily singing on the utility wire that ran in front of the cottage, in perfect view of the screened porch. I imagined that was a good omen for our stay.

We spent one afternoon on the sound side of the island with our watercolor gear. I took my small watercolor kit and a few watercolor postcards instead of my sketch book. It was a good thing too. The wind was very strong, blowing sand onto everything, sticking in the paint and on the paper. I did this quick little sketch with an indigo colored pencil filled in with a watercolor wash.

And I couldn't leave Edisto without sketching a palm tree. Along with the huge live oaks decorated with Spanish moss, the palmettos are a part of the charm that is Edisto.

Sketchbook Tuesday - Down by the river

2011-05-17T14:32:00.002-04:00

We managed to get out for another sketch outing last week, this time to the park in Valle Crucis. It was nice sitting in the sunshine by the river but the bees were out. I did this quick sketch in my handmade sketch journal, while warding off curious bees.

It takes practice

2011-05-13T14:16:00.000-04:00

Daniel Boone Gardens in Summer

watercolor on 140lb. Kilimanjaro cold-pressed

6 x 8.5 inches

One project that I am currently working on is watercolor practice. Lately, the only time I use watercolors is for sketches in my sketch journal. I would like to continue to improve with watercolor, so I picked up a nice watercolor block and a couple of new brushes and have begun a regular (sort of) practice. The image above is the result of a practice session. It felt good to be working on nice watercolor paper and in a size larger than my usual journal format. If this scene looks familiar to you, it's because I have also used it for a colored pencil piece, here.

Sketchbook Tuesday - Finally it feels like spring

2011-05-10T17:21:00.000-04:00

We have had some gorgeous spring weather lately. It's finally warming up and we've had a chance to get out and do some sketching. Yay! This is a view from the Blue Ridge Parkway, not too far from our house, done in watercolor in my handmade sketchbook.

And thank you for the thoughtful comments on my last post! I suppose that like you all, I too, tend to work on more than one project at a time. If I had the space and time I'd probably have even more projects going simultaneously. But that might be dangerous. For now, I am trying to keep my focus on just a few key interests and see where they take me.

A New Light

2011-05-05T13:53:00.000-04:00

A New Light

oil on canvas

6 x 6 inches

Click here for purchase information

Here is #58 of my 100 painting project. Another view of the marshes on Edisto Island, South Carolina. With the coming of summer my time is beginning to open up a bit. So I am thinking of ways to take the best advantage of the extra hours. What 'projects' do I want to pursue? Where do I want to put my focus? I already have enough ongoing projects to keep me busy for a very long time. But new ideas keep popping into my head as well. I suppose I need a better filtering system. How do you prioritize your various creative projects? Do you work on more than one at once or do you tackle them one at a time?

Sketchbook Tuesday - more flowers and other thoughts

2011-05-03T15:31:00.000-04:00

I was without internet for a few days, so I didn't get around to posting again last week. And here it is, another Tuesday, and another watercolor sketch of flowers from my handmade sketch journal. Thank you to everyone who commented and contributed to the discussion on my last post about how you approach keeping a sketchbook. It seems many are like me, preferring to keep everything in one place, the messy, quick sketches and notes right along with more finished sketches. The idea of keeping a separate sketchbook or books, for various intentions really appeals to me. But in reality I doubt that, at this point in time anyway, that method of organization would make me happy. What I have been doing as a sort of compromise is to create my sketchbooks with my own style of organization. Along with the signatures of Canson Edition paper for my sketches I include a signature in the front and back with plain copy paper. It is there that I put my jumbled notes to myself, record passages from my reading, and even have photocopied calendars pasted in. This helps me keep it all in one place. And like Jennifer Rose commented, I would feel so lost without my sketchbook!

I had jotted down a line from Robert Genn's newsletter last week, "Less commitment widens opportunity." This is something I have been thinking about lately. Letting go of self-imposed "commitments" in order to be open to whatever form inspiration shows up in. I'm a list-maker, and a goal-setter by nature yet I am finding that lately my life either isn't allowing for that or simply that it's time for another approach. Leo Babauta of Zen Habits talks a lot about goals and why they aren't as important as we think. That without goals we can be more open to possibilities we may not have foreseen. So I am changing my thinking from being goal oriented to project based. With a goal, you are looking at the desired end result before you even begin. With a project you are setting up a starting point which allows the work to take you where ever your interest leads. That's how it is with my journals. If I separated out intentions or goals for different journals it would feel too confined to me. Knowing me, there would be way too much overlap, and I am easily confused. And it has become the same with my other art works. If I am focusing on the "goal' I find I lose sight of the experience that is now.

Sketchbook Tuesday - Lilacs!

2011-04-26T09:39:00.000-04:00

A recent page from my sketchbook with a quick sketch of my lilac blossoms and a quote that I liked for trying out a new pen. The pen is okay, it's an Elegant Writer pen, but not waterproof so I don't know how useful it will actually be for me. It may get added to Kiddo's stash of marking pens.

