The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday

First pages ....

Are you usually intimidated to start a new sketchbook / journal?  I am.  I've tried a few different ways to start that help ease me into continuing to use my sketchbooks.  Since most of us find it difficult to start using those nice clean white pages, this week I thought I would share a few of the first pages of some of my sketchbooks this week.

I decided I would start the above sketchbook as if it were a regular book.  I felt I would use it mostly while we are off on our boat so I picked the word Journeys for the first page.  Then added a pencil sketch of a sail boat.  I liked this idea and by starting off this way I never did have a feeling of intimidation.

Obviously I must have started this sketchbook in the Spring.  I was going to use each page with this type of entry.  That didn't last.  I randomly started putting anything on the pages that suited me at the moment.

Because I usually feel intimidated when starting a sketchbook I thought I'd start right off with an affirmation  I had cut out of a magazine and a printed photo of one of my previous watercolors.  This was a good way to start also.

One of my handmade sketchbooks I've dedicated for travel.  We were going to take a cruise to Mexico and I started out the sketchbook with a colorful watercolor.

How do you start you sketchbooks?  do you just open them up and dig right in?  Have you ever done something more special for your first page?

The Story Teller, Revisited ...

Re-visited -The Story Teller, 6" x 6" oil, © 2012 Nancy Van Blaricom

Back in November (2012) I posted this painting of The Story Teller.  Although I had shared it with you then later after living with it awhile I thought it needed more work, so, I recently re-visited this painting.

I've worked on the coloring on the face, the eyes and added the hint of an eyebrow (I some how must have missed that the first time) I also worked a little on her mouth. Although you might not have been able to immediately see a difference in this painting I think you will now that I mentioned them to you.

I should have put in some close-up shots so you could see the changes I made better ... next time.

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On another note: I've recently added a "Search this Blog" gadget to my blog ... you'll find it in the upper right hand corner.

I've always loved it when other artists have this feature on their blogs and I can look for a certain painting or subject I might have seen previously.  For instance when writing this blog post I couldn't remember offhand when I had posted this painting.  I simply went to the "Search this Blog" entered  The Story Teller and the information popped up immediately I could easily place the link from the original posting to this blogpost.

I hope if you've found something in a previous post you would like to see or read again so that you will use this new feature.  Enjoy!

The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday

For my sketches this week I chose to share a couple of tubes of paint I had sketched.

This is a tube of Gamblin Titanium White. 

The sketch above is of a Rembrandt tube of paint.  

I didn't write down the color but I'm guessing its Permanent Red Medium.

Its always fun to try and sketch the dents and twists of a used paint tube.

If you haven't tried sketching older paint tubes them give it a try.  I find I
really need to concentrate on just what I am seeing.

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This is a piece of sandstone rock I found a few years ago.  

Isn't it neat the way its shaped like a cat?  Isn't it amazing when you

can find things in nature that takes on the shape of something else?

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On another note: I've been busy finishing a commission and now I'm organizing my oil painting photos into jpg's and tiff's in different sizes so they will be ready when I need to print or share on the internet. Even though I haven't been oil painting a long time this has proved to be a much larger project than I expected.

As soon as I finish this project I want to revisit some of my oils that I think need just a little more work to become better paintings.  I usually paint something then as time goes by I think "this is a nice start but it needs to be finished. "  I want to finish some older work.

The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday

Looking through my sketchbooks I realize that most of my sketches are objects.  A hair brush, flower pot, some shells ....

 Sketched from Waikiki Beach (Washington) looking at Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

This is probably because when I'm inside I am more likely to have a sketchbook nearby and I can easily find something to sketch that is close at hand.

Most of the landscapes and waterscape sketches in my sketchbooks are from when we are off boating or camping.  I don't seem to have many from outside around my home.   Maybe I'll concentrate on doing more local outdoor sketching during the next few months.   What about you?

Sketch from Anette Bay, southern gulf islands, Canada

 Do you sketch landscapes scenes from near your home or do you sketch when off on vacation mostly?

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This time of year the sun doesn't always shine here in the Pacific Northwest. But, when I come into the room and sunlight is making shadows on the wall in May it always makes me smile.

The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday

I'm not sure if this post is more about color or the sketch, but color definitely is playing a big part of this blog post.

Most of the time I sketch with pencil.  Just a plain ol' Ticonderoga #2 pencil we have all used one time or another. There are times I will use my drawing pencils but not as a routine.

