Art: Charcoal Sketch Of Sheena.

Portrait of Sheena (Conte 1710B Conte on newsprint, 10x12").

Art: Giraffe Skull On Published Newsprint.

Giraffe Skull on Published Newsprint (Watercolor and ballpoint pen on newsprint, 8x7.5").

Art: Hyacinthine Macaw Skull On Published Newsprint.

Hyacinthine Macaw Skull on Published Newsprint (Watercolor and ballpoint pen on newsprint, 6x5").

Sheena.

Sheena I (Oil on canvas board, 9x12"). In progress.

Sheena II (Markers on Bristol board, 5x5").

I had a great photoshoot recently with a wonderful model named Sheena.  I'm really excited to start producing artwork based on the photos.  I usually begin experimenting with various mediums to get a feel for the model's features and form.  Above are two of my first renderings.

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.

Sketchbook: Lucia In Blue Leotard.

Lucia in Blue Leotard (Pencil in Moleskine sketchbook, 4x7").

Sketchbook: Purple Tiger.

Purple Tiger (Watercolor and acrylic in Moleskine sketchbook, 5x8").

Validation By Camera.

Here's a sketchbook study I did of Lucia....

Lucia With Green Background (Watercolor and gouache in Moleskine sketchbook, 5x8").

I bought a Sony Cyber-shot camera a few months ago.  It's small, convenient, and takes great pictures.  When I pointed the camera at my drawing, it identified the face and framed it.  There's a certain validation that occurs when the camera interprets a portrait I drew as an actual person's head. It's technical confirmation that I'm getting something right.

After I took the picture, the screen displayed a funny, yet impressive message.  The camera alerted me that the person had blinked.  Smart camera.

Sketchbook: Parrot On A Branch.

Parrot On a Branch (Watercolor and pencil in Moleskine sketchbook, 5x8").

I took a picture of this heavily opinionated bird at the Charles Paddock Zoo in Templeton.  This sketch is based on that photo.

[UPDATE: 2/16]

I decided to render the branch and add a background.  I painted this in a Moleskine sketchbook and while it does reasonably well with various mediums, there's a point in time where the paper just gives up.  That's the sign to stop.

Watercolor, acrylic ink, walnut ink, gouache, colored pencils, and ball-point pen....

Sketchbook: Lucia In Pink Wrap.

Lucia in Pink Wrap (Watercolor and acrylic in Moleskine sketchbook, 5x8").

Sketchbook: Tamara Surrounded By Tiny Eights.

Tamara Surrounded by Tiny Eights (Pen and marker in Moleskine sketchbook, 5x8").

 

I filled the background with a lot of little eights. I used a brush pen marker to fill in the larger black areas.