Sketches in Moleskine, December 30.

Sketched people around me. This little boy with Mohawk noticed me drawing and  engaged me into adult like conversation about drawings, styles, favorite pencils, anime, comics, comic stories about fights with devils, etc. I usually avoid even eye contact to keep my freedom, but had to respond to his direct questions. Funny, I didn't feel that I am talking to a child, but to a fellow artist.

I usually remember people I sketched for a long time and hold myself from jumping at them with "Oh hi, we know each other." if I meet them somewhere.

Antique beauty.

One day I went to draw a backdrop for the play and down the street saw that beauty. Garbage truck was backing up passing few centimetres from me, unable to make a turn on narrow Brooklyn's street. I closed my eyes when it passed that elegant antique Jaguar.  I think it is Jaguar SS 100 from 1937, built in England.  I can't help it, being charmed by cars. Used ink and 2 Kuretake pens.

My old work.

Portrait of my daughter. I  was the best story teller, combining the fairy tales I read and world folklore, using my imagination and making up a happy ending, with good amount of horror. So I wanted to catch the expression of listening. I used watercolor, size is 20 inches.

One morning.

One summer morning we woke up at 5 and drove to the North Lake to see the sunrise. We were sitting on the Mountain House  cliff ledge above the clouds in silence and harmony with the world.

Green Apple.

I used my Sepia again, warm puddles with orange rims, medicine for my wounded soul. I would add a bit of cold grey Lexington ink, but it makes it stringy, some sort of chemical reaction. Bits of color with Kuretake, to appreciate pure green of apple, flowers on Albert's Royal, red on tomato and warm strokes on sardines. Main attention on negative panting of bouquet. I painted background cutting into brunches, what a twisted game.

New Kuretake pens.

New Kuretake pens I recently got online. Very happy to highlight my palette with this wonderful Kuretake Twins.

Sketches in Moleskine on the run.

I made this Federico Aubele's song my ringtone,"Despertar", for my ear it sounds "Desperate", but in Spanish it means "Awakening". So even when I  get calls from unpleasant recipients, like mortage companies, it still gives me warm vibe. Here used ink and Palomino Blackwing 602 pencil. Drew my lovable Fellini cat.

From Blackwing to Kuretake pens. This wine was really delicious, especially because was shared with a good friend. Also my reading (online) and memo list.

december 23.

I feel bad wasting my Moleskine pages on such casual sketches, collecting peoples faces and gestures, people, who I may never see again in my life, for a few minutes appreciating their inner beauty, admire their movements, shapes of their nostrils, respecting their moods, getting richer in feelings and forgetting it all when my Subway stop comes or my name called to go to the doctor. But what is better than pull out Moleskine and Palomino Blackwing 602?

My beautiful Brooklyn.

I took a photo from the window where I did a small job. This view really made my heart sing.

Morning melancholy.

Little table scene. Took me forever to bring to completion. I kept adding a stroke here, there. Find time and unwind.  Was not happy with ink colors, greys and brownish. Should leave it for quick sketches on a train, I think. I used my new Kuretake pens I got online.

New York.

View from the window. I did small work in Manhattan and took a photo.

Sketches.

Sketches at the doc office with pencil and bit of Noodler's ball pen.

Sketches on the run in December.

Spread in moleskine. Mackenzie-Childs tea kettle for fighting December melancholy. Ink, Kuretake pens, lists.

Blue cup.

"Memories of summer" it says in Japanese. It is reality, but it is how I remember it. All our morning breakfasts and conversations, our silence and laughs over coffee, playing with dogs and feeding birds blends into one material for my drawing. I used ink and few Kuretake pens.

Shadow Mountain Road.

This adorable little bridge we passed probably thousand times, it makes me smile, how cozy and intimate it looks. Somewhere here years ago we bought delicious Maple syrup. It was so good with Maggie's french pancakes.
I used ink and 2 Kuretake pens. I am falling in love with this Kuretake pens deeper and further.

Sketching with Blackwing and Noodler's pen

I was glad to have few minutes for myself to draw people in the waiting room.

Trees and Birds.

3 days on this mural with trees and birds. It goes all around the walls with branches, plants, rocks. I added transparent strokes of color and bits of gold outlines. So when you walk around the room some shapes of leafs and flowers and bird's feathers pops at you, reminiscence of Chinese pearl incrustation on a lacquer box. We had one in my early childhood, I use to scrape out beautiful parts of elegant mandarins.

Liza, mine.

:-)

Japanese trees on chocolate background. First day.

Sketched and painted first layer. For sketching I used Japanese dustless chalk I got at JetPens, love it. So comfortable to draw on the wall with this pen looking chalk holder. It comes with little special sponge-dust eraser and few color chalks. My love for pretty art tools pays off, very useful tool.

Detail. Pretty full first day, sketched few brunches on other walls too. Had horrible lunch. I have to make music disk for tomorrow to listen on the way because my Ipod not comfortable to operate when I am alone in the car. Zaz and Aubele.

ArtDeco mural sketch.

More subdued version. I use this printer for documents only because it doesn't reflect the color properly, but here tried for fun.

A bit brighter. I used my vintage Rowney watercolor in metal box, I got some time ago on Ebay and couple of pens to outline. I am thinking to add my Rembrandt watercolor from tubes to some almost empty pans. Here 28 half pans. Coolest box.

Tower with blue sky.

View from the Onteora church. This house overlooking Arboretum always half hidden by tall trees and I know nothing about this old tower. When we were little kids we made hidden treasures in the ground placing some objects behind colored glass, so this brings back same feelings of admiration of mystery looking at me from the other side of the blue glass.
I used ink and blue Kuretake pen on watercolor paper.

Preliminary sketch for mural.

Artdeco style.

December 1 in Moleskine.

Sketched on the way people on Subway, used  Palomino Blackwing 602 pencil, love this pencil, faithful helper.