Eight Sketches -- Pigs, People, and the Inktober Finale

"OMG" (5" x 8")  Ink on 140 lb. watercolor paper

As the Inktober challenge comes to a close, I'm posting my last 8 sketches.  Have a look! (Click individual images to enlarge.)

"Surprise" (4 1/2" x 5 1/4") Ink and Watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper

"Little" (8" x 5") Ink and Watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper

I felt stretched by the assignment to do a daily drawing in ink.  Some days I followed the prompt or theme; other days it was all I could do to put pen to paper and see what happened.  

"Untitled" (5" x 7") Ink and Watercolor on 140 lb. watercolor paper

"Untitled" (4 1/4" x 7") Ink on 140 lb. watercolor paper

"Untitled" (7" x 5 1/4") Ink on 140 lb. watercolor paper

Looking back, I'm glad I took the challenge.  I have no doubt that some of these drawings and paintings would never have happened if it weren't for the directive (and my "Inner Disciplinarian") telling me to get busy and sketch.  Definitely, the little pig drawings came about only because of the Inktober prompts: "Surprise," "Little," and "Wreck."  ...I'll say more about the pros and cons of having an Inner Disciplinarian in a later post.

"I Backed My Car into a Cop Car the Other Day..." (Inktober  Prompt: "Wreck"  8" x 5"  Ink and Watercolor on 140 lb.  watercolor paper)

"Carole King" (4 1/2" x 5" Ink on 140 lb. watercolor paper)

Closing in on the Inktober Finish Line

"Squirrel"  Ink and Watercolor (6" x 6")

With less than a week left in the Inktober challenge, here are a few of my sketches from the past several days.  If you are wondering about a theme, there isn't one.  I just sketched whatever struck my fancy.  As you can see, it varied from day to day!

"Dude" Ink on Paper (5" x 6")

"Hug"  Ink and Watercolor (6" x 6")

Of these 3, my personal favorites are "Squirrel" and "Dude."  I really didn't know how the squirrel was going to turn out -- I was experimenting with the watercolors, not quite sure how to get a look of fur.  With "Dude" I had fun even though I made some mistakes.  I always have a hard time with people in hats!  I'm pleased with how his striped shirt came out and it was easier to do than I thought.  It just took patience and being willing to spend some time on it.  

Portrait Practice: Two Versions of Ira Glass and Two Quotes

Watercolor Portrait of Ira Glass (5" x 8")

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to listen to This American Life while I was painting, so who better to paint than Ira Glass.  When dealing with my periodic frustrations about not making progress in art as fast as I want, I find Ira's words encouraging:  

          "It is only by going through a volume of work that...your work will be as good

     as your ambitions.  And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've

     ever met.  It's gonna take a while.  It's normal to take a while.  You've just gotta

     fight your way through."

The painting above is a final watercolor version of Ira.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, although sometimes when I look at it I'm not so sure it captures him.  I probably need to ask him to sit for me!  I began it by doing a pencil sketch first, shown below.  

Pencil Sketch of Ira Glass (5" x 8")

Earlier I did a quicker pen and ink only sketch of Ira in a different pose with a different expression.  I feel it captures some aspects of him but misses on others.  I do like the fact that when I draw with pen and ink without pencil I'm committed to whatever I put down on paper -- mistakes and all.  For both sketches I started by drawing his eyes and glasses, then did the nose and mouth, followed by the rest of his face.  

Pen and Ink Sketch of Ira Glass (5" x 8")

     More reflections from Ira:

          "I wish that someone had said to me that it is normal to feel lost for a little while."

***

     

A Quickie Chicky (and Thoughts on Not Having Enough Time for Art)

My Sketch for Inktober, Day 17

It's been a busy past few days.  Taking care of various grown-up obligations during the week meant my sketching had to take more of a back seat than I wanted it to.   Even when there's something we're passionate about, something we really want to do, there are times when life gets in the way and we have to do what's in front of us.  (Did I hear someone say "periodontist appointment"?) 

While I continue my efforts with Inktober (i.e. doing an ink drawing for every day of October), it's a real challenge finding the time to do it, especially when I try to follow the prompt or theme of the day.  Shown here are sketches I did for days 17 and 18 of Inktober.

My Sketch for Inktober, Day 18 (Prompt: "Escape")

I find the reflections of artist France Belleville-van Stone, one of the teachers at Sketchbook Skool to be helpful when I might otherwise be frustrated with not having enough time to sketch.  France is an artist and working mother who teaches high school French for a living. She notes that having limited time to draw due to other responsibilities has led to a shift in her attitude about failure and imperfection.   She values and encourages an appreciation for incomplete drawings -- the ones we don't have time to finish.  In her own words:

"Surprising as it may seem, it's a liberating feeling to have very little control over your time to draw."

