Buttnekkiddoodles

Slowly coming out of the winter, tho I know in this part of the country it’s a big tease.

       

What am I to do if I don’t loiter? Some artists comment,”You draw so fast!”. But if they watched me, they’d observe I’m anything but a blur. I may use techniques that achieve great effect, and I prefer to say I draw fluidly, but, it ain’t speed. Decisiveness rules the day. But, it still takes time. And, if your subject seems to be comfortable and settled into what they’re doing, enjoy what you’re doing. Slow down a bit, look more deliberately.

Perhaps it’s that I draw in ink and with pigmented pens, and use multiple nib sizes and brush nibs that cover rapidly. It might also have to do with not sketching in pencil first then switching to ink or paint. Once warmed up I might get to final contours and tones early in the process. Still, if you’re going to adorn a dress with flowers, or convincingly portray a head full of curly locks and beard stubble, time flows on, and easily enough, you’ve spent 20-30 minutes trying to capture a citizen enjoying a book while sipping away at a beverage.

I see the following tools used in the above drawings: various fountain pens, Pitt Artist Pens, white grease pencils (aka White China Markers) and White Big Brush Pitt Artist Pen. Papers would be: Strathmore toned paper, Yasutomo, Utrecht toned paper, Cachet Eartbound, different ledger books, Tomoe River Paper.

Taking a a break from thinking too hard. Channelling fabulous comic book artist, actually the Sunday Funnies, George Wunder. Drawings done in an old ledger book with ink, mostly Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pens. I also made use of  a number of fountain pens, in particular -Pelikan M215, Graf Von Faber-Castell Classic, Faber-Castell Basic Black Leather, Sailor Bent Nib Calligraphy fp, and a Pelikan M400 Tortoise fp. All fountain pens were filled with Platinum Carbon ink except the Pelikan M400 Tortoise which was filled with Noodler’s Ottoman Blue.

   

Some details.

          

After 57 years, I finally return to the Land of The Midnight Sun. Glorious light. Flowers going crazy in long luminous days. Met up with some of the local talent for a plein aire event and a drink-n-draw at Spenard Tattoo. The above log cabin is the home of local artist Don Kolstad who has been an educator and fixture on the scene for years.

  

Above, drawings done on the flight to Anchorage. An attempt to capture some cloud and mountain formations somewhere over British Columbia.

The following drawing of Columbine flowers and the following paragraph I did and dedicated to a young woman who passed away just days before I arrived in Anchorage. I also dedicated gave it and gave it to the owner and staff at Blaine’s Art where she had worked for about nine month’s prior to here death at 21 years of age.

Ashley, I never had the privilege to have met you. But I have met wonderful people who did , and clearly, your spirit touched them. You are missed. I believe life is a supremely amazing gift, and the people who come into our lives, are a large part of that gift. I was told of your departure as I sat in the car outside the store you worked at, having been driven there from the airport. The first things I saw as I stepped from the car were the Columbine flowers at the store’s entrance. They were the first things I drew after stepping on Alaskan soil since I left as a child 57 years ago. They were purple, one of your favorite colors I’m told, and radiant in the incredible searing light. It was the first I had ever seen Columbines. It will not be possible for me to see them again without thinking about you and the emotional way those who knew you, spoke about you, your radiance, your accomplishments, your wit and brilliance. The growing season in Alaska is brief, and like those arresting Columbines, you had an all too brief but intense presence to those whom you encountered. I know they are grateful to have met you.

Above, a view from the water’s edge of a Salmon catching contest near the mouth where Ship Creek empties into Cook Inlet by downtown Anchorage.

 

Seth and his shy friend at the Drink & Draw at Spenard’s Tattoo when Seth works. I could tell she was watching me thru the veil of her hair.

The Anchorage Plein Aire group with Don Kolstad on the right from an overlook facing the estuary alongside Turnagain Bay.

 

Above, a dorama in the Anchorage Museum of Art and my lunch counter view of the kitchen crew at Anthony’s in Sea-Tac International. Airport.

Drawings done in a ledger book, a Strathmore toned sketchbook, a Stillman & Birn Alpha series sketchbook with Faber-Castell Basic and Pelikan M215 and Pelikano Jr. fountain pens with Carbon Black ink and Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brish Pens and White China markers.

 

I’m no Nina Johansson but I will occasionally brave cold weather for a drawing. Both of these were drawn in Evanston. The second drawing from the top was lakeside on the Northwestern Univ. campus. The following drawings were done at Calvary Cemetery in Evanston.

 

In addition to pitt Pens, I used a Sailor Brush Nib fountain pen, a terrific tool which yields a wide variety of marks and line widths depending on the angle it is held as you draw on the page. Threw in a few details as the wide format of the drawings made for less than crisp images. Below are the Wilmette locks.

Always try to have an auspicious start to the year by getting to the Palette & Chisel’s 12 hour New Year’s Day Life Drawing Marathon. Hadn’t drawn much in the week that led up to this much anticipated event. Shook some of the rust off .

   

     

Headed out with a large ledger book and a new sketchbook, a Seven Seas Tomoe River Pad – the paper I’m most excited to draw on. It is a very thin paper that holds an edge when drawn on with fountain pen and Pitt Pens, and doesn’t bled. Quite remarkable for a paper as light weight, just a bit more substantial than onion skin or tracing paper.

 

Added the last few from the latest visit to the Friday night session. Wicked cold outside and I was having a lousy time warming up my drawing skills despite having gotten a nice very rapid sketch of a passenger on the way to the P&C(just below). Preoccupied with too many other pursuits and not drawing as regularly as I’d like and I’m lacking a fluid feel much of the time.

Have been working with Platinum Carbon ink in the fountain pens with very little exception and not being that diligent about flushing or cleaning some of the pens that regularly. Not to many issues. The Sailors and the Pelikans pretty much flow whenever I put the to pad. Had a bit of an issue with one pen but that may have been due to sub zero temps here in Chicago.