Girl's room with 3D flowers.

It was a quick makeover for a girl's room, surprise for her from her parents. Soft glazing on walls, on the table and branches with sculpted from special microwaveable plastic flowers and few leaves. It would be colorful purple-spring-stripey window treatment on both windows.

Sky.

Sky on the ceiling.

:-)

Pizza Di Fara in Stillman&Birn sketchbook.

Quick sketch in Pizzeria Di Fara. This place is very famous, rated one of the best NY pizza. We ordered over the phone and came at a time when pizza place opens after 2 hours of siesta in the middle of the day. We still had to wait another 40 min in front of the closed door, watching couple of people moving slowly inside, drinking water, shifting things around. Surprisingly no one in line didn't complain, people kept smiling, which is already alarming in this part of Brooklyn, in given circumstances. New Yorkers never wait, unless it is a free admission in a museum or special exhibit, everything should be done in supersonic speed.
My pizza was made first, then for some reason, I didn't understand, it was rejected and remade. The only person who cooked was Domenico De Marco, 75, the legend.  He cut fresh basil with huge scissors on the top and drizzled with Evo oil from cute long nosed copper vessel. It cost $38 and it was amazing. So it deserves better drawing, which I hope to finish soon. We couldn't understand why it was so delicious. I remember the first pizza from Italy which came to Moscow, Russia,  more than 20 something years ago, along with Cinzano Rosso or Cinzano Bianco, garlic infused sauce and small plate of olives on red and white checkered tablecloth with waiters and music. It was an experience, but Di Fara somehow better.
Sepia ink and small ball pen in Stillman&Birn Gamma sketchbook.

Periwinkle car.

Scanner totally ignored shades of blue on that car, so it came out more purple than periwinkle, which it is really. It is Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, main artery leading to the ocean, which starts behind that bridge with the "Q" train  running over it. Brighton Beach Ave is under the train.
I used Sepia ink and few Kuretake pens on Hahnemuhle torchon paper.

Sketching in Stillman$Birn Gamma series book.

Was so eager to try ink in my new sketchbook, I got in NY Central art supply store, that stole few minutes on the way home to sketch corner of the street in Brooklyn. I like how the ink bleeds on the paper. I am wondering what is the difference in paper quality in different sketchbooks of Stillman&Birn?  The black cover is really awesome to feel more protected on a Subway or street while sketching.

Vegetable pan fried noodles.

I used combination of at least 3 or 4 inks and Kuretake brush pens: Art&Graphic Twins and Clean color Real Brush. I also fooled around with Noodlers ball pen, which works with ink, I think I charged it with Walnut drawing ink. It is pretty good for adding details, but too weak to be seriously visible, may be because of my other rich inks.
I tried another paper from NY Central art store Bockingford 90 lb, I think it was 90 lb, it is pretty thin and grainy. I like it, it is allowing ink some freedom and doesn't look too serious.
The scene is pretty simple, process of cooking, fun family moments, which makes life so beautiful. Looking at this flames makes me remember all that times when I was a kid and danced in the kitchen around my Grandmother, who raised me, who was my mom.

Day in Eastchester.

Had very few minutes for sketching because woman in pink sweatpants told me angrily that I can't park here and there  because it is someone else's spot and everywhere was someones spot, so I end up paying for spot near the library, wasting my sketching minutes, loosing beautiful clay ball from my sketchbook's string and produce this shaky sketch with Palomino Blackwing 602. I am glad I didn't bark at that pink pants lady as I know I am capable of due to my disbalanced childhood.
I was rewarded  with wonderful conversation about enjoying traffic, how it gives you time to be with yourself, think, analyze, listen to music, unless your foot getting numb. And amazing experience with pizza Di Fara, which deserves a separate post with drawing.

Mural in the lobby, sort of ArtDeco style.

Didn't get a chance to take a pic of finished mural, so day before yesterday had to touch up faux marble on baseboard, so snapped couple of photos there.

Gold outlines doesn't show well. It was fun project.

All wraps around. Moulding is really pretty and different shades of blue on the ceiling steps works nicely too.

This is the entrance in the building. Made with stone texture imitation and a bit of painting. Also with gold outline.

Dragging brown sketchbook through the day.

Drawn from the bench, trying Woody Stabilo white pencil. I can't find the use of it, lead is so thick, it is water soluble, pleasant to hold, may be for bigger and simpler sketch?

Quick sketch while getting gas. I was tired and hungry and dying for vegetarian Boca burger, but few minutes of scribbling rejuvenated me.

Road trip.

Another one from the series of road  sides Upstate New York. Every turn on the road opens new picturesque landscape, just not easy to find  a spot to park. I've got more and more interested in discovering how world looks from the side of the road. Have to admit many people spend time driving, especially here, in America. This cluster of houses along the road with tall trees looks like an island of quiet life, splash of red in earthy palette, very pleasant and warm, but in a minute I will loose it, when the road turns.
I used Hahnemuhle Torchon paper here, I bought in NY Central Art supply store. So here I started my experiment with good watercolor paper to find out which one I like the most. I liked it very much, how ink laid on paper, allow me few seconds to retouch. I used ink and Kuretake brush pens.

Voorhies Ave.

