Oooh-ooh-ooh, Baby, Baby

Oooh-ooh-ooh, Baby, Baby

Some recent sketches...

All were done in ink and watercolor using photos from Sktchy app.

A Jumpstart with Sketchbook Skool

A Jumpstart with Sketchbook Skool

Dock at Mozart's 

While doing occasional art projects and sketches over the years, in 2014 with the launch of Sketchbook Skool, I got a big jumpstart.  Co-founded by LA/NYC artist Danny Gregory and Amsterdam-based artist Koosje Koene, Sketchbook Skool is an online school open to anyone who wants to learn or brush up on their sketching skills.  There are a variety of classes to choose from and, -- the best part -- the faculty are accomplished artists from around the world.  Once you sign up for a class, you get weekly videos of the instructor sharing everything from their personal bio, their favorite sketching tools, to tours of their sketchbooks and step-by-step instruction on the techniques they use.  You're given fun homework assignments along the way, and there's an opportunity to post your work in "galleries" with the work of other students.

Sitting at Mozart's

The photos here are of drawings and paintings I did in 2014 while enrolled in Sketchbook Skool.  Looking at these now I can see some of the areas where I struggled back then.  Some paintings I like quite a bit (in particular, the two above which capture a feeling of being at Mozart's Coffee Roasters), while others make me cringe a little, like the drawing of my right hand below.  (Eeek!)

Mozart's 2014

Barnes and Noble 

 Hand

I've taken several Sketchbook Skool classes and can't say enough good things about them! The teachers are inspiring, and the tone of the videos is playful and accepting, inviting all skill levels.   Beginners as well as experienced artists are valued for their own unique styles.  Through taking these classes I became acquainted with  an international community of artists who are now part of my life.  Both in Austin and in other cities I've visited I've encountered other folks who are, or have been, students of Sketchbook Skool.  I get a warm  feeling of kinship when I find the person I've just met for the first time at a sketchcrawl in Austin or at a collage workshop in Phoenix is a fellow Sketchbook Skool student.

My Desk at Work

My "Studio" at Home

Tommy Kane (artist and Sketchbook Skool faculty)

(To learn more about Sketchbook Skool and their faculty, visit Sketchbook Skool, Danny Gregory, and Koosje Koene in my Favorite Links section.)

Recent Ink Sketches, with and without Watercolor

Recent Ink Sketches, with and without Watercolor

As I continue sketching daily, it's gradually becoming easier to forego pencil and just sketch with a pen, (usually a Pigma Micron 005, 01, or 02).  I still reserve the option to use pencil when I'm feeling shaky with my skills or want to do a particularly accurate drawing. When my time is limited, I'm apt to just start sketching, come what may.

For all of the drawings shown here I used reference photos from the Sktchy app.  

And Now for Something Completely Different

And Now for Something Completely Different

  

In the past few weeks I've been working in acrylics, specifically doing abstract paintings.  The two photos above are a diptych -- a painting in two parts.  Here the two parts are pictured separately.  Each canvas measures 16" x 20". 

The images below show the paintings in an earlier stage.  I started the process by drawing a grid on both canvases.  I then began playing, using primarily quinacridone magenta, yellow ochre, black and white paints as I let my instincts tell me what to do next.  Some of the time I let the grid influence my choices in how I put the paint down, other times I disregarded the grid.

Here you see the two earlier versions side by side:: 

And finally, the diptych in it's completed form:

My Frequent Dilemma

My Frequent Dilemma

When I do a sketch that I'm pretty happy with, I'm often torn about whether to add watercolor to it or not.  To leave it unpainted can leave it feeling bare.  But if I decide to add watercolors, there's the possibility I'll mess up the painting and wish I'd left it alone!

For the painting of Merle Haggard above, I'm glad I added watercolor.  For the one below, I'm still deciding.  

...I just learned this one was selected as a Sktchy "Pick".  I'm honored and excited, and now think I will leave it as is.

