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.

Sketching Upstate.

The weekend Upstate turned into learning and reading sessions. Had to be quick, before the dusk made everything black. Used this flat brush the most. Paper allows lots of water, but drying makes me impatient. 

I drew from the car, because I forgot the chair home. Was not sure that it is not private property. The farm, which we call "Children of the corn farm", after a scary movie, was across the road.

Far away young cattle was relaxing, black cows, but one young bull kept coming towards me and yelling, scaring me and echo was even more threatening. I was trying to capture big relationships of sky, ground and water, and different greens. Funny, I always include so much in composition, that it is hard to get to details and still I can't be satisfied with the result, I want it more simple or something more detailed. May be this why I felt the need to use a pen. 

Interesting, that this watercolor had a big respond on Facebook. Next time I want to paint sky wet-on-wet and be braver with it.

Mural in 3 days.

I had a task to complete mural in 3 days. Day 1.

In front will be furniture and on the sides bookcase and another hutch on the left.

Detail. The panoramic picture doesn't show the true color. Everyone is happy except me. I would still continue to work on it, but can't.

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.

Forth of July weekend.

I felt I overworked it a bit. Zeta sketchbook by Stillman & Birn, vintage Rembrandt watercolors, hot weather, Hunter Lake.

Flowers.

Wonderful day.

I miss drawing so much, that managed to draw in traffic coming back from the country. Just to hold the pencil is a happy moment.

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

New Jersey.

I took this new sketchbook to a family event, hoping that I can steal a minute or 2 for people sketching. It has toned paper, which I wanted to try. So end up drawing a little lake with kitschy swan pedaling boats, while other members of the family and friends took a stroll around. I joined them later for a walk and was really embarrassed by the compliments and their interest in my little sketch.  So I was invited to visit extended family in further state (9 hours of driving) with ink, paper and easel, to exchange  drawing for a good lunch.

Central Park.

Central Park, right in the middle of Manhattan, a little piece of nature for exhausted stressed New Yorkers to stare on the reflection in the water, to unwind, to calm down and may be, to dream.
Me too. Was hoping that anxiety will let go, but, when the process is over, this piece of paper with ink does nothing. I used ink and Kuretake on Winsor and Newton paper.
A little bit of serotonin will be helpful.

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.

Beautiful today, August 7.

Awaken as usual by my elderly cat Chuck, I wandered around till I saw the sun rising, and it was so beautiful. Inhuman beauty. We were looking at each other, sun and I, nothing else existed.

Fierce beauty. It is all around us, we just have to stop and notice. We don't have to live as "expected by society".  Urge to live, urge to draw.

Morning sun in the kitchen.

Early morning.

I don't have time or decision about how to finish a small drawing with cherries, so took a camera to appreciate the beauty of the day.

Sun is coming into the kitchen. Here Chuck who doesn't let us sleep, he is 17 and a half and his favorite thing is eating and screaming like an elephant, preferably during the night.

Blue morning.

So much blue in this photo. My mood is blue too. Does it look like water is falling a little bit? Over there, where canal is, that boats are falling too, not on the same level.
 I don't draw much. And its only makes it more blue.

It was a big race in BK on Saturday, was hard to maneuver getting around by car to pick our favorite bagels.

Song I like, I have it for a long time on my Ipod, but saw it again remixed somewhere.

Koop Koop Island Blues

42

Manhattan, no matter how many times I draw it, gives me inspiration and I am never bored there. Rhythm of buildings, rhythm of trees, people's legs, shadows from legs and street signs, rhythm of circles (green Subway balls, bus signs, street lamps) creating a symphony of city life, so interesting for artistic eye.
I used ink and Kuretake on Fabriano Artistico.

Rainy day.

Sitting in the car on that wet day, waiting to get in contact with my friend's daughter from Moscow gave me some "slow" time to sketch and think. So I was thinking of a beauty of that grey day, about people with umbrellas, leading their unknown lives, about not knowing, but guessing, being quick of judgment and being judged, being mistaken, being fooled by the surface, being strong to exercise kindness, staying connected, not to be afraid.
I used ink and Kuretake on Arches hot press paper from the pad. Not easy to move ink on that paper.

One of those days.

I like color of the mountains, reminds me stone. I can't finish a single drawing, wrapped up in everyday's obligations, responsibilities, promises, running around, bumping into people. From today I cherish one minute on the balcony, looking at the grey ocean with white waves, feeling how fresh and delicious air is and the moment when we were doing spicy mayo with Sriracha, waiting for sushi to come.

It was pretty interesting to see seagulls from their backs, below me.

Photo. Morning sun.

Spectacular view. Made my heart beat faster. Can't wait to start sketching it one day.

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.

Aftermath Sandy.

This is Brooklyn street, the way I saw it one evening, when I went to walk my little dog, empty, dark, abandoned, sliced by headlights  of cars occasionally passing by, with glistening mud and broken glass under my feet. It use to be full of life and lit up in the evening, with dogs barking and people chatting on the porches. It was flooded by hurricane Sandy.
Sorry, if it looks too abstract. I wanted to show it broken in pieces of light and dark, with fear and uncertainty I felt at a moment.
I used ink, Kuretake pens and salt on Fabriano Artistico paper.

Fire truck in Brooklyn.

Sometimes life could be scary and bring painful thoughts, and seems, no way back to joyful and care free moments, but simple things like glimpse of bright red truck in a dusk or promise to have pizza Di Fara together next week may light up a small flame of hope.
I used ink and Kuretake brush pens on Arches paper, I really like this paper, it is thinner than my previous Winsor & Newton and Saunders Waterford, but ink flows easier and sinks deeper.
 I wish I could remember the exact name, to get more of it.

Brooklyn, Pioneer street.

Street in Brooklyn, I liked combination of street signs, wires and bits of architecture, I felt the music, meaning music lines above my head. Somehow it all felt connected trough the music cords. I added touches of red to the scene, may be because it was the main motif. I used ink and Kuretake pens on really fancy paper.