Main Street

 

I love the timeless feel of a fountain pen gliding across handmade paper! TWSBIs are my absolute favorite fountain pens, piston loaded with inks of my choice, the ink flows smoothly - no matter how long it's been since I've used them.  I have many pens, and these are the only ones that don't fail me in the field.  Painting number 4691 in 4691 days.

Weaving her Nest

 The second day's prompt from Inktober is "weave", so I'm sketching Betsy on the best, which she's woven for herself.  We have 11 chickens, and they all Leo in the same nest, until today!  Five eggs ended up in this nest, and two on the nest farthest from this one! It's the first time we've gotten 7 eggs in one day! So exciting!  And Betsy is a favorite, who is the first to jump on my lap, and loves being showered with attention!  She's a Calico Princess - and she certainly lives up to the name!  I plan to fill 31 pages of this new sketch book with Inktober prompts involving my chickens!  Painting number 4648 in 4648 days. 

Calico Princess Inked

 

My chickens went in before I finished this sketch, and they wouldn't even come out for treats!  This pretty chicken laid her first pink egg yesterday, and her "sister" laid one today!  I only had time for a drawing today, but I hope to paint her in oil one day soon!  Painting number 4626 in 4626 days. 

Damiyr at Yoga Bliss

Not available 

Yoga Bliss was such an amazing retreat weekend, I can hardly touch the surface of what it embodied.  Damiyr played at one of the concerts during that event, and his music was so powerful and heartfelt.  It was my pleasure to capture the moment in pen and ink. Painting number 4608 in 4608 days. 

Wild Turkeys Inked

 

How often do I get to sketch wild turkeys in my sketchbook?!! These sweet birds make their daily journey down and up the mountain, walking right beside the cabin.  These were quite young, not nearly as filled out as the big ones. They are very tame here, almost as if they have no predators. I bet I won't see them on the banks of Lake Erie! Painting number 4573 in 4573 days. 

Overlook Chapel View

 

What a peaceful and serene view to sketch from near the Overlook Chapel!  This is the kind of view one could look at forever, and never tire of.  I chose this vintage journal for my pen and ink sketch walk today.  Longing for that timeless feel, this page could have been drawn 100 years ago.  These mountains are timeless, as the many souls who have stood in this place taking in the beauty. Perhaps they sketched here, or shared a prayer of gratitude, as I do this day.  There are so many priceless things in this life, and this moment is one of them. Painting number 4569 in 4569 days. 

Ponderosa Pines Sketch

 

I LOVE using pen and ink to capture these ponderosa pines - especially in such a cool, vintage sketchbook!  I found this in an artisan flee market in Arizona several years ago.  I have dedicated the whole thing to pen and ink work exclusively.  These pines are iconic to this part of the Rocky Mountains, so I am immortalizing the ones outside my cabin to this page.  I love the sweet fragrance they emit as I sit on the front porch sketching!  Painting number 4553 in 4553 days. 

Turkey Trot

Right on cue, the wild turkeys started their single file march up Emerald Mountain as we arrived at our cabin near sunset. These turkeys march down in the mornings to the stable, and up at night to roost. I thought the late comer at the end might just jump up on the porch as he eyed me curiously!  First sketch in my travel journal in Estes Park! I'm the Artist in Residence for the next three weeks!  Come see me if you're in the area!  Painting number 4545 in 4545 days. 

Cataract Falls Inked

 

I love working on my pen and ink waterfall skills in my travel sketchbook! Cataract Falls is so inspiring, and a challenge in black and white.  This paper is rough and resistant to my Pitt pens .5 and larger, but the. 1 seems to glide normally.  So, I lightly sketch in the shapes, going back with my fountain pen.  I darkened the darks with that pen and added a little water to add depth.  Mike is walking towards Alan, Gus and Quinn as they look into the mesmerizing water.  What a great day to capture in my sketchbook.  Painting number 5131 in 5131 days. 

Peter and Etta Koch House - Inked

I am using a brand new piece of artisan handmade, hand-dyed paper for this pen and ink drawing. Sketching the historic Peter and Etta Koch home (also know as the Livingston home) at Hot Springs, Texas, is a super fun adventure!  The paper is a little resistant, and when the ink gets wet it spreads out and weakens in strength more than usual.  So, I am going over my lines multiple times and even pulling out my India ink for those darkest darks.  Each package of hand tied paper comes with a photo of the artist and a printed memo about them.  It's interesting to read their story and I like supporting another artist.  I like the lighter color of this paper compared to my others. I wonder how it will accept watercolor?  I'll have to try that another day!  Painting number 5118 in 5118 days. 

