Interior.

Another quick sketch in Sepia before going for a drive.

Looking through the kitchen door.

Quick sketch with Noodler's rollerball ink pen and watercolor.

Surviving Irene.

After Mayer declared mandatory evacuation of our area in Brooklyn we went Upstate and got into a big mess there. Roads turned into rivers, some roads got wiped off, some places nearby got washed down, people saved by helicopters, many bridges disappear or damaged. We lost power and were stranded there for few days.

Aftermath. Our road.

Driveway.

 Road was crumbling.

It felt soft like sponge.

On the way back we were so happy and appreciate washing hands with soup in the bathroom of the gas station and flushing toilets. And prayed for many others who got it harder than us.

I can't finish drawing, I am grabbing my cats and hitting the road.

Happy times pic few years back. :-) I packed my watercolor, Kuretake and pencils and "Pen and Ink" book.

Drawings of people in brown book.

Sketched with rollerball ink pen and antique 80 year old pencil.

Here used Perfect pencil by Faber-Castell, very comfortable and bits of white pen.

Earthquake.

Today was really serious earthquake, it felt horrible in our building, it was swaying like a cardboard doll house. Slanted floors. I know, I am used to work on high scaffolds and I know how it feels to balance on moving surfaces, how to hold on with your toes.
We run out, I sent my daughter first and could not remember how to put  my shoes on, unbuckle. So many people were downstairs, some in robes, scared, wondering what just happened.
I often say how we have to look at our lives from a distance, from above and think what is really matters, what we doing and what we want. And that we shouldn't wait for something bad to happened to help us understand who we are and why we are here.                                            

Subway musician.

Underground, waiting too long for a train I was stung by a song by an older guy with guitar, singing in Spanish something really beautiful and personal about love, beauty and faith. It was such a contrast between urbanized structure of the station, colorless busy people passing by and this man singing love song. I scribbled in my sketchbook, snapped blurry picture on my phone and left in dismay.

Sketching after breakfast.

Peaceful moment. I wish I could step into that moment now and forget about all problems.

Glass.

Went to look for a coffeemaker and was stunned by the beauty of  the glass singing its own melody on the dark industrial street under the train in Brooklyn.  Still living with crappy coffeemaker but will remember that day with dust, sunlight, shadows and glass. Ink and touch of Inktense pencils on old, very old watercolor paper.

Sketching bench.

In a process of sketching bench, before outlining with a fountain pen.

Closed street in Manhattan.

When I saw that closed street highlighted with orange cones from the corner of the parking lot, I thought it has to be drawn, even it was striped with too many columns and architecture was overpowering. Something really joyful in that chaotic order of orange cones. It sort of helped me come to terms with that disaster on 17 street.
 I often think how we have no rights to be just people with our lives and problems when we have to devote, to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of creation, better say to translate our surroundings to visual language. Very little time we have.

Sketches in square book.

Sketching in places I've been during the day. Mainly NY Subway sketches.

I used interesting Noodler's roller pen. So much fun. Yesterday young woman sitting next to me on a train suddenly pulled out small Moleskine. I got really scared that both of us would be sketching, but desire to explore Noodler's pen capabilities was stronger, so I just kept sketching.

Bench.

I drew this sweet bench under the trees, where I spent so many hours sketching, staring, chatting, thinking, reading, drinking, laughing. I used watercolor and outlined with Lamy Safari.

Sketch while riding in car, in traffic.

Sitting in traffic (as a passenger) at rainy night I start sketching whatever was in front of me, so combined with music it was pretty bearable, almost fun.

Aqua Palomino.

Aqua Palomino pencils. Don't forget to check it out. Even my dream is Durer. I have 2 of Durer watercolor pencils.

Flippers.

Rainy evening, I didn't go anywhere, I drew my flippers, I prepared for a swim in the lake. On the top I did exercise from this wonderful book I am reading about Pen and Ink. I used a little bit of watercolor, sepia ink and Lamy Safari pen. Nib on Lamy Safari says EF extra fine, but if feels more like serious medium.

Deck in Sepia.

Quick sketch in Sepia. Weather was unpredictable, so I barely had time to pull out ink, when it start drizzling and light change.

Oil.

Sketch in the evening. Watercolor and ink in Hand*book . I took with me Da Vinci Kolinsky brush, it was interesting to use it. Ideally paper should be bigger for it, since the brushstroke, when you lay down the brush, took too much space on such small drawing. It is travel brush, so to put it back in the cap you gotta wait till it fully dry, annoying. Gotta look at the brush with innovative cap, where the head of the brush goes in from the back, I think it is from Rose or Rosemary. I have it bookmarked somewhere.

Road.

Sketch in watercolor. I  used Rembrandt watercolor on Hand*book paper, I think it absorbs some of the color more than I expected. I also used new Chinese water brush with piston filler. Still not sure how to use it properly since hair is blend of natural and synthetic and water disappears too fast. If left alone for a minute - loosing all water.

Brown sketches.

Sketches in my brown book in the waiting room  and in DMV. I spare my waiting time between sketching and reading book on pen and ink technique.

I used few pencils and brush pen. Time passed too fast so I think I should go there again for sketching purpose only, where else people sit for a few minutes and so occupied with their business that not paying attention to me at all?

Peach Cobbler.

Peach cobbler on Toulouse-Lautrec plate, size of a saucer and irregular shape. Taste and color was wonderful like everything what comes out of Inna's hands. I used ink and few Kuretake pens on Arches sketchbook, cold press140 lb. Size is a bit too small, 10"x7". I love this paper. Next time I'll be up to celebrating life in Manhattan I will get myself few Arches papers, may be hot press too.

Brighton Beach.

Yesterday I took a walk with a friend. Pretty and fun to swim.

Pan fried noodles.

Nothing special, pan fried noodles, but cooked at home with stir fried vegetables topping it - was amazing. All that nice ingredients from the store on Ave U. She has magic hands. We eat first of course, than I drew whats left. I used ink and few Kuretake pens. I really enjoy playing with brush pens, before I was not allowed, when painting you don't use markers for anything, now I feel like a child with box of crayons. Too bad day is too short.

In the Garden.

I used ink on Fabriano sketch pad, 7x9, it feels too small for me. But I had fun with ink. It was a quiet moment in the garden, in New Jersey.

Cherries.

Cherries on my desk. Sometimes harder your life on you more you appreciate little things happening, which slipped away before. More you think what is really matters. Anyway here is a little mess and a regular day with plans and worries. My pretty Rembrandt watercolors which still waiting to be used and appreciated and couple of new piston water brushes I got on Ebay. I used ink and Inktense pencils for this drawing.

Small town we passed by.

I used ink,  bits of watercolor and outlined with Hero pen, on the top brushed with Kuretake pen. Would be really nice to live in such a quiet place.

Train sketches. Group 2.

Yesterday's Subway sketches and my drawing tools: my antique 80-year old pencil and two mini brushes-markers from JetPens and charming Zig Kuretake pen. On my sketches I also practiced drawing lines as an exercise from the amazing long desired book I recently got at Amazon "Rendering in pen and ink".

Train sketches. One group.

Another group of sketches on the train going to the City.

Inna in ink.

Another portrait of Inna. I used ink and couple of  Inktense pencils. I opened new water brush from JetPens, because my old lost the point and not that good anymore.  Size of the paper A4. I used Fluid  watercolor book from Dick Blick, I really like this paper and it was pretty cheap.

Under the trees.

Little experiment with thin may be rice paper.  I used ink, add watercolor and  Omas ink on the top. My plastic clipboard is very useful, I just wish it would be couple of inches bigger on each side, so I can store my paper there when traveling.