Tag Archives for pen & ink

Winter Wonderland Contest – Koh-I-Noor

OK….Thanks to the fine folks at Koh-I-Noor - a great family of art supplies – I have thrown my hat into another Facebook art contest.

This contest had three categories – fireplace, snow, and pine. And of course I choose snow, because drawing snow in pen and ink should be easy……

I had to use the old garden shed as the subject for my snow drawing, I just can’t get away from the sheds! I’m pretty happy with the way this came out. I like the colors, the pen work isn’t too heavy, and I’m pleased with my snow-covered ground. My only complaint is with the illustration board. It is the hot press board from Crescent. The surface of the board is great for the line work. It held-up without getting fuzzy or scratched, I was able to go over some areas with the pen while the watercolors were still a bit wet. The watercolors sat on the surface and kept their intensity. But….the board is SO not white! I know most watercolor paper is off-white, but this is really bad. I guess I must continue my search for a hot press/smooth drawing surface that can stand up to pen work, and take some watercolor washes…looks like I need to do some shopping!

That’s all for now, I gotta go watch the snow fall…Erik

Grumbacher Holiday card and my first ATC…

Hello all…

In my push to make more art, I committed myself to an online Holiday Card Competition, and a Holiday Artist Trading Card swap. Both of these are hosted on Grumbacher’s Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/Grumbacher

I’m real happy with how both of these came out. I designed the holiday card as a 5 x 7 folded card. I used 140 pound hot press paper. I couldn’t even begin to guess on the brand, at one point I bought several sheets, each of a different brand. As time went on, and I kept cutting the sheets down, and I forgot to label each piece.

I like the hot press paper because I can really lay down some nice pen work. Since I prefer to use the watercolors as a wash, the smooth surface really works well for that.

The ATC is the first one I’ve ever made. I’ve always thought it would be fun to try, so I did. It was fun! I’ll pop that in the mail tomorrow. If anyone reading this is interested in starting a holiday swap, let me know!

That’s all for now. I hope to get a few more treehouses finished this weekend, but who knows…

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read my rambles and drop a comment…I do appreciate it!

Erik

The treehouses continue.

Treehouse 10-20-11

It’s really nice to get back in the groove of drawing and sketching. I’m pretty happy with these two drawings. To be my own critic about the ink drawing, I would have to say I didn’t get the door located properly. It’s a bit too far off-center from the peak for me, but since this is the official sketchbook it stays in the book. I also got a little heavy on the pen work a little early, I didn’t enough white paper. I think I may try this one again using just the pencils.

Treehouse 10-22-11

I’m real happy with the pencil rendering though. I was hoping to keep the bird’s-eye view for this one, I think that worked.

I’ll keep drawing and posting as the ideas keep coming. I think I’ll get this little sketchbook completed in no time!

Thanks…Erik

Sketchbook Project has been started, yeah!

Treehouse 10-17-11

The Sketchbook Project Tour World Tour 2012 has begun! I was lucky enough to get the treehouse category. You can’t go wrong with a treehouse. Well, anything tree or house related is good for me.

The treehouse can be as simple as an old pallet with a rope ladder, or as elaborate as small vacation cottage. A treehouse can also be nothing more than a hole in a hollowed out trunk that gives squirrels a place to stay warm in the long winter months. It’s also the tangled evergreen  branches that give the cardinals shelter from the cold winter snows. It can also get you high above the ground giving you a new perspective on the world around you.

I guess it’s safe to say the treehouse, for me, goes far beyond just a hiding place for kids. It’s a shelter from all the things we need to protect ourselves from, it’s a place to escape to and imagine we are someone else, and it’s getting back to nature.

Erik….

The old barn, and getting back on the bike.

Well, I was able to find, make, some time for art this weekend. I made several pencil drawings and few pen and ink sketches. I pretty happy with this one. I really like the junk pile I was able to capture in the lean-to. I thought the trees in the background – the horizon line – would give this some added interest, but I don’t think they really added anything to the over-all drawing. I kinda feel the same about the grass in the foreground. It seemed like a good idea, but once I added it in, I realized it really didn’t add anything. I didn’t want the barn to be just floating on the paper, but my choice of anchors weren’t the best. It’s all good though.

It’s kinda funny, getting back on the bike is pretty easy, but knowing what direction to go seems to be the big struggle for me right now. I’m kinda sitting at the end of the driveway wanting to take off and pedal, but I can’t go anywhere because I’m so unsure where to head. So I just sit there and think about how fun it would be to go for that ride.

I picked-up two new art books this week with the hopes of getting inspired to head in any direction I could. The one book was about keeping an art journal. I really thought that would help push me to move, but I just keep reading it and thinking how much I would enjoy drawing! HAHAHA! It’s really kinda comical.

