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.

I got flowers.

I got flowers for March 8. I love Hyacinth, they smell so nice, so strong. Here is a painting I am doing for someone. It is far from being done. I will need some hint of wings. The cat died, so early, young, he was loved very much. 

I got myself some art materials to brighten up my day 

and start using it right away. Brush turned to be a bit too 

soft  for my liking, but inks are gorgeous.

Early morning sketch Upstate.

Was exploring shades of white and had fun mixing my pens and pencils early in the morning, around 6 am.

I used Wink of Stella pen by Kuretake, so the white is sparkling, but photo doesn't show it.

Cool bracelet is our future Iphone?

Interesting idea to use your skin instead of handheld.

Amazing bracelet!

Everyday is something exiting about life.  Yesterday saw a program on TV about dogs able to detect cancer cells at the very beginning of deadly disease. Dogs, able to feel level of blood sugar and worn people before it become too dangerous.

This how we do it.

 Lucy and I. Working progress.

Sketching with Rembrandt watercolors.

Trying not to get lost in detailing, but keep big relationships alive. Hard, I think, I cover too much of a previous layer. Need more thinking and control.

Here worked mostly with 2 flat brushes, but, I guess, the subject was not right, should look for open landscape next time. It was a good time spent, wine, listening to music on Pandora,  conversation with the friend, good food, but my drawing suffered. I used Zeta sketchbook and felt like I am not using it to the full potential, leaving more paper exposed and not enough experimenting. 

Quick sketch in Zeta sketchbook, with beer and old squirrel brush.

Quick sketch before the dusk. Used big old flat squirrel brush in Zeta sketchbook, it got dark momentarily, but at least I didn't finish my beer with lemon and and a friend was still singing and playing guitar near the fire.

Another one from my daughter's balcony, also using this big brush and a bit of an outliner from my last butch of pens from JetPens. Mountains different every time I look at them. Magic.

Very rainy but not a bad day.

Today, April 30 , was my Birthday, and I was planning to draw, but spent only five minutes on outlining greek sausage in pita and the rest of the day listening to rain, virtual communication, overeating cake and thinking about composition with horses. 

Night job: glazed wall and placing letters on it.

Letters attached, half a job done.

Winter in my soul or overpass in Sheepshead Bay.

This winter was impossibly too long and too freezing, but aesthetically white made regular urban scenes very appealing and less ordinary. I used ink and Kuretake.

Here is my memo for making your own ringtones for iPhone.
I made a few from the songs I like, because it is annoying that everybody have the same sounds. I like to have special ring for the people I love. And searching online I didn't find the full and easy tutorial covering all problems, so combined a few into an easy explanation for myself. :D

Georgian Bread.

It was small place on Neptune Ave where we use to buy hot long bread and "hachapuri" (flat bread with cheese inside) made in clay oven/tandoori (but with different name). On the way home half of the freshly baked bread from the brown paper bag was eaten, shared. So delicious. Now it turned into a small restaurant with Georgian cuisine. Sometimes they sell "kupati", sort of like Italian sausages but with roughly chopped meat and amazing herbs and spices.

Drawings of me in my first art school.

I was searching for stencil and stumbled upon couple of drawings of me by my peers in my first art school. We drew all the time and this time we were posing for each other. This drawing by Andrew, he lives now in Germany, pretty successful painter.

Here I was drawn by the other boy, Alexander, who is now also pretty well known artist in NY and Germany. :)

I love America!

I love America! Rushing to do errands, I forgot my sketchbook at home, taking with me only one pencil, mechanical Faber-Castell.
In a process,  facing half an hour or more of the waiting time in the Nail Salon, I realized, I need piece of paper, or sketchbook, Asap.
And I got one in the store, I was in, it was the only one and very interesting sketchbook among bunch of ruled notebooks.

After that I went to a concert in the City and drew on the Subway and afterwards sketched musicians. Really charming sketchbook with toned paper.

Only in America you can get what you want the second you need it and the quality which could exceed your expectations. :)

Horse.

Near Central Park, not far from the big Apple store, lots of horses with carriages, lined up, waiting to entertain New York tourists. So vulnerable among cars, so beautiful.
While drawing, I was enjoying their smell, reminding me my youth,  my deep secret weekly adventure, my once a week cutting classes, going on a train, than bus to the country, than riding horses in the forrest, in jockey position, almost standing, with the wind in my hair,  cigarette between my fingers, laughing with my friend, galloping wildly... Late in the evening, almost at night, coming back, trying to hide from my father, smelling my fingers, smiling, than reading poetry (Ahmatova, Mandelshtam,  Block, Baudelaire,  Pasternac, Apollinaire,  Zabolotsky, Annensky, Tcvetaeva), almost till the morning, so next day I will go to art school with my legs hurting from my wild secret adventure, no one knew about.