With the sketches below I used the #2 and then used watercolor to emphasize certain things.

Living room sketch, with color, pencil & watercolor, © Nancy Van Blaricom

In the above sketch I used color on some things then left the rest alone.

Into the hall sketch, with color, pencil & watercolor, © Nancy Van Blaricom

Same as the second sketch with the sailboat  ... most of it is in pencil then just a hint of color.  

I like the look of color on a pencil sketch, it adds a little pazazz to a sketch I think.

Living room sketch, with color, pencil & watercolor, © Nancy Van Blaricom

This last sketch was just an experiment and it failed miserably.  I didn't like it at all.  The colors make it cold, and uninviting.  

If I were to re-sketch this I would leave out the lavender, a light shadow I thought.  Also I'd leave out most of the yellow that was emphasizing light and maybe concentrate my color mostly on the rug and maybe a pillow ... or maybe one of the vases along side the couch.

If you give this a try in your sketchbooks I think it may be wise to be selective with the colors you use as well as the amount of items you color.   

Even with an occasional mistake its still fun once in awhile to add just a touch of color here and there. Go ahead, give it a try.

A week-end full of art ...

This last week-end, April 27th, I was fortunate to see two exciting Seattle museum exhibitions.  The Seattle Art Museum was showing works of Gainsborough, Hals Reynolds, Romney, Turner, Van Dyke & Rembrandt, and The Frye Museum was showing works of Nicolai Fechin .  You can read more about Nicolai Fechin here on Matthew D. Innis very informative blog "Underpaintings.  

All the work was amazing but at the Seattle Art Museum I was most amazed at all of the Rembrandt etchings on display.  It was impressive to see so many at one time.

At the Frye Museum they are showing 55 paintings and drawings of Nicolai Fechin.  His work is also awe inspiring.  He used thick paint with purposefully placed brush strokes. If you get an opportunity to see his work do not hesitate.

I felt so fortunate to be able to see all this great work and to see it all in one week-end was amazing.

The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday

Two sketchbook pages done in the same style where I have added a lot of words to the sketch.

On the top sketch I've written about how little I produce, what I wish I would have done to this sketch, and also what the weather was for the day.

In this sketch I wrote about my thoughts of how I would like to paint this scene ... also what this sketch was all about, and how I would sketch it next time.

There seems to be no consistency with my sketchbooks.  Sometimes when I look back through my sketchbooks and I see how different each page can be and it drives me nuts that there is so much variety in the way I use my sketchbooks ... but, it doesn't seem to make any difference, I keep doing each page different.  How about you?  do you work in your sketchbooks in a regular method?

A Class on Mastering Painting Fundamentals

An assignment on Values.

If you've been following my blog for awhile you may remember that I felt it was time I went back to the basics.  A refresher course, so to speak.  Along with my own study and reading up on the basics I also signed up for an on-line class that Elizabeth Floyd was offering awhile back on Mastering Painting Fundamentals.  Elizabeth made the 4 week class such an enjoyable way to refresh the basics.  She has made me realize more than anything that I need to pay attention to my work and take the time to 'see'. A goal of mine is to become more proficient as an artist and this class has reiterated that goal. Make sure and check out all the classes she is offering.

The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday

While trying to decide which sketchbook to use next I realized I had a few sketchbooks that had some, but not many, blank pages in them.  So, before I start on yet another sketchbook I'm going to finish filling in those blank pages .....

In looking through those sketchbooks I noticed I had done similar sketches of my kitchen area, a year apart, both using my Lamy fountain pen.

  One was in January 2009......

 and the other was in February 2010.  

Do you every find that you are sketching the same thing frequently?  I sketch my husband, my coffee mug and evidently my kitchen most often *grin.

Honorable Mention ...

I am thrilled to announce that my painting Almost Home was the first oil painting I had ever entered into an art show ....

Honorable Mention, Almost Home, 24" x 36" Oil on Canvas, © 2013 Nancy Van Blaricom

and it won Honorable Mention. I couldn't be happier.

When an artist enters a local art show... winning even a small award can be very encouraging, especially if they are new to a medium. It makes us want to continue to work at becoming a better artist.

The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday

Its that time of year again when we start thinking about boating season again.

In the above sketch from a number of years ago we were in a marina and tied 

across the dock from this boat ... too close not to sketch, right?

