“Leash-time Sketching”

Tags

botanical drawing, graphite, Master's Touch, nature, sketch diary, sketches

Sundrop And Wild Grapevine Sketches

The story behind the sketch:I decided that our elderly cat Smokey, who seemed a bit depressed, needed a pick-me-up. It was time to end his mainly-indoor existence & let his feet touch the grass. I started taking him out on a leash, which he loves. My problem was that I ended up just standing around while he spends much of his time lounging on the ground & eating grass. A small folding chair & a bag to keep my sketchbook in solved the problem.

my experience in doing this sketch:

Leash-time sketching is different from normal field-sketching; It is “catch-as-catch-can.” When Smokey decides to move, I have to change subjects! I didn’t get any further on the sketch of the sundrops than a contour drawing. ( But I really observed how that plant is made, which is worth something in itself.) During the drawing of the wild grapevine, Smokey decided to take a nap—-so I had plenty of time to do some shading & detail on this one.

The technical stuff:

Because I had to carry my supplies around, I pared down to the absolute necessities: a #2 HB school pencil with a new eraser on the end, ( well-sharpened), and a “Master’s Touch ” brand hardbound sketch book.

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.

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Spring in Colored Pencil

Tags

Brunzeel Aquarelle, Canson, colored pencil, Crayola, illustration, iris, nature, pencil work, Prismacolor pencils, Spring

Spring scene (Iris) in colored pencil

The story behind the sketch:

Spring is so colorful it just begs for a medium that will express some of that. This scene was at a friend’s home, & was chosen & sketched spontaneously.

My experience in doing this sketch:

Colored pencil is fun–that’s the best word I can think of to describe working with it. It may not produce the most realistic or sophisticated results—although some artists have achieved such through careful use of layering & blending techniques. It’s great for outdoor sketching because it’s clean, portable, & lets you work in color without paint. This sketch was relaxing to do, & it evokes a nice memory of a beautiful place when I look at it.

The technical stuff

Substrate: Canson “Sketch”, a smooth paper with just enough tooth for pencil work. Prismacolor pencils were the main ones used, but Crayola, and other “kid’s” colored pencils were used too. A Brunzeel Aquarelle was used and a General’s colored pencil too. (Unless I’m doing a work of fine art that will be exposed to light over a long term, I don’t worry too much about using expensive pencils. The ones designed for artists are definitely more pigment-dense & softer, but sometimes one of the kid’s brands will have just the color I”m looking for.)

Inspiration is a Gift…

Tags

art, artwork, cobalt blue glass, Derwent, graphite, illustration board, money plant, nature, pottery, sketches, sketching

Graphite Still life of Money Plant , Pottery, and Jar

The Story Behind the Sketch:

…And then, sometimes a Gift is Inspiration!

When my friend Carole gave me a lovely pottery pitcher with a motif that reminded me of  money plant seed heads, “Still Life!” was the first thing I thought of. The wheels started turning; I knew had some dried money plant out in the shed, & could probably dig up a piece of cobalt blue glassware  to coordinate with the dark blue designs on the buff-colored piece. A painting was my original goal, but after photographing and doing a “preliminary” sketch, I decided I was pretty satisfied with just the sketch itself. 

The Technical Stuff:

Crescent Cold Press illustration Board, 3B & 9-B General’s Graphite Sketch pencils, Derwent Graphitone water-soluble graphite pencils to help make a soft background tone on the wood siding. A paper stump was used for the delicate blending on the seed heads.

My Experience in Doing this Sketch: 

I had taken photos of three different arrangements of the objects used. After narrowing it down to two, I asked for advice  from artist friend George on how to combine the best features of each. I think his advice was good. ( Sometimes it really helps to have a “fresh eye” look at things like this.)

 

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.

Early Bloomer

Tags

artwork, botanical drawing, drawing, flowers, graphite, iris, nature, plants, sketches, sketching

The story behind the sketch:

This year, all the blooming plants are out about a month early, so we’re already enjoying my favorite flower, the iris.

Although this flower is a colorful dark purple and white, I wanted to see if I could still capture its essence in black & white.

my experience in doing this sketch:

Sketching flowers in all their detail, is , for me, a sort of meditation. In the best moments, the flower is all that exists in the world. I suppose that is Zen.

The technical stuff:

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you the paper I used, as it was very old stock; it has a texture that sort of looks like parchment; just slightly toothy; good for getting a velvety look on the petals . I believe the graphite stick is a 6B, although I apparently, at one time, started to use the wrong end of it, where the grade was marked. ( Whoops!) A 6B pencil was used to get the delicate markings on the upper part of the fall.

It took a light touch and a sharp pencil to do the veining on the white upper petals. On this sketch I didn’t do any blending. It’s all “straight from the pencil”, using line to create gradations in tone.

NOTE: All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2011. 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.

Making the Most of a Situation

Tags

artwork, bird nest, drawing, dryer sheets, Master's Touch, nature, sketching

Unusual Bird's Nest

When I have occasion to use the local laundromat, I try to make good use of the time by taking a walk while my clothes dry. The ‘mat is bordered by woods and a wetlands area, so Nature usually has something to offer up for a photo or observation. This time I noticed a bird’s nest with a strange, white, fiber-y material woven into it. It looked puzzlingly familiar; then it hit me that it was simply well-weathered pieces of dryer sheet! Now, this bird was either smart enough to know that these sheets repel ticks,  or she just thought it looked like a nice soft piece of “something” to include in the nest. ( The latter, more than likely.)

At any rate, I snapped a photo. Later, during a casual-but-lengthy phone conversation, I used it as a reference to do this sketch. The substrate is paper from a hardback, spiral bound notebook by Master’s Touch. It has a nice texture, and is an ivory or pale cream-color–(which does not show in this image because it was scanned in grayscale). Graphitone water-soluble pencils were used ( without any water) , a stump for blending, and a bit of charcoal pencil ( soft grade) , to get the darkest darks.

When I first finished this sketch,  I asked my husband’s opinion on it becuase something seemed “off” to me. He said he got the impression it was a condor (or maybe a pterodactyl) nest in a tree! Removing some of the many tiny twigs I had mistakenly put on the ends of the shrub’s branches helped get it back in scale.

NOTE: All images and text in this post are Copyright K. A. Renninger 2011. 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.