Bunch of Keys

Sometimes the mundane can take on a life of its own..

Just a bunch of keys that caught my attention while reading Barrington Barbers book
"The Fundamentals of Drawing Still Life"

Kissing Bridge.

Larger size here .. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajn_photography/19015248265/in/dateposted-public/

Yesterday I decided to visit the West Montrose covered bridge. I had an image in mind for a watercolour, so off I went.
It was a perfect morning, just warm enough to sit in the shade and cool enough to keep the bugs asleep.
I sat by the river for I don't know how long, as usually happens when one is drawing or sketching.
. I was brought back to the present time when a Mennonite Lady approached to see what I was doing, after all I was sitting on her property .. oops.

A short but genial conversation followed and I continued with my painting, here is the result.

A two page spread in my Moleskin Watercolour sketchbook given to me by Constance ..

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads out there :-)

Alan

Another 'Oldie'

Last week Patrick and I talked about stippling while waiting for Doug at a local restaurant. 

I mentioned that I used to do some on larger works, and although it's a tricky method I usually liked the result

This one was is from 1993, we were on vacation with the kids and I was sick ;-p

We had a howling, overnight wind storm that took down a lot of branches and the morning found me sitting on the deck drawing while the kids helped the clean up crews.

The subject for this sketch was on the deck all I had to do was pick it up :-)

Alan

Apples ..

Thinking about the bowl of apples on the counter...
Thinking 'I should draw those'
Thinking, thinking, thinking...

Then I watched a youtube video on drawing (yes, apples) with water soluble graphite pencils.
So that was it, decision made !

A bowl of apples drawn with Graphite sticks and water soluble graphite.

Black and White ..oh yeah ..

Comments and critique always welcome.

Alan

Lilacs in the Spring

A few weeks ago my friend Vickie offered me some watercolour pencils.
Today I sat in the soft morning light on this holiday Monday and tried them out, after cutting the grass which was my chore for today...

This was taken with my cell phone and the low morning sun didn't help as it emphasized the grain of the paper..
Daler Rowney "The Langton" 140 lb Not 7" x 5"
Derwent Watercolour Pencils

Another Milkweed study

Fascination ?
Obsession?

Who knows?
Who cares!

I think I am getting closer to the core of this one...

 There were a few seeds left in one of the pods and as they dried out they fluffed up ready to fly away with the slightest of breezes, even when the furnace kicked in and moved the air in the house.

Pen, a  Sakura 'Microperm 01, black ink
Opaque white from a 'Uni-Ball' Signo pigment pen

on Strathmore 400 series Gray Toned 80 lb paper

The Joy of Seeing..

This first appeared on my other blog;
http://ajnphotography.blogspot.ca/2015/04/the-joy-of-seeing.html

The quote I used there is even more poignant here;

"The real voyage of discovery consists of not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust

I continue to watch my milkweed that sit on my desk and old and dead they may be; they are still evolving.

and I continue to try to capture their spirit...