In the above sketch I decided to map the route we took while on this trip.  I gave up on that idea after a day or so because I ran out of room on these two pages and decided since we were going to be gone for a couple of months I would be taking up too much paper.  Its hard to see the route in this photo because you can see through to the back side of these two pages.  Clicking on the image might help.

This is just a dreaming sketch. I was sketching ways to  improve the  galley on the boat.  

Instead we sold the boat ...

Have a great week-end ... try to squeeze some sketching into your days.

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Recently I've been working on a couple of  watercolor commissions and hope to finish with them next week.  Meanwhile I've been reading a lot about the basics such a color theory, composition and drawing.  It is a wonderful refresher course for me and I'm looking forward to putting some of what I've been reading into practice soon.

The Art of the Sketchbook - Friday

 If it holds still ... its fair game

Neil reading, 6" x 9" sketchbook, ©2013, Nancy Van Blaricom

I can't begin to tell you how often I've sketched my husband.  If he's holding still like when he reads or....

Neil sleeping, 6" x 9" sketchbook, ©2013, Nancy Van Blaricom

  

If we are out camping and the sun is shinning while he's in one of our camp chairs napping.

Alstroemerias in Silver

Alstroemerias in Silver, 6" x 8" © 2013, Nancy Van Blaricom

Yes ... a floral! You may have noticed I haven't painted many florals.

Thoughts on this painting:  I didn't want to be overwhelmed with a lot of detail of too many flowers so I thought I'd choose a small bouquet of flowers, (I had over looked the fact that Alstroemerias have a lot of petals, what was I thinking?). Now looking back I'm not sure what difference it really made, except there might have been some stems and a vase with water showing ... anyway, after I chose to arrange my Alstroemerias in a small silver bowl I still wasn't sure of the look I was after.  I decided it still needed more punch to the composition so sat the whole arrangement in a small cardboard box with the opening facing out.  This was just the look I wanted.  A little mystery in the background.

I'm really pleased with how this little painting turned out.  I love that I was able to make the one flower be the star of the show(focal point) and make the others recede into the background, (edges).  Also, the color was great with the dark interior of the cardboard box.  Just the look I was hoping for.

Here I've placed this in a black 3" frame. ... I see I've picked up some reflected light from a near-by desk lamp.

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Note to my artist friends:  I've finally been able to stand back at arms length and paint with my arm extended ... I simply move my taboret between me and may easel.  This method is working perfectly f.  Possibly I'll share photos of my painting arrangement in a later post.  Yea, a huge victory for me.

Peninsula Art Association - Spring Art Show

Spring seems to be a perfect time for art shows doesn't it?  Our little town, Shelton Washington, has an annual show that just gets better each year.   I haven't participated in this show for a couple of years and I'm excited that for the first time since I started working in oils that I will be entering two of my oil paintings.  

Please, if you are in the area, come and take a look at all the wonderful art that will be on display.

After you peruse all the art you can choose which painting is your favorite and at the reception the winner of People's Choice will be announced.

  

 AWARDS

Best of Show $300 1st place $100* 2nd place $75* 3rd place $50* *in each category
People’s Choice  Gift Basket 

This year the show opens on April 11 and runs through April 19th.
The categories are

• Oil, 
• Acrylic 
• Watercolor
• Gouache 
• Inks 
• Hand-pulled prints
• Pastel
•  Colored Pencil
• Charcoal 
• Graphite 
• Photography
•  as well as 3 Dimensional Works

The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday

Tools of the trade ....

I use a number of different tools - mediums, in my sketchbooks and today I thought I'd share them with you.  In the above photo I was celebrating spring and used watercolor for the first page of this sketchbook.  If you don't go too heavy with the water it doesn't wrinkle the pages too much.

On these two pages I used my favorite Pilot pen.  I love this pen because of the shading capabilities when you moisten the ink with water.

Of coarse pencils, all sizes and degrees of hardness, are a favorite.

Here I used a couple of markers.  A black Sharpie and a cool gray Prismacolor marker.  Great for value sketches.

I don't use crayons as often as I'd like ... I seem to forget about them if they aren't sitting out where I can see them instead of tucked away in a drawer.

Also, I have forgotten to include photos of pastel pages.  I haven't use pastels very often, but I do have a few in my sketchbooks that I've sprayed with a fixative... not my favorite.

Don't limit yourself to only pencils ... other mediums make for some fun sketching also.

