Smokehouse At Renfrew

Tags

Canson XL Mix Media paper, general's graphite sketch pencils, outbuildings, Pages from a Nature-Lover's Diary, Renfrew Park and museum, smokehouse

Graphite sketch of Smokehouse at Renfrew Museum, Waynesboro, Pa.

The Story Behind the Sketch:

It was a mild winter day, approaching Christmas,  when my hubby & I went for a walk at Renfrew park. The dull scenery had been lit up into shade of russet, orange and gold, by the low rays of the setting sun— and I could not resist taking a photo of this scene. While I did the sketch as a prelude to a watercolor painting, I’m also happy with what it is in itself; a pleasant black & white rendition of a colorful scene.

The Technical Stuff:

Paper: Canson XLMixed-media spiral bound sketchbook. Pencils: General’s 3B and 8B sketch pencils.

My Experience in Doing this Sketch: 

This sketch came into being on a Monday as I sat with my fellow artists around the big dining room table at the home of our leader, Becky, and worked at our respective projects.  I find black & white work easy to do while chatting and listening to other people’s conversations. (The decisions needed in making a color picture seem to require more concentration for me.) Although the drawing appears more like charcoal in this image, I actually used a 3B graphite sketch to do almost all of it, with an 8B for some of the darker areas. Some slight blending was done with a stomp  in the shadowed areas of the building. Once the real work of getting the perspective and proportions of the smokehouse correct, the rest was a breeze. ( Maybe excepting those 1 million little ivy leaves I had to draw that were growing on the trees!)

 

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Today’s Excerpt from ‘Pages’:

Squirrel carrying leaves

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_18?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=pages+from+a+nature-lover%27s+diary&sprefix=Pages+from+a+natur%2Cstripbooks%2C328

NOTE: 

All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2015. I am more than happy to have you share them through your own blog, and hope you will do so—but you must give me credit. Anyone who uses them to make money will be prosecuted.

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False Start, Fine Finish!

Tags

barns, colored pencil, farm buildings, Kathleen Renninger, landscapes, Pages from a Nature-Lover's Diary, Renfrew Park and museum, Waynesboro PA

Original sketch

Red Barn at Renfrew

The Story Behind the Sketch:

It was a pleasantly cool day at Renfrew Park and Museum, Waynesboro, Pa. I sat on a park bench underneath a large locust tree that let go of its tiny dry leaves every time the wind came up.They swirled around me, lending an air of magic. I had decided to do a landscape this time, as a change from my usual studies. I had only packed a some cheap colored pencils and inexpensive tablet, but hey—this was just practice, and a way to relax for a couple of hours outdoors.

The Technical Stuff:

Paper: a thin-papered–but acid free—sketch tablet from Big Lots; Pencils: Crayola, Rose Art, Schoolio, others

My Experience in Doing this Sketch: 

I started the drawing once, and found it just didn’t have the proportions that made me happy; I wanted the barn smaller, anda little higher on the paper, to get more of a feeling of distance in the scene. I guess I finished it to about the halfway point, with most of the elements at least sketched in,  & brought it home with no intention of completing it. Then my husband saw it & exclaimed, “That’s a nice sketch!” so I gave it a second look. A few days later I darkened and detailed  some areas while on the phone with someone. (This seems to be a good time for me to sketch!). It sat again for a week or so, but then the Paint-out Group unexpectedly ended up at Renfrew again,  and I had the opportunity to finish it on location. I think this added a richness to it that I wouldn’t have achieved in finishing it from a photo. Theres’ just  something about being there…

 

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Today’s Excerpt from ‘Pages’:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_18?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=pages+from+a+nature-lover%27s+diary&sprefix=Pages+from+a+natur%2Cstripbooks%2C328

NOTE: 

All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2014. I am more than happy to have you share them through your own blog, and hope you will do so—but you must give me credit. Anyone who uses them to make money will be prosecuted.

Wagon Shed, Wind and Water

Tags

barns, Canson XL multi-media paper, graphitone, Kathleen Renninger, outbuildings, Pages from a Nature-Lover's Diary, titmice, wagon shed, water-soluble graphite

Wagon shed in progress

Wagon shed Sketch in water-soluble graphite

The Story Behind the Sketch:

Artist friends George & Charlie & I were set up out in a field sketching this old combination stable and wagon shed ( & corn crib, I believe) . It was an attractive scene, with interesting large rock formations in the foreground. We had stood up to get ready to go for lunch when a big wind came along & took everything—I mean, everything–the chairs, umbrellas, tables; our supplies were scattered everywhere. It so happened that I had just drawn a dark area in the opening at the left of the building and added water to it to intensify it—a litlle too much water, letting quite a pool in that area. I figured the air would dry it while I was gone, but the wind had other plans. As you can see in the first photo, it simply blew the blackened water down into the lower part of the drawing, letting a streak. )

