Currently Browsing: sketching from life 21 articles
Sketching at the Dentist’s
There’s no excuse not to have a sketchbook with you at all times. I’ve made sketchbooks as small as 2 x 4 inches. They fit nicely into a pocket if you aren’t carrying a purse or bag. And now so many commercially bound books are available in small sizes, including the Hahnemühle Watercolor Book, which […]
In Context: Not the Time To Explain a Vignette
As an artist, you know whether it’s the right time to introduce the concept of “vignettes” or not. Pick your battles.
Use Every Free Moment for Sketching.
OK, everyone knows you can’t use EVERY free moment for sketching. But you can grab a lot of them and bend them to paper and pencil or pen… I find that even if it’s late at night I can usually get one more quick sketch fitted into the day. On this evening I did a […]
Sometimes People in an Audience Catch My Eye
Above: Line of people sitting in front of me at the opening performance for “Orphan Train.” In the pocket size Hahnemühle Nostalgie book with a Sakura Pigma Sensei. I had the great good fortune to go to “Orphan Train” at the Minnesota History Theater on opening night. My friend, composer and musician Charlie Maguire did […]
Hahnemühle’s Nostalgie Paper Is Now In Elegant Sketchbooks!
Above: First sketch in my new Large A4 Nostalgie Sketchbook with Pentel Brush Pen (pigment, squeezy handle). In August I received an email from Hahnemühle announcing their new sketchbook line containing Nostalgie paper. (Nostalgia is a 190 gsm natural white paper that has a smooth surface and is acid free.) I adore Nostalgie. I've been sketching […]
Was He Tired Or Was I? (Eyebrow Update)
Above: Quick sketch of Dick in the TV room. I used a non-photo blue pencil in the Seawhite Sketchbook. I'm still scanning away stuff from the Fair. And I've had to be away from the studio for a while, so just a quick post today. Dick looks pretty tired here and I wonder why. Perhaps […]
Sketching Sketchers
Above: A sketch of my friend Don Bajus while he is intent on sketching. Pen and watercolor on Arches Text Wove (Velin) in a handmade journal approx. 7 x 5 inches. I was sitting on the patio of a friend's home, after dinner, put to work by a friend to make more "sofa" sketches for […]
Which Paper Will I Use at the 2016 Minnesota State Fair? Don’t Know—But I Can Tell You How I’ve Been Narrowing It Down
Left: My first runner-up for Fair Journal paper was white Stonehenge. Here’s a test piece I made while sketching from the TV one afternoon. It’s glued down to a larger page in my experiments journal. Which paper will I take to the 2016 Minnesota State Fair? I wish I knew. I have a vague notion. […]
Moleskine Myths: They Open Flat?
Above: A quick sketch of Dick sitting on the TV room couch next to a bright light. I worked in a new Moleskine with the whiter, more absorbent paper. Look at the gutter area and the offset that prevented me from working across the page. There’s flat and then there’s flat. People who use Moleskines […]
Tools and Subject Matter—Over a Life of Sketching
Above: A 10 minute sketch using a carbon-black ink felt-tipped brush pen sketch of Dick in the TV Room—focusing on Contours after a wearing day. Background: Montana marker. 9 x 12 inch Fabriano Venezia Journal page spread. (If you can't read the text, you can see a typed version at the end of this post.) […]