Autumn Leaves - Pen and Ink

I took the time today to try out a new pen ( Jinhau medium nib ) and new ink Diamine 'Ochre' that was rushed to me by my friends at Wonderpens.ca  :-)
 
Ochre seemed to be a suitable colour for this time of year.

This is quite small only 4" x 6"

This ink is not waterproof (that's what I wanted so I could move it around with a waterbrush)

Urban Sketchers KW

I drove to Dundas this morning to meet up with the US KW gang for a few hours of sketching.

I followed a trail through the woods to the creek and found a cool spot to sit a while ..

I added the condo's as it was supposed to be "Urban Sketching" :-)

Alan

Into the light ...Finally

This painting was stuck at the back of a drawer and forgotten for many years. When I found it it was rolled, creased and tattered
.
Recently while talking to my framer, Don Corby I told him about it.
He figured he could breathe some life into it, so I let him and he did!

So here it is after 25 years or so in its rightful place on the wall.

Thanks Don!

20" x 30" Acrylic (washes as in watercolour) on paper
This was a project / demonstration image in a 'how to' book the title of which is long forgotten

Sorry about all the reflections ;-)

Alan

Wolf Howl Pond - Watercolour

and so it goes, you see something and try to tease the meaning from it..
Wold Howl Pond has done this to me and so the search for the image, the meaning continues.

I am getting closer though :-)

5" x 7" watercolour on Fluid hot pressed paper

Some new watercolours:
Sennelier Aqua Mini half pan set
New brushes:
Raphael soft aqua 2,4,and 8

They all came in a little kit from Deserres.ca
 :-)

Wolf Howl Pond -Redux

I feel the need to work and rework this subject as I don't think I am "there yet..

This is a graphite, pencil and white gouache rendition.
Boy that powdered Graphite makes a mess!

My Derwent battery powered eraser ground a deep, dark scar into the white of the moon, that's when the gouache came out ..

I'm tempted to crop this with only the left side/half

Alan

Strathmore 400 Mixed Media Paper 9" x 12"
Generals Powdered Graphite

Wolf Howl Pond - Algonquin

The second visit was completely different from my first visit the day before.
"Yesterday" was warmly lit by a bright Spring sun, this day was cloudy and threatening rain but it is still a great place to sit.

This was a quick sketch to try and capture the scene dominated by old, dead black spruce that surrounded the ponds.
Drawn in my watercolour sketchbook, not the best choice for pencil work but I had it with me :-)

Not the greatest scan but ...

Alan

Perspective... the eternal struggle

I hate perspective, my renderings always look .. awkward.
Yes I know how it's supposed to work and how to do it but it never 'looks' correct.

So I keep trying .. ;-)

So this one started out as a pen and ink rendering and ended up as a little watercolour
(it's about 6" x 3"), using QOR watercolours and trying to work in purples, fushia and violet into my shadows.
I think the angles look a little better but.... 

Alan

Barn on 32

I spent a Curry's gift card on:

a couple of Hot Press 140# watercolour blocks by Fluid
A new Micron 01 permanent pen
and a Signo white gel pen

Then I put them to work ...





























This was on a 6" x 8" sheet


Comments and Critique always welcome..
Alan

Spring has Sprung ...

... The grass is riz
I wonder where the birdies iz ..

Well one of them is here, my subject and challenge for this week..

Stepping ever so timidly out of my comfort zone.

Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media Paper 9 x 12
Derwent Watercolour Pencils (Thanks again Vickie!)
Windsor and Newton Watercolours

Painted from one of my own photographs

Quite happy especially as it is my first attempt in many years

C&C welcome
Alan

This Old House ..

This old stone house is boarded up now, no doubt awaiting the wreckers ball, so I decided to depict it as it was, lit up as the sun sets, a warm fire in the fireplaces, joy and laughter echoing from inside, when it was someone's home..

The third in a series ..

C&C always welcome

Alan

Barn in Snow (Hwy 6)

I ripped up a piece of Curry's own brand of 200# CP paper and devoted it to a rendition of a barn on Hwy 6 N.
First I drove over to photograph it and a few other places in the gentle morning light as the snow fell softly.

 
As I mentioned Curry's own brand 200# CP paper (worked well without stretching) Windsor and Newton paints.

The paper has some strange artifacts as you can see in the upper left portion other than that and it being a bit thirsty it wasn't bad.

The painting is about 8" x 10". 

Alan

Burnt Cove - Tobermory

Last weekend I was at Doug's Cottage in Tobermory.
Weather wise a dreary, windy and rain swept couple of days but in reality a time to chat, laugh and catch up with the occasional walk to 'blow away the cobwebs'.