The Technical Stuff:

Paper: Canson XLMulti-media spiral bound sketchbook. Pencils: Graphitone water-soluble graphite (light, medium and very dark). Brushes: Niji Waterbrushes, flat, and small ( pointed)

My Experience in Doing this Sketch: 

I used the light grade of Graphitone to sketch in the main shapes, then started toning & adding contrast with the darker grades , spreading, blending, & intensifying with water. While the grass in the foreground was actually one of the lightest values in the scene, this was in incidence where  discretion was the better part of valor. It would have almost required masking fluid to cover that area, especially the stems of plants growing tall against the rocks. Choosing to make this area darker than the rocks seemed prudent, and still made for an effective rendering. I also had to decide to limit the detail on the rocks, or they’d have become  too dark.  The tree foliage was done by “scribbling” & then extending the edges with a damp brush. I  ended up using a kneaded eraser to remove some of the detail from the roof to gain a little more of a sunlit look, & better contrast. I got lucky while stroking vertical lines into the siding on the front of the structure; at one point my pencil was just damp enough to let a very textured stroke or two—which I feel added to the overall effect quite nicely.

As far as that nasty streak left by the wind, it wasnt’ hard to turn it into a plant stem. (When you can’t get rid of your mistakes, camouflage ’em!)

 

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Today’s Excerpt from ‘Pages’:

Titmice on Clothesline 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_18?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=pages+from+a+nature-lover%27s+diary&sprefix=Pages+from+a+natur%2Cstripbooks%2C328

NOTE: 

All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2014. I am more than happy to have you share them through your own blog, and hope you will do so—but you must give me credit. Anyone who uses them to make money will be prosecuted.

Smokehouse in Winter

Tags

graphite pencil, Morilla, old farm buildings, outbuildings, paper tortillion, smokehouse, stump

Pointed Roof Smokehouse

The Story Behind the Sketch:

Now that Spring is here in all its glory, I can look back and remember Winter fondly for all the wonderful “moody” scenes of farm buildings and grounds that it provided. One such is the Smokehouse pictured in this drawing.  At first I was in doubt that it was actually was a smokehouse. Upon asking a few friends who are familiar with farm structures, on e told me that he had seen two identical buildings on a farm; the one that was on higher ground was a smokehouse, the other , in a depression, was a spring house. Since this building sat on somewhat of a hill,  I decided it must be a smokehouse. ( Further confirmation came when I  later saw that it was being used as a shed for a garden tractor.) 

The Technical Stuff:

Paper: Morilla sketch tablet, a fairly smooth paper but with just enough tooth to hold the pencil well. pencils: General’s 3B graphite for most of the sketch, with 8B used for the darker areas. A stump ( paper tortillion) was used to do some blending in areas.

My Experience in Doing this Sketch: 

At first I thought I’d be smart & try to do the whole thing in 3B pencil, just to show it could be done. I gave in to the temptation to use a softer grade, though when it came time to do the dark tree on the left. I decided from there that the shadowed side of the building and some spots in the grass could also benefit from a using the 8B . I still couldn’t get the tone I was after in spots. though, so I used the stump to blend & give me overall “color” in the grass, and both sides of the building—as well as softening the appearance of the trees and background.

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Today’s Excerpt from ‘Pages’:

From here on out, I’ll be adding a new feature to my posts, an excerpt from my book, ‘Pages from a Nature-Lover’s Diary’. ( For any of you who are following my other blog, of the same name), please excuse the fact that this material has been covered there as well. )

Indigo Bunting and Goldfinch eating Dandelion seed 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_18?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=pages+from+a+nature-lover%27s+diary&sprefix=Pages+from+a+natur%2Cstripbooks%2C328

NOTE: 

All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2014. I am more than happy to have you share them through your own blog, and hope you will do so—but you must give me credit. Anyone who uses them to make money will be prosecuted.

Happy Spring, Everyone!

Tags

colorless blender, Cray-Pas OIl Pastels, crocus, oil pastels, Portfolio Water-Soluble Oil Pastels, Pro-Art Oil Pastels, Spring flowers

Crocus in Oil Pastels

 

The Story Behind the Sketch:

Our Spring flowers have been exceptionally gorgeous this year; I couldn’t stop taking photos of the breath-taking crocus. One I had taken one that was backlit by the sun & had a bit of a sun-flare in it inspired this drawing/painting. Now, I’ll admit that this is much more than a sketch, but I wanted to share it with all of you anyway. I really can’t decide if it’s a drawing or a painting. I’ve been told that  if the entire surface of the substrate is covered, it’s a painting. Still, when you are holding what amounts to a crayon in your hand and making strokes on the paper, isn’t it a drawing?

