Reflections on society

The saying that a picture says more than a thousand words feels ever so true to me... which is probably why I named my Sketchbook Project 'Every Picture tells a Story". There are forever ideas that half-form in my head (always starting as an image), but either end up on the 'I should draw that one day' pile, or simply get forgotten in the daily avalanche of new impressions. This project is giving me the opportunity to grab the ideas and put them down on paper as they pop into my head - and I'm really enjoying it :)

Worlds Apart - Famine in Sudan reaches catastrophic proportions... 

while her only concern is to have to get up to reach the next packet of chips. 

Natural Beauty is Priceless - $41,154 won't buy you a happy smile... 

These two drawings are reflections on our society...
The first one is a take on how little bringing events of the world into peoples' lounge rooms seems to bring people closer together...

In the second one I want to hold a light to natural beauty in this age of cosmetic surgery - money can't buy love, and no amount of surgery will put a happy smile on your face unless you feel truly happy inside. When even teenagers and kids are pressured by advertisements and society to surgically change their appearance, surely something is wrong with how we view and accept ourselves? 

Annette :)

Sketchbook Update

Filling a new sketchbook is always a treat - especially when you have a project attached to it (with enough freedom to be creative). I recently joined the 2011 Sketchbook Project which involves receiving a sketchbook in the mail, which you then fill with drawings, sketches, collage or anything you like - and then send it back before the end of April next year. The collection of submitted sketchbooks then become part of the Arthouse Co-op Library in Brooklyn. You can also have your sketchbook digitised and included in the limited edition print version - enough carrots to have any avid sketcher sign up on the spot I know...
My book arrived just before Christmas, and although it's a tad smaller than I had expected, I've warmed to it and am busy drawing along the theme: Every Picture tells a Story. There were a bunch of pre-set themes to choose from & I think the one I chose was called "The Science of Story" - but I've changed it a little to feel more inspiring and less 'scientific' :) Below are scans of the pages I've done so far:

First page.... Sketchbook Project

The Queen of Chess wields her power - pen & ink 

Count Dracula & his Castle - pen & ink

I did this drawing while listening to my son read Bram Stoker's Drakula...

Do you see what I see...? - pencil, pen & coloured pencil

And - while not completely done, I have finished the last 2 drawings in the major arcana of the Tarot Card project. I still have to paint them, but here are the inked versions of Judgement and The World:

Tarot - Judgement - pen & ink

Tarot - The World - pen & ink

Thank you for visiting and take care
Annette :)

Tarot - The Sun - and some drawings

My latest card in the tarot series is The Sun; traditionally this card often has the sun clearly depicted in the centre of the card, with other elements in the foreground (faces, people, or a young boy riding a pony/horse) - I have deviated from this ever so slightly (having the sun represented by the girl), though the symbolic meaning is still the same: Positive creative energy, completion, joy, warmth and peace... all round a pretty happy card:

The Sun - coloured version

I also finished colouring/painting a few pen & ink illustrations from my sketchbook - I posted the drawing of my sun playing on the computer a while back, hoping to finish the coloured version sooner - I have included the drawing for reference to save going back through posts :) Even though the angle isn't the most interesting (drawing someone from behind), Ben sat still long enough for me to draw him, and I quite enjoyed both drawing and painting this one. The other one is more of a doodle - a guitar, some dangling feet and a quick sketch from a photo of Jimi Hendrix. I added colour just for fun, I don't think this one is overly great, it is just a doodle... :)

Original drawings scanned from sketchbook

Ben at the computer

Coloured sketchbook doodle

Thanks for visiting and take care
Annette :)

Design and Cartoon update

This first illustration is part of a cartoon I did for a friend. I did have a lot of fun drawing it - especially as it is based on an (almost) real event, which had me in stitches. When funny things happen they conjure up images in my head begging to be drawn, and it is quite a delight to find the time to put pen to paper...

These next 2 are designs I submitted for the new underpass being built in the area. They are supposed to reflect different aspects of the community, and also provide some colour to brighten up the wall... :)

Annette :)

Tarot - The Star and The Moon

In this post I'm back with 2 more Tarot cards, nearing the end of illustrating the 22 cards in the Major Arcana. I'm seriously thinking about doing the 56 cards in the minor arcana as well. This would make it a full deck of cards (and with such an inspiring project, I cannot help wanting to continue). Sometimes I do a drawing and find myself wanting to go in a different direction half-way through, a new idea pops into my head and I feel the drawing won't be finished unless I explore what's in my head... This happened with The Moon, which I'd almost finished and then along came this different idea; so I've ended up doing 2 versions. Personally, I'm happier with version 2 but you may think otherwise. The Star on the other hand, was 'easier' in that the idea was clear in my head from the start.

     The Star

     The Moon - version 1

     The Moon - version 2

Annette :)

Pens and Drawing materials

On the subject of pens and drawing materials I thought it might be fun to show some of my favourite items and talk a little about their uses. Each artist has their favourite pens and materials, and their personal way of storing, using and combining them (a friend of mine recently said that she sees pens for artists as extensions of their hands - I really like that analogy).

