create where and when you can

Ever since we've been house hunting, I have not been able to finish my art projects, or start any new ones. It's a bit disappointing, cause I'd done several city scenes and was close to finishing another one, and had even been commissioned by Andrew from Graffiti 2 to do a few of Mott Haven for him. I have not forgotten, and I will get them done as soon as we get settled in, but alas, life in transition means you put aside some things to get others done that have come into the "front burner".
The thing is, as an artist, not doing any kinda drawing or anything starts to affect my mental health, and my brain screams for some creativity.
Yesterday was Phoenix's birthday. To celebrate, we took him to the cemetery, which he'd been asking to go to for months. You can read more about that whole event on Fabio's blog.
Anyway, as suggested by Susan, we brought paper and crayons(pastels and charcoal are already packed) along to do some rubbings at the tomb stones.
That turned out to be a nice creative activity for the boys and I. (Fabio took photos) Because of this, I felt like a tiny part of my creative soul was satisfied.
Here are are rubbings and some photos(click on each to see it bigger)...

moving cramping art

It seems that house hunting is cramping my art style.
Here are a couple drawings I did yesterday. They were sketches to possibly be used for our church's next sermon series. Our pastor asked me to go in a different direction, so I'll have to do that today instead. You can check out the drawings in the meantime, and let me know what you think...

quick sketches while you wait...

I have only worked on quick sketches, because I haven't had much energy the last few days. I'm fighting a miserable cold.
I started feeling crummy last thursday.
Then, I've gotten considerably worse each day, with an extremely stuffy head and sleeping on the couch for the past 2 days.
Today, the symptoms have become an annoying cough, but at least I have some energy to get things done.
Here are some sketches I did in the last week or 2...

another city drawing

Okay, so I finished one more city drawing.
It's got a bit of wonkiness to it, but that's part of what I like about it.
It's also the one that is most "tight".
Check it out and see what you think, and leave me a comment or criticism.

a revelation...

I think I figured out something I like doing/drawing, that might make a good series.
It's a city scene.
Not like the previous bridge, but like what I worked on for our church's next sermon series. See left.
I actually made 2 dawings.
One which is more abstracted, from imagination.














5x7" colored pencils and pen on sketchbook paper

One that was based off a real place, using a picture for reference, but using quite a bit of "artistic license".














6.75 x9" colored pencil and pen on paper


What do you think?
Would you want it up in your wall?

The bridge is done

I've worked on this painting for a long time. It started out in my mind as something that would be a face, but the difficulties and series of unexpected results in the early stages of preparing the canvas made me feel as if it had to become a cityscape of sorts. Inspired by one of photographs, and just pushed on by a emotional color choice, I finally finished this mixed media piece.
It took long, and I struggled through much of it, and had some great learning experiences because of it, but I'm just glad it's done.

















I'm still not very much in love with it. What do you think?

I can handle any criticism, or praise you send my way.

another sketch at church

This time, it was done at a church we visited. The Covenant Live Church.
I drew a couple people but this is my favorite of the sketches.
This kinda thing has been the extent of my work lately.
Nothing finished til today([more about that on the next post].
But I get little drawings in here and there.
I imagine with our move, the drawings and painting will dwindle down as I pack instead.
I've also been working toward my own personal artist/illustrator website, and will make that public very soon. Thanks to my wonderful husband and his awesome programming skills!

yosemite on scratchboard

A couple posts ago, I posted a detail, and here's the finished piece.
If you don't know what this is, it is called scratchboard. You work in the opposite then drawing with a pen. You scratch away the white.
This particular board is made by ampersand, and it's a black claybord. It's nice because it's not as flimsy as some of the other scratchboards I worked with in the past.
I worked based off a photo using artistic license to add or delete as needed for composition.
Have you ever tried this?
It's a lot of fun.
5x7 claybord black/ scratchboard