The Technical Stuff:

In truth, this is a “hybrid”, as I used water-soluble oils, which were spread with a brush after application, and regular oils which were drawn-on. Canson X-L watercolor paper tablet &  Pro Art Oil Pastels, Portfolio Water-soluble Oil Pastels, were the materials. In addition, a Cray-Pas colorless blender, and white, were used.

My Experience in Doing this Sketch: 

I almost threw it out at one point. I thought it was a failure about 30 minutes into it. It looked too “rough” ; I had to stand back 18 feet from it for it not to be confusing to the eye, to have it coalesce into the image I wanted. But I decided to trust myself. I’d pulled other works out of the fire in the past, & if I kept plugging at this one, I’d do the same. With some additional blending with a brush and using the Cray-Pas colorless & their white pastels, the image began to take on the look I wanted. (I did have to walk away & leave it a few times though,  sneaking back into the room to view it to see if it looked any different .  Did I think some art fairies would come in & worked on it while I was away?) Over the course of a few days, I had finally finished it & was satisfied. Sometimes, ya just gotta hang in there.

NOTE: All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2013. I am more than happy to have you share them through your own blog, and hope you will do so—but you must give me credit. Anyone who uses them to make money will be prosecuted.

Homage to a Shed

Tags

farm buildings, oil pastels, Pro-Art Oil Pastels, shed, tropical flower

Little Shed in Oil Pastels

 

Pro-Art Oil Pastels

The Story Behind the Sketch:

There stands a little weathered grey shed at a farm I pass frequently, which I never managed to get a photograph of & never imagined would disappear before I was able! This  shed was old enough that I figured it’d be there till it fell apart—but the last time I passed the farm, the thrifty farmer who owned it was building on to it! I was sorry to have my view of it obscured; I’d admired that little building in various seasons, especially in summer when it had a huge tropical-looking red-blossomed plant growing in front of it that contrasted so beautifully with the weathered grey color. So I decided to at least try to draw it from memory.

I think there’s something to be said for working from memory every now & then. It activates a part of the brain that otherwise isn’t used too often, at least with such intensity. The details may not be absolutely correct here, but I’ve captured the general appearance of the shed.

I chose to use oil pastels simply because artist friend Linda had given me a set which she felt she would never use. In an effort to calm my sleep-resistant brain, I decided to try these pastels out & do this sketch before going to sleep one night.

. The Technical Stuff:

Strathmore “Sketch” tablet, ( a fairly smooth paper) &  Pro Art Oil Pastels were used. Some blending was achieved with a Q-tip.

My Experience in Doing this Sketch: 

Just the smell of these oil pastels made me happy—sort of like crayons, but “oilier”. Looking at the wide range of colors was a mood-lifter too. In using them, I found that it was hard to cover all the white paper, so the end result was sort of crayon-like. But they felt nice to use, going on smoothly. Some blending & coverage was achieved by adding layers of color, usually a lighter one over a darker one—sort of like blending paint on a canvas. I think they bear further investigation, experimenting on different surfaces possibly. With this medium it could be that the therapeutic affect of the pleasure of using them is where their value lies.

NOTE: All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2013. I am more than happy to have you share them through your own blog, and hope you will do so—but you must give me credit. Anyone who uses them to make money will be prosecuted.

A Two-handed Approach

Tags

Antietam Farm, barn, canson XL watercolor tablet, farm buildings, graphite, illustration, oil pastels, Portfolio Water-Soluble Oil Pastels, springhouse, wagon shed, Waynesboro PA

wagon shed with vines

The Story Behind the Sketch:

The tendonitis I had quickly developed in my left wrist from over-use, had left me unable to sketch at all for a couple of weeks, –most distresssing!— but with the help of a brace, visualization/relaxation , and careful avoidance of use, I began to feel like I could try it again. 

After a three-week hiatus from painting-out with the group, I was missing my artist buddies. Hauling the chair, table, & other equipment needed for this activity, worked out okay thanks to help from friend George. The group went to the beautiful Antietam Farm outside Waynesboro, which has a delightful assortment of old  buildings including this wagon shed.

The Technical Stuff:

Canson XLwatercolor tablet, Portfolio Water-Soluble Oil Pastels, 5B graphite sketch pencil. Various acrylics brushes.

