switching purse palette

Yeah, I did it again. With all the leaves falling, it seems more like Autumn -- so I switched to more muted colors in my Bijou box ("subtle" colors fit my mood lately). Mostly a simple primary, sepia, and payne's gray --- then 4 convenience colors.

I ran out of whole pans, so I had to fit in 2 half-pans for the quin. burnt scarlet and sepia.

EDM #268 - something I need

I am finishing up the final pages of the "Earthbound Sketchbook" I used for drawing Everyday Matters challenges . . . . after setting the challenges aside for over 2 years. This time I'm using gouache on the brown kraft paper, which I still seem to use "too wet". But I don't really mind a few wavy pages.

The subject is something I never thought I would need --- a wig. Though my hair has always been plain and boringly straight, I have learned to appreciate it's shiny, smooth look and great auburn-brown color in recent years. And how odd that I have no noticeable gray hair at age 58?

But sebborhoeic dermatitis is causing it to fall out. . . . . This wig is the same style as my recent haircut, cut short for the first time since early school days. (the style didn't last long with large areas disappearing daily) And only a few months after I had finally grown out all the layers and bangs (fringe). Oh, well . . .

revisiting EDM challenges

 After telling John's class about the Everyday Matters drawing challenges, I've been thinking about doing them again. Lately I have not had the energy to get out and sketch due to medication, so this seems like a good idea for my need to draw something.

The list of drawing prompts is what first started me sketching again. They are together in two ring-bound sketchbooks -- the first one with creamy white paper in a black cover, and the second in an "Earthbound" sketchbook with brown kraft paper. I stopped doing them over 2 years ago --- but I think I will start again where I left off. This time, I'll finish up on the brown paper with gouache. Those I had previously worked in colored pencils are fading.

When I run out of pages in the second EDM sketchbook, I'll just do the challenge drawings in my regular journals --- when the mood hits. Or when I lack energy.

Wednesday evening's class

I arrived before anyone else at City Arts, so I started to sketch the view from the window. For this session's pen & ink class, they moved John from his regular classroom on second floor to this one on third floor. It is normally used for stained glass art.

As the students finished up on their various projects, I had planned on drawing a lot more here . . . . but John had some books to show me. One was an antique Brothers Grimm book with illustrations by Arthur Rackham -- gorgeous ink and wash work!

I taught about keeping sketchbook journals in the second half of the class. The students were amazing! So generous and eager to learn new ways of using their talents. Great time!

prep for a friend's class

A friend of mine (John Lokke) who teaches at Wichita's City Arts tells me that his current pen & ink class is so "on fire", they've actually covered all the lessons planned before the final week.

He asked me to teach the last week, on drawing with ink in sketchbooks. So I have been gathering materials today, and drew this page as an example of brushing just a smidgen of water over the ink to "bleed" a wash. This is Noodler's Nakahama Manjiro sepia ink, which is not quite waterproof so it has just enough of a controlled "bleed".

Along with various sketchbooks and pens of my own, I'm also taking a copy of Danny Gregory's "Everyday Matters" and some print-outs of the EDM drawing challenge list. It was after reading Danny's book that I began keeping my own sketchbooks in 2007.

procrastinating . . . w/o ink!

For quite some time, I have been wanting to go back to painting in watercolor without ink. I love sketching in ink, but I have become too dependent on it -- or just stuck in a rut.

On Facebook, I became acquainted with the wonderful work of Arnold Lowrey. When I searched for him online, I found this "how to" book -- seemed a good idea to help me get back to watercolor.

Earlier this week, I meant to begin the book's exercises . . . . I gathered the suggested tools but did not have the energy to begin (seems to sum up my whole summer). So I sketched what lay on my art table instead, lightly in pencil, then watercolor. No ink!

(a curious fact: Arnold Lowrey's name first caught my attention, not his beautiful talents --- my high school art teacher, whom I dearly loved, was named Mrs. Annie Lowrey. No relation, I'm sure --- she was a Japanese bride of an American soldier following WW II.)

calendar in sketchbook

Through the last 3 months of medical stuff, I have tried to keep a record for doctors on when, how often, and how severe. At first I folded the calendar sheets and tucked in this pocket at the end of my sketchbook.

Then I thought, for convenience, why not tape them flat on the last page, using this removable double-sided tape? There are 4 month-sheets here, taped on top of each other at the upper edge --- I can easily flip to see other months. And when I fill this sketchbook, the whole thing removes to be placed in the new sketchbook.

I found the blank calendar sheets at Walmart, but they could also be easily printed at home.

on joining the gypsies . . .

If I run away and join the gypsies, I need to learn how to tie a decent scarf head-covering, right?

Actually, I was working out my tears and frustration in my journal over losing my hair. An eczema scalp-rash plus the trauma the vertigo put my body through the past 3 months is causing my hair to fall out. The dermatologist thinks it will all come back in, but in the meantime I'm pretty upset about it. Drawing some possible temporary solutions helps me deal with it -- an excellent reason to keep an art journal, I've found.

BTW, I have not had any more vertigo or dizziness for the past 3 weeks. Looks like it is gone, thank God.

*  For those interested or simply curious, the rash is called seborrhoeic dermatitis. It can spread other places, including the ear canal --- has me wondering if it is the culprit that started the vertigo, since it began behind and on my outer ear about 3 weeks before the vertigo.

randomness gone amuk

While waiting for friends to arrive, I picked up a pen and started randomly drawing what was in front of me as I sat on the couch. It got away from me as our friends were delayed . . .

These are two Mission-era chairs in our living room -- the little rocker belonged to Bill's grandparents and we found the vintage recliner at an antique shop (the back reclines and lower section with buttons opens up for a foot rest to slide out).

the raptor is back

The mysterious raptor nesting in the top my elm tree returned this year. Possibly a Mississippi Kite, a Merlin Falcon or a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. Having no binoculars, it's hard to determine. But it's cry sounds so sad!

Not many birds brave our neighborhood; I find lots of feathers dropped in our yard.

These are some sketches I did from "life" last year when I first noticed the birds.

This journal page was drawn from a bird book as I tried to identify the birds. Last year, there was a lot more activity as a male and female raised a nest-full of young. This year there seems to be only a single bird.

breakfast treat

Since I was driving to Wichita anyway to buy a few groceries, it seemed like a good time to treat myself to a chicken biscuit and a sketch. And stand up for freedom of speech.

This used to be a treat only when visiting kids in Texas, but Chick-fil-A recently opened a location in Wichita. It wasn't crowded as I sat in my car early this morning and sketched, but now I see on the local evening news that police are required to direct traffic as people show their support for the owner expressing his personal beliefs --- which are not "politically correct". I happen to agree with him.