Currently Browsing: Drawing in a Series 54 articles
Post-Project Let Down: What To Do About It
“Post-project let down.” What is it? How do you deal with it? I’ve got a few things to say about this today as the year winds down because journal keepers often experience a form of post-project let down at the end of a year. If you feel you might be prone […]
Redefining the Self: Another Watercolor Portrait on Fluid 100 Hot Press Watercolor Paper
I tend to work in a series and this was item three in a series this spring that started with the image I posted in September 16th’s blog post. The second image in the series was the image in Monday’s blog post. What Do They Have in Common That Holds Them […]
Notes to Yourself in Your Journal
I find the practice of making even brief notes during or at the end of a sketching session help me focus where I want to go next. If something turns out too elongated I try again, often with a different pen or tool, as I did here. And I might even make a small diagram […]
Sketching in Family Situations: Creating New Family Contracts
If you desire to sketch at family gatherings and visits but it seems impossible this post is for you. If you already have sketching integrated into your life I suggest you stop reading and go sketch. Recently a blog reader wrote the following to me I love your posts and your portraits! How do you […]
What’s the Deal with the 2019 Celebration of International Fake Journal Month?
In January I decided that after 10 years of a public celebration of International Fake Journal Month I’d end the public portion of this project. You can read about my reasons at the above link to the official blog. So this year there is no button and theme/tagline and most important, nothing for me to […]
Hair Cuts and Their Aftermath
Nope I didn’t have a hair cut. I still have my braids. Periodically I give CR a hair cut. He’s too frail now for me to load him into the car and take him to the female barber I found for him, and whom he grew to enjoy. Now he has me. After the hair […]
The Daily Potato: A Look at a Daily Drawing Project
At the end of September 2018 Jennifer Okano brightened everyone’s day by posting this wonderfully dimensional sketch of a sweet potato in a group I host for past students. She wrote: This month my focus has been on contours. Outside, inside, cross. Picking the oddest Japanese sweet potatoes at the market has given me a […]
Project Friday: Working Quickly in a Series of Sketches
There is always a lot of paper around the studio. Recently when I was putting away the camera equipment I “found” a large copier paper-sized box full of packets of 9 x 12 inch toned papers. There are light colors and dark colors. Some of it is smooth, some is textured. I purchased these packets […]
In Context—Just for the Fun of Feeling the Paper
I was having so much fun with this sketch on real watercolor paper, that I forgot to write down the date and time on the page! That’s a lot of fun. I started working late one night in one of the 9 x 11 inch watercolor journals I bound last fall. It contains Fabriano Artistico […]
Sketching Warm Up—A Quick Approach
Just as it is important to do your daily exercises, go for your walk, ride your bike, it’s important to do your drawing warm up. These can be done very quickly. The sketches on the above page spread were done in less than 12 minutes. That’s how long it takes to make my breakfast noodles. […]