Just came back from Northwestern University Hospital, where, I had an ultrasound performed on the veins of my legs after looking into a mysterious tender and swollen spot that appeared four days ago. All clear. It seems our creampuff Uncle Darn just tore some muscles. Cue the Stones…”What a drag it is getting old”. Pictured, my clothes patiently waiting for the procedure. Fountain pen and Pitt Artist Pens on Goldline Watercolour sketchbook. On the second sketch, got that quickie in during the ultrasound procedure. Should have had the soundtrack for The Jetsons, Star Trek, & Lost In Space. I was so impressed with my US techie Vanessa, that I promoted her right there on the spot to Doctor ‘n’ errythang! Yes, that is a very exacting representation of my knee. Y’all know I’m a realist. Lettering done once I got home. Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens, fountain pen, on Clairefontaine Goldline Watercolour sketchbook. Thanks to the terrific staff at a great hospital. And thanks to Medicare that I can get quality care. To those who have dogged the prospects of universal health care, Medicare (thank you very much FDR/Eisenhower/LBJ) or take health care professionals for granted, “You can k!$5 M? @zz”!!
Dreary weather at end of April. Stuck indoors because of the pandemic and cold wet day, so, making the most of it by sagging a sketch from the window by my drawing table. Giving y’all a glimpse of the building across the street from me. Not delighted by the final results and had already grown tiered of drawing it as it was being erected.
At this point I need to make a full disclosure as I am now receiving funding as an “influencer”. My sponsors are Faber-Castell which should not come as a surprise to anyone who’s followed me for any of the past 12 years and knows that I like their product and have worked as a demonstrator on their behalf. For a number of those years I traveled the country demonstrating tools and techniques in the brick and mortar world of art stores as well as at trade shows. I’ve also made my way to teach and lecture at colleges and schools around the country, an experience I greatly enjoyed. All during my travel to these venues I documented my treks here and there and there on the Internet on this site and on the internet as Don Colley’s Road Trip. Faber-Castell was the entity that made all that possible and now I am very appreciative for their sponsorship of my online blogs.
In addition to Faber-Castell, I’m most delighted to be working with Clairefontaine and Stillman & Birn (now owned by the parent company Clairefontaine). I wholly support both lines of paper and sketchbooks by these companies and have made considerable use of their products as you may have noticed in my posts over the years.
There are loads of wonderful products in the marketplace to work with and I’m a big advocate for experimentation and trying them out. When I find pens or sketchbooks I enjoy, I keep going to the well more so these days.
As always, this format is suited to me answering your questions and I do encourage followers to strike up a dialogue regarding the craft of drawing, the tools of the trade, or the themes I may be working around.
The above drawing was made with Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens, an F-C Basic Black Leather fountain pen using a waterproof ink, I’m currently using several as long as they hold up to over washes and don’t clog my pens. Mind you, regular cleaning is necessary for any fountain pen ink that claims it is waterproof. The sketchbook is a Goldline Watercolor Sketchbook by Clairefontaine.
#fabercastellusa #clairefontaine
In these maddeningly divisive times we keep getting reminders that we are all in the same boat, ark to my Christian friends. I’m sending this drawing out as a reminder that diversity makes a stellar bouquet, yes? The primary voting season is upon those of us registered as Democrats, who must pull together, stay engaged irrespective of which candidate wins the nod, and encourage our fellow citizens who have held back on their Constitutional right and civic duty to be engaged. Vote. We must come together to end the reign of division. And to our fellow citizens viewed as adversaries, we will see continued threats and challenges in the years ahead after this and following elections. Demand of your elected representatives that they are to work for the good of all and a new direction of inclusion must be the path forward for this generation and those to follow.
Pitt Artist Pens on watercolor paper.
Week 4 at The Human Anatomy Lab and my subject was the same cadaver Virginia Ferrante-Iqbal has been continuing to dissect. Now laying face up with the skin and subcutaneous fat removed from the left side, it is a dramatic demonstration of how thick those layers were. Virginia commented on how heavy and difficult to lift the tray was that contained the removed skin and fat.
I again showed up without the ideal color selection, thus the muscles wound up appearing too brownish in my drawing. Pitt Artist Pens on Toned paper.
Yesterday I ventured to the magnificent Field Museum of Natural History with my pal Sarah Fields. I brought along a small Landscape format sketchbook by Clairefontaine which could handle light washes and had a modest tooth that would contribute to the drawing’s textures. The last drawing of the day was the view of the Pterodactyl from the second floor. I knew once I got upstairs that the sketch had to include to view down to the main hall and the view of the second sooty hall but, time ran out on me before I could develop the left side of the page. Time is always a consideration when drawing on sight. Therefore, prioritizing the key elements with enough information to put those in context and holding back on those elements/features best left to the viewers imagination or another session.
The Woodchuck/Marmot was sketched using water soluble Graphite Pencils which seemed quite suitable for the dirty furriness of the Marmot.