Tag: Pen and ink

Crikey . . .

Last year in September the authorities in South-east Queensland, where I live, told us to prepare for water restrictions, as previous wet seasons had failed and the dam levels were getting low (under 50% for our largest dam). Two months later, the Bureau of Meteorology predicted a wet summer and Australia recorded its wettest November … Continue reading Crikey . . .

Every day is tree day

I once worked for a bush regeneration project in which I planted thousands of Australian native trees over the course of about six months. Despite the stinking heat and creature-invested dirt (including some rather deadly spiders and snakes), I loved every minute. I'll never get tired of trees. I love looking at them, being near … Continue reading Every day is tree day

Doodling matters

I have a small confession: I am self-conscious about doodling, but I really want to do it. I can approach many illustrations or paintings with a degree of confidence, but the thought of making a page of doodles makes me balk. Not because I am prejudice against doodling, but because I was convinced I couldn’t … Continue reading Doodling matters

Soup and sketchbooks

It’s a cool and rainy Easter weekend here in south-east Queensland. Perfect days for soup, sketchbooks, reading and getting cosy with canines. Each day I try to add a little more to one of my many sketchbooks. Most of them are themed; they all have purpose, and much of the time my mood dictates which … Continue reading Soup and sketchbooks

Sketch to understand

I’m a huge fan of ferns and sketchbooks in equal measure, but I am often hesitant to draw or paint ferns as they can be quite delicate and complex, not to mention diverse. I recently started a new pen and ink drawing involving ferns, but was finding my lack of confidence was a barrier to … Continue reading Sketch to understand

Stippling in pen and ink

Stippling in pen and ink isn't for everyone. It requires a certain level of observation and focus, and especially time that isn't always available. It can also get a bit boring after awhile. But I love the results, its ability to capture detail and the subtle shifts in form and tone, especially for complex subjects … Continue reading Stippling in pen and ink

Catching up with a sketchbook

It seems almost as soon as the ice sheets cleared after the last ice age, there were people in Finland. Perhaps they followed the migrating herds, hunting, fishing and gathering as they moved in to new areas that had once been inaccessible. Those earliest people left behind some exquisite objects. In my wanderings through the … Continue reading Catching up with a sketchbook

Forest time

Most of my time at the moment is consumed with a fairly large mixed media piece I'm working on. I haven't had much time for sketchbooks, so I thought I'd share some progress pics on the piece instead. The first image is the pen and ink sketch which probably took too many more days than … Continue reading Forest time

Moonlit portal

Following is painting I did last weekend on a whim, including the ink rendering and then with watercolour over it. It was a good exercise in not overdoing the ink when I know I'm going to paint. I wanted to create more depth with watercolour rather than have the pen and ink do all the … Continue reading Moonlit portal