Working on Sketches

I have been really wanting to make a nativity scene for Christmas. But I missed my opportunity, since I started this after Christmas. So I'm hoping I'll get this done before next Christmas. 

I'm getting it done, very slowly. The above is the inked study on white paper. I'm eliminating a bunch of the ornamentation and the column, and will be adding new things. I hope to transfer this design onto some very nice cotton 300 lb paper. And then, perhaps, I'll try to paint it.

That's terrifying, because whenever I add color or paint, somehow a great drawing becomes an awful painting.

Needle Point Design

My sister had asked me to use some Polish Folk Art and come 

up with a needle point design for my Mom, for her Christmas gift.

Below is the finished art.

 This was the black and white drawing, before I colored it.

The inspirations

 So gloriously colorful!! These make me so happy.

 Love love.

 Chickens!!!!!

 I was sketching out on regular printer paper. I was planning on drawing half, and then flipping the mirror image in photoshop.

There you have it.

 It was hard to find the right colors to use. I didn't want to use the exact coloring that was on the original art. But I wanted it to look similar.

I like it. It's not QUITE what I was hoping for, but then again,

it never is.

In progress.

Inked the half sketch.

The finished paper with colors, and then the

inked needle point scrim underneath. I bought needle point scrim

from Joann's, then just sewed some binding on the the unfinished edges, and printed out the sketch at 14"x14".  She likes to turn her needle-point's into pillows, so I made it just a bit smaller than the pillow form. 

I didn't color in the scrim, I just colored the paper poster, and will let her pick her own colors. 

Now, my sister had mentioned that I hadn't made her a watercolor painting. I was doing some paintings last year but stopped because I wasn't happy with the way they turned out. 

So, I picked out my favorite piece of art that she gave me. And did a small watercolor painting of it. 

There you go.

Ruth

InkTober

InkTober is a creation of an artist named Jake Parker.

He started his own initiative to draw an ink drawing a day for the month of October. 31 drawings for 31 days. It became a worldwide trend with thousands of artists challenging themselves to draw more.

Here's his website detailing the project.

MrJakeParker.com

Now, I've known about InkTober for awhile. But never really tried it. I'm not saying I'll finish or even start 31 drawings for October. Well, it's the fourth so I'm three days behind anyway. But while my Goose is asleep (still) I thought I'd try a little bit. Today's prompt was "Hungry".

I had been craving chocolate cake and after buying some, and then beginning to eat it (quietly and behind their backs so they wouldn't see). My kids spied me and promptly asked me and what I was eating and if they could have some.

There is never secret cake. 

This inspired my Ink-Tober "Hungry" Ink Drawing.

My finished InkTober Drawing

I'll show a bit of the progression:

 I forgot to take a picture of the pencil sketch. They usually look better to me.

 Pen and Pencil drawing

 I tried to outline with a brush pen. It didn't look right.

 I traced over all my pen marks with a thicker marker.

 I realized I hated the little outline I did around Hungry.

 I tried to cover it up.

#Inkober, #Inktober2016

And here we are.
InkTober 2016.
Day 4.
Hungry.

It has been so long since I've drawn much. I do maybe sketch one a month. They are just sketches. Sometimes for projects, sometimes because I must draw something. But the mood doesn't happen as often as it should.

The thing about art is that you can't wait for the mood. You have to do it whether you feel like it or not. It's sort of like laundry or dishes.

Here are some links to the fantastic artists to who also contribute to InkTober

Pinterest InkTober Gallery

Till Next Time,

Rudy

Happy Thanksgiving

I have been trying to draw more, create more. And just get myself out of a creative rut. It's slow going. Getting the motivation to take the small few minutes I have to draw is hard. There's less time for me to do things, and when I do have free time I tend to squander it on something easy and worthless like TV. Now, TV and reading and escape is great. Sometimes you have to just veg. But I do need to keep drawing, and using illustrator and photoshop, because they are skills that you WILL LOSE if you don't use them. There is so much you forget when you stop using it. I don't want to forget. I don't know if I will ever have a job that allows me to use my creativity, or drawing or hell anything I studied in college and spend years doing professionally. But, I can't quite squash the hope that maybe, I will be able to do them again as a job. Rather than as a hobby.

So I was doodling sketching (It's totally sketching if you doodle in a sketch book isn't it?) and came up with some silly illustrations for Thanksgiving.