I have been thinking lately about the purpose of my sketchbook journals and how that fits with things that I would like to try out. Are my journals about the finished pages or are they about the thinking process, working out ideas? Actually they are both, and there are many pages which you never will see. And there are pages like this that are part experiment, part record of daily life. Sometimes I think that maybe I should have a "messy" journal along with this sketchbook journal. Laura Frankstone had an interesting post on this topic a few weeks back on the Artists' Journal Workshop blog. And I do feel about journals much they way she does. I greatly admire other artists' beautifully designed sketchbook journals but mine do remain more organic, more messy, for the most part. How do you approach your sketchbook journals? Do you separate the journals for more "finished" pages from a "messy" journal? Or let it all happen together?

Marsh Walk

2011-04-23T11:32:00.000-04:00

Marsh Walk

oil on canvas

6 x 6 inches

Click here for purchase information

Here is #57 of my 100 painting project. It is a another view of the marshes at Botany Bay on Edisto Island, SC. Remember when I did the thumbnail exercise? This is the first painting the sprung from that process. I have noticed that the further away I get from the original reference, the more I work in terms of color, as in color field painting. A move toward abstraction? I don't know. I may just have to find out though.

Sketchbook Tuesday - sketching spring

2011-04-19T09:14:00.000-04:00

Last Friday was a typical spring day here in our mountains. The thermometer was trying hard to reach 60 degrees F, it was overcast and quite breezy. A friend had organized a sketch outing for our girls and ourselves so off we went to a nearby park. With the breeze, papers had to be weighted down and even palettes wanted to blow over. When the girls tired of sitting still sketching they ran off and played kick ball. My friend and I shivered under layers of sweaters and jackets but managed to get some sketching in. Above is my attempt. A sketch with a brown colored pencil, filled in with watercolor and finished off with more brown colored pencil.

Marsh Song

2011-04-16T12:28:00.000-04:00

Marsh Song

oil on canvas

6 x 8 inches

For purchase information click here

Here is #56 of my 100 painting project. It is a view of one of the marshy areas surrounding Botany Bay on Edisto Island, SC. It is such a serene place to visit, unspoiled by development and with a very rich history. Many of my paintings have been inspired by this place, and I suspect there will be more. (Ironically, when looking for a good link to more information about Botany Bay, the best one I could find features a photo that looks to be taken in the same location as my painting above. So now you have to check that out!)

Sketchbook Tuesday - again!

2011-04-12T09:12:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I am going to try posting sketches regularly on Tuesdays again. Having a schedule is a good motivator. Something predictable and sure. We'll see how it goes.

So here is a sketch I did last week on one warm and sunny afternoon. I sat on our back deck, turned so that I could see the drive and side yard, and sketched our blooming forsythia while enjoying the sunshine. Most of our yard is wooded, with an understory of Rhododendrons, which provide a nice, rich green backdrop to the bright yellow of the forsythia blossoms. For this sketch I began with Prismacolors, my new favorite, "Espresso", and an old favorite, "Chestnut", to sketch in my scene. Somehow the pencil lines don't intimidate me the way ink lines do. Then I put in the watercolor and finished off by re-stating some of the pencil marks.

Now I have noticed that our recent rains have knocked most of the blossoms off of the forsythia. And it's supposed to get cold again. Winter still has a foot in the door here but spring still comes with determination in its own good time.

Something a little different

2011-04-08T19:06:00.000-04:00

Early Spring

mixed media on paper

4.5 x 6 inches

This is a little mixed media experiment that I worked on last weekend. While browsing art blogs last week I came across a post on one of my favorite artists blogs, Vivien Blackburn's, Paintings Prints and Stuff. Her work posted, "A muddy lane in February" immediately caught my attention. I have long been a fan of her art and was intrigued by her explanation of process with this work. So I tried my own version using a reference of an early spring scene I had photographed while on a walk in a local park.

I used a spare piece of Canson Edition paper and began with Neocolor II crayons, sketching in areas of color. This I brushed with water and let dry. Then I went in with colored pencil, adding some of the smaller elements and softening the intensity of the Neocolor washed a bit. After that I added pastel, bringing up some of the lights and then more colored pencil to define some of the details.

This was a fun way to work with much more immediacy than using colored pencil alone. What I like about Vivien's piece is the softness combined with the expressive marks, allowing for a quiet energy in her piece. And this is where I feel my mixed media falls short. Perhaps it's a fear of pushing the media. Of course this is only one of very few attempts I have done with mixed media. It is a method I would like to explore further, but probably not any time soon. For now, I'll remain content enjoying Vivien Blackburn's beautiful art works.

Inspiration and grief

2011-04-05T15:55:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am still here. We have had a tough time these past few months with my father-in-law's illness and passing a couple of weeks ago. I did manage a few sketches but have found it difficult to return to a working rhythm due to the sadness overshadowing our days. I know some artists are able to find solace in their art but I couldn't seem to get there. Yet when I think about the kind of person my father-in-law was, I know I should look to his influence for guidance. He wasn't one to sit around. He was always on the go, always busy, out there doing. I feel privileged to have had him in my life.

