Portrait of a Poppy Seed Pod in Carbon and Graphite Pencils

It seems that I'll be enjoying my pencils in the weeks and months to come. Here is a small portrait of a dried poppy seed pod done in carbon and graphite pencils. The background is done using a water-soluble graphite pencil (8B Staedtler). I used both carbon and the regular graphite pencils to draw the poppy seed pod. I'd been meaning to draw simple, black and white botanical portraits like this for the longest time. And I'm glad to have finally done so. It was my first time ever to draw this subject, and the experience was just the right combination of ease and difficulty. (Perhaps less of the difficulty, if I may be quite bold and brazen.)

This small piece on 200 GSM watercolor paper measures 6 inches x 6 inches. I have lots of these small cut-outs that I made out of 12 in. x 12 in. papers. They were originally meant for collage art but then I've found that they're just as good for graphite drawings. And, even if the initial plan was just to make noncommittal drawings, I believe this piece has become an intentional artwork on its own.

Some progress photos of this artwork are in this Instagram post.  

Back to pencil drawing

It's such a pain to lose one's painting groove, especially when you know that you need to get it back as soon as possible. I stopped painting sometime in April or May in preparation for our US trip and while we were trying to slowly empty the small apartment and the big house in the province. I could simply not concentrate on any artwork, so I thought to just stop and focus on what had to be done. It was tough to put away my supplies but I had to do it. 

Well, we've since returned from the US and have dutifully emptied the small apartment. I have boxed and unboxed most of my supplies and organized them in the most convenient way. But I still feel like there's a desert within me. So, I took out my pencils and tried to revive an old love: figure drawing

I had fun for a while until I felt the excitement wane again. I took out my watercolor sets and brushes and started doodling and swatching colors and mixes. Nothing much came out of it except a few small landscape paintings that seemed like drills. Better than nothing, I know. 

Should I just stick to my trusty drawing pencils? I get impatient every time I finish a drawing because I would immediately want to turn it into a painting. But for some reason, the motivation to paint isn't there. Perhaps I should stay with my pencils for a while and just draw whatever I feel like drawing. Let the pencil be the stump and the self be not stumped. 

Quiet and Without Content

This blog has been like that, yes. I'd been meaning to update since the last time but for some reason I keep getting stalled and ideas just keep going down the drain. It must have been that addictive lure of social media. I practically soaked my brain in feeds that didn't make me so productive at all. Sure, there's that thrill of getting hearts and likes. But, no, by and large that didn't serve me well at all. This year I really hope to blog more and write more about my creative process and projects.

No promises here, though I've got a nice lineup of posts to make. Those will have to wait a bit until I'm able to transfer all my smartphone photos into this laptop. Until then, here's wishing that you're having a nice creative day and doing something that adds perk to your soul. Happy weekend! :o)

Art Journal: A Game Of Chess

Sometime last year, Stella learned some basic chess moves. She was 6 and totally hooked on every kind of board game she might find interesting. (She has also created some of her own, how very cute is that!) Chess is one of those board games that she enjoys. She looks forward to castling and having one of her pawns reach the end so she could take back her bishop or Queen. She and I would play together while a stew is simmering at the stove. I don't always have the time for board games, but I'd hate to disappoint my kids when they ask for play time. It's like I'm shortchanging them if I refuse. So for like two weeks, the then 6 y.o. played chess with me. Sometimes I win, sometimes she does. Of course, I do it all for love. 

I made this sketch in my vintage-themed sketchbook. It's supposed to be my entry for Day 2, but that project's on hold for now. So I thought to not write Day 2 on the title of this post. I used a drawing pen, some watercolor markers and Inktense pencils, and Portfolio water-soluble oil pastels. I just love how creamy these oil pastels are!! 

Day 1: Inky Sunflowers

Last year's attempt at The 100 Day Project failed, as I couldn't seem to get the right mix of energy and inspiration for making art every single day for 100 consecutive days. I realized it wasn't the right time to take on a rigid challenge.

This year I decided to be a little kinder to myself: I will complete the 100 days of sketching but not in a harried way. I will take my time and work on "a day" when I'm really free and able to. Yes, it's kind of a cheat version of the challenge. But the goal here is to reach the number (i.e. 100) and to push myself in a gentle way. I'm impressed with how others do it regularly and on a daily basis. Good for them. I can't keep up at this point in my life though. So I'll just try to work on a spread or a page every way I can and enjoy the process.

So here goes Day 1: Inky Sunflowers

I knew I wanted to work with my dip pen and fountain pens but was clueless as to what subject to render. Then I spotted this scuffed and slightly aged gift tag lying in one of my plastic trays. Oh, it was the very first tag that I got from my husband when we were still dating. He got me a sunflower then and he wrote something cheesy on that tag. Our wedding also had the sunflower theme and my wedding bouquet was a simple but awesome arrangement of sunflowers. So I thought to draw my own version of a sunflower wedding bouquet for Day 1 of my 100 Day Project for 2017.

I used a Diamine sepia drawing ink with my J. Herbin dip pen. The flowers and leaves were outlined with Platinum Preppy fountains pens, and the rest of the drawing was inked and colored with Inktense pencils. Indeed, this one's an inky sunflower!