Tiny Sketchbook - 3

Sadly, I do not have The Gift of Crust. Grandma Rowe did. My sister, Lynn, does. So many have it. So many others do not. Some say that one can learn from You Tube. I prefer to simply buy the crusts made by my good friend, Betty Crocker.

May this day be one of joy, doing, and stopping. Of watching birds, insects, people, and furry friends. (Yes, some of our furry friends ARE people.)
Of perhaps eating Pie, or thinking of Pi, or doing both.
Of pondering art and science and science and art. Of knowing that if it is becoming Spring in one part of the Earth it is becoming Autumn in another.

Of appreciating almost every moment - and to try remembering to experience, in real time (whatever that is) the two times today of 3.141592653. Some will be eating pie at these times. Others will ignore the moment.s Dare to do as you please.

And, Happy Birthday, Mom, Jason, and Albert Einstein!

Fare-thee-well!
Sue

www.suerowe.com
Facebook Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios

Tiny Sketchbook - 2

The fun and challenge of the Tiny Sketchbook goes on.
Because it is so small one need not be concerned too much about how to fill the page. Almost any mark will appear as important.
Today I got "brave" and used ink-cartridge pen and colored pencil on opposing pages. If blue smears it will smear onto blue. Blue Happens.
I drew the moving NOW bear first. Then the image of the Then bear came into head. Knew it had to be facing to the left. No, I don't know WHY.  I usually leave the Why to the universe.
Then the brain said: Put the blue pencil THROUGH the Then but UNDER the NOW. Again, a mystery that some way made sense.

Seeing the pages here put up almost instantly  also makes me wonder why sometimes drawing, writing, blogging can be done so quickly and smoothly and why other times it is simply impossible (or feels so). Perhaps it is the NIKE "Just Do It" slogan in play. I didn't plan to draw or write or blog this morning. Just did it. Must re-learn the triggering of the Simply Doing.

Back in thirty-mile-day bicycling days there was no debate. Life just held time and energy for six miles in the morning and twenty-four miles at night. The rare times when I'd argue with myself the biking brain said "Just pedal to the top of Gurney Hill and decide from there." After that minute or two of hard pedaling the mind went away and the legs took over.

Being in The Moment and There is Only Now are points I often forget to remember.  Picking up a pen or putting fingers to keyboard and just drawing or typing, well, yes, it can be done. Daring to live with the outcome. Doing it again. And again. Until there is no choice Until it's part of life.

Dancing? Um, no, not that brave yet!

What do YOU want to do? Yup. Do it.

Happy Friday the Thirteenth!
Good memories of Blackie the Purringest Cat.

(Opening reception of group art exhibition at River Falls Wis. Public Library Gallery - Sunday, March 15. 2-4 PM. Show is up from March 15 through April 19.)

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

www.suerowe.com
Facebook Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios

A Tiny Sketchbook

Nope, I don't NEED any more sketchbooks. But these little Strathmore Visual Journal cuties were only a dollar each, with 24 sheets of bristol paper, and, well, I only bought ten... Gave one to my sister, so only have nine. And might have to call daughter to maybe get me a few more. No, I don't have a problem - ha!

The sheets measure 5" by 3" and are held together by some serious wire spirals. Back and front covers are both hard stock. No bending flopping hard to hold book here. And they can fit into so many pockets and purses. Ye haw! (Paper IS white - not the appearing "grey" below.)

As a sketcher I "never" draw on both sides of a sheet of sketchbook paper. It's just a thing with me.... But because of the paper thickness and because I use pens most often....  I've changed my ways for a tiny while! So strange to thumb through this first little book and see images on both sides of the page! Whole different "feel" - more "book" than sketchbook. Something to consider when working in other tomes.

Using ball point pens and Sharpies and Pilot Ultra Fine Point. I get stuck in my Sharpie rut, but daughter and others have inspired use of a wider variety of things that leave a mark. And, because I recently bought some RED fountain pen ink expect to see some more colorful doings soon. Why Red? Because the giant art supply store was OUT of black cartridges for my pen.

