Tag: ink

New Pen, New Ink

These past several days just seem to have been filled with stuff that needed doing, not necessarily things needed and wanted. Getting taxes done, going to the dentist, etc., are not my ideas of a Fun Life, but things Needing to be Done.

Despite duty, I have been putzing around. I realized that I don’t have a fountain pen and permanent ink for drawing any more as I lost a pen somewhere – which, no doubt, will soon be found as lost objects always are once replaced – and used up all my waterproof fountain pen ink. I now have a new drawing pen, a $17.00 job from Amazon with an extra fine point, and some of Platinum’s Carbon Ink, which is a long time favorite of mine for drawing. My Not Taken Vacation sketchbook was easily accessible, so off I went to the sunny patio to do some drawing. I used a few reference photos for ideas, and then began with ink and pen.

I chose to draw some snow drops in a vase, Pigeon Point Lighthouse here in California, a little cleft in the landscape, and a wintry farm somewhere. From there, my box of Schmincke pan watercolors, some water, and a brush. All this was sort of awkward as I have not done ink and wash for a bit, but it always feels so good to just sketch and paint, more so when it is out on a sunny patio on a beautiful spring day between last week’s rains and this weekend’s expected downpour.

I am quite pleased with my inexpensive fountain pen which came with the fillable screw adapter I prefer to cartridges, and coupled with the Carbon Ink, I think I have landed a rather happy combination for my drawing pleasure. Hopefully you like them, too!

Quill & Coil

Sounds like the name of some pub . . . but in reality, this is a macro with my Nikon Z 50mm macro lens. 

Quill & Coil

Anyone who does post production with photo editing software knows about pre-sets. I have a lot I have made over time and it can be a lot of fun to manipulate a picture. The original of this was in color, so I converted it to black and white and then used a high-key preset I have made. I like the way it has softened the feather but retains enough detail to let you know what things are.

On an aside, I need to cut some new quills and brew some new ink. I am using fountain pens right now to write, but do like the tactility of a quill pen! However, my fountain pens are a lot of fun, too, and with different pens and inks, the variety is equally pleasant . . .

The Not Taken Vacation: Frigiliana

Andalucia, a region in southern Spain, is well know for its beauty. “White villages” abound, and Frigiliana was voted by the Spanish Tourist Board as the “prettiest village in Andalucia” – so of course, in my imaginary road trip along the winding back roads, seated in my fab 1948 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Cabriolet, we drove with reckless abandon to Frigiliana.

Winding roads, winding streets, winding walkways – all a far cry from the freeways of Southern California!

The Not Taken Vacation: Ronda, Spain

Located in the province of Malaga in southern Spain, Ronda is about 65 miles northwest of Malaga, Spain. It is a “white village” located in Andalusia – a vast region along the Mediterranean and inland – but it is more than just a “white village” as it is home to what I think is one of the most fascinating bits of architecture, the Puente Nuevo. We will explore that famous bridge later on, but for now, let us just enjoy the magnificent scenery of this lovely place.

Ronda has been settled since neolithic times, but the 6th century seems to be when itself became a more settled area. It is marked by cliffs and canyons, as you can see below, but it is also built up on either side of the Guadalevin river. As the countryside is steep, getting from one side of the river to the other is a bit problematic.

These buildings are on one side of the Puente Nuevo. They stand on steep cliffs. As someone without a head for heights, I am not so sure I would want to stand on a balcony and look down – but I think looking across would show some marvelous scenery. Also, coming from earthquake country with unstable soil, my thoughts are, oops! – why did they build there? However, I expect things are far more stable than they are in my neck of the woods as this is an area where a bridge spanning a canyon 400 feet deep and completed in 1793 still stands.

So much to see in the south of Spain! To be continued!

The Not Taken Vacation: Tram Ride in Lisbon

Lisbon is a very hilly city! Can you imagine huffing and puffing your way home, to the market, to the sea, to the museum, to the doctor, to the park, to your mother’s Sunday dinner, to anywhere?

No?

Me neither. (My days of training for the Olympics are long gone.)

Enter the tram. To learn about the history of the tram in Lisbon, Portugal, Wikipedia has an interesting and fascinating article. Some of them are two-way, meaning one on the left and right of a main street, and others, such as this one, go one way up and down narrow, winding roads.

I am sure that there are many things which typify Lisbon, but for me, a tram ride would be my first thought. This way you can see the streets of the city, look at houses and architecture, see people away from tourist spots. A single track – such as here – chugging through they neighborhood – with very narrow sidewalks on either side makes, in my imagination, for a rather scary experience. And cars in front of such a tram? A child chasing a ball? How fast do these trams go?

My mother recalled the electric buses which ran throughout Chicago and its environs as a kid. It was often the only way to get anywhere for most people. Horse-drawn ice wagons, too, are part of her childhood memories, as were the Cossacks on horseback in Poland those of her parents. I have driven since 16, and have used public transportation very little. Cars are my way of scooting around. However, the cable cars in San Francisco are world-famous and first class fun – I would take those any day. But, for now, I must suffice myself with an imaginary ride on a tram up and down the hills of Lisbon.