Pens, Paper and Gesture Drawing

I've been playing with my new Art Pen from Rotring and like it so far. Last night while watching the Tigers play the Mets, I tried to do quick sketches of the players. I mostly wanted to do a quick sketch of the pitcher in his windup, but the whole process is over in a nanosecond and there was no way I could catch it that quickly. The two curved lines in the picture below were supposed to represent his left arm and right leg at the end of his delivery. That is as much as I could get. Considering that the Mets hit two, yes I said two, grand slams and were showing no signs of slowing down, it is good that I got something out of the game. Here's what I did get:

The elephant sketches challenge that I tried yesterday were supposed to be gesture drawings not blind contours. Sandy Sandy put up pix of a deer today so I tried to do gesture sketches of them. At least I think these would be considered gesture sketches:

I also intended to show you a sample of the papers I got from Paper Mojo yesterday, but I was having problems with Blogger (so what else is new?)

Aren't these lovely?

I need to go to the Library today to return some books that are due and then to the daughter's to feed the cats. I cut my toenails yesterday and hurt myself by trimming one way too close to skin that is not intended to be exposed. Ouch!!! Needless to say, I will not be walking the treadmill today, but hope to get back to it tomorrow.

I got such lovely feedback about my photos yesterday, I thought I would share a few more:

I love the fence line in this one.

I can never get enough pix of these little guys.

Do you see the size of that bee? This one scared me into the house.

Mr. Gorgeous!

This looks to me like the personification of the "cat who swallowed the canary".

Lovin' the lilies

I am so looking forward to meeting Dee in Battle Creek on Friday and doing some outdoor sketching. I will tell you all about it on Monday. Can you believe that tomorrow is the last day of June??!!

I hope to see you tomorrow,

xoxo

Quick Sketches, WC, Photos

I've been reading Sandy Sandy's Sketching Everyday blog for quite some time now and have always meant to try her sketching challenges for some time, but you know how life gets in the way sometimes. Well, her current challenge is to do a quick sketch of an elephant from four different perspectives. I read this post last evening after the Tiger game, and decided to just do it right then. Here is my quick, sorta blind contour:

I fully intended to keep us with the blind contour Friday that Peggy Stermer-Cox got me started on, but I'm afraid it's fallen by the wayside. Maybe I need to set an alarm on my computer for every Friday at start up that says, "Have you done a blind contour this week?"

I had two lovely packages delivered yesterday. One via the postwoman from Paper Mojo with a wonderful assortment of decorative papers. I think I may have to include some of these in the gift package for the people who take my repurposed books class. The other was from Misterart and delivered by UPS. It contained a ream of heavyweight drawing paper, a Rotring Art Pen (that I discovered in the worst way did not have waterproof ink), and a bottle of Bombay Green India Ink.

Here is the proof that the Art Pen did not have waterproof ink:

My perspective needs more work, the later addition of the Art Pen ink bled, and I overworked it.

I know I still have miles to go before I can feel at all comfortable with watercolor, I am enjoying playing with it and have promised myself not to put it so far away this time. I am thinking of trying some ink and watercolor. I will just have to remember to use waterproof ink.

A couple of weeks ago, I couldn't get the treadmill to run, so I took a walk with my SLR and came home with a couple of good pix:

Isn't he the cutest little thing? All proud and cocky standing in the road?

I copied this one and then used the multiply to better see the composition and colors as I really need a better understanding of clouds.

 

I made a blood donation to the mosquitoes yesterday and took my camera outside to get some pix in the yard.

I just had a breakfast of Shredded Wheat & Bran with some All Bran, blueberries and kiwi. Delicious!!! I need to clean out the refrigerator and do some grocery shopping today, but first there is a good tennis match on and I think I will go watch for awhile. I'll probably watch with the sound off as I can't stand to listen to Sharapova's wail. I love to watch her play tennis, but I wish they'd muzzle her.

I hope to have something to share tomorrow.

Stay well and have fun,

xoxo