Anyway…I think this is the time to push-off or park that bike. I ‘d really prefer to push-off and go like a crazy man, so here’s to one crazy bike ride…I think…

Erik

Free Art Tuesday is coming!

Free Art Tuesday is coming!

On random Tuesdays I’ll be giving away free art. It’s pretty easy to get in on the action. Just go to my facebook page {click here!} and “like” it! Then, all you have to do is be the first person to leave a comment when I post free art and the art is yours! Once the first comment has been left I’ll contact the lucky winner to get the snail mail address and free art will be on its way. Please don’t post your address in the comments though!If you like what you see and think your family or friends would enjoy some free art, please feel free to spread the word!

I won’t sell or publish any addresses that are given to me. It’s truly just to get  my art out to the public!

Good luck to all who participate!

Kidney Foundation of Northwest Ohio

It’s that time of year again for the Kidney Foundation of Northwest Ohio to host their annual Wine Affair. The reason I like to donate art each year to this wonderful event is because the funds raised stay here in Northwest Ohio.

Wine Affair / November 19th, 2010 / 6:30pm / Parkway Place, Maumee

The Kidney Foundation of Northwest Ohio will be hosting a Wine Affair: A Vintage to Remember ~ celebrating 19 years. Tickets are $90/person until October 31st and $100/person beginning November 1st. A table of 10 can be purchased for $800. There will be wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent and live auction.

This year, the artwork I am donating is Tater’s Tree Farm. When the artwork is auctioned it will be framed with acid free matboards and protected under Conservation Glass. I hope this year’s donation finds its way into a home where it bring a smile to all who can enjoy it!

I wish the Kidney Foundation of Northwest Ohio great success this year!

If I had a shed…

 

For some reason I have an obsession with garden sheds.  I don’t know why, and I’m not real sure when it started.  I remember when I was a rather young tot I always wanted to explore the various sheds and buildings on my Grandparent’s farm.  I still remember the musty earthy/woody smell the sheds had.  They were always full of great things a ten-year old could hurt himself, or others with!  Anyways, when the old creative juices seem to be getting a little dry the old sheds always get things going again.

I was trying to capture the bright colors of the season with this painting, I think it worked, I’m happy with it.  There is something special about fall.  The colors are more vibrant, the breeze is crisp, you can smell a change in the air.  Soon we’ll have the smell of apples filling our kitchen while we listen to dried leaves blow around the yard.  I’ll keep looking at this shed and filling it with all kinds of great things, maybe even a table to paint on!

Happy fall everyone – Erik

Finally, some artwork!

It seems like forever since I sat down with a pencil and some paper, but I finally did.  It’s true, if you haven’t held a pencil or pen for a while you can lose your touch.  I remember a time when drawings and paintings would just pour out of me, but it’s been a real struggle lately.  I find myself sitting and staring at the paper as if I were waiting for it to tell me what to draw.  But it never does.  After a few attempts I was able to get the juices flowing again.  It’s funny, once I started it was easy to move on to the next one.

The first attempts were a bit of a struggle, nothing too elaborate, just some small sketches.  I think I need to open the watercolors next and splash some paint on the paper.  Little by little the art-block seems to be going away.  I think I need to keep pushing myself though, otherwise I may end up just getting lazy again!

 

Pumpkins in Pencil

 

 

Pen and Ink Pumpkins

 

 

Colored Pencil Pumpkin

 

Since autumn is my favorite season I thought drawing some pumpkins would get me in the mood.  I love the colors of autumn, the smell in the air, and the way everything sounds different.

I drew three different versions of the pumpkins to get comfortable with the pencils and pen.  I do feel more comfortable working in pen, the line weight is consistent, and I can get the tight line work.  Pencil has always been a struggle for me, I feel I have less control of the line because it’s always changing as you draw.  I do like the challenge of pencil though.  I guess that’s why I need to push myself more to use it!

 

Chickadee in Pencil

 

For the chickadee, I wasn’t concerned about the background or the post he was perched on.  I just wanted to get the basic shape and shading down.  This was more of a study then a finished piece, but I think it’ll serve as a good start for a future drawing or painting.

Well, that’s all the rambling for now, I guess it’s time to stop talking and start drawing!

Take care – Erik

Our Vacation Home…

Our Vacation Home

Wow – It’s March already!  What happened to winter?

Now that spring is here and there are signs of life outside, my creative juices are wakening and starting to flow!  This isn’t really a new piece, but it just seems very fitting for this time of year.  Spring is around the corner, summer is close behind, and that can only mean one thing.  It’s time for vacations!  It’s just too bad we don’t have a place like this for our vacation home!

I do plan on posting my creative outlets here more regularly, so do check-in from time to time.  You just might  see something new!

Thanks…Erik