InCoWriMo

Back in ancient times when I was in college, I used to write letters quite frequently. Especially during the summer months when most of my friends had scattered to the four winds. I did not have fancy fountain pens or even a calligraphy set, but I did have my cartooning.  I would add little drawings through out the letter, making each letter something unique.  My roommate Cone and I would send letters back and forth, each trying to one up each other with our drawings of Calvin & Hobbes, Pooh Bear, Disney characters or our own creations.  My favorite was when he put Stupendous Man on the envelope and commanded the postman to do his "nefarious bidding" (yeah, I have stolen that).  Then, with the advent of email, cell phones, text messages and other social media, I just. . .stopped.  Which is sad, because, who does not like getting a hand written letter?  In early January I learned about something called InCoWriMo (pronounced: ink-o -rye-mo; International Correspondance Writing Month) which urges people to handwrite one letter per day in the month of February.  And it made me remember how much I enjoyed writing and getting letters, so I decided to give it a go.  I do not know if I can do 29 letters done this month, but am going to try.  Below is the letter I sent to T for Valentine's Day (there was also a handwritten note, but I am not posting that ;-).

                          Pilot Custom 912, watercolor on Bristol paper 9x12

A Bear of Very Little Brain

I am calling this a stick drawing.  Why a stick drawing?  Well, this is the first painting I have done using my new Daniel Smith watercolor sticks and pastels (which are, well, sticks).  The watercolor sticks are, essentially, watercolor rolled into a stick. . .how cool is that?  It allows you to draw with watercolor.  I did the under painting with the sticks and then went it dried, I added more details with Sennelier pastels. . .and wa-lah. . . A Bear of Very Little Brain appears.

              Daniel Smith watercolor sticks and Sennelier pastels on 140 lbs paper 9x12