random ink drawings

 

These are some of the bits we have gathered for our wee travel trailer. We added the spice racks on the wall behind the stove, then found shorter handled utensils, etc. to hang from the hooks. The problem with the refrigerator is now fixed (it wasn’t connecting to propane due to a circuit board issue) and we have booked a stay for next month in the shady Davy Crockett National Forest.

I drew the first sketch using the things scribble-drawn in the second sketch. I thought the Diamine Earl Grey water-soluble ink would bleed a bit more than it did when adding water; I guess it will have a more subtle effect so I can also add watercolor washes to it. BTW, I drew the second sketch in De Atramentis Document Black ink with a Pilot Namiki Falcon fountain pen and lunar black watercolor wash.

Bill's tomato sauce

In the early spring, Bill went to buy a grape tomato plant from the farm supply store. He doesn't actually like eating tomatoes but he knows Kristen and I both love them. He came home with SIX plants as they only sold them in 6-packs.

We could not keep up with the exuberant harvest so he made tomato paste out of the overflow. And it tastes wonderful! In recipes we add additional herbs according to whether we are going for an Italian or Mexican flavor; my absolute favorite is to warm the sauce up in a pan with milk added -- Best. Tomato. Bisque. Ever! He put it in glass jars without processing; it will keep several months in the freezer.

I like to lightly pencil in a sketch before drawing in ink; this time I tried a Caran d'Ache non-photo blue pencil instead of graphite, eliminating the need to erase. I would normally just sketch in a few basic shapes for placement but we were watching an old Murder She Wrote and I got carried away! I still used graphite lines for the text placement area. The next day I added ink lines and text. Then let the ink dry before erasing the text lines and adding watercolor.

To make the sauce, Bill tossed the grape tomatoes with jalapenos in olive oil and roasted them in the oven. Then he sautéed chopped onions and fresh garlic in a large pot before adding the tomato mixture with all the juices. He added oregano, basil, thyme, salt and pepper and brought to a low boil, letting simmer 30 minutes to an hour. If the batch was too sweet, he added a bit of lime juice. (None of this was measured -- that's just the way he cooks.) Finally, he pureed it all with an immersion blender and put in jars.

I shouldn’t have . . .

 I loved how the sketch in yesterday’s post turned out, with minimal watercolor added to the ink sketch. But I decided to add full color to this sketch of our travel trailer’s interior — and then wished I’d left it as an ink-only sketch. 🙁

Still, this page will remind me (hopefully) in the future that sometimes a drawing is better without watercolor.

(My perspective was certainly Wonky as I drew this sitting on the bed in the camper!)

a bit of color added

 

Today I added just enough watercolor to my crape myrtle sketch to remember the color transformation of the new growth. Below is a more recent photo of the same tree, fully in flower, and a photo pulled off an internet search showing a mature version of the same variety. The info tag that came on our baby tree said it could reach 15 feet — I’ve seen a similar variety in Houston that reached the third story of an office building!

works in progress

 

I have been sketching this week — just not finishing them. Our youngest grandson Judah has been spending time with us, making game-playing, putting together a challenging puzzle, and general silliness our priorities.

Lately I find myself lightly pencilling in a new sketch one day, inking it in and erasing the pencil the second day (I don’t trace the pencil lines; they are just general guidelines), then adding a bit of color on the third day. This routine seems a bit more manageable for me than the pressure to draw something daily.

The above sketch shows a couple of branches of our newly planted crepe myrtle. I’ve delayed painting, wishing to be more slow & careful about adding color. Except those yellow bits — they seemed to require direct paint without ink.

We’ve been sleeping in the travel trailer just for fun, so I drew what I could see from the bed. Not sure how much watercolor I’ll add but I’ll probably leave areas unpainted — like the refrigerator where the text is written. The fridge is black so it seems easier to leave it alone. Who knows? Guess I’ll find out tomorrow. 

recent shopping and revisiting a lightfast test

 We are still working on outfitting our new-to-us travel trailer, deciding on what modifications to make (especially to maximize storage) and adding items that make it fully livable. This recent package contained adhesive towel and toilet paper hooks, soft-sided cubicles to fit a narrow storage cubby, a short spatula and a laundry bag. An earlier purchase included small spice racks with hooks to hang cooking utensils and mugs — utensils have to measure under 10” to fit.

Bill has been testing all the systems on the 10-year old Coachman Apex. Everything appears to be working like new . . . except the refrigerator. It chills very well on shore-power (electricity) but does not work on propane. After trying several possible fixes, we made an appointment for the dealer to check it out. 

Back in January I bought a set of Derwent Graphitint paints and painted out these swatches to make my own lightfast test. The upper card has been taped in a sunny south window for over 5 months — no visible fading! The penciled-in numbers next to each color on the lower card shows the manufacturer’s ratings on a scale from 1 to 8. Port and Juniper had the lowest ratings yet showed minimal fading in my test. The sun in Texas is intense so I was very pleasantly surprised!

a great sketch made me do it!

 

I was just browsing online, looking through other sketchers' work, when I saw a really great sketch of a frozen Peppermint Pattie (I wish I could remember the artist's name!). Which left me craving one.

We had been looking for yellow wax beans (I have also been wanting some 3-bean salad) but could find none at grocery stores. So we stopped at a dollar store to look if they might have some. No wax beans to be found there either, but the craving for a Peppermint Pattie caught up with me. And they had none -- so I got this instead. Took it home and popped it into the freezer.

Peppermint candy is really good frozen!

Monday’s breakfast

 

I drew this yesterday after taking care of the beasts outside. I was still feeling “fuzzy” from firework noise through the night — I thought we’d have gotten away from that out here in the country but a new family moved into the property to the west. A very loud family with loud kids and dogs.

Anyway, I thought a cup of black tea and a leftover hamburger would wake me up as I listened to a recent God Journey podcast.

new sketchbook

On the first of July I began a new sketchbook — a softcover 7 1/2” square Beta made by Stillman & Birn. Then took a few days before actually finishing the first page. Distractions happen, ya know? 

As with all my sketchbooks, the first page contains my current palette and contact info in case of loss. I usually add some inspirational quote but haven’t come up with the one I want yet. The palette is my new Folio Palette from Art Toolkit. The adjustable pencil pocket on the cover holds a Blackwing pencil, a Lamy Joy fountain pen with M nib, and a clip I can use to attach the palette to the sketchbook page.

Whenever I get back to binding my own sketchbooks again, I think this is the size I will probably use. I like 6 to 7” square or mostly-square orientation. Except for the books I already have waiting to be sewn together that are reusing antique book covers. I really should get back to them . . . Distractions, ya know?

* EVEN AS FUZZY-MINDED AS I AM THIS MORNING (5 July), I HAD TO LAUGH WHEN I NOTICED THE DATE WRITTEN ON THIS PAGE — NO, THIS WAS NOT DRAWN IN 2012, IT WAS DRAWN IN 2021 (and I’m not even dyslexic). 🤣😂🤣

seasoning blends

 

With limited space in our travel trailer, we are stocking just the basics: salt, pepper, garlic, a steak seasoning, and these two blends. I added sticker labels to empty spice jars and filled them with my own mixes — several of the herbs were grown in my little container garden.

And so ends this A6 Etchr Sketchbook. The white fabric cover is a bit dingy but it’s been a fun little book to fill. Really nice 100% cotton coldpress paper!