Being late for appointment gave me a chance to sketch for a few minutes, which made me happy. I drew old lady's shoes with can of soda, she stuck in. First she was arguing with receptionist about drinking  soda being bad for her, than leaving for PT in her socks. Something about her was really fun, may be her rusty voice, may be nasty tone, may  be green suit.  I understood how hard was for her to put her shoes on. I wish I will sketch her, but I was called in before she came back. Here I used Palomino Blackwing, which was perfect for this thirsty sketchbook.

Brown sketchbook.

I pulled out my brown paper sketchbook from the shelf, forgotten, took it with me. Even it was no time to sketch, I managed few scribblings, I forgot that paper in it seems so dry, it required much softer pencil than Palomino Blackwing 602, may be Ebony or Palomino Blackwing, which is softer than Blackwing 602.
So here sketches on the train from Williamsburg, where I was 2 two days in completely different areas : trendy artsy youthful and religious neighborhoods.
I meet so many people at work, that may not remember all, and sometimes when people look at me on the train with question  in their eyes, while I am sketching, I keep stone face expression, not because I am mean, but because not sure what  is it about and protecting my sketching moments, but may be they recognize me and expecting a smile and I am so cold and distatnt. Like that time, young Jewish couple, sitting across me with the baby, they looked so familiar, or may be typical with too open emotion in their eyes, but I don't remember if we met or they were just curious. I felt bad afterwords for not smiling back.
 :-)

Today's work, I did sky and columns.

Here is the sky I did above the wooden structure.

7 columns ( I think it was 7 or 8 of them around the room) antiqued and faux finished, imitating stone.

Here is the room without alcove light, blue is pretty sharp, but room will be always with the light on.

The woodwork there was stunning, this is one of the doors of the bookshelf.  Pretty good day, well spent, with lunch on the bench outside, in T-shirt, consuming my beloved sprats and gazing on spanish guy with the van cutting  metal sheet without goggles.

Day is so short.

All I did was playing with 3 walls, here is one of it, Supermarket wall. Barely sketched it and had to jump to another one, Dairy wall. Landscape wall with the road also needs attention. So far was 2 days and a quarter. Base paint is so weird, sucks in every brushstroke. One more day left.

Eggplant Stromboli.

Playing with 2 inks, I bought in New York Central art supply store and Kuretake brush pens for color. I mixed 2 colors and it gave me rich sunny sepia tone, just don't know how it will behave in a jar, will dry out or remain fresh for the next drawing? I am trying to juggle 3 small murals, another probably unpaid project with chemical experiments, life, relationships, cooking vegetable pan fry noodles with coconut milk and keep sanity. Walls for murals sucking in, so each brushstroke weirdly stays in, like gouache, doesn't help much using both hands, to apply and blend right away with second hand.

Featured on Pencils.com

I am featured on Pencils.com as an artist of the week

 Pencil artist of the week Nikira. :-)

 I am in love with Palomino Blackwing 602 pencil and watching with happiness my second pencil getting shorter. 

Starting new couple of small murals today, so getting pushed back with trying new ink I bought in NY Central art store. 

Here little sketch from the doc. office trying charming Japanese pen from Muji store, 0.38 size.

March 4, 2012.

Today I was lucky to visit Frick Museum (almost for free from 11am-1pm on Sundays) and saw 9 Renoirs and small room of drawings from  Charles Ryskamp's collection .   I gave my friend  a little lecture on composition of famous Renoir's "Umbrellas", I even liked it myself, my speech about rhythms of top of umbrellas, rhythms of feet, hands, light spaces on the top and the bottom, how they meet, direction of glances, diagonals of the structure. It was fun to analyze and find amazing decisions artist made. We gave up audio tour, because my little remarks about funny stories and techniques were more entertaining, whatever I remembered from my art history lessons and books I read.
Room of drawings was wonderful, seeing artist's hand in action, following quick lines... I wish I would work in a museum, watching, caring, sorting drawings in chronological order, awesome.

I sketched people on the train and a little bit in the Tramp plaza where we had coffee after "Chipotle", because in few Starbacks was no comfortable place to sit.

I used beloved Palomino Blackwing 602 and a little bit of dying ink.

Life.

Actually it says in Japanese characters "Loving life".  I did a bit strange experiment, I drew on canvas with ink and Kuretake pens. It took long time to dry in between layers, few times I was ready to give up, ink was not staying put, like on paper. It turns a bit into obsession, drawing roads, or better say into series. Something about roads. It is longing, it is passing, it is wanting to stay and become part of it, it is jealousy to that quiet life, it is running or ruining, it is hopeless, it is broken dreams.

Subway sketches.

Yesterday's trip to the City was highlighted by sketching people with Palomino Blackwing 602 on a Subway and wandering in the New York Central art supply store. I should do it more often, sketch people, it trains the eye and make coordination between brain and hand better.

I got myself Stillman and Burn sketchbook, Gamma series, with a bit thick and ivory paper, hope it would be good for ink, and few watercolor papers. Now I would be more serious and mark which one I used, so I will know what to get next time.  It is all about union of paper and ink, makes a big difference.

Passing.

We passed this place probably thousand times and I never paid attention to that cute restaurant advertising, tall trees, few roofs, cars, parked on the driveways. It doesn't have to be exotic or picturesque to bring you joy, could be 4 seconds glance on the side of road on the way to work or going home and it will fill you up with happiness. Now I really want to pay a visit to that Fernwood restaurant on the creek's shoulder, I checked online, italian cuisine and amazing stuffed mushrooms.
I used ink and 2 Kuretake brush pens.