Flamingo Sophisticate

'Flamingo Sophisticate'

Pencil on Sketch Paper

Have you ever seen a pink flamingo look this good?  Me neither!  Sketched this at work today.  We had a full crew and a relatively slow day.  (A slow day for us is somewhere around 250 calls in 8 hours.  A busy day would be over 400.)  Anyway, I picked this one so I wouldn't have to pay too much attention to detail but I really like this one.  Might have to frame him or her, not sure what sex this birdy is but it looks male to me.  lol  

This was the first sketch in my new sketchbook from Hobby Lobby.  I think it's their brand, Master's Touch 60 lb paper.  It's fairly smooth but it is a little thinner than the paper I typically sketch in.  I have one that I bought a few years ago that is very textured which was great for when I first started drawing but I find I don't care much for it now that I've been doing it a while.  I have a Canson Field sketchbook that I do most of my sketches in but it's kind of heavy to transfer back and forth to work all the time, which is why I bought this one.

I also got a Mead Academie (yes, that's the way they spelled it) Sketchbook; however, I don't know the paper weight, it's just called heavyweight but it's thicker than the Hob Lob paper.  I like it because even though it is in a spiral notebook, it also has the perforated tear off sheets.  I thought it would be good to do ink and watercolor or watercolor pencils without using the more expensive watercolor paper if I'm just practicing.  I'll let you know what I think after I actually use it.  Of course, they're all acid/lignin free.

Off to check out everyone's blogs.  Have a great day!

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A Birthday Gift

'Serenity'

Pencil on Sketch Paper

My boyfriend's mother's birthday is on Tuesday and he wanted to send something to her that I made.  I had just drawn this at work and I have to say, this is my favorite sketch so far.  The picture really doesn't do this one justice because of the extreme lights and darks.  This is the first sketch I have done with a water reflection and I think it turned out pretty good.  This was another practice sketch in the book I'm working out of so I didn't just dream it up or get it from a photo, but I'm still very proud of it.  As soon as my bf saw it he immediately declared this to be the gift for Mom.  I happen to agree so I framed it in a 4 x 6 black frame which really brings out the graphite even more.  Loving it!  Going to be hard to part with this one.   lol

I also wanted to tell you about my great finds at Hobby Lobby and Walmart.  At Hobby Lobby I found a 16 piece Oil Pastel Set on clearance for $3.59 which normally runs $9.99!  The end of the box was smooshed so I'm guessing that's why it was marked so low but all of the pastel crayons are intact.  Then, we went to Walmart and I happened to stumble upon a small but nice selection of fine art materials.  I got another set of oil pastels, this one had 25 colors for $4.99, they are slightly smaller than the Hob Lob ones but look to be of similar quality.  I got a pack of three 8x10 cotton canvas boards for $3.96, a pad of acrylic paper for $3.96 and a set of twelve 0.4 oz tubes of water colors for only $6.49.  It was like Christmas for me.  My boyfriend's birthday is Sunday and he received some b-day cash from his parents and let me buy some art materials.  Isn't he the sweetest?

Now, does anyone know what I'm supposed to do with oil pastels?  lol.  I've watched a ton of U-Tube videos and I think I just may like this medium.  Anything I can stick my fingers in to blend is a plus in my books!  

TGIF and hope you all have had a great week!

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What Was I Thinking?

This was the first sketch I did after being laid up for a few days due to my back.  (Drawn before my Sunday Sketches sketch.)  Maybe it was the pain that I was trying to work through, or the meds I was on or a combination of both but there are so many things wrong with this picture it's not even funny.  First and foremost one of the recurring issues I seem to be having is making my eyes too large.  I think it's because I feel like you should be able to see the iris, pupil and light reflections but this isn't necessarily true. 

Secondly, babies don't have thick, long eyelashes like this little one does.  The reference photo is a girl baby and this looks more boyish except for the lashes to me.  Finally, the head should have been longer.  Overall, it doesn't look bad as a sort of illustrated, generic baby similar to the Gerber baby. 

I'm learning new things with each sketch I produce.  I have also noticed I make faces slimmer than they really are.  Constructive criticism is always welcome.  Please don't feel that you have to say, "Great sketch" every time I post something.  I know I have produced some 'sketchy' pieces.  Oh boy, meds kicking in.  lol.

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Sunday Sketches - Another Portrait

Pencil on Sketch Paper

I've been trying to practice my portraits because I feel that this category is my strongest skill set.  I tried doing a small landscape sketch of rocks and some plants, horrible.  lol.  I will be trying some famous faces soon so that you'll be able to see the comparison and see how I'm doing.  It's easy to draw a portrait, but it's extremely hard to get it to look like the actual person you are drawing. 

My back is a little better.  I ended up going to the er and got some pain meds to take along with the motrin and muscle relaxers.  I only take the muscle relaxers at night though.  Makes me very sleepy.  :)  I'm off to work but will be back later this evening to check out all of the wonderful Sunday Sketches.  In the mean time hop on over to Sophia's blog to see more great sketches by some very talented artists.

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