So, this holiday is really just about eating for me. I don't usually eat much Turkey (give me mashed potato's, bread and stuffing, and I get all sleepy after eating enough carbohydrates to prepare me for a marathon. (More like a Doctor Who Marathon....AmIright???)

I came up with some silly ideas.

Doesn't everything look better in-between laurel leaves?
So official right?

I'm not a huge fan of roast turkey. Although I love me some buttery spuds. 

Turkey Leg Wreath lying on a bed of cranberry leaves and cranberries. (with outline)

No outlines

 I'm not sure which I like best. I tend to be pretty flat with my drawings. I don't always go for outlines, but sometimes I think it makes a better impact. Also, the shadows weren't looking very good, and drop shadow just looks sooooo.....drop shadowy.  I struggle with color choice, especially when using the pantone CMYK color book. YOU  try to pick out four great colors when you have 5000 at your disposal. There's just not enough value difference, and I think it gets a bit confusing to look at.

I was going to do a chalkboard look for this one but got a bit distracted and just trashed the idea. Maybe I'll add some chalkboard effects, or not.

A little peek at the illustrator work, plus to the right are only "some" of the colors I choose from.

Yep, a bit overwhelming sometimes.

Anyway, I guess this blog and the other one (eep, been awhile since I posted on my humor one-guess I wasn't feeling too funny) will be the repository of my creative work for the near, and possibly forever future. 

Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll. I'm so thankful that I have found sometime to draw again, and I'm also so very thankful I have a life that allows for such niceties as a big day set aside for gluttony and teasing your family members. It's a pretty stunning gift. My thoughts and prayers to the suffering and hurt. My thanks to those reading.

Rudy

G and the Narwahl

I'm not sure I spelled Narwhal correctly. Oh well.

So I did another handwritten letter for my sister G.

Her fav animal was a Narwhal.

I couldn't figure out how to feature Ranunculus (her fav flower) in a scene with whales, so I just added small fish and bubbles.

I'm not terribly happy with the letter G, it's a bit too stark.

But, I like the Narwhal, they seem kinda cool, and freckly. 

Ruth

A handwritten Letter

One evening as if by magic, I found myself with my Mother and sisters K and S. My sister S, ever the wise one, told me to call my Hubbie, and let him know we were going out on a ladies evening, and he needed to pick up the kids (my two little ones) and his wife, was going out to eat (and have a few gin and tonics)

So we headed out after the kindly Sarge picked up the kids and we went to Gruene River Grill in Gruene, TX. I love that place. If you have a chance,go there. It's a a 150 year old structure on a high hill above the Guadelupe River and it's just lovely. Great food, nice atmosphere, and you can wear flip flops and eat Creme Brûlée without feeling underdressed.

After regaling the rest of the restaurant with our raucous laughter and bawdy talk of harlequin romance novels and the elderly women who love them.....we went home and on the way picked up our Mother's mail. My Mother is on every catalog and junk mail mailing list in the knows printed universe. The mail lady continually asks my Mother to get a larger mailbox, and my mother counters with she'll just add the largest trash can she can find, and that will be her mailbox, seeing as it's where it ultimately ends up. My mother's mail is often double wrapped in rubber bands to keep the 20 or so magazines, junk mail, and catalogs together.

After pulling the 5 pound stack of glossy paper out my Mother remarked how she would rather have one handwritten letter, than all the junk mail and bills and catalogs. We all agreed and I promised (remember 2 gin and tonics-) to send them all handwritten letters.

A few week later after asking them their favorite animal and flowers, and dragging out my dusty light box,I fulfilled my promise.

I had been working on some design stuff (purely for myself) and was fascinated by the illustrated drop cap. These were my attempts.

For K:

Her Favorite animals: The Secretary bird (right) and the Swallow
tailed Bee eater (left) I chose the protea (the South African
national flower) Since she lived and Loved S.A. so much.

For P:

Humming birds and Orchids were her favorite.

For S:

Chickens were her favorite, but I didn't like the
way it turned out so I tried another one.

Second Attempt for S:

Roosters and Daisy's, (her favorites) and
I liked this one better. We jokingly call it
her "BIG S ROOSTER" (say it fast and loud, it's funny I
swear)

So there you go, handwritten letters. I took a bit of license with the term "handwritten letter" but I don't think they'll mind.

I did another one for my Sister G, but forgot to scan it in before I gave it to her. It has narwhales, so she'll have to scan it in for me since, my descriptions doesn't really do it justice.

,Ruth