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Compositional Choices in a Journal
I was writing last month about choices on my Patreon blog and my mind keeps coming up with examples even though we’ve moved on. This one is about compositional choice. And we never really move away from compositional choices… First, nope, I didn’t suddenly get tired and give up on the rest of the head […]
Direct Brush Sketching with Another Rigger/Liner Brush
Last month I did another rigger/liner brush test—sketching Rick Niece again. While I missed the likeness I had a ton of fun with the line and shapes I could make with the Silver Ruby Satin Scriptliner 2. This was, and looks like it will continue to be, my favorite, or one of my favorites going […]
Stubble
Sometimes it is fun to sit down and draw stubble. Lots and lots of stubble. I find this entertaining, and joyful. I find noting the growth direction, the length, the density—all fun. But then I sat in the Bell Museum for a whole afternoon years ago, drawing every line of fur on a deer. This […]
This May on Patreon: Choices for Working Loosely
In May 2023 on Patreon I’m going to be demonstrating and discussing working loosely. What choices do you make? How do you go forward? How do you train your eye to be comfortable with looseness? You may have seen a speed video of this sketch on my Instagram account. On Patreon you can see […]
Two More Liner Brush Tests
I’ve got two sketch-tests for two different liner/rigger brushes. Both were executed in a pre-Covid Handbook that’s about 5.5 x 8 inches, with 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper. (These pages don’t smell of wood and chemicals the way the pandemic purchased books do.) For these two I departed from my 3-color palette of the […]
For the Love of Negative Space
I hear all sorts of things from my journaling students. “How much negative space should I leave on my journal spread?” “How much space should surround my focal point?” “How much text and how much more illustration should I put on my page spread?” “How should I arrange these 5 things on my page spread […]
In Context: Don’t Sketch When You’re Even Too Tired To Sit In A Chair!
A visual cautionary tale today. I was working from a reference photo on the Museum App (f.k.a. Sktchy) and I thought this person wearing bunny ears would be fun if I treated those ears not as attachable costume, but real ears! Sadly, I was so tired (sleep has been at a minimum lately) that when […]
In Context: I Invent a New Game for Two Or More
You can read the text on the page spread if you click to enlarge it. As to the brush and ink wash sketch—I was watching the Great British Baking show that evening.
In Context: Attitudes
UPDATE 3.6.23 at 2:30 p.m. Email responses about this post make it clear to me my post was confusing. In the original post below I’m writing about the serendipity of journaling and its positive effects in our lives. I believe that we can choose how we react to things helped by the process of journaling. […]
Try, Try Again
I watch the British Police drama “Vera.” (In the US you can see it on PBS, but awhile back I started watching it on Britbox and think the episodes come in a bit earlier.) I watch it because I’m totally in love with Brenda Blethyn. She’s so amazing. But as I’ve already discussed on my […]