random bits

We are slowly getting our bathroom remodeled; when we bought the cabin 3 1/2 years ago, the very tiny space had a stacked washer / dryer, a ridiculous fake slipper tub, and a humongous vanity the size of a full dresser --- Bill had to step sideways to maneuver the space and I had plenty of hip bruises from running into the corner of that beast! Not to mention the big, ugly "head-knocker" cupboard above the toilet.

We found a source for old barn wood, which Bill built into a new streamlined vanity and recessed medicine cabinet. Leaving space for new towel hooks (there was never enough room to hang towels before). He is making the towel hooks out of pipe fittings; later, we decided he should make a toilet paper holder to match. We are still waiting on the new tub we ordered; the custom tub-shower will have tiles that look like barn wood. The hardware looks like deer antler bits, in keeping with the rustic feel of the log cabin.

new vanity and side cupboard, with a cubby hole for washcloths.

new recessed wall chest

Meanwhile, I also sketched my birthday gift from Bill: a couple of maxi skirts from Kosher Casual, my favorite place for comfortable, well-made clothes. It's a shop in Israel whose original clientele was Orthodox Jews but they found that Arab and Gentile women loved them as well. I laughed upon opening the box and finding that they had sent me a thank you note . . . with a piece of Bazooka Joe gum attached, complete with a comic in Hebrew and Arabic! I don't like gum but had to save the wrapper in my journal.

testing C-M-Y color palettes

I'm working on small sketches to be printed into note cards or small prints to sell at a local event in October. There will be a small selection of note cards and prints, printed off the original sketches. Since printers use cyan - magenta - yellow primary colors, I thought I would try making a working palette of the same.

Years ago, I purchased some extra paints from Daniel Smith, from a collection they called a "color map" mixing set that is based on the cyan - magenta - yellow triad. I added buff titanium and a mixed gray to round it out. This mixed gray is made up of quinacridone burnt orange and ultramarine blue, squeezed into and stirred in a pan with a toothpick, then allowed to dry.

The other set is based loosely on Russell Stutler's palette, which contains C-M-Y colors as well as the R-G-B colors used in light production. Some of his choices are discontinued; I used the same pigments in my existing supplies.

I'm thinking the first set is a bit more vibrant; what do you think?

Bardie watched most of the process, then tried to straighten up the paper as I took this photo. Or was he trying to eat the paper? That's him in the lower right corner.

"Who, me?"

Heritage Sunday House

We recently stayed at the Heritage Sunday House, a charming bed & breakfast in Burton, Texas. While getting to know innkeeper Diane, she told me she had been wanting a drawing of the place for a new brochure. So I drew a couple of versions for her to play around with. Actually, I drew three but the first one had too much detail for its size and was drawn with too large of a nib. Which was strange, as I used my Platinum carbon desk pen --- which I had thought was the finest fountain pen nib I owned. Apparently the nib loosened up with much use.

I have given the upper two drawings to Diane, to see what she and the printer can come up with. Meanwhile, I need to get busy on some artwork to make prints off of --- Diane wants to sell them through her shop next door to the B & B.

eating out with friends

After a very good dinner with friends at a Chinese restaurant in College Station, Bill and Gary bought some Mochi, a Japanese dessert I had never heard of. So I drew the green tea version (Bill had the strawberry one), adding watercolor later at home. I used a Kuretake brush pen filled with de Atramentis document brown ink for the lines.

a proud lion (?)

This sculpture we drive by in College Station, on the campus of Texas A & M, reminds me of a lion. From some angles, it looks like a simple pile of cut stones. But the two views I drew are more lion-like.

This handbound sketchbook was made by my dear friend Kate (aka Cathy Johnson) and has several types of paper in it. This toned paper is probably Stonehenge. I used a Pentel pocketbrush pen and gouache in the upper sketch, and a purplish brown water-soluble ink I mixed myself in the lower sketches, teasing out a bit of wash with a waterbrush.

The pretty bookmark to the right was also made by Kate: she repurposed a larger sketch by cutting it into bookmarks. I love how the colors repeat in the paper and cover of this journal!

shadow play

As I looked at Bill's Bible and coffee cup in our discipleship class at church this morning, the multiple-direction shadows caught my eye . . . so I drew the Bible and cup with a Pentel Pocketbrush pen and lightly penciled in the shadows to paint later at home. 

This handbound sketchbook has two tones of paper in this spread, requiring a bit of white gouache. A few years ago I put together this "shadow and highlight" kit, made from an empty proxy-brush container. It holds half-pans of a dark blue (ultramarine or indanthrone?) and burnt umber watercolors, and some white gouache --- handy for just adding a bit of shadow to an ink sketch, or to recover a bit of white highlight to a watercolor. Or for toned paper like this.

pain free at last!

Since January, Bill has had two neck surgeries --- one from the front to remove two discs blocking the spinal fluid, fusing bone grafts in their place, and a second one from the back, creating more room for the nerve in that area which was being poked by a bone spur. Following the second surgery, he went through many weeks of physical therapy to restore strength and movement to his right arm, which has experienced major pain for 3 1/2 years.

Released from therapy, his arm strength and mobility returning, Bill still had a lot of pain in his arm. So back to the surgeon for more tests . . . They think that the bone spur had poked so long at the nerve (which now has plenty of space away from the spur) that the nerve had been damaged. It can heal __slowly__ so in the meantime, they made an appointment for him with Pain Management. Which would be a nearly two-month wait to get in. So the nurse said "just a minute while I walk down the hall" (where the Pain Management office is). She came back and said "they will see you right NOW."

She must have told them how long he has suffered with this --- and not only evaluated his situation; they went ahead and gave him a spinal injection right then and there! Between that and this new prescription, his nerve should have time to fully heal . . . a Pain Free time! We are praising God for giving Bill favor and relief, and for the doctor and technicians who gave up their lunch hours for him.

two wee gnomes

Last week I drew two green men who hang on an old live oak tree at the Antique Rose Emporium in Independence, TX. At the base of that same tree lives a village of wee gnomes; here are two of them tending their nasturtiums.

Lion of Judah

Today I drew this for a close friend . . . He asked me if I would draw one for him around 1 1/2 years ago, after he saw an ink sketch from one of my journals, dated November 2015.

Did I mention how good I can be at procrastinating?