Israeli.

Ink and mixed media. Shimmering stuff I used, doesn't scan and gold glitter also doesn't show, but it's here. I met this young guy and we had interesting conversations, he recommended me few pretty sharp music groups, which I added to my iPod playlist. He is a modern young boy, but he knows how to talk to G-d. Amazing. Modern and ancient. Young and wise. 

Selfie with the toothbrush.

It is sort of a self portrait. Artists look so serious when painting self portraits. I was not joking. I was thinking if my inner pain ( and artists always full of that inner pain, because they constantly searching for ways and answers, so I told my daughter don't ever get involved with artists, :) one in the family is more than enough), so if my inner pain is looking at me in the mirror.
I used ink and Kuretake on Arches paper.

Birds.

Hurricane Sandy dragged seaweed and sand along with water onto small streets in South Brooklyn. I guess, it attracted seagulls. Once I was walking and got stunned by big birds flying near my face. It was not as scary as in Hitchcock's movie, but it was pretty unnatural to see them so low and so many and so far from the beach.
So I did drawing of that street and added birds later. I still may replay the composition, because still unsatisfied with the result. But I am happy I did it, because so many visual thoughts stay undrawn and with all our busyness and rushing never reach the paper and fading away.
I used ink and Kuretake on Bockingford tinted watercolor paper. Funny, this was my last piece of this paper and suddenly I felt how good it was for ink, how much I want more of this paper in ivory and grey and white colors.

Story Farm.

Beautiful farm Upstate, in Catskills, which brought us and our guests lots of fun not once. We love to buy local produce there, it tastes and smells like food from childhood. Across the road barn with cows, which I drew before, sometimes we go to watch and pet them. I used ink and Kuretake brush pens on some vintage piece of paper.

Umi, Japanese restaurant on Brighton Beach.

I wrote "memories" in Japanese. It has sort of nostalgic feel to it, how I see it in my mind, in sepia, through the shadow of eyelashes, a bit fading, but happy. In reality, when we tired and hungry, sometimes, getting of the train it is a sweet pleasure to pick up here something on the way home, sushi or soup and eat (with a lot of pickled ginger for me) and watch TV or just chat about today's happenings or plans for tomorrow.
I used ink on old piece of watercolor paper. I used up all ink on it and now up to another trip to my big ink bottle, a happy event.

Brooklyn and few splashes.

I found this unknown piece of paper and used it for Brooklyn street scene. I splashed some blue and sepia inks  and my fingers turned blue and brown. I used tiny old french calligraphy ink bottle with blue ink,  I bought who knows when and who knows for, probably for my Waterman fountain pen which I don't have anymore.

Shadows.

I had to finish with different ink since the Diamine ink sample went quickly. This composition with chairs shadows,  with life of their own, strange feelings of warmth and loneliness, beauty and broken pieces of light and shadows, was haunting me since I did the first sketch. It says "alone" in Japanese, in the left corner.

Smile.

It says Smile in Japanese. I am finally trying Diamine ink in a full range. I like the color and flow, it is a very friendly sepia.
This weekend I became a happy owner of Kindle, present from my daughter, thank you tredecillion  times Inna!
So what can I do? Draw.
I Used Diamine ink and green Kuretake for eyes on Bockingford 90 lb paper.

Ave C in Brooklyn. In Stillman&Birn Alpha series.

Ink in Stillman&Birn Alpha series sketchbook. Ave C in Brooklyn. I played with the texture a little bit, but tried to keep it simple, almost a silhouette. It is like looking through the eyelashes on the street, loosing sense of color, seeing little dots of distortion, deep in your thoughts, sinking in hidden emotions.

Boats on Bockingford paper.

I sort of gave up after painful battle with the scanner. Paper is too big for it and too crooked, so it is approximated version of that boats and canal near Kings Plaza in Brooklyn, made with Sepia ink, couple of Kuretake pens, white gel pen, Namiki Falcon pen on gray Bockingford 140 lb paper.
Paper, even seems so strong and excepting water start buckling in a process, but the good part its really easy to burn, hard not to burn completely.
Namiki Falcon is the most amazing pen created by genius.

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.

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.

Dunkin Donuts coffee.

Dunkin Donuts coffee really helps when you burned by brainstorming about mural's composition, color range, researches, with very few hours of sleep every night, unable to decide whether you should make a pea soup for tonight and finish sketch in Sepia or grab a takeout and watch another episode of "Desperate Housewives".  Fellini likes to check what's in the bag hoping for fried chicken, since he can't smell and his vision is poor, he takes long time to inquire.
I used Sepia and 2 Kuretake brush pens on old paper.

Indian sweets.

One of the evenings was highlighted by spending time together and eating Indian food. We got sweets too, I didn't remember the names, but it was delicious and had interesting sauces. I used dishes with printed Toulouse Lautrec drawings, so vibrant colors and unusual taste created wonderful atmosphere.
I used Sepia ink and Kuretake brush pens. I was so busy last week, could not finish this drawing, so kept adding color in small portions and almost burned finished drawing, the last second I poured water on it. That was funny. This paper doesn't work well with fire.

Ordinary day.

Ordinary day in Sepia ink,  few Kuretake brushes and lots of water.

Chinese food.

Our local Chinese restaurant. Recorded one fun evening together after tiring day of planning and brainstorming. We went to 3 places to get different food for each of us (cranky us) and got dessert in Turkish store. I used sepia ink, 2 Kuretake brushes and 3 languages: English, Chinese and Russian.

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?

Waiting in the car in autumn shoes.

I did this sketch in moleskine with ink, without preliminary pencil lines, freezing in a cold car, in double parking, in thin shoes,  for 15-20 minutes.

Portrait.

I played with 2 inks and few Kuretake pens, used white pen a little bit, wrote "be happy" in shaky half dissolved letters (I love puddles), and now I deserve breakfast.