Influence: David Dunlap

The practice of daily drawing was one I first learned of in grad school when artist David Dunlap visited our seminar and impressed upon me the benefit of this ritual.
Although I have not always been true to this goal in the (many) intervening years, I have made  drawing a part of my daily routine as important as brushing my teeth since participating in the Sketchbook Project in 2010.
Here are a few of my drawings from the past week:

water color, metallic watercolor and water soluable pencil

inktense pencils and water soluable pencil

pigma pen, inktense pencils and watercolor pencils

These are all  drawn in an 8"x6" Stillman & Birn 'gamma' sketchbook. 

Happy mid-week to you, dear Reader.

Daily Drawing

I've heard it said that if you are able to repeat an action for thirty days, you will form a habit.
So it has been with my New Year's Resolution to draw every day.  Thanks to participating in  the Sketchbook Project, I am hooked on drawing each evening, and find it a most excellent way to relax before sleep.  Even my dreams seem to be benefitting from daily drawing.
Here a few recent pages from my sketchbook using pigma pen, prismacolor pencils, Inktense pencils by Derwent, and casein paint (white) as an alternative to an eraser.

I took my sketchbook to Juneau where it was a sort of security blanket for me the two evenings I was there, a stabilizing connection to home.
Do you have a daily activity that grounds you? 

Sketchbook Project II

The past couple of weeks I have been working away on Christmas gifts for people - my family - who may drop by this blog occasionally.  So instead of posting images of these projects and possibly blowing the surprise, I will show you some recent pages drawn in my Sketchbook Project. 

These images are ramblings from my subconscious, as un-edited by my Left Brain Judge as is possible. 

As I wrote in a previous post, I am using the transparent properties of the sketchbook pages to let each new image spring from the previous one.

 Sometimes it's ok to not have any color...

 ...or only a very little...

...but I do love my Prismacolor pencils.

 Last evening it got too late and I had to go to bed before I finished the drawing below.  I want way more color here, but have a drafting job to get out tonight, so the Sketchbook must wait, for now.

Hope your new week is filled with brightness in this darkest time of year here in the Northern latitudes. 

Sketchbook Project

Like many of you, I am participating in the Sketchbook Project. Here's a glimpse of what I've been drawing.  The Sketchbook Project is serving as my at home in the evening entertainment, and as such has been very relaxing and freeing.  The drawings have influenced my studio work in unexpected ways, best of all giving me permission to be a little more goofy.

 I chose the theme 'Make Mine A Double' and have been using the transparency of the sketchbook pages to let each new drawing build upon the previous ones.

None of these pages have titles - I really can't explain what any of it is about beyond the pure pleasure of letting my hand and mind wander with Micron pens and Prismacolor Pencils.

The pages depicted here are sequential, created over the past two weeks.

Last night I drew this.  I like being able to start one drawing off the last in such a direct way.  Studio time has been consumed by more commercial ventures since my last dye-painting effort, making me grateful for the freedom of my sketchbook.