Sketching with watercolor.

On Sunday morning we got Maggie's breakfast from Krooked cafe in Tannersville, the best breakfast in the world. Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, a little bit of home fries, salad and few slices of fruits.

Sketched on the porch  with watercolors while waiting.  Struggled with small water brush, wishing I'll have my regular brushes with me.

We had a little sketch crawl afternoon. Lake was beautiful and all sad thoughts vanished for a while.

Here is my sketch. Really need to carry with me bigger brushes.

Sketching in the City.

I am trying to use my time wisely, (not literally, or I would be studying law now or nursing), but to register things and images around me and unpleasant trip to a dentist turned into a little adventure. This carousel in Bryant Park caught my attention and I wanted to sit and draw, but too many people here during the lunch time, so I just took a pic.

Drew people on the way, using Blackwing pencil and bits of ink.

Here used watercolor pencil, Faber-Castell,  and a bit of colored pencil.

Stole few minutes near Central Park on the way of meeting someone. I think, I am gonna do drawing in ink here, I liked composition. It was that part of the City where horses gathered, tourists spot. I love horses smell, reminds me my horse back riding years, my youth, my fun.
This raw sketches gave me material to think about, compositions and boost of positive energy.

Mani-pedi.

Sketch in the salon and my new adorable tool from Goulet.  New ink, Noodler's Rome Burning in Gamma sketchbook.

And

New tool and new ink from Goulet Pens. So far I am in love.

Apple dumplings.

We decide to order Apple dumplings, (whole apple baked into dough), which we didn't do for years, even we loved them and use to order pretty often in past, in good times, when we had house full of friends. People knew my name in the bakery, remembered me, laughed when I asked, pretty pretty please! They don't bake it if not ordered.  I came to pick up in the old place and they are not there anymore. So I found them in the new location, they said they are there for at list 3 years, if not more.
I still shared with friends, sent some to one friend's home, brought in for a sick friend, invited a new friend.  Not because I am too kind, but because it extend the pleasure. Fun.
Especially fun to draw it. I used ink and Kuretake pens. Could not find my fat white pencil for the powder, so used white pen.

Song to go with by Raphael Gualazzi, remixed.

Uneasy day.

Being bullied by consequences of my attempts to do renovation, fighting aggravation and high blood pressure, I am using hours of insomnia to surf the web and look and learn.

Running into Andrew Wyeth and, probably, getting his book with sketches.

I really enjoy this E-recipes site with clever designs and delicious ideas, hoping one day to be free enough to try it.

Eggs Benedict from Krooked Cafe in Tannersville.

The days we get breakfast from Maggie, Krooked cafe, usually remembered as happiest. She cooks with sun and love, she adds bits of samples of other food, home fried potatoes, salad leaves and fresh fruits. Her famous pancakes never the same, different spice or twist in flavor, combination of baked and fresh berries, dollop of maple syrup from local places. I heard she went to France to get experience.  She knew my name when I use to call to preorder, so sweet, we drove to her sometimes in PJ pants, listening to loud music, happy, laughing, thankful, drugged plastic boxes home and enjoyed Gargantuan breakfast.
This time too.  Was a bit chilly, but we eat outside and stared at the mountains.
I used ink, Kuretake pens on Winsor and Newton paper and, you won' believe it, Sharpie highlighter. I used 3 languages.

2 new Stillman & Birn sketchbooks!

I got a present from Stillman & Birn, 2 hardbound sketchbooks Delta and Beta. Yippee! Thank you very much, Michael!
Paper is so good, that I can draw on both sides with multiple washes and nothing comes through.
Delta is so pretty with ivory color paper, my favorite french ink would look so good on it. And Beta is white and thick, color would be singing. On Beta printed charming drawing by Jan Blencowe in mixed media: watercolor, ink and gouache. Blue bottle playing with framing blues at the edges of sleeve, stunning combination.
On Delta play of greens and colorful watercolor of fish by Jeanne Forsyth. I think it is a great idea to put artist's work on the sketchbook sleeve. Inspiring. On public I like to remove it, leaving the sketchbook black and less noticeable. This sketchbooks just perfect.