Drawing Challenge: Swanlights

This week the incredible Stefanie challenged all comers with the theme: 'Swanlights'.  What a poetic word, what ethereal music by 'Antony and the Johnsons' of whom I had never heard (but am so glad I did, thank you Stefanie).

 Last night I sat in my chair and listened again to the music, letting it dictate the image as much as possible.  Water media seemed the most appropriate, so here is what landed on my sketchbook page in inktense pencil, waterbrush, and gouache. 

I hope you can float over to see the interpretation of this most unusual subject by a number of very creative artists whose links are presented at Stefanie's place.

Cards to Play House With - drawing challenge

Ariane named the game for this week’s drawing challenge: Playing Cards.

I recently received my new business cards from the wonderful MOO and was glad to put my old ones to good use for the challenge.  I sanded the gloss down…

 …and gessoed them on both sides.

 Spent most of the week thinking up what my cards would be about, and had fun inventing suits for imaginary games, settling at last on a set of more or less domestic playing cards.

Daily drawing - Study for cards; Pigma pen and gouache in 8"x6" gamma sketchbook

Daily drawing - Study for cards; Pigma pen in 8"x6" gamma sketchbook

studio working sketchbook

 My suits are Irons, Letters, Spoons and Rings.

Four cards: 3.5"x2"; acrylic and Pigma pen with gel transfer & paper collage on recycled business cards

The One of Irons

The Two of Letters

The Three of Spoons

The Four of Rings

 Do stop at Ariane's place to see more clever cards at play.

Daily Drawing

Castle of Leaves - gouache in 8x6 Gamma sktechbook

'Feather' - Pigma pen and Prismacolor pencil in 8x6 Gamma sketchbook

'Pogo' - gouache in 8x6 Gamma sketchbook

I bought a little 5 color mixing set of gouache paints at the Big art store in Denver and have been enjoying the opacity of them, which allows me to build up color in a different way.  Hope your week is going well.