A little slice of heaven...

So we are having what is probably the last warm-up in weather until spring here in Michigan. Temps are mid-70s, sun is shining and there is a beautiful breeze going through the house. With the threat of rain tomorrow and a high of 52, I wanted to take full advantage!

With my 3-year-old at home for a low-key day today, I was able to spend about 45 glorious minutes outside sketching some fall gourds while she played. Yay!! It has been f-o-r-e-v-e-r since I have had a chance to draw at all so I savored every minute of it.

I had my lawn chair, a huge pad of paper, my favorite mechanical pencil, kneaded eraser and two little gourds I bought from the grocery store a few weeks ago. They are both only about 3 inches long and wide in the body, with one having an extra long stem that stayed remarkably intact for a grocery-store gourd.

I sketched as fast as I could before I had to give up the one with the long stem for my daughter's "collection". :)

Long-stem is mostly green whereas the second one is a wonderful, bumpy-all-over bright orange with some dark green blotches. I didn't get a chance to add color, but I am sure you can imagine these since they are around pretty much everywhere at this time of year.

Even though these were fairly quick studies and not nearly complete, it felt wonderful to have a chance to actually put pencil to paper. It also felt terrific to be outside, squinting in the sun with a breeze swirling my hair as I drew!

Have you had a chance to do any autumn drawing lately? What is one of your favorite things to draw this time of year?

African Daisy Blossom - Graphite Sketch

I've been busy traveling a bit lately and haven't had a chance to do much drawing. But I am tired of looking at my last post! :) So, I figured I would upload a sketch I did a few years ago of an African Daisy blossom. 

I love the unique shape of the petals, which are also known as a Spoon Daisy or Spider White. Hope you enjoy it, too!

Hibiscus sketches

I had a wonderful chance to do some sketching this week while relatives were in visiting, so I wanted to share. This is a beautiful hibiscus plant that had a big blossom and many unopened buds. I love the shape of the buds and couldn't get enough of sketching them. As always, I wish I had more time to spend on it, but I did manage to get a quick color study in as well. I took many photos, so perhaps I'll be able to do something more finished another time.

I did sketches on several different sheets of bristol board, but compiled the best ones on this one page in Photoshop to save space on the post.

Hope you enjoy!

Tulip - graphite drawing

This is a graphite study of a tulip from my flower bed. I've been wanting to draw them for some time and finally have had the chance. I hope to do an additional version in colored pencil. This was a good place to start, though, giving me time to really study the shape, shading and form without worrying about color.

Maple tree buds

Our maple tree out front has been budding up recently, and the buds look like bright red berries. Very pretty!

I did some loose pen and ink sketching of a branch, and then a close-up sketch of one bud. I then added color to the bud. I've included images of both the pen and ink only version as well as the bud in color. I just love pen and ink, but can't help adding the color in colored pencil these days! I think it livens it up and it is a comfortable way for me to add color since I like working with pencils.

Rose - graphite

I'm working on a sketch of a rose - once again from a photo. Best to work from life, I realize, but in terms of practicing shading/colored pencil work the photos are useful tools for me (especially with toddler interruptions!)

The graphite rendering below is rough, but I want to use it as a starting point to refine the shading and eventually render in possibly pen/ink and colored pencil. The color of the rose is a beautiful, bright pink, with darker red buds, so I am testing out my pencils on the side to see what will work.

Graphite or pen and ink? New dog portrait

I'm working on a new dog portrait. This one is of a beautiful, fluffy dog with long, white hair. I've done a rough sketch in graphite, but am unsure if the final will be in graphite or pen and ink. I am planning to do some work in both mediums to see what looks best. Because the dog is all white, I don't want to overwork it, either way. So, this will be an interesting challenge. I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses.