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Birds and Light
Crows and ravens have the most amazing colors in their plumage. They are so fun to sketch. This is in a Seawhite of Brighton sketchbook. This sketch is a quick one I made while watching some nature show, practicing quick color layering and hoping that I would be going to the Minnesota State Fair this […]
Thinking about White Hair on Toned Paper
There’s nothing finished in this study of a man with white hair and a beard. It’s me noodling around experimenting with how to get the values of white hair on toned paper. I’m working in a handbound journal made with Zerkall Nideggen (it has a lovely fiber fleck of texture throughout). I guess paper nostalgia […]
Derwent Shade and Tone Set
Manufacturers of art materials are always looking for new ways to bring existing products to more people, often in different forms. The Derwent Shade and Tone Set is a recent example of that. I’m not testing a lot of stuff right now (downsizing, blah, blah, blah; and a lot of paint I want to use […]
Sketching Loosely in July
This July on Patreon I’ll be discussing working loosely, whether sketching or painting. First of course we will actually define our terms—what is loose? (Hint: it will be different for everyone, but we can still have approaches…) If you would like to join in and catch the videos please subscribe to Patreon/RozInterim here. Whatever you […]
Just Doodling Around
Just me doodling around on that unknown smooth but fiber-flecked paper I found in a Japanese stab binding that I pulled apart. (A teaching sample I no longer needed.) I really wish I could find a note on what type of paper it was. I know it was commercial printing paper so I’ll just […]
Sketching on Any Old Paper You Have At Hand
Sometimes we can get into our heads. We can spend time telling ourselves all the reasons we can’t take time right now and paint. As a teacher for over 30 years I think I’ve heard every excuse there is: no space to set up, don’t have the materials I want to work with; I don’t […]
Let Yourself Push Your Sketch Marks Now and Then
OK, we can’t get the whites of the paper back when we are working in pen and ink (unless we resort to the X-acto blade, or ProWhite gouache), but it’s still a useful endeavor to keep pushing with the lines. I find that working with a dried out pen pushes me to be a little […]
Making Neutrals with a Secondary Triad
Update: May 14, 2022. The paper used for this portrait was from a pad purchased in 2000-02. Magnani Portofino paper has been “revamped.” The current version of this paper is NOT one I would recommend for wet media work. You can see a post reviewing the currently available paper on this blog on May […]
A Different Sort of Wizard—Special Circumstances
Today seemed a good day to share another one of my wizard paintings because, well next month (April) on my Patreon blog I’m going to be sharing the full, realtime version of this sketch as a secondary demo. (You can already see the sketch silent and sped up to only 3 minutes long on […]
In Context—Sketching Through Pain
Be sure to note the date—it’s last April! I’m doing just fine today and keeping up with all my physical therapy maintenance exercises. This is a couple sketches of Nic Sampson, an actor on “The Brokenwood Mysteries.” Click on this link to read my recent review of the series. (Hint, I’m a fan.) I […]