Inktober is here! Time to get out the ink and pen and brush and paper and work in black and white and shades of grey. You can find more about it here! And here is the official list to work from.
Now let’s think about this – it’s October, Halloween is creeping up on us, evil is in our thoughts (maybe). So – poisonous and apples. Here are first contributions – a day late – but we shall persevere!
I am continuing the simple task of a sketch or watercolor or ink-and-watercolor every day while I have time. I admit I am afraid to go much further than that. Why? Good question.
Charlie over at Doodlewash set up a September paint-along calendar – something I think he does every month. September 1st is orange cats. September is Pet Rocks. Initially, I thought I would combine the two, but the fact is, Pet Rocks are not in my lexicon of “things I like” so I thought I’d just go with the orange cat.
I think it will be fun to at least get some inspiration from whatever subject near the date I pick up a brush. Sometimes some structure or direction helps you get off your dupa and get moving.
Have you ever tried drawing animals? Cats and rats or mice seem to be ones I “get”!
Sometimes life just keeps you busy . . . or you lose inspiration . . . or something.
I promised myself I would sit down and draw or paint today. I’m glad I did. And a flower so lovely as a lupine (get those Monty Python lines out of your head!) is a nice way to return to something set aside because of other things.
Once more, the house is in total disarray – the trees in the back yard have been removed or severely trimmed back. 5 trees out, 11 pruned. The guy who did it all is an artist – you can actually see the branches on the trees, and the neighbors. So what does it have to do with a post called “Lines & Shades”? All this disruption messes everything up! With such disruption – and being unable to leave the house – it was a strange sort of prison. I read murder mysteries for the most part until yesterday. It was quiet and no one was home except me and the dogs.
Back to basics. Pen and ink, contour drawing. The first one was kind of stiff, but as things moved on, it got easier and more fun. I wanted to make “lost and found edges” as well, to make things suggested, not spelled out.
I also decided to scan in a value study I did from a photo I took years ago of the Santa Monica River in the mountains nearby, on a hot, dry day. This is to remind me to follow a more traditional route in painting as my own sense of contrast – light – dark – is not the best. As you can see, I did it some weeks ago, but I hope to make it into a watercolor in the not too distant future. The hard part is finding the right color for the sandy river bottom, but I have an idea . . .
Ink, Yarn & Beer 