Art: Skunk Skull On Published Newsprint.

Skunk Skull on Published Newsprint (Watercolor and ballpoint pen on newsprint, 3.5 x2.5").

Art: Julie With Vertical Lines.

Julie With Vertical Lines (Ink on Borden & Riley #234 paper, 3 x 7.5").

I applied the Speedball Super Black India ink using a Hunt #102 pen nib.  I've been playing around with different methods of rendering, and wanted to try using only vertical lines to see how it worked.  Generally, I'm pleased.  It's a proof of concept piece.  There were some lessons learned from this experiment.... The lines must be clean, straight, and spaced well.  It's easy to get value change by varying the density, but be careful to not get so dense that it becomes an ink blob.  This blob creates a distraction. The design is better if dark shapes can be grouped together using a continuous line drawn through both shapes, but avoid very long, continuous lines as they tend to flatten the edges.  I also should have added a little kink to her left arm.  While I like that the straightness of the arm creates contrast with the curves, the vertical ink lines emphasize the straightness of the arm too much.  Bending her elbow slightly would have created an interesting and welcome angle.

A Decade Of Coloring This Concrete Wall.

An outdoor café sits along the Pacific Beach boardwalk and its concrete sea wall.  I’ve been visiting this café for over a decade, each time armed with a sketchbook and pen.  I love to sit on the patio and watch the people pass by while drinking my coffee.  I open my sketchbook, uncap my pen, and crap… realize there’s nothing to draw.  It’s just sand and ocean.  And a concrete seawall.
 
Pacific Beach Seawall 2002 (Watercolor on paper).

Pacific Beach Seawall 2013 (Watercolor in Moleskine sketchbook, 8x5").

Art: Turtle Skull On Published Newsprint.

Turtle Skull on Published Newsprint (Watercolor and ball-point pen on newsprint, 10x7").

This was drawn on the pages of a San Diego CityBeat newspaper.