Did break out the Prismacolor colored pencils for latest drawing. I'd been walking last night and repeating "I'm relaxed and confident" to pretend that I am just that. Knew the words would be peachy on a bear's shirt. Drew confident bear, LOOKED up correct spelling of "confident", and STILL mis-spelled word on shirt. (No, you DON'T want to spend any time in my brain.) Yes, it's ink. No, I can't erase that "N". I don't even know why the brain thought it should have been in that line of letters!!! I was PLEASED that the long line of letters fit on the shirt!

What to do? What to do??? Heck, just cross out letter and get on with the day...
(Thanks to you Facebook folks who think the flaw makes the drawing "more charming." I still think it's a Major Flaw, but am trying to appreciate the charmingness of flaws.)

This drawing, thus far, has no other drawing on the verso (back) side of proceeding page. We'll see what happens if it happens. So many decisions in such a tiny book.

Six drawings in and I must say I'm bonding with this first little book. Would buying thirty be a bad thing? You know that I would share....

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

www.suerowe.com
Facebook Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios

January Personal Challenge - Done - ish!

Yes. Thirty-one attempts at drawing or painting other' beloved furred or feathers friends.

Some more successfully than others.
On last day of month I quickly traced three - as I raced to deadline while prepping for a party being held on same day. (One of these three HAS been completed.)

Here are just three of the month's results:

                       TYPHOON                           

Sharpie Marker with colored-pencil highlights

ALICE

Sharpie Marker

SNICKERS

Pastel

Thank You, to all who submitted images, and typed kind and encouraging words!!
I truly Appreciate them all! 

The project would not have been the same with animals simply chosen from other sources.

On to February's Personal Challenge: Write and send 31 Personal Letters or Postcards to people. Some folks are relatives I've known all my life. Some are friends I only know through Facebook posts. Time to put those pens and papers to use! And also to keep working on the "left-over" January animals. Not all will get their day on paper, but a goodly amount will. Nothing like heaping Challenges upon Challenges!

At least here the Challenge isn't shoveling one's way out of house and /or driveway! For now anyway.

The morning has brought Cold but also Sunshine. On to seeing what the day holds.

Fare-thee-well, and Best of Luck with your own personal Challenges!

Fare-thee-well,

Sue 

www.suerowe.com

Facebook Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios

A rooster named "Doppler"

No, I do not know why "Doppler"  is named "Doppler," but it seems to suit him even though I know him only through an on-line photograph.

He is a Frilled Serama, the world's smallest breed of chicken. The photo sent is probably larger than life-sized and then I cropped THAT and blew him up to about TURKEY size! (This was before I knew he was a tiny chicken.) Some day we shall speak of Actual Scale versus Perceived Scale.

This guy was painted on a 12" x 9 1/2" sheet of 140 # water-color paper. I wanted to see what gouache would do. I have used this paint only once or twice before. Time to see what happens.

Not trusting my free-hand drawing skills I worked out a large grid system for initial pencil drawing.
The brain fights between wanting to practice seeing and having the hand put the pencil exactly where the pencil should go AND accomplishing more than spending all day SLOWLY drawing a chicken. If the Old Masters could use tools to make marks more quickly then so can we. NO GUILT. Although if you have TIME then certainly taking  TIME to really observe spacial relations on a flat plane is well with the effort. Any exercise in seeing is a good exercise. Except stuff like staring directly at the sun or the lovely light of a welding torch being used...

Once the initial form was drawn it was time to get out the gouache. This opaque water soluble paint is simply FUN to use! Unlike traditional watercolor you can PAINT OVER MISTAKES. At least enough to not be afraid of making mistakes! Doppler was created with about six colors of gouache and three cheap brushes. No, not Cheep Brushes.

These are not the best grade of paints - but that's O.K. One feels more free to goof off and not worry.                                                          NOT WORRY!!! 
Brushes were simply the first ones touched. Yes, I knew I'd need a Liner for eye detail. But I used finger tip to plop in paint on comb and a few places on body, too. Why? Because we never got to finger paint as young youngsters. I still like using fingers for painting and pastels. Use whatever works for you!

