Life's little mysteries...another video!

I have no idea why, but this little video was hiding, marked Private in my YouTube set...I appear to have dropped the ball somewhere. I originally made it for one of my Quick Sketching classes, but didn't get the link OUT there!  It was from March of 2013...I spaced...

Since I made it to be shared, here it is...test drive your tools so you know what they'll do and which one to grab to get the effect you want!

And a longer video, a study of a wren, in my journal

Whew!  My newest video is up on YouTube, and it almost didn't make it!  It disappeared, then the media files were missing...but here it is, a longer video on doing a study of a bird, in my journal.

Another little video...this one on sketching birds!

As usual, I overproduced for my class, so I've made several new videos I'll be sharing on YouTube!  This one was cut from a longer one on sketching from nature.

I'll be editing one on doing a more complete study of a wren, soon!

A new little video on mixing and using GREEN!

A look at our own Liz Steel's current sketching tools!

Liz has branched out into teaching a range of workshops in her home country of Australia and abroad...and continues to sketch virtually every day, inspiring and delighting hundreds of us!


Check her blog for this post on her current sketching tools...
http://www.lizsteel.com/p/current-sketching-tools.html

Thanks, Liz, for letting us share here, too!

Another Simple Journal, Double-Pamphlet Style--from Shirley Levine!

Our dear friend Shirley Levine of the Paper and Threads blog has give permission to share her terrific blog post on making a simple, fast, lightweight journal--thank you, Shirley!



As always, her instructions and visuals are clear and easy to follow...now I'm wanting to make one like this!  You can find the full post here: 
http://www.paperandthreads.com/2014/06/making_a_simple_sketchbook_the.php

And lots more from Shirley on bookbinding here: http://www.paperandthreads.com/2012/02/watercolor_sketchbook_tutorial.php

What a treasure she is!

...And this is why I need to carry more tools...

I used a new Metropolitan pen in the people, but went back to my beloved ancient Sheaffer for the plane...I love the line variety...

It seemed fitting to use a Chinese bent-nib pen on the gorgeous waterfall at the Las Vegas Zen Center; I added text with my 1960s Sheaffer pen, and a touch of watercolor back at our room.

My pens leaked on the plane, so I picked up a few disposables at Desert Art Supply in Henderson Nevada...ooops, this one wasn't waterproof, and lifted somewhat.  I always like to sketch in the early morning in the courtyard where we stay--Hawthorn Inn & Suites in Henderson.

I LOVE the subtlety of graphite--sometimes the emphatic lines of ink just don't cut it for me.  This was one of the bouquets from my sister's memorial bash--we rescued it and took it back to our hotel.  So...needed that Pentel Forte pencil, too.  And of course my watercolors, and a big brush...

Yep, more subtle pencil lines...and used a calligraphy pen on the lettering on the right, but I've decided it can stay home next time...

This was one of the disposable pens I picked up in Henderson...I figured I could sketch on the plane without leakage, if need be.  And I DO like brown ink--so far I haven't found one that works well in a fountain pen for very long (that's also water-resistant.)

Mostly used my new non-leaky Micron Pigma here--I'd meant to pack one at home but forgot.  The bit of the kitty was a colored pencil...I used it on another cat sketch I haven't scanned, too.  This is my sister and brother-in-law's beloved cat, Bohdi.

and I used the colored pencil again here--they're wax-based, don't smear, don't lift when you wash over them.  Plenty of time at the Denver airport to work, so I added color, then a few touches of ink, then a tiny graphite Joseph checking out our plane...

...so actually, there was nothing I'd taken with me that I didn't use, either in sketching or writing...and as usual, a few things I hadn't packed and bought in the art supply store!