Buttnekkiddoodles

Wintering in Chicago with a brief jaunt to NYC. The above drawing is in the Field Museum in Chicago during an outing with about 40+ Chicago based Urban Sketchers. Drawn with Faber-Castell Pitt Pens and fountain pen, plus White Pitt Pen and white China Marker.

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The chair that resembles a baseball mitt was by the Men and Women’s lavatories in the Oyster Bar beneath the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal, followed by pictures of that and police officers in the GCT lobby. The three drawings of animals are from the exquisite dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History.

                              

While I love drawing out in public and capturing spontaneous events, a practice that helped me when I went into court and drew the proceedings for a local media company, The environment is dynamic and shit don’t hold still. But, if you happen upon someone overcome by exhaustion or boredom, their catnap becomes your opportunity to record a very natural moment where the subject isn’t posing, self aware, tense, or twitching, given to nervous movement or distractions. They may still be restless in sleep and adjust them selves automatically for comfort sake, or stirred by dream anxiety, but, you can get several minutes of fascinating pose or expression. My usual custom applies where I take advantage of the several pens I carry so that I can go from detail to broad areas and back to specific features. Given how the paper is reacting I may use Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Brush Pens, fountain pens of which I like, Pelikan M215, Pelikano Juniors, Sailor 1911, Lamy Studio,Graf von Faber-Castell Guilloche and Classics, Namiki Vanishing Point, Namiki Falcon, Saior Brush Nib fountain pen, any of which could have a fine, medium, or broad nib, the broad being my preferred. I also make use in toned paper of grease pencils aka White China Markers.

The sketch books I enjoy vary considerably and while I tend to prefer smooth or hot pressed surfaced paper I occasionally will turn to more textured pare such as water colored paper for the attributes it brings in surface and absorbency. Some of those books and pads are, Strathmore tan and grey toned hard bound sketchbooks, ledger books – those lines don’t bother me, Moleskine watercolor sketchbooks – the only Moleskines I bother with, Seven Seas River paper – great pad, lousy binding, StillmN & Birn Epsilon Series – the bound, not a fan of spirals, and A sketchbook, name unknown, that uses a renewable source called Lakota from Nepal.

Rarely if ever have I used graphite in sketchbooks for some forty years now, I have used Faber-Castell Aquarelle graphite and do like the intensity you can get in the washes of this very beautiful water soluble medium. Mostly, primarily, preferably, I use ink. Ballpoint pens were the go-to tool for years by in the last decade and a half I use brush pens or fountain pens and in those the inks I like are Platinum Carbon which sets up so you can apply washes over you line work. I also like some of the Noodlers Bulletproof inks though they release a bit depending on the paper being cellulose or not. I also like Irishuzuku inks tho they are not water proof they are gorgeous inks with lovely flow.

 

No Nudes, decided to feature some buildings as I’m preparing for the Chicago Urban Sketching Seminar in June. With the turn in the weather, drawing outdoors became less demanding. Worked on drawings with Pitt Artist Pens, fountain pens, grease pencils,

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.

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.

            

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.