"My limitations have become my biggest opportunities.  What I first thought was going to be crippling has allowed me to stretch as an artist.  I have grown as a result of being thwarted."

The Week in Sketches

My Ink and Watercolor Sketch for Inktober  (Prompt: "Afraid")

This week I did an ink and watercolor sketch every day for the Inktober challenge.  Each day has its own universal prompt or theme, as designated by the Inktober founder, Jake Parker.  The painting above is one of my favorite sketches.   I like it because the idea seemed to come to me from out of the blue, and if I imagine myself alone in a movie theater watching "Cape Fear," I'm sure I'd feel afraid.  There's not enough popcorn in the world to keep that fear at bay!  I like the effect of using color for part of the sketch and leaving some of it without color.  I believe that creates more of a sense of aloneness and terror in the painting.  

Also for Inktober (Prompt: "Worried")

  "Hungry Mean-Ass Tree" ( Inktober Prompt: "Tree")

Ink and Watercolor Portrait

I did the portrait above from a Sktchy reference photo, unrelated the Inktober challenge.  In the original photo, this man looked so cheerful and friendly it made me want to sketch him.

Cactus Wren

For the above watercolor painting I wanted to try something new to me (and harder!) -- to just use my paintbrush (waterbrush) dipped in paint with no pencil or pen first.  It forces me to be looser in my painting.  I like the effect and want to try more of it.  This painting, like all the others shown here is 6"x6".

And finally, two more Inktober sketches:

Inktober Sketch (Prompt: "Relax")

Inktober Sketch (Prompt: "Wet")

Fluffy Had Wanted to Fly for as Long as She Could Remember

Fluffy had wanted to fly for as long as she could remember.  She knew this ability was a privilege reserved for only a few select and deserving pigs.  (She wasn't even sure what "deserving" meant.)  

So you can imagine her surprise and delight when she woke up Wednesday morning, October 12th to be exact, and realized she had sprouted wings!

***

(When the pig mood strikes, I must honor it!)

***

I did the above sketch for Inktober, day 9.  Prompt for the day: "broken."

***

And I did this ink and watercolor sketch of a little girl whose photo was on the Sktchy app.

Recent Sketches: Stealthy Little Pigs on a Mission (and More)

Here are a few recent ink and watercolor sketches.  When in doubt, I sketch pigs!  

Stealthy Pigs on a Mission

And below are two sketches of a happy little family:

I did the pen and ink sketch while enjoying my coffee on Friday. I finished it by adding watercolor at another coffeeshop on Saturday.  (Reference photos from Sktchy app.)

I got to spend much of the weekend doing art -- primarily using acrylics. (Not shown here.)  Images from those paintings will follow in subsequent posts.  Stay tuned, and thanks for stopping by!

More InkTober Sketches

Sketching During My Morning Coffee

The photo references for these two drawings came from the Sktchy app.  The man and woman were not pictured together but after sketching each of them next to each other on the page, I couldn't resist adding a bit of dialogue!

***

...And at the last minute, one more sketch.  This one is inspired by the InkTober prompt: "sad."

What is InkTober?

 My Ink Drawing with Watercolor (InkTober Prompt for 10/3: "Collect")

In 2009, illustrator Jake Parker created InkTober as a challenge to himself to improve his inking skills and to establish regular drawing habits.  The goal was to draw one ink sketch every day for the month of October.  While it started out as Jake's individual project, InkTober has taken off worldwide and now thousands of artists create and post their ink drawings online throughout the month.  

My Ink Sketch of Woman at Starbucks

Some people opt to use prompts for their drawings.  A list of 31 "official" prompts is on Jake's website.  The rules are flexible:  you don't have to draw and post everyday -- even once per week is okay.  And it's also fine to sketch your drawing in pencil first.

 My Sketch for 10/2 (InkTober Prompt: "Noisy")

Another Sketch for the "Noisy" Prompt

This is my first year taking part in the challenge.  If any of you reading my blog want to join me, you can leave a comment for me below.  And be sure to post your drawings online using the hashtags #inktober and #inktober2016.

***

All my drawings here were done with Micron pens (no pencil) in a 6"x6" Reflexions sketchbook by Creative Mark. ...I'm continuing to push myself to skip the pencil whenever I can.  The top sketch was inspired by an illustration found online; I did the drawing of the woman at Starbucks live on Saturday; and the bottom two drawings were also done using images (royalty free) from the Internet.