Techniques minus wonk

I spent the afternoon messing about with this, and it didn't turn into anything much. I didn't go for wonky, I just used techniques (background washes, double pen lines, etc.) that I learned this week, and did some lettering. It's okay, I guess. It didn't really turn out exactly as I had envisioned, but what ever does? I have to remember to leave borders for matting on things I might want to frame...I think I just need to buy bigger paper, I'm working out to the limits of the 9x12-inch, and sometimes it's not enough.

Pencil, Daler Rowey inks, Paul Jackson and Holbein watercolors, India ink, gel pens, Uniball, gesso, on 140-lb. Fluid watercolor paper.

Hangover Harley

I got busy for a couple of days and couldn't make more of this fabulous Weiers-inspired artwork invading my head, and it made me crazy! (I was preparing for and then doing my first live streaming event on YouTube and Facebook for Los Angeles Public Library, a contour drawing class that drew more than 130 people!)

When I finally got back to it, I had received some additional inspiration in the meantime. My first-cousin-once-removed-in-law, David, had a "memory" pop up on his Facebook page of the year his son Harley turned 21, when they took a fabulous father-son trip to New Orleans to celebrate this milestone, and one of the pictures was of Harley "the morning after." I thought his droopy eyes and general expression perfectly fit into Deb Weiers's formula, plus I liked his ears and military "fade" haircut, and his mustache that my dad compared to a dead caterpillar sitting on his lip.

I first made marks on the page, and then dropped on Daler Rowney inks in orange and turquoise, added some water, and rolled them around the page until they mixed into this wonderful combination of greens and let that background dry. Then I drew a fairly realistic picture of poor Harley, exaggerating some features. I thought about adding text, but decided instead to simply replace his flag tattoo on his arm with "NOLA 21" in commemoration of place and birthday.

As always, a bit of the border is missing because of the size of my scanner bed, but it's all here but about a quarter inch each side.

"Hangover Harley"

Pencil, Daler Rowney inks, various watercolors, white gesso, India ink, gel pens, Uniball pen, collage (cookbook page), on 140-lb. Fluid watercolor paper.

Garden Maven

I decided to leave the gesso background for another day and instead go back to Deb's first lesson with whole-body people. This was inspired by the piece of collage I wanted to use, which was part of an illustration from an old cookbook that has been falling apart for years. My pal Kirsti noticed and bought me a new(er) copy of this out-of-print favorite, so I am now free to tear up pages from the old one for art.

This looked to me like a gardening smock, and I built the character and the garden around it. It's based on a friend of mine, and I wonder if she will see herself in this? I liked the cocked hip required by the collage piece—it gives her attitude. That, and the "Look at this perfect tomato" hand.

I wish I had put the gnome a little higher on the page, perhaps at the left, so there was room to mat this, because he goes right up to the edge. In fact, there is probably a quarter inch of this missing from the scan on both sides, and some missing from the height as well, because my scanner bed is exactly 9x12, but cuts off a bit. I'll have to figure out a mount instead. Can't have green beans and gnome's feet missing.

India ink, watercolor, Daler Rowney acrylic inks, gesso, uniball pen, gel pen, collage, on 140-lb. Fluid watercolor paper.

By the way, the definition of "maven" is one who is dazzlingly skilled.

New pal

I was watching another lesson in Deb's class tonight while following along, but the first step was to coat my paper in white gesso, spread it around with the edge of a credit card, and wait for it to dry before proceeding with the next steps. Who knew gesso took hours to dry at that thickness? So while I was watching, which is sometimes entertaining and sometimes just waiting for her to fill something in or ponder her next step, I did a little sketch of my new pal, Gidget, using the water-soluble gel pen from the wonky animals exercise the other day.

I  set out to make this drawing "wonky" too, so I started with big ears and eyes, but somehow everything else grew to fit and it came out looking pretty normal. So, here's my new pal, Gidget, who is currently patting my leg under the table and demanding attention.

The gesso will have to dry until morning and then we shall proceed.

Selfie with decor

I fell asleep in front of the TV tonight at 10:00 and woke up at 10:30. I decided to re-watch the episode of Fringe tomorrow night when I am fresh, and turned it off, and I went to check for messages on Facebook one more time before bed.

Sitting on the table was an already prepared piece of watercolor paper (pencil marks made, ink washes done and dried), and I found myself reaching for it, thinking I would just get the drawing down and finish it tomorrow. Somehow, two and a half hours later, I had finished my second Weiers-inspired painting of the day!

On this one, I didn't do blind contour, I drew a realistic self-portrait from a photo I had taken. But even with a straightforward drawing, using Deb's techniques—the colors, the line work, the bits of collage, the decorations—turns a portrait into something more. I'm pretty happy with this one—I thought the purple and orange background would work out well, and it didn't disappoint me.

I'm going to try some weirder and wonkier ones, but this was a great experience of combining my usual with her unusual.

Uniball, pencil, gel pens, watercolors, Daler Rowney acrylic inks, collage paper, on 140-lb. Fluid watercolor paper, 9x12.