From the moment I saw the little island just off shore in a sea of shifting ice I knew I had to do more than photograph it.

Here is the result; a small ink and wash on Strathmore 400 8" x 5"mixed media paper.

Not exactly as it was but that's not the point is it, this is what I 'saw' as we sheltered in the cedars out of the wind, waiting for an elusive otter we had seen all to briefly as we approached.

Burnt Cove Tobermory..

It's been a while ..

Life happens even when you are not paying attention.
It's been months since I put pen and brush to paper, yes I have been struggling to track down my muse(s) but today I actually did something!

A small line and wash study of an unknown barn (mostly out of my head) on a sunny day ..

Now the ball is rolling lets see if I can keep it rolling !

Out of the closet ...

Not many people have seen my work , over the years it has pretty well been my immediate family.
This year I decided to 'come out of the closet' so to speak and I entered one of my recent watercolours into the Wellington Artists Gallery 'Juried Art Show'.
To my surprise it was accepted !

So that was that .. no more hiding in the closet.

Homage to A.J Casson - White Woods
and me (No I wasn't the waiter)

Road Trip - Erin

I went on a road trip this morning all the way to Erin.
OK not a long way but far enough for some fresh scenery.

After checking out the (ahem) Bakery we settled down across the street to draw/paint the buildings of downtown.

I chose a rather freestyle pen and ink method (one line sketches) that I am tinkering with, thanks to Larry in Quebec City  http://www.larrydmarshall.com/

Noodlers Carbon Black Ink in a Noodlers Ahab flex pen
Strathmore 300 mixed media sketchbook 8.5" x 5.5"

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Patrick had taken on a rather large watercolour so I was done before him so I decided to work on a small watercolour, a fire hydrant ... thanks to Larry again!

It was to have ink added but I was told to leave it alone ...so no ink.

W&N watercolour Field set W&N travel Brush set
Moleskine 5" x 8" watercolour sketchbook

All in all a great, relaxing morning

Alan

Scotsdale Farm

Niagara was too far (KW Urban Sketchers went there today) .. so I decided to stay closer to home and visit Scotsdale Farm nr Georgetown.

600 acres of trails and buildings, another hidden gem.

The old house is currently unoccupied ( boy, what a place to live!) I have sketched it before from a different angle but wanted to try and work on my limited perspective skills.

Saunders Waterford 140lb NOT 16" x 12"
Windsor and Newton watercolours
My handy dandy W&N field sketch brushes

Yes that was way to big for a sketch !!
No my perspective skills still need work

But I enjoyed myself and met several people who stopped by to chat and even admire my work :-)

Alan

Pen and Ink landscape

This started out as an ink over to an existing watercolour that I did some time ago but I couldn't find my sepia ink and my pens have gray or black in them.
So I decided to make a new sketch just for the hell of it..

4 x 6 using Noodlers Gray, Micron brush pen with black ink and some water soluble graphite applied with a water brush.

Oh and a teeny bit of white from a gel pen for a few highlights :-)

The scene ?
I made it up ...

Sitting beside the river ..

..on a quiet, cool Saturday morning.

All the humidity had gone it was a 'good to be alive' day.

I was waiting for a friend whom I had arranged to meet at the Boathouse for tea and conversion; I arrived early so I could put in some sketching time.

The Boathouse is a local eatery, ice cream vending, canoe renting, and as this description hints at, an eclectic kind of place.

I have been meaning to sketch it for some time..

5 x 8 Moleskine watercolour sketchbook, Windsor and Newton watercolours applied with brushes from my little W&N travel kit.
Pen and Ink from Noodlers (Lexington Gray)

Morning up on Hwy 6 North

I was going to start a 12 " x 16" painting but chickened out and created this in my Moleskine watercolour sketchbook.
So it is about 5" x 8"  

A misty morning photographed as I drove north on Hwy 6 several years ago seemed like a perfect opportunity to try creating mist over the landscape.

Maybe I should try the 12 " x 16"

:-D

Winters Swimming Hole ..

Winter loves to go splashing about in the man made (or kid made) area that is a bit deeper because of all the rocks piled to stem the flow in the 'creek' that runs through our local park.
Unfortunately the mosquitoes love it too, so this was created from memory after we returned home.

Hand Bound Paper Co Travelogue 5 1/4" x 81/4" sketchbook

Pen, Ink and watercolour pencil washed with water.

Patrick was correct the Noodler's Black ink takes a long time to dry to permanence ;-(