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On another note I wanted to share with you that I am still working at learning more about painting with oils and hope, before long, to share a few things I've been working on with emphases on values and composition.  I work slow but hopefully before too long I will post some work.

The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday

Mug Shots from my sketchbooks ....

Seems like everyone is into Mug Shots lately.  So my way of participating is to share a few sketches of my mugs from my sketchbooks.  Sketching my coffee mugs is something I've always done and I'm sure its because there is always one near me.

Mug #1... a very feminine with dainty flowers on the octagon shaped mug.  

A fine strip of gold on the handle

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Same as mug #1 ... this was just tiny in my sketchbook, about an inch high.

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Mug #3 was a hand made mug.  I used it for years and just

recently passed it along to a friend and neighbor.

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Mug #4 is the same as mug #5.  Odd shaped but it was a favorite for years.

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Mug #5, Red mug.

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Mug #6 ... these are not my mugs / cups.  They were in a 

magazine andI thought they needed to be sketched. 

There you have it ... 6 mug shots from one sketchbook.

There are more in other sketchbooks but this is enough mugs for one day I think.

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Have a great Easter week-end.

The Art of a Sketchbook

Assorted bottles & jars on my desk, 6" x 9" sketchbook, ©2013 Nancy Van Blaricom

These are a few bottles and a jar that were on my desk the morning of August 30th, 2012

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An assortment of my sketchbooks on the left & on the right some of my books on drawing.

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Today while out shopping I picked up a Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine.  It is a delightful issue with a couple of items on drawing.  I thought I'd share this page from the magazine ...

To draw does not mean simply to reproduce contours: drawing does not consist merely of line: drawing is also expression, the inner form, the plane, modeling.  

See what remains after that.

- Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780 - 1867)

Also in this same issue there is a four page article on Juliette Aristides & Sherrie McGraw. 

Both are fabulous artists and I'm thrilled to own both Sherrie McGraw's book The Language of Drawing as well as Juliette Aristrides book titled Lessons in Classical Drawing.

I hope you have a wonderful week-end and get out and do some sketching or drawing.

Studying Composition & Design ....

"In art, the terms design and composition are nearly synonymous.  By definition, design means to invent or conceive. Composition refers to the placement of forms, shapes, values and colors within a picture.  The distinction between the two terms is that design is the act, and composition is the result.  In short, you create a composition through the act of designing." ~ North Light 

Remember me telling you how I thought I should be focusing my attention on becoming a better artist?  Since writing that blog post I have been examining composition and design and I must say I'm really enjoying the research.

Some years ago I had done some reading about composition but I don't think a lot of it stayed with me.  What did stay with me I didn't consciously apply to any of my work ... if it was used it was more than likely not on purpose.  

McLane Cove, 5" x 7" oil on gessoed watercolor paper,

© 2013 Nancy Van Blaricom

In my painting above I purposely tried to direct your attention to what I felt was the center of interest.  I have some strong diagonals that draw you into the picture plane. At the same time encompass  your interest by focusing on the significance of the clouds and the sky.

I like this painting much better in real life.   I seem to have trouble getting my whites and blues to photograph well.  And photoshop doesn't seem to help much.

• Do you consciously apply your design knowledge to your work 
• Or is it second nature to you now?  
• What about thumbnails ... do you try out a couple of different scenarios in pencil before you commit to a design?

The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday

:: Ellipse Studies ::

An ellipse is so difficult for me to draw and because of that you'll often see ellipse studies in my sketchbooks.  I usually have a cup of coffee around and it seems to call out to me to sketch the cup.

This photo above was a study .... I think I failed at this attempt.  I can't remember what book I was reading that suggested all these angle studies.

I was much more pleased with this study. Even then I'm not sure how much work like this I would be willing to do prior to putting the image of a cup on  my support.

I apologize for the poor quality of these photos.  I found that when sketching ellipses I tend to sketch lightly ... thinking I might be easier to erase I guess, but, I don't erase in my sketchbooks, so I'm not sure why I sketch ellipses so lightly.

Do you use your sketchbook to study how to draw some particular item?  Noses, faces, cups or maybe trees?  

The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday, or maybe Sunday?

Eye, aprox. 2" x 2" sketch on scrap paper, ©2013, Nancy Van Blaricom

I (eye) have been away and neglected to schedule last Friday's The Art of a Sketchbook - Friday.  I'm back now and promise to show up for next Friday's regular sketch blog entry.

Until then keep on sketching.