Inktober Day 26

 Once in a while the weather keeps me from going out to sketch. This past week we had what around here is usually called a nor'easter but this time was renamed a bomb cyclone. I don't know who made up the term but I do know that the west coast was also affected by one. We had heavy rain and strong winds, so I stayed home. Of course I needed a subject for my Inktober sketch so I looked around and spied a cluster of tomatoes. Not only would they suffice for Inktober, they would fit in the current Wet Canvas scavenger hunt. I just didn't have the heart to forgo color for this and pulled out the Zebra Zensations fountain pens I have. I wasn't sure I would be able to get the colors I needed but they worked using the red, the (bright) green and the purple. It gave me more shades than I had expected...and helped brighten the day a bit.

Assorted Food

 Sometimes for the WetCanvas Scavenger Hunts we end up searching for and sketching food. I don't mind except it usually makes me hungry. Here are a few recent food sketches.

Ah...a NY bagel.

Some almond biscotti...

A bit of avocado...

Lavender

 I think one of the nicest fragrances is the smell of lavender. In the past I've sketched in a lavender field a few times with one of my art groups. Due to my surgery I missed the lavender when it was in bloom. For a recent Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt we had to sketch something that smelled wonderful. I have a bunch of lavender that I bought at the lavender field a few years ago. The fragrance is no longer very strong but if you are close to it or more the sprigs a little you can still smell it and it makes me feel good.

For those of you who are curious, Hurricane Henri didn't hit us directly. The storm wasn't as bad as they predicted...just a lot of rain but so far no really strong winds. Apparently it made landfall in Rhode Island but is supposed to swirl back this way.  

Small Sketches

 I do a lot of sketching for the Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunts and some of the small sketches come out better than I expect. This one was sketched with a Sketch & Wash pencil and then I added watercolors. I like how the two materials worked together.

This was done just as a direct watercolor.

Assorted Sketches

Here are a few quick sketches that I've done recently. The first one is of a jeep. It was red and I planned on painting it red but mistakenly used my Lamy that had water-soluble brown ink in it. Adding watercolor just wouldn't have worked so I just did it as a wash.

When I finished the jeep I noticed this white house behind it that had this wonderful light and shadow. I knew I had to capture it quickly before the light changed. I used a small piece of watercolor paper that was about ATC sized and painted directly in watercolor. Of course when I finished I wished I had done it on larger paper.lol

These leaves were done for a Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt recently. They were done in direct watercolor.

Crayons

 This small painting for the 30 x 30 Direct Watercolor Challenge also fit for an item in the Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt. We were supposed to find something that represented childhood. Being a kid at heart I often pick up the crayons that restaurants give out for kids to color while waiting for their food. I will have fun sketching on the table if it is one of those that is covered with paper. I kept this little set...just in case.

Fruit

 I'm trying to combine several things that I'm doing. One of the items in the Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt was fruit...and more than one. This was done from a still life setup so it fits.  This also fits into the 30 x 30 Direct Watercolor Challenge.

Downtown Sayville

 For the last Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt a street scene was on the list. I did this with water-soluble Noodler's brown ink. I sat in my mobile studio to get a view almost from the center of the street in Sayville.

Local Businesses

 For the current Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt one of the items is a storefront. I stopped at a small, local strip mall here in Holbrook and captured Tailgaters and New Century Kitchen. This was sketched from my mobile studio.

Graphite Sketches

 Sometimes I like the way my sketches for the Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunts look. These were done for the last hunt #677 which was hosted by my friend, Ai Nukoolkit.

We were asked to sketch a leaf or as a challenge several different leaves.

On the left is my sketch for texture. On the right is something that comes in a pair (flip-flops) as well as something that comes in multiple units (toes).

Still Life

 While participating in the Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt I put together a sill life for two of the items on the list. The tomatoes are for "tastes good" and the perfume is for "smells good."

Assorted Sketches

The first two sketches here were done for a recent Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt. The bottom page of people was done while enjoying the sun down at Sayville Beach over the weekend.

 

My Tree and Decorations

 As I said in the last post the theme of the week for the NYC Urban Sketchers is light. What do I think of immediately when I think of light and the holidays? Of course...my Christmas tree. I did this as a direct watercolor which means no pencil lines or guide lines.

In the Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt that ended on Christmas Day, I drew a few of my Christmas ornaments. Many of the ornaments have special meanings or were gifts (some from a long time ago) like this reindeer ornament which was made by my niece, Karen when she was young. She is now in her early 50s. I hope that you have ornaments that are special to you and enjoy looking at them as much as I do.

Still Life with Tomato

This was done for the Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt taking place right now. The hunt included something in a primary color (tomato), something in a secondary color (stem of the tomato), something in a tertiary color (table), something white (cup) and something black (Sharpie pen). 

Blueberries and Jam

I didn't get to paint anything outside today and didn't feel like hunting for inspiration. I am doing the Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt (#641...Yes, it has been going on for that long although I didn't participate at the very beginning.) So I looked at the list and found "favorite flavor" and saw my jar of jam sitting on the counter. To spice it up a bit I added a handful of fresh blueberries too. This was done in my Strathmore Toned Tan Sketchbook.

Asparagus

I am still trying to keep up with the #30x30DirectWatercolor Challenge. Sometimes food just works as a subject. I was already painting the asparagus for the WetCanvas Scavenger Hunt so I did it directly in watercolors.

Coffee Time

I am hosting the current WetCanvas Scavenger Hunt. Two of the items on my list are "something from my kitchen" and "metal." I combined the two in a still life. This also fits for the #30x30DirectWatercolor Challenge.

Inside and Outside

These sketches were done for the WetCanvas Scavenger Hunt. Taking care of Jerry right now doesn't leave a lot of time to sketch...and it has to be inside or outside our apartment...or virtual. These were done on location.

Sketched on the patio with a Stabilo pen which only bleeds when it wants to.

  

Ink brush sketch of part of the living room.

Graphite sketch looking down the hallway to the bedroom.

Equipment

Yesterday I was out for a bit and looked for something that would fit the current Scavenger Hunt on Wet Canvas. One of the items was a piece of heavy machinery or construction equipment. This was parked in the corner of the parking lot by one of the markets...far from anyone else. Sketched from inside my mobile studio.

My niece-in-law posted this on her FB page as a sort of challenge to do to keep us entertained.

Feel free to join in. I imported it into ArtRage and then added the details. It was definitely a learning experience importing it and working in layers.

Scavenger Hunt Sketches

Today I went out with my list of items from the Wet Canvas Scavenger Hunt. There were a few outdoor items I knew I could probably find. This hunt is being hosted by my friend Jo Castillo. The items I searched for were a steeple, a machine (which I found at a pizza place), and a fire hydrant.