5 Minute Continuous Line Drawings

My favorite app right now for improving my artwork and sharing it with a supportive community is Sktchy. The app allows people to post photos for inspiration for artists, who upload their artwork for all to see, with a swipe right to see the underlying inspiration image. An endless source of inspiration!

Sktchy has recently been starting some weekly challenges with a Monday Muse, a Tuesday QuickDraw, and a WIP Wednesday, to name a few - as well as their Weekend Art Extravaganzas. I have been particularly enjoying the Tuesday QuickDraws since they force me to loosen up and just go with whatever comes up in the allotted quick draw time frame (usually 5 minutes or so).

This week, Sktchy asked us to attempt some 5 minute continuous line drawings - which I LOVED! I took the time to add some watercolor afterward - but I did use a timer to limit myself to just 5 minutes for the continuous line drawing (no lifting allowed!). Here's what I came up with:

Have you tried quick draws? Or continuous line drawings? What are your thoughts on either?

Trying different mark making methods

I am addicted to taking online art classes. I am planning on doing a blog post reviewing all of the classes I've taken both at Sketchbook Skool and on Craftsy. But for now, I will just talk a little about one of the classes I'm taking - Paul Heaston's Pen and Ink Essentials on Craftsy.

Paul is a master at pen and ink drawings - especially with hatching. For my homework (for this class and Koosje Koene's Sketchbook Skool's Seeing klass drawing selfies), I drew myself using the scribble method of mark making and indicating value.

I really liked this method of mark making as it got me to loosen up and really just pay attention to values, rather than lines.

Next, I used the basket texture technique in another selfie value study. Both of these drawings were done from a black and white selfie photo.

I also liked this method, though it is more deliberate and time consuming. But, it did help me concentrate just on values.

What do you think of these mark making methods? Have you tried them?

New Portable Watercolor Easel!

After childcare issues made it so that my husband and I could not take a romantic trip to Napa to celebrate our 19th anniversary, my wonderful husband agreed to get me something I've been coveting for a while now -- the portable watercolor easel that some of my favorite artists/teachers use, the En Plein Air Pro Traveler Watercolor Easel.

I went out two days ago to the Lafayette Reservoir with my daughter and her friend to try it out.

The easel can be used sitting or standing

Here's my set up with brushes, pens, sketchbook, thumbnails, and palette

I love the easy to attach easel that can be set at almost any angle including completely flat! It has a pull out brush holder and can be used as a table top easel! I also really like the shelf that holds my palette and the collapsible cup that came with it.

The backpack it comes with - and all fits in!

After recently trying to sketch a landscape on the Richmond Shoreline by balancing my sketchbook on my lap and juggling my brushes in the cup holder of my travel chair - I realized I NEEDED this! And, I was right! :)

Do you have/use a travel easel when you paint outside? If so, which one?

Travel Sketches

I just got back from a family vacation to Paris, London, and Barcelona. I tried to do some urban sketching while on the trip and made a sketchbook just for my travel,sketches. It was pretty fpdifficult to find time to sketch while on the move with my family, so I ended up taking a ton of reference photos for sketches that I will do in my studio on my return. The artwork below were done on the trip. As well as portraits for my 100 day portrait project, but I will post those separately.

The view from our apartment terrace in the Latin Quarter.

The view from the terrace in the bedroom of our Latin Quarter apartment.

Our dinner the first night in Creperie Oroyana on Rue Mouffetard

On the metro to catch the Eurostar to London from Gare du Nord

A quick sketch done on a cruise on the Thames

A sketch of the Louvre with just a brush pen on toned watercolor paper

On our food tour in El Born in Barcelona

On the food tour in Santa Caterina market

The view from a terrace of our apartment in Barcelona

The sketch was started in SFO and I finished it in the Barcelona airport

Our last breakfast in Paris on Boulevard Saint Michel

I drew this on the airplane home - it was one of our favorite dishes - octopus in black truffle

New Craftsy Class!

A Sketchbook Skool and Instagram friend, Minjoo Yoon, who is also a lawyer-turned-artist, posted a beautiful urban sketch and said that it was based on a class she was taking through Craftsy from James Richards. I had to check it out!

Minjoo was taking Essential Techniques for Sketching the Energy of Places with James Richards. I signed up and immediately downloaded the video lessons and started in. James is a great urban sketcher and he gives so many helpful tips that I never would have thought of - including drawing from a one point perspective using a single eyeline as a basis point and shorthand tips for capturing people and crowds. Truly mind-blowing!

I didn't get a chance to go out on location to try his techniques yet, but I did practice them on an urban photo from Sktchy.

Sktchy's WAXHandy Challenge

Sktchy is a fun and inspiring app for artists and people who want to inspire artists. Each weekend, Sktchy has a themed Weekend Art Extravaganza (#WAX). This past weekend, it was #WAXhandy and the challenge was to make art featuring hands. Here are my contributions.

The funny thing is that I was recently explaining my 100 day portrait project to someone in my figure drawing group and how I undertook it to improve a weakness I felt I had with portraits. I was saying that I have such trouble with drawing hands that I was telling her that I should do a 100 day project with hands and feet! I don't know if I can do 100 of those, but drawing hands for this weekend was challenging and fun!

What is your experience with drawing hands and feet? Do you relish the challenge or find it easy?

Possible Athena? (16/100)

I'm exited to start working on illustrating a book about Greek mythology with my good friend, Steve. We are starting with Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare. All I know physically about Ahena is that she has gray eyes.

So, in doing my 16th portrait for the 100 day project, I thought I would look for an inspiration for Athena. I love Marissa Poetzl's light eyes in the inspiration photo for this drawing.

What do you think - does she look like a good Athena?