The Three Jakes

The Three Jakes

My photographer friend Jake Lorfing and I made a recent trip to Strange Brew in Austin for coffee and a catch-up chat.  Jake is a contemplative Miksang photographer.  He takes miraculous, mind stopping photos from around the world.  I find his images evocative, often bringing me a sense of peace or awe.  You can see his photos and learn more about him at his website:  http://goslowphotos.com or visit the link in the Favorite Links on this blog.   

This outing was a fun way to try a new (to me) coffee spot, spend some quality time with a good friend, and take advantage of an opportunity for sketching.  Jake seemed to have no hesitation in taking photos of anyone and everyone with his huge camera, while I was shier and felt a bit intrusive using my phone to snap images.  I soon decided to follow Jake's example and click away.  

I took the above photo of Jake on my phone and then made two sketches once I was back home.  The first one I did in only ink and watercolor.  It's a relatively quick sketch, about 40 minutes.  The guy in the background on the right is rather wonky-looking!

For the second sketch (below), I used pencil first as I wanted to take my time and capture a better likeness of Jake. This one took about 2 hours for the entire sketch and then another 20 minutes or so for the watercolor.  Of the two sketches, I like it the best.  I'm pleased with how Jake is clearly the focus, while the two men in the background add some context but don't steal the show. 

Daily Sketch: Boy with a Toy

Daily Sketch:  Boy with a Toy

I enjoyed drawing  and painting this little boy with his toy.  While I'm happy with the outcome, I also had some "oopses" along the way.  I didn't use pencil, just dove right in with ink.   When I drew his ears I could tell right away that something was amiss.  So, I just drew more ears on top of the first pair!  

What I like about the painting is I feel it captures this young guy's innocence and  enthusiasm for his superhero toy.  And I love the blush of youth on his face.

Something About Dogs

Something About Dogs

In the past I was never into dogs.   But things change: as an artist I now view dogs differently than I did years ago.   Whenever I see a dog these days I want to sketch it. 

A dog in motion is challenging -- full of life -- sniffing, wagging, exploring.  A quiet dog or a photo of a dog affords a different kind of connection.  When I look into the face (eyes especially) of a dog or dog in a photo, my pen or paintbrush in hand, I'm in "the Zone" and engaged in a relationship of sorts.  I want to know what the dog is thinking, feeling.  Surely we're not so different, this dog and I.

Their faces are so expressive.  A cocked head with eye-contact is definitely saying something.  What would he or she say if they could talk?  Is it an eager, "Hello, it's me!" or "Tell me again how cute I am!" or ...?

You may have your own ideas about what these dogs are saying.  Or what your own dog is saying to you right now.

Sketch of the Day - A Couple

Sketch of the Day - A Couple

     Here's a watercolor sketch I did yesterday morning.  I don't know this couple -- I just found myself captivated by their tender expressions and body language in the reference photo. I had fun sketching them and imagining their lives together over the years. (Reference photo courtesy of Sktchy app.)

    

Influences: Natalie Goldberg

Influences:  Natalie Goldberg

     One of my favorite influences is Natalie Goldberg.  A writer, artist, and Buddhist, she approaches her craft with depth and wisdom. 

     I first attended one of Natalie's writing workshops in Chicago in the mid-1980's.  Her groundbreaking book, Writing Down the Bones, had just been published. At that time I didn't know she painted.  I myself was not painting then but I was involved with the local Buddhist/Shambhala center and was interested in writing and in understanding the human mind (mine included). Natalie's directive to write freely, spontaneously, and without premeditation or self-criticism appealed to me.  "Keep your hand moving," she said.

     I like those ideas for drawing and painting too, but they're sometimes hard to put into practice.  Keeping my hand moving is fairly easy.  Not being self-critical is more challenging, but it's something I aim for.  

     Among the words of wisdom Natalie shares in Writing Down the Bones are the instructions her Zen teacher gave her.  I have held on to these guidelines myself, using them throughout the years.  They serve me well to this day.  You can apply them to any creative endeavor and to all of life: 

          *Don't get tossed away.
          *Continue under all circumstances.
          *Make positive effort for the good. 




     To see Natalie's paintings, as well as her books and workshop offerings, visit her website at: nataliegoldberg.com.  (Or click on her name in the "Favorite Links" section of this blog.)