83rd street.

Quick sketch from the car on the way from the store, where I was choosing decorative pillows. What a nice house, I wanted to go there again and do a serious detailed study. Ink.

Sketch party.

Went to sketch party to draw costumed models. Lots of fun. Used different materials. Soft pencils, ink, Ecoline brush pens.

Here I used ink. We had live jazz music, piano, it was really awesome to sketch and listen to music, my favorite things to do.

Pretty hard to sketch two models at once.

I like these Ecoline markers, colors a bit too bold, but water works with it.  I used Stillman and Birn sketchbook, it took washes nicely, very good paper. I really enjoyed it and since that went to a few different events.

Sketches on NY Subway, few new tools and very uneasy day.

I was lucky to have a seat, so was able to relax unnoticed. This sketchbook is not laying as flat, as my previous one.

3 women, 3 different personalities. Even pencil felt it.

Awesome to have such different characteristics, not only ethnically, but different mood too. This is New York!

Here is my new tools from JetPens (the best shop in the world!), I decided to spoil myself, in secrecy, and got few amazing things, like sparkly brush pen "Wink of Stella", acrylic based watercolor by Rohrer & Klingner, few white pens, interlocking pencil caps, 2 mm lead sharpener, very thin black ink pen. All laying on the top of my drawing of a Subway musician, which is still in a process.

The portrait of Hill.

I did the portrait of Hill a while ago, but running around so much and feeling that time is seeping between my fingers, and I don't do even a small portion of what I have to do is pretty overwhelming.

This time I was drawing it with this frame on mind and pulled some blues on her dress to connect with the frame. You are turning 25 only once in your life, I remember mine... and all that feelings. Time of making decisions that may affect your life forever.
I used ink and Bienfang brush pens for touch of color.

Portrait of a Young business woman.

I used ink and Kuretake. She is in business, connected to education, this why the book is here.

Schnitzel.

We have no heat again and it is freezing in my room.
During our ordeal in the midst of the hurricane Sandy, on one of the days, my husband hiked to the street (no power, no heat, don't remember if also no water, no elevator) and it was  truck on the street with hot food, "Schnitzel & Things", sponsored by mayor Bloomberg. My husband brought it also to my poor friend, who stuck on 20th floor, sick and in pain, forgotten.  It was suddenly a piece of normality, meat, hot, pretty, like it is possible to live again, and somewhere life and other people.
So I drew it.

Sketching in Stillman&Birn and little Muji book.

Sketched from the office window with sepia ink and black Uranus pen (double sided) in Stillman&Birn sketchbook, Gamma series. I am still amazed how well paper takes layered washes. On the top drew Kuretake 13 brush pen. I want to get Pentel pocket brush and compare to Kuretake 13. One day.

Quick sketch in the dentist office in the little Muji book with Blackwing 602. Added bits of color with Muji pen and color pencil. I met interesting writer there and we had a little chat, exchanged numbers.

Lincoln Continental.

Lincoln Continental Mark 4 1976. I think this what it is, I looked online. It was chilling on someone's driveway. I used Omas Sepia ink, it is juicy but red is too strong for me, I like yellow puddles more. I was trying to stuff ink into Pentel Color brush, it was resisting my crooked syringe and I was holding myself from performing open heart surgery on poor brush, but I really want to know what's inside. Didn't find it online. May be anyone knows?

Maggi.

Here is a little panegyric on Maggi-Würze, seasoning sauce, originally from Switzerland.  I discovered it in Honey store and fell in love with it, adding it everywhere in salads combining with sunflower oil and cooking wine and for meats and sauces, and soups. I like it's taste, smell and even bottle shape. Also drew here wonderful Frank's RedHot sauce.
Second joy is my first time mix from  Dr. Martin's India inks I bought in Woodstock this fall. It has some burning warmth and slides easily.  May be because of paper? It is old paper, don't know the brand.  For color I used Kuretake pens.

Eggs over easy.

Pulled out my drying ink remix and fought with couple of stuffed water brushes (pierced my finger few times till it bled)  to draw this simple Sunday breakfast with eggs over easy. Bits of color with Kuretake pens.

Harrison.

Sketches with Pentel brush in court in Harrison NY, paying for ticket. $385 ticket. How painful. My husband. I am trying not to speed and especially not to get caught.
Really like that little pen brush.

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?

Small town Upstate.

As one of my favorite poets Anna Achmatova said once :" If you only knew from what garbage  poems grows..." Hard to translate, she is not translatable, once I wanted to buy her in English translation for my daughter, I looked through the book and almost puked with horror. I decide I either have to read it to her in Russian or she'll grow up without knowing Achmatova.
Anyway, this drawing grew from yellowish greasy spot right in middle of the paper, now gently blending with the sky. I started with ink, but decided to add some color and end up using all my colorful brush pens Kuretake, Faber Castell and few Bienfang pens. Outlined with Uranus Multipen. Took way too long, but I am glad I did it.

My lunch.

Pretty wet ink version of my lunch. I used Kuretake Art and Graphic Twin brushes, couple of Zig Clean Color and H20 brush pens. Simple things like ketchup bottle or plate, when you draw it, when you look at it, seems getting its own character, emotions, relationships, story. Or may be they talking about me? I used 3 languages here.

Uranius 2018 pen.

Got new pen in the mail today. Fellini and I opened parcel with ivory knife and found beautiful  red box with golden seal.

What a pen! Rollerball on one side and brush on the other. Comes with bottle of ink. Sketches yet to come. Thinking what paper would be good with it.

I think brown, and thick white pencil on the top here, there. Stabilo pencil, which I got in NY Central. Super exited.

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.

Salz pencil.

On the top of the sketches from the doc's office, done with watercolor Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer pencil, I drew my antique "Salz" pencil, dated April 14 1925. Thin paper struggles to accept ink from Kuretake brush pens I used. I heard Fabriano sketchbooks with tinted paper is thicker. Watercolor pencil is very weak on brown paper, may be I should try it on white?

Paper.

Here sort of experiment on Thailand's paper I got in Jerry's Artarama in West Orange. Landscape. I used Kuretake pens with ink. Didn't fit in the scanner. Next time I should try watercolor. Paper is full of holes, water makes ink bleed like crazy.

City.

By outlining ink drawing with sepia Letter pen Cocoiro I wanted to show energy of morning city, full of life, cars, noise, moving wheels. I couldn't resist adding hieroglyphs (from translator). I used Kuretake brush pens for color and mixed ink in Fabriano pad.

Big boat.

On the way home from work I stopped near Canal and did quick sketch of the boat Sheryll  Princess.  Main thing I wanted to try this shedding  waterbrush, I filled with diluted ink. I wanted some light tone fast and defining ink brush. Gotta find something comfortable.