Just a quick update to thank Shoshi for inspiring me to make a mandala using sanguine pens!  It turned out great!  I'll share it here, but you can see more of my recent work on my FB page!  Hope you like it!

Art Abandonment

I've also joined a group on FB called Art Abandonment!  We make art, put it with a note and leave it for someone to find!  I've done this before but not in an organized way!  So on Veterans Day, Ron and I went to Red Lobster and I abandoned this piece of art at the table!  Hope someone enjoys it!

Cactus Monday

And here's the sketch for this week's Cactus Monday!  She was fun!

Tea bag art

Here's another tea bag piece to add to my greeting cards.  This one I was inspired by the colors of fall!

The rest of the inktober sketches

Well, inktober sure was fun, but I'm glad it's over and I can use some other tools and sketch some different subjects!  No more spooky things for awhile!  Whoot!  So here's the rest of the inktober sketches!  I have really been busy!  LOL!  ♥

October is InkTober!

This month is InkTober!  It was started by Jake Parker when he saw a pen his friend had and wanted to borrow it to learn how to use it.  He found at the end of the month, he also drew better!  So now every year people all over the world get involved with inktober!  The only rule is to use ink!  This is my first time taking the challenge!  Well today is day 10 and I thought I'd share what I've done so far!  I'm using Halloween as my theme.  I drew a template that I will use for each day and then put an object in it!  It has been fun so far, but today I really needed to add some color!  Still all ink tho'!  Hope you like them!  #inktober

2014 WW Sketchcrawl 43

OK...still haven't updated my blog.  I've been busy in the studio painting.  But today was the first 2014 WW Sketchcrawl 43 and it's the first time I've ever been part of it.  It was cloudy and cold here in New Mexico, so I stayed in with a warm cup of tea & sketched that!  I used pen and watercolor.  Here's the sketch:

I "pushed" the colors to try out some new ideas.  Hopefully soon I can post some of the sketches and paintings I've been working on!  Until then, wishing you all a Happy Easter, Happy Passover & Blessed Ostara!

Support

This is a mixed media piece I made 

to thank people for the support they've given to me.

I got some Inktense watercolor pencils,

but they weren't acting as I was lead to believe.

So hence, mixed media.

Used some colored pencils, other watercolor pencils,

ink, gouache, etc.

So thanks to all of you who have supported me!

1st Blogoversary Tutorial - Sunflower Study

This is a quick tutorial on how I did a study of a sunflower.

1.  First I sketched a sunflower from a reference photo & then I inked it.  The most important thing to remember is to really SEE what you are drawing!  Not what you think it looks like, but what it really looks like.  Take time to really look at your reference, even before you start sketching.

2.  Next I used watercolor pencils to add the local colors of the flower & background.

3.  Next I wet down the water color pencil with my water brushes.  Let dry.



4.  Then I used the watercolor pencils to add shadows and darken the background.

5.  Last I wet down the added colors, & here you have the finished study.  Let dry.

Here is a pic of the only tools I used.

If I were to go from the finished study to a full size painting, there may be some changes I'd make, but it gives me a great start.