Today's sketch.

Shlomo Carlebach.

Shlomo Carlebach, known as The Singing Rabbi. I always have his CD in the car, whenever I feel sad or hurt, I listen to his voice, sometimes without words, it has sort of healing power, his love for people. So I drew portrait, as I admire people who made a difference. Used Sepia ink and Kuretake H20.

Selena's Diner.

Diner on Road 23A, Upstate, where locals get their food, you can meet good looking policemen there getting lunch, pretty much feels like you are in a movie from 60-s. I usually drop my jaw and stare. I like their chili. Here I used Sepia ink and 3 Kuretake Twin pens on aged watercolor paper.

Fellini.

Fellini.

Raclette.

We decide to have little fun and cooked wonderful meal together just for the family. Swiss Raclette. We got this device with the house, the previous owner was French. We didn't know how to use it and what it is, so it was forgotten somewhere in the kitchen.  But I liked the look. Then one day someone smart told me the name and I looked it up in Google, printed instruction and history and read it for group of our friends. They looked skeptical but then enjoyed it a lot.  With beer it was even better. I used Kuretake brush pens and Sepia ink in Moleskine A4. Only 2 more pages left.

Song by Jeff Buckley.

I Know it's over. Jeff Buckley

Experiment.

Looking for a book of Poussin's drawings on a shelve at 5 in the morning, I found thin old pad of Sumi paper. I used it today for a quick sketch with ink and blue Kuretake pen. Now off with the Pig to look at the moon, the biggest and closest to Earth in 20 years. My daughter said I have to.

Sardines are gone.

Finished breakfast. Sepia ink and red Kuretake Twin brush pen in Moleskine A4.

Sky.

Ceiling in the kitchen.

All together. On the top of the sky would be glued metallic silver structure, from which heavy modern chandelier would be hanging. Small moulding would be painted with tinted metallic glazes.

On the road.

Usual way. I like how mountains rase up.

Mural in the dining room 3-d day.

Add boat with father and son and more details.

From the other side. Soon railing would be installed with red-brown metal design. Now thinking about design in the frame above the kitchen island, they want sky and their light fixture is utterly modern. Everything else is traditional. Should not take more than a day or so.

Breakfast in Hunter Deli.

I knew that this size of the paper wont fit my scanner, but I refused to crop it and had trouble to fit it in two steps and used photomerge again and think, lost some color intensity. I remember my father and stepmother use to call me The girl on the contrary (hope it translates normally from "Девочка наоборот"). I think they had a point, but it is my nature. I used sepia ink and few Kuretake pens on piece of old watercolor paper.

Unfinished.

Mural, 2 days of work. Gotta draw boat with 2 boys and finish details. Work on architectural elements.

From the other side. No place to take a pic from the middle, room stuffed with boxes. Used tints and can of white, a bit of glaze and poly.

Kuretake pens.

Kuretake pens over my drawing, made with this pens. Here is few kinds I used, Twin, H20, Brushables and Clean Color. What is interesting about Brushables color is slightly  different on both sides, which gives you so many options to experiment. I didn't include Kuretake 13, Letter pen and couple of other brush pens I have. I didn't use it on this drawing.

Napping.

Fellini.

Breakfast with almonds.

Sepia ink on aged watercolor paper. Used H20 Kuretake brush. Drawing with Sepia creates sort of therapeutic effect ... all this thoughts about Japan... what is going on with our little planet?

Black.

Experimented with white ink on piece of black paper I bought long time ago for no reason. I was distracted by thoughts about disaster in Japan, so couldn't really pull myself together, so my drawing feels like ready to collapse and shows my fear.

Sketch for mural done

and composition placed on the wall and color applied. Guys build platform on the top of staircase and it holds the ladder.  It is a pleasure to work with professionals. For sketching on the wall I used amazing Japanese chalk holder, I got at JetPens. It called dustless, so comfortable. I like it much better than regular chalk. Than used charcoal pencil for architectural details.

Grateful.

I am grateful for my friends. I am grateful to you. Eating salad in my friend's place made me think of eternity. I used ink and H20 green Kuretake on aged piece of watercolor paper. Again it was a little too big for my scanner, so cropped a bit on all sides.