wreck this journal - kid style

I you have a son, you know that being borderline destructive comes with the territory. You can also identify with how to wanting to find ways to use that "spirit" for good.
In my case, I'm also looking for ways to incorporate it into art possibilities.
Anyway, a few months ago, I came across a journal called "wreck this journal".
A bit odd at first, but really interesting once you give it some thought. The idea is that sometimes we're too uptight with how we do art, and it's good to loosen up and do some "wrecking". In the process, you might come across some really cool results.
When Willik saw my journal, and I explained a bit to him about it, and he'd really wanted to try it, but we had not had our chance.
That chance finally arrived when we got to stay home from church this weekend, cause he had the stomach virus. Of course, missing church is never a priority on my list, but at least getting to spend quality time with my son makes up for it.
I pulled out the journal, and he was thrilled to do it. He was particularly thrilled with the thought of being able to "wreck it" and "that is okay!" cause it's the "wreck this journal" journal. We did about 6 of the pages; everything from burning a page(scary), to chewing on a page.
Amongst those we also colored this entire page, as requested. He did the design, which I'd asked him to repeat, since he'd done one like it on another sheet recently.
It was really fun just sitting and coloring together, and enjoying a joint artistic moment.
With this brainiac boy, I don't know how many chances I'll have of this, so I'll take all that I can.

sketching the boys

I sketched Phoenix the other day, while he was doing his homework. It turned out to be a pretty good drawing session for me.
I was reminded of how good it is to draw from a "live" model, and one that moves as much as him makes for some pretty short poses, and some pretty challenging angles, and that is always nice to incorporate, plus it helps me capture a moment in time because "Everyday Matters" as I've learned form Danny Gregory.

Willik,, I drew the day after.
He was in trouble, and therefore sitting on his own, quietly. It was easier to draw, though I don't think it was as good of a drawing. when out of trouble, and he went and drew too.

Journaling my boys with sketches is a great gift I've been given, and I need to do it more often!

Not much to post yet...

I've been doing stuff, but I've got nothing much to post yet...
I've been working on a scratchboard. It's tedious, as all scratchboards are, and I'm enjoying it. I've been working on it mostly at night, for the past week or so.















Also, about a week ago, I went to a new diner while my mother-in-law was visiting, and since it was so cool on the inside, I just had to draw it.




















Yesterday I worked on a bridge painting I've shown here before, but I still have to put in a couple more hours into it before it's finished.
Thanks for checking in, leave me comments. That's the only way I know people are reading, and it helps me to keep on posting.

Patti listens

A pitt pen drawing at church.
Since it's on my watercolor moleskine, I plan on adding a watercolor wash to it, but even now, I like how it looks.

Using time wisely

This is nothing that is an art statement, or something that will be remembered as my life's work.
The reason I am posting it is because I did it.
While everyone was around, the kids were playing, my mother-in-law was visiting, my husband was reading for school, and I still worked on a quick drawing.
It's my own personal victory, because sometimes, I think I don't have enough time, or can't do stuff when too much is going on, and yet, here's a decent drawing done in just a few minutes.
Yay for using time wisely!

a swatch of colors

It was great to get this done. I have a pile of remnant colored pencils, that I've gathered over time. They fit in a small wipes travel container, and go in my back with me everywhere, for when the mood for easy color strikes.
I've seen and always wanted to do this kinda chart of swatches with them, and this past Saturday, I finally did it!
I feel great! It will be so much easier finding and knowing what I want ti use in a particular drawing. Now I ahve to do this with other paints and colored pencils as well.

imagination girl

I picked up my remnant box of colored pencils and started drawing. I never intended to make a person, but she emerged nonetheless.
Colored pencils on sketchook

imagination, here we go...

The other day, I started drawing, without looking at anything, or trying to do anything other than what came from my imagination.
This is what emerged.
I called him Dietrich. He's a strange fellow, I know. But I like him.
I used a new sketch and wash pencil., but I haven't tried the wash part yet.
Any advice on drawing from imagination?

Art Plan for 2008

Okay, here's my plan for 2008...

• use my imagination more
• draw more architecture
• go to a life class/sessiom
• set up my etsy store
• research other ways to sell artwork
• participate in 30-day artist(this is a real big maybe!)
• 2or 3 paintings/finished pieces a month unless other project is going on
• photograph more often
• monthly projects are good motivators

If anyone has any thoughts or advice, send it my way.

Here's my first sketch of the year. It's not much, but at least I did it.