Throwing paint down

Been spending the majority of my creative time playing with inks and calligraphy (not posting everything) and have not painted much as a result.  I really wanted to throw down some paint and have fun on beautiful day.  I am most happy with two things: 1) The background green is mixed on the paper not tube green like the tree foliage (I put down hansa yellow medium and dropped french ultramarine and cobalt blue to mix) and 2) I am getting better at spattering paint.  

                              Watercolor, pen & ink on paper 5.5X8.25

The Rule about Bears

A simple ink sketch using two of my favorite brown inks with a little bit of watersoluble crayon to round it out.

                    Pen & ink, neocolor watersoluble crayons on 180lbs paper

Fun with new ink

Trying out new samples of Pilot ink.  From left to right is Ama-Iro (sky blue), Ajisai (hydrangea), Shin-ryoku (forest green) and Yu-yake (sunset).  These inks are quite vibrant and make nice washes.  I put shin-ryoku in a new Lamy (neon green) and have enjoyed writing with it.  Once I finish the chiku-rin in a different pen, I am going to try the ama-iro. I love how intense the tree in the second picture turned out.

San Diego

Lot's of conferences in San Diego but not lots of time to sketch.  One on the plane (the pen kinda sorta exploded, hence the dark arm on the one passenger) and one from the hotel.  Both sketches are small and fast..

                                                Pen & Ink on paper3.5x5.5 in

                                                    Pen & Ink on paper3.5x5.5 in

Back to the Middle Brook

A short hike off the beaten path for a different view of the Middle Brook.  Forgot to bring water, so it was fortunate I brought waterbrushes (pre-filled with water).  Used pen and ink, watercolor and crayon for this piece. 

               Watercolor, pen & ink and watersoluble crayon on paper 5.5 x 16.0

Sketches in Brown Ink

Some random sketches/doodles using Noodler's Kiowa Pecan ink. While it may not be water resistant and therefore not good for water color under drawings, I like taking advantage of its beautiful shading (shifting from dark brown to an almost yellowy raw sienna) and water solubility to create fun washes.

            Blue Pumpkin nib with Noodler's Kiowa Pecan Ink (and a bit of water color)

Calligra-Friday

                        Blue Pumpkin Nib with Noodler's Kiowa Pecan Ink