After bath or "С легким паром!"

Grooming.

Today's sketch for mural in a process.

Unfinished sketch for mural. Used french watercolor set, not mine, though, screwed up by using white on the top of pans, so a lot of colors could not even move. Here just an idea, lots of water, flowers. Its going to be in the dining room.

Simple life.

I used Kuretake pens, all 3 kinds I have and ink  with H20 brushes. Used 3 inks and 3 languages. It didn't fit in the scanner so its a bit cropped, especially on the top, I left a lot of air above books, but if I try the other way, photomerge, I loose color intensity. But it is not that important, when work is done, I loose interest, almost hate it, the process is what its all about.

Light.

Another page from my drawing diary with plan and sketch. Experimented with Kuretake pens, Blackwing pencil and outlined with Rotring Art pen.

Evening tea.

Simple evening, simple tea, simple sketch with Blackwing pencil and Kuretake Twin pen brush for hint of color.

Couch.

Kept shortening Blackwing pencil by drawing a couch and boots. White pen start fading. Really like how Blackwing pencil gliding on paper. Interesting that the word "gliding" sounds very close to Russian гладить -"to caress". I like having associations in different languages, it helps me to memorize words. This how I know few words on many languages.

Stove.

The best spot in the house is this wood stove. Dogs and I where hanging out there. Drew with Blackwing, trying to shorten it by drawing because when new it doesn't fit into my favorite pencil case. My shorter older one I spontaneously present to someone who was heading to art lesson unprepared. Wrote in Japanese "stove" and my name.

House, sketch from the car.

House. Still too much snow. Parked across on neighbor's property, thankfully he was not there. He is a nice guy, writer.  Drew with Kuretake pens and outline with Rotring Art pen. Sketch of pen bled through from previous page, thin paper.

Brushables.

Brushables - really sweet dual point Kuretake pen brush. Drew it with Kuretake pens over pencil sketches with Palomino pencil.

Winter, not far from Ave T.

I drew it on aged piece of watercolor paper, cut it with my mother's ivory knife. I used sepia ink and green Kuretake H20, and for touches of red Twin Kuretake brush pen. I wanted to show sort of nostalgic feeling, when you appreciate every shadow, every crumb of dirty snow and present always turn into past.

Sketching on Sunday.

Went to Metropolitan Museum with a friend. Saw interesting exhibits: Forbidden Garden, Japanese drawings, Sezanne's "Card players". Was totally charmed by Chinese paintings. My friend got me a present, book " How to read Chinese paintings". We drew a little bit, I set off alarm by leaning too much on tatami when looking at the wall covered by gold leaf tiles and the 17 century screen.  We had late lunch, talked, enjoyed a day, forgot about all our problems.

Autopoint pencil and leads.

Sketched with Palomino pencil and drew over old Autopoint pencil with box of Fineline Thin leads using Kuretake Twin pens. What I like about this antique pencil that is so heavy and massive and the lead is so delicate like thin voice in a big body. On the side it said "for Real Thin lead". Along the body of the pencil is a long sign "The Fourth Nat'l Bank-Wichita, Kansas". Sweet.

Glazing in the kitchen.

I did glazing in the kitchen for my friends. I was really happy to do something for my friends who were so kind to me over years. Came home at 130 in the morning. It was fun to eat sandwiches sitting on the step and chatting in unfinished house.

Expression of disapproval.

My best critic.

Lykke Li song.

I follow rivers, Lykke Li.

Questions about my Wyvern Smokers pencil.

"The pocket clip is in a beautiful Art Deco design.
The top of the pencil is used as a pipe bowl packer.  Inside there is a stem which is used for loosening tobacco and clearing tobacco from the bowl.
The stem makes an ideal cigar piercer."

This what I got from other websites. I cleaned insides with needle and cleared a way. I can't disassemble it. I tried different size lead, nothing works properly. Pretty short lead way. 
1.18 mm is too thick.
0.9 mm is too thin.
Eversharp Red Top fits the best, but still too loose and falling out. I am not sure what size is Eversharp Red Top. 
What should I do to find the right lead? It says Pat. 472380 , Wyvern Smokers pencil, Made in England.