So here are a couple of sketches from my spring journal, although I haven't been happy with any of them so far. The top sketch is of a jade plant that belonged to my mother-in-law and stayed in her lovely sunroom, cared for after her passing for years. It lives in my house now, in a brand new flowerpot. And a trip to the grocery often results in subjects for inspiration, as with the peppers above. Spring is coming slowly to our southern mountains. I am so looking forward to warmer days with loads of blooming inspiration.

Checking in

2011-03-14T09:59:00.000-04:00

A short post today just to check in and let you all know that I haven't forgotten my blog here. We were away last week and then Kiddo and I came down with a flu bug. We are home now and recovering. I did manage one quick sketch while away but you know, there's no place like home really.

I also want to thank everyone for your so very kind and encouraging comments left on my last post. Your generous words mean a lot to me. I'll be back at the drawing board with something new soon.

Ocean Blue

2011-03-06T13:04:00.000-05:00

Ocean Blue

colored pencil on Rising Museum Board

7.5 x 9.5 inches

Here it is, all finished. I have been looking at it for a couple of days now and am going to leave this one as it is. I am happy with the final result and I would like to do a few more ocean drawings. Every time we are at the beach I use up a ridiculous number of pixels taking pictures of the water and waves. I get captivated with the way the surf moves, expanding and contracting, out and in, and the patterns that are formed as each wave washes the shore. And the way the light at various times of day plays off the water, it's always something different to see. The last time we were at our favorite Edisto Beach the water was an amazing blue, like I had never noticed before. That is what I hoped to capture with my photos, and translate into this drawing. That incredible blue.

And just to show you, this was one of the stages as the drawing was nearing completion. I used ten different blue pencils, along with two purples, a pink, and a warm and a cool gray. As I was developing the darkest areas in the foreground I discovered that even my indigo blue wasn't giving me the depth in those darks that I wanted. So out came one of my favorite pencils, caput mortuum violet. You can see where I began adding it in the lower right portion of the image above. It did the trick too, by deepening and warming those dark areas just enough.

And here it is again in its final state, same as the image at the top. Thanks for following along as I worked on this one. All of your kind and encouraging comments are so appreciated and help keep me going! Now, what should I draw next?

Getting there

2011-03-01T13:36:00.000-05:00

Here is my current colored pencil piece, through the next couple of stages. Above you can see where I started getting into that area of the water where the foamy bits begin. The contrast in this area is more stark and pattern like but I had to keep in mind that even though those shapes of foam are very light, they are not the brightest parts of the composition.

Now here is where the tricky part of the drawing begins to emerge. At this point I was really beginning to question the wisdom of my choice of subject matter and my sanity in trying to draw all of this foamy water splashing on the shore. There is little defining shape and the contrast of light to dark areas is much more subtle. I am going to continue on with the darker passages in the foreground (that are just barely blocked in at this point), and then go back to make adjustments in the foamy surf. I will need the reference of those darkest passages where the water washes over the shore in order to see how the values in the rest of the piece should relate to those darkest darks. It's a lot of going back and forth with color and value, but it's slowly getting there!

Sunday sketches

2011-02-27T12:10:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted sketches in a while. How did that happen? Well, here are a couple of recent sketches from my handmade sketchbook. The one above is the view off our back deck, minus lots of tree limbs. I sketched this with pencil and colored pencil, washed with water. It was late in the afternoon. I just love the light that time of day. And recently geese have been flying over in the late afternoons, on their way from the pond in our neighborhood to a pond over on the next hill. Can you hear them honking?

This was a quick watercolor sketch. I couldn't let February get away with sketching tulips.

Quiet Day

2011-02-24T12:21:00.000-05:00

Quiet Day

oil on canvas

6 x 6 inches

For purchase information click here

While I am working on my latest colored pencil piece, I thought I would go ahead and post another painting for you. This is #55 of my 100 painting project. It is a scene from a nearby walking trail, that follows a river that runs through town. It still doesn't seem right to me, calling these mountain streams "rivers", but they are. Rivers at their start. I guess I'll just never get used to that. They all look like creeks to me.

Just a peek

2011-02-20T16:18:00.000-05:00

This is what's on my drawing board now, the start of another colored pencil drawing. Can you even make out what the subject is? Maybe not. This is about two hours into the drawing, where I mapped in most of the basic shapes in graphite and then began working in colored pencil. I quickly realized that I needed to do some basic mapping with color or else I risked getting seriously lost in the drawing. I am not doing an "under painting" this time as I want to maintain the sparkle of the white board showing through the colors, to keep them as brilliant as possible. After I got all of my blue shapes mapped in I began rendering from the top. Still a long way to go. This one is a little larger than what I have been working recently at approximately 7.5 x 9.5 inches. Should be fun though.