The Materials
Below you'll find a selection of the pens and drawing tools I use - happily laid out on a large white piece of paper before being snapped, I've added a number next to each group & explain how I use the materials below. The quality of this image doesn't live up to the highly professional product shots I borrowed and included in my last post..., but hopefully it helps give some idea. If you are just getting into drawing then you may find something of use here... if you are an avid drawer you may favour completely different materials (which is great as we're all different).

1. Pencils
I prefer to work with soft grade pencils - 2B is the 'hardest' grade I use - up to 9B for the darkest lines. Pencils are great on their own, to create a finished drawing - or to use as a sketch foundation for a drawing which I then finish off with pen & ink. Some of these pencils can be brushed with water to create a wash effect (a bit like watercolour or light ink wash).

2. Fixpencils, lead holders, lead, knife & soft rubber
I have put all these in one group as I tend to use them together. Lead holders are different from pencils in that they are refillable pencils - the holder, which is designed with comfort and use in mind, will generally last you a life-time (or slightly less depending on how tough you are on tools). Although referred to as lead holders, lead, and lead pencils; the word lead is misleading as NO pencils or sticks contain lead - they are made from pure graphite with a clay binding. I use an Xacto knife to sharpen both pencils and lead sticks, it is sharp and accurate and perfect for all shapes and sizes (as long as you're careful...). The soft kneaded rubber (also known as knetgummi) is my favourite eraser, it doesn't crumb, tear the paper or create a mess, instead it simply lifts or smudges the graphite (or charcoal) and can be used to both erase and shade parts of a drawing.

    A pencil drawing of my hand...

3. Graphite
I use graphite in the same way as pencils, with the larger fatter sticks being more suited to larger drawings; one great aspect of graphite sticks is that you can lay them on their side to create wide strokes.  Like pencils, graphite sticks come in different grades though they tend to be on the softer side of the scale (2B - 9B).

4. Conté and stomps
Conté sticks are a mixture of compressed charcoal, graphite and wax. The ones in peel-away paper casings are also suitable for drawing on lithography stone (the fatter the crayon or stick is, the darker the end result on the print will be). I use conté in a similar way to charcoal - it produces nice dark tones and tends to hold together a little better than pure charcoal, which makes it perfect for detail. Paper stomps are useful for shading, and smudging areas of a drawing (although I tend to end up using my fingers as well).

5. Charcoal
I must confess I love charcoal - for all its messiness it is a wonderful medium for producing drawings rich in contrast. I use Willow charcoal (produced from willow tree twigs) and also a soft form of compressed charcoal which produced a very black velvety tone.

6. Coloured pencils and graphite sticks
Coloured pencils come in all shapes and sizes ranging from the hard (light in colour) to the softer denser versions, and also the watercolour variety, which can be used to produce wash effects in a drawing. My favourite coloured pencils are soft and bright in colour; the graphite sticks and tricolor pencils by Koh-I Nor above, are lovely to work with.

    Coloured pencil sketch of my daughter...

7. Ink pens & markers
I use ink pens & markers on their own for sketches and line drawings and also to finish off sketched pencil drawings. As with all tools there are favourites to be found in this group as well; ink colour and quality varies depending on the maker (black is often not a pure black, but will lean towards blue, green, purple or brown) - I tend to go for waterproof, permanent ink in pens as it tends to produce blacker lines and is supposed to stand the test of time more than soluble varieties. It also dries quicker, which makes it easier to work with.

    ... and to round of this subject on drawing materials: an ink drawing of my pen wallet.

Annette :)

Retail therapy

The Addiction
There's all kinds of retail therapy, and by far the BEST for me is pens, paper, and all stationery and art supply materials! Walking into a well-stocked shop makes me lose track of time and enter a sort of dreamy state (comparable to the 'week at the knees' feeling you get when you hear a rumbling V8 engine). It's as much about seeing all the materials nicely stacked (the multitude is definitely inspiring), as it is about picking things up, feeling the paper quality, testing pens and pencils and wanting to buy the lot (which sadly isn't possible). A dose of pen and paper retail therapy always works wonders - and when budget is too low to shop I love sorting through the pens I have; lining them all up and then sharpening and testing them (and obviously drawing), I may be mad, but there really is something very satisfying about pens :)

The Online Experience
With the tactile element missing from any online shopping experience, you could assume that it would be less satisfying to buy pens over the internet... This is what I thought until I found this UK site: Cult Pens who stock practically every fabulous pen and pencil you could dream of! They make up for you not being able to hold the products by supplying nice images and well written (enticing) product descriptions. Having now placed my first order, I am convinced that these guys employ copy-writers who study 'penaholics' closely and know exactly what makes us tick :) Subtle use of words such as 'satisfying', 'really nice' & 'classic' combined with history, images and pen facts - mimics the feeling of being in a real shop, ensuring that the dreamy state remains all the way to the checkout page :)

The Pens...
Having searched for a place that stocks Caran D'Ache fixpencils for ages, I was positively thrilled to discover them online (being couch bound with the flu may have influenced the instant need for retail therapy, but I've happily decided not to over-analyse...). The images below are from the cult pens website - this being a post about a pen addiction, I just simply HAVE to show you images - and as I'm still waiting for my order, I've made do with these professionally photographed and highly inspiring product shots for now ;)

Annette :)