January, 2014 Archives

Jen w/ the beast

Jennifer on a wintery eve wrestling with a temperamental computer. Damn thing wouldn’t go online for an hour, plus we lost an hour’s worth of work, plus I somehow, in my frustration, broke my Sailor DE Brush Nib fountain pen. I was swearing up a blue squall but Mizz Jenny, put her Irish temper on hold, and resolved all matters. Well, she couldn’t repair my fountain pen but $29 and a visit to JetPens.com and I’ll get a replacement.

Sorry the quality of my scans has been so poor over the last year and a half, but my hi-res scanner broke and I’ve been shooting the drawings with an i-Pod that produces less than stellar results. Looking to correct this in the coming year.

coffee couple

 

Vintur ist icummin in, lowdly sing the thrush. It’s here for real. Maintaining a regular practice of catching scenes and studies in public, in coffee shops, eateries, and on public transit systems.

cap and hoop fur lined huddled over coffee & computer  life drawing hat head spots & stripes hood down Tin Tin flip  visor dude knit lids Daniel  braid & model  Whole Foods coffee cafe

Man, while I love the Southwest and south and central California, I have to live somewhere where snow is a winter feature. Even if it is wickedly cold as has been the case here in Chicago this year. One of the more brutal winter’s in the 15 years I’ve made my residence in the Midwest. I have a super warm and cosy apartment and I know how to dress for it even though I damn near lost my dick to frost bite one night while tromping for 20 blocks in 20 below zero weather. Last time I head out with boxers on. But the weather here has been beautiful and the feeling of living on the edge of climatic habitability gives one a sublime sense of the amazingly special place in this Universe we call home. Don’t know if y’all are getting a little bored with the usual drawing tools and predictable line quality, but I have been thinking about changing to bristle brushes or something a little bolder. Platinum Carbon ink in fountain pens, and Pitt Artist Pens in one of my favorite ledgerbooks to date.

 

Felissia

Following my New Year’s Day ritual of a decade, I opened the new year by attending the 12 hour life drawing marathon at The Palette & Chisel. Nothing like bare flesh to knock the cold outta yer bones in the depths of winter.

Melissa's spinal sway trio Felissia in blue front & back Rachel 1 Rachel 2

blue nude

I’m loving the way this ledger book is taking ink. It has a fairly long delay before the ink is absorbed so it’s easy to smudge and blot the ink to create tone and finger print textures. The fountain pen I’m getting considerable use out of is a broad nib Graf von Faber guilloche. The Pelikano Junior made it’s presence felt to a good extent also. Pitt Pens, Platinum Carbon and Noodler’s Ottoman Blue are the inks. While I was drawing the reclining model titled “Blue Nude”, I had black ink on my fingers from drawing in black on the previous poses so when I wiped the ink on her leg as it was drying, it turned the blue a dingy color.

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