If I had him to do over again, which I could..., I would probably start at the top and work my way down. Naw - grab the largest brush, dip it in the black paint and see what happens! I was curious to see how easily the feathers could be addressed. A modified dry-brush method worked from the very beginning. Whew. Knowing this helped me relax a wee tad, not that the always-alert rooster noticed. Tap tap tap. Dob dob dob.

As the minutes ticked by, and I had given myself a particular time in which to finish, I had to make decisions quickly. Some areas needed re-working. Bleah! But that's where opaque White is of great aid. Me being me had contaminated the pureness of color, and was too stubborn to squeeze more out of the tube. thus the shadowy areas created. We will call these areas Art.

It was great fun to know that this wasn't going to be an entry in a National Poultry Art Contest, yet I worked hard to get eye, beak, wattles, ear as correctly rendered as possible. I grew up around poultry but never thought to LOOK at them as a portrait painter would. Maybe this is as good a reason as any to Draw early, Draw Often.

Here is the final "Doppler."

The actual paper is much lighter, but Doppler's color is close to that in actual painting. Dob and peck. Check and recheck. My favorite part is, of course, his eye. Got that glint down quite well - luck or skill? Hard to say. If time permitted I'd still study and re-work beak. Beaks are hard in more ways than one!

No beaks today! Today will probably hold another cat. So. Many. Cats...

You will notice that this Challenge Blogging will not go in order. Such is life.

Time for actual studio work, ordering supplies, applying for shows, and lunch.
Goodbye, "Doppler" - May the real you be happily pecking away in Sunny Southern California even as we type.

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

www.suerowe.com
Facebook Page: Sue-Rowe-Studios

Drawing Challenge - Day 13

Yup. I HAVE been drawing - and painting - just not posting.

Many cats, a few dogs, one horse, a tiny rooster, and lots more waiting their turns.

Have used graphite pencil, colored pencil, soft pastel, and gouache.

Same have turned out better than others.
None have been complete failures - whew.

I have learned:

* painting with gouache is FUN.
* it's O.K. to resort to graphing out an image (or two).
* to look more carefully - especially AFTER something can no longer be fixed.
* how to fix some things.
* to cut myself some slack.
* to use a timer if I want to use a timer.
* that it's O.K. to spend more time with one image than with another.
* to go with the flow. (That's probably a lie.)
* that painting chicken feathers need not be feared! Beaks? Beaks are a different matter.

Yes, I will post images.
Yes, I an thrill that the owners seem to enjoy their furry friends' portraits.
Yes, more challenges are being added almost daily.

I asked and folks' have shared.
Thanks for the kind words and the kitties. So. Many. Kitties....!

Drawing Challenge - Day 1

German Shepard Dog in straw hat. No problem - ha!

She started out with lots of straight lines. Robotic.  And the eyes from her photograph glowed a strange tan and light blue-green. I kept debated whether to add those colors - just for fun. Still deciding.

As with many sketching exercises, one must try to decide when to stop. Yes,  the drawing, erasing, drawing, thinking, changing, figuring, drawing, smoothing, adding little details could go on for days. Seriously.

One must decide how much Time one is willing to put into an Exercise.

This took perhaps a couple of hours - off and on.

I learned to look at noses again. Bear and dog noses are much alike AND oddly-shaped.
I learned to add and subtract.
I learned more about shapes and values.

 Not enough, but a start.

Working with a simple Number 2 Graphite Pencil takes one back to basics. Pressure and easing up equal Darkness and Light. And, yes, this day the trusty rubber eraser was used early and often. This was "I have no pride day." This was Trying to "Remember Some Rules About Drawing Day."

And the habit of writing notes stays with me.

I'm starting to like that nose. It gave me fits. You do not know.

And whether this will become a Finished Drawing I still don't know. But it IS a drawing, and that's what counts.

Fare-thee-well,
Sue