My Experience in Doing this Sketch: 

Having some use of my right hand now, I chose to use both in doing this sketch. First I drew in the general outlines of the bulding with the oil pastel using my left hand. I found that, in “thinking with my left” so to speak, my sense of perspective was different; it took some getting used to.  I did some brush work with both left & right, eventually falling  into a rythm of adding color with one hand & brushing water over it with the other.

The picture seemed to lack definition, as I find my work often does when using water-soluble media, so I outlined almost everything with a graphite sketch pencil. I made a point of doing this with my left hand so as to stay in practice.

One of those things that happens sometimes with outdoor sketching is that you have to change locations halfway through the sketch due to some weather condition, in this case hot sun. My painting partners & I actually had to move inside the wagon shed. Needless to say; I had to “wing it” from there on out. As a result I’m not sure I got the perspective correct, but then again , with old buildings, things are apt to be crooked anyway!

NOTE: All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2013. I am more than happy to have you share them through your own blog, and hope you will do so—but you must give me credit. Anyone who uses them to make money will be prosecuted.

What We Focus On

Tags

barn, canada geese, Chambersburg PA, Coldbrook Farm, Derwent pencils, farm buildings, graphitone, illustration, springhouse, vertical siding, water-soluble graphite

water-soluble graphite barn and springhouse sketch

The Story Behind the Sketch:

My artists group met a week ago at Coldbrook Farm, a piece of artists’ paradise in Chambersburg, PA. Among the inspirational sights were a barn, springhouse, & pond with Canada geese.

The Technical Stuff:

Canson XLwatercolor tablet, Light and dark grades of  Derwent Graphitone water-soluble graphite pencils were used for most of this sketch, plus water & a Grumbacher #2 bristlette round brush, a #1 Plaid  3/4″ craft brush, & a Royal & Langnickle small #4 angle.

My Experience in Doing this Sketch: 

As in all situations we choose what we will focus on. While there were frequent sounds of sirens from the nearby hospital, there were  also

serenades

from catbirds & mocking birds. While the siding on the barn was actually asbestos shingling, I looked at the flavor of the structure  & drew simple vertical siding instead. A rough sketch was all I was after this time around; I was there to enjoy myself on that singularly beautiful day—& so I did.

NOTE: All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2013. I am more than happy to have you share them through your own blog, and hope you will do so—but you must give me credit. Anyone who uses them to make money will be prosecuted.

Caricature

Tags

art, artwork, caricature, drawing, farm buildings, graphite, outbuildings, sketches, sketching

Outbuilding in graphite

The story behind the sketch:

I was in the mood to paint, & thought I would be brave  and sketch this building right on the watercolor paper & start painting. But after a few sketches & subsequent erasures, I decided to save the paper & do a separate sketch as usual.

My experience in doing this sketch:

I was running  out of time ; it was hot, & miserable, so I did this quickly . Surprisingly enough, the quick ones often seem to be the most appealing. I think this is because in sketching quickly, an artist almost does a caricature of the subject, be it person, building or other. The basic lines, shapes, & tones are rendered, & exaggerated a bit, in order to fix them in the mind for later, more accurate, detailed, paintings.

Will I ever actually do a painting of this subject? I hope so. But if not, I’ve gotten a pleasing sketch out of it. Maybe that’s enough.

Keepin’ it Loose

Tags

canson XL watercolor tablet, dairy barn, drawing from life, farm buildings, graphite, graphitone, sketches, stone house

Old Stone House in Water-soluble Graphite

The story Behind the Sketch:

On one of the unusually-warm days this  March, a couple of artist friends & I met at Renfrew park, Waynesboro, Pa.,  which is an old farmstead that has been preserved. Among the buildings is a simply-built stone house, which from our vantage point could be seen in the distance. I had brought other work to do, figuring I’d just enjoy the companionship & the lovely setting, but  succumbed to the urge to do something local.

The experience:

I decided to make this a loose, quick, enjoyable piece, so pulled out my  water-soluble graphite pencils & gave them a try on the water color paper I had at  hand. I enjoyed the freedom of drawing-in the lines, & then being able to blur them and spread them with a damp brush. I realized that I was getting the full benefit of being outdoors in a scenic setting; working from the 3-D honest-to gosh REAL thing—( as opposed to working from a photo) —brings me a sense of “merging” with my subject. I like it!

The technical stuff:

Derwent Graphitone water-soluble pencils were used, on Canson XL watercolor tablet. ( Not the best watercolor paper in the world, as it will “pill” if wiped-over when too damp  ; however it makes a great, inexpensive,  substrate for renderings where few corrections & little lifting or wiping-away will  be done.  It gives some texture to dry graphite lines , too. )

NOTE: All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2011. I am happy to have you share them through your own blog, and hope you will do so— but you must give me credit. Anyone who uses them to make money will be prosecuted.