EDM #158 - Draw a Kernel of Popped Popcorn

Dogs are excellent for getting rid of any popcorn that falls to the floor. My dog is unhappy that I don't require popcorn fixes as often as I once did.

Buildings 01b

The exercises with building sketches are to help improve my aim with a pencil or pen point, but the previous sketch was just too wimpy. I beefed it up with more ink and some colored pencil. Man, do those light greens go more neon with a scanner!

Buildings 01

In an effort to loosen up, I thought sketching a bunch of buildings might help. With an inexpensive sketchbook and a Uni-ball Signo pen, I am ready to give it a try. There will be kinda' vertical and kinda' horizontal lines involved, and none will be straight.

Trying to add a little color, I went for my watercolor pencils. My greens are all bluish-green, so more are on order. I don't want to spend too much time in this project with mixing colors. At least the paper held up well with the water.

This should be a nice break from the tiny details in the train sets.

Squeeeek !!!

There are several of these critters inhabiting my home, and there's nothing scarier than accidentally stepping on one in a dark room. There's also a stash of them hiding in a cabinet since my friend Marley sometimes chews them until they no longer squeak, and it's nice to have replacements handy. They are great for playing fetch.

Flowers on Right-Hand Page

It seemed a good idea to draw more flowers across from the flowers I did in the previous post. I tried roses 30-40 years ago and found the petals confusing. They are still confusing, but I didn't worry about it this time.

Watercolor pencils used on this page.

Another Tree

Playing with ink, watercolor pencils, and my super, handy-dandy, Niji waterbrush. I discovered the next day that a tree was also on my EDM challenge list, so I had to do another tree in my EDM Moleskine watercolor book. Still not any good with trees or greenery in general.

Rapidograph Play

Just playing with a technical pen. Then I added some WC pencil, but I either should have waited longer for it to dry, or I scratched the paper surface around the lower tail. The background looked wimpy so I added colored pencil. I love the way I zone out while playing with colored pencil ... or am I in the zone? I am getting more comfortable with the Rapidograph.

Bored, Bored, Bored

The birds have been great for practicing drawing with ink, but it's time for another subject matter!

The Micron pen was thicker on this page, and I don't know if it's because water for the watercolor pencils was used on the previous page or if the pen point is wearing. I have a very light touch and it's a new pen, so I'm hoping it's the water affecting this side of the paper.

The birds were copied from the Edith Holden book.

Striving To Be a Loose Woman

My ink sketches are definitely looser, and I'm more confident. Very few pencil guidelines were used. It's great to see some progress and know there's hope for more. Ah, more practice ahead for me.

I'm not concerned with my use of watercolor pencils at this time. They're just a way to add color.

My Staedtler Pigment Liner gave out while doing these. I've barely used the pen! I switched to the Micron pen. I have more Staedtler pens, but I will not buy more.

These birds were copied from The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden.

Ink and watercolor pencils.

Inky Testing

Still playing with my Lamy fountain pen and Noodler's ink, and I need to give them up for the Moleskine sketchbook and stick with the disposable drawing pens. I could use my Rapidographs, but I'm trying to loosen up with my ink drawings, and those will not do for now because I tend to tighten up with them.

Tight! Tight! Tight! But, I'm using fewer pencil guidelines.
Ink and watercolor pencils ... copied from a book by Edith Holden.

Another Building & Fantasy

I tried another building in my Moleskine using ink and watercolor pencil, followed by copies of artwork in a fairy tale book using ink and colored pencil. The easiest part of using watercolor pencils is whipping out the Niji waterbrush!

A Bigger Building

Well, I started drawing a bigger building, but I only threw in a few details before quitting on the drawing.

Ink with watercolor pencil.

Fountain Pen Sketches

Until now I've been using a Staedtler Pigment Liner for my ink lines, but my lines were so stiff. My problem, not a problem with the pen. I pulled out an old Osmiroid calligraphy pen and inserted the copperplate nib.

It certainly loosened up my sketches, and I only seem to care that the lines land somewhere in the general vicinity of where they should be. I see that as progress.

I'll work with this pen for awhile, then go back to the Staedtler and perhaps my lovely collection of Rapidographs.

Surprisingly, a 20-year-old bottle of Pelican ink is still viable.

The music box has a touch of watercolor pencil, and colored pencil was used with the garlic keeper.

Trying Watercolor Pencils

Since the sketchbook Moleskine doesn't like watercolors, inexpensive watercolor pencils were tried. I'm not very interested in watercolor pencils, but I will shop for a nicer set.

I'm more interested in watercolors, and three Moleskine watercolor books are on their way. They should arrive the first of next week, and I'll be nice and send my sister one. She, too, is interested in watercolor.

The Moleskine sketchbook will continue to be used for ink, pencil, and colored pencil. I'm trying to do at least one small sketch a day.

While I had the WC pencils out, I tried a few small sketches with them. The pencils did fine. A Niji waterbrush was used. It's a gem of a brush and much handier than regular brushes for these little sketches.