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Category Archives: tools
Wax Crayon and Oil Pastels
I grew up using wax crayons and oil pastels a lot, so going back to them makes me paint and mess around like a child, and that’s always a good thing. Continue reading
Posted in california, Close to home, Everyday Sketches, Summer, tools
Tagged drawing, location drawings, people sketching, vehicles
6 Comments
Scratching the Surface
Some days I draw just for the joy of mark-making, to pull a mark across paper, to feel the drag, the resistance, the imperfection of the line. Drawing with less familiar tools is a little frustrating: they don’t work like I think they will, they don’t hold ink, they bend and snap… But it also makes me really aware of the marks I make. Continue reading
Posted in california, Close to home, Everyday Sketches, Summer, tools
Tagged big basin, big basin state park, drawing, location drawings, redwoods, sketchingplaylab
9 Comments
Ink, Palette, Watercolor and Taxidermy
Jumping around, talking ink, watercolor, small palettes, conservation and hunting. On my way to Chico. Continue reading
Posted in Animals, california, Sketch Journal, tools, watercolor
Tagged chico, demi palette, location drawing, taxidermy, urban sketching
2 Comments
Brown Ink
A switchup I made recently: I filled one of my pens with Brown DeAtramentis Document Ink. When I used the ink, though, it looks a wee bit lighter and more burnt sienna-ish than the web sample shows. So I added … Continue reading
Posted in Close to home, Everyday Sketches, people, san jose, Silicon Valley, tools
Tagged contour drawing, people sketching, simple line drawing, tea
5 Comments
Small Setup
Testing a Small Setup, ready to sketch in Mexico! Continue reading
(More) Accordion Fold Samplers
Making accordion fold sampler books Continue reading
Posted in Collage, Food, How to, supplies, Supplies and Materials, teaching, tools, Workshop
Tagged art supplies, paper, pear, samples, sketchbooks, stillman & birn, workshop
6 Comments
Stretching outside my comfort zone
At In-N-Out Burger. Comparing line and no line in the #30x30DirectWatercolor2018 challenge. Continue reading
Posted in california, challenge, Close to home, Drink, Food, How to, Paintings, people, reportage, san jose, Silicon Valley, tools, watercolor
Tagged #30x30DirectWatercolor2018, burger, challenge, direct watercolor, directwatercolor, fast food, food, in-n-out
10 Comments
Direct Watercolor Strategy #4: Zoom and Crop
Taking the #30x30DirectWatercolor2018 challenge? Strategy #4: Zoom and Crop Continue reading
Direct Watercolor Strategy #3: Don’t Stop at One
Taking the #30x30DirectWatercolor2018 challenge? Strategy #3: Don’t Stop at One! Continue reading
Direct Watercolor Strategy #2: Do a small study
When ‘direct watercolor’ isn’t your go-to painting strategy, and you’re taking the #30x30DirectWatercolor2018 challenge, you need some strategies to take the leap: Strategy #1: Pick a forgiving subject Continue reading
