Monday, October 29, 2012

Fountain Pen

My fountain pen crazy and dear wife got me one of these Pentel Varsity disposable fountain pens, in black.

Some test drawing took place, though half-hearted. I think the pen deserves attention. The "oblique" or rounded tip lent itself to some "dip pen" action, without the dipping part.

Some silliness.

An attempt at a foreshortened banister.

And finally, a tiny haunted house.

The tip of that fountain pen glides nicely, and as long as you keep the general direction/tilt, you may even control some line width. I was all over the place.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Tablecloth Crayons

 Here's a quick set of crayon on tablecloth sketchings. I escaped from my crazy work week yesterday, and indulged in a little family restaurant visit. From left to right, caricature of my daughter, then a fast and furious haunted house (before the waiter plopped my meal on top of it), and finally, my daughter's own rendition of me (pretty neat style she came up with, eh?).

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Quick Airport Sketching

I was on work travel last week. Spent and zombie-like through airports and flights, overnight. Yesterday morning, in one of countless queues, I got some energy and inspiration, so I whipped out the mini sketchbook, and caught some really quick sketches, and I mean quick.
You have to be on alert, not to miss the action, especially if you're sleepy. At one point, I fell asleep, waiting for boarding time, and woke up to realize my gate had changed. Heck. I woke up various times last night, at home, weary of missing flights that I already took! This morning was weird, waking up at home. I will endeavor to pick better flight plans on my next trip. This time I had to use up an airline credit before it expired, so I had to stick with a particular airline, and three different long flights was the only option. Overnight travel? Avoid it like the plague. 
Anyway, back to the folks at the airport. First time at the Denver airport for me. The first two were caught while sipping good and well deserved coffee (not Starbucks LOL). The guy with the beret and cane deserved a lot more attention, but he didn't stick around. Some folks were ordering things, others standing before me in line. Be quick or you'll loose your spot! A good spot in line can guarantee carry on storage in the overhead bin. Full flights are a study in crowd behavior. Airport moods can trigger unpleasant situations. There were folks sleeping on the floor. I tried for a few minutes myself, but it didn't feel safe, or clean.
The last group of faces was done while sitting in my last flight, as it was located right in front of the airliner's door. Folks were boarding, faces told stories, but I only caught these four. I've done better airport sketches, but I'm celebrating this session because I had not done it in the longest time. Hope you like them. Have a great art time, wherever, and whenever you are.