The Window Trail

My very first time to visit this part of Texas has me sketching near the visitor center at the Big Bend National Park, as we watch Kirby and Casper on the Window small loop trail.  Michaela and Cooper are in the longer trail as the little ones explore every rock and road runner!  Keeping them close is no small feat, so my sketch is brief in pen and ink.  I'll come back in with the adventures of this day - and they were many!  I would not have imagined it would be in the 90s when it's only in the 20s at home!  I do love going south in February!  Painting number 5095 in 5095 days.

Cardinal Family

We often have cardinals nesting on the grounds, sometimes even by the front porch. When they are so close, I just can't resist painting them as they tend their little ones!  I've chosen pen and ink for this study on handmade paper - and I like the vintage feel of it!  Maybe I should do more of these studies in black and white.  Painting number 5087 in 5087 days. 

Wishing Trees

 

Wishing Tree ink by Diamine is a lovely, winter day hue that pushes pink and turquoise in those wet areas!  It's perfect for the winter landscape, and I thought it lacked star power in the bottle.  I am constantly surprised when playing with fountain pen inks.  There have been a couple I thought would be excellent, but paled in comparison with this seemingly blah gray.  In fact, this is the first gray ink that has ever made am impression on me!  I'm looking forward to more interactions with this chromatic gray ink!  Painting number 5077 in 5077 days. 

Noble Fir Woods

This lovely, almost cad green hue is Diamine's Noble Fir ink from day 3 of their Inkvent Calendar.  It shows a little chroma as it bleeds into wet masses, and a glass dip pen adds a darker layer while still damp.  I want to walk along the bank of this water, exploring further into these woods.  There is so much depth that can be achieved with one ink and a miniature ATC sized paper. Now, we're off to a game of Spades at Mom's tonight!  Painting number 5057 in 5057 days. 

January Cedar

 

To add watercolor, or not, it's my afternoon quandary.  My inclination was to leave it at pen and ink, but there is a little voice nudging me to add the color.  I'm beginning a brand new sketchbook and taking advantage of the warmest day in the foreseeable future (after helping Micheal touch up a few spots in the apartment he's moving out of and finishing a few errands). A big snow, 8 to 12 inches, is expected Sunday!  The leather journal accepts the ink well on it's butter soft paper, and I'm beginning with a few thoughts and wants for the new year.  With this sketch I'm ticking off a couple of boxes - spend more time in the woods and journal more.  I'm looking forward to watching these new pages emerge through the coming months!  Painting number 5056 in 5056 days. 

Michaela and Casper

I normally do this type of drawing in graphite on Bristol, but I've chosen ink and handmade paper instead.  I use ink so much now that it seems a natural choice, though it was a bit of a challenge.  I started this years ago, and did not feel it was complete, so I left it unfinished.  This is something I almost never do, and it felt brand new to return to it.  It was much easier to finish now,  and I could see what was needed.  I feel so happy to have finally finished this, and love that it will now have a new home.  Painting number 5052 in 5052 days. 

Lullaby Skier

 

Another cool ink from Diamine - Lullaby is a dreamy, pink ink!  I'm looking forward to exploring all that it can do - when I have more time, lol!  I'm using scrap pieces of watercolor that I really don't care for, which is why I've cut them down to experiment with!  Ever frugal, I don't waste anything, so I power through the 140lb cold pressed paper.  This pink is lovely, and an unlikely landscape color, but I like it anyway!  Who says all my colors must be based on realism?  I've worked hard for that artistic license!  Painting number 5046 in 5046 days. 

Marley Woods

 

Marley a moody, chromatic ink with a sepia vintage feel to it.  This is another of Diamine's inks that I will  explore further in the winter months!  SO many ideas, so little time! This is a miniature paper at ATC size, and a dip pen and a little water is all I need to make the magic happen.  I spent most of the day outside, working on my Christmas cards - and it was GORGEOUS out there!  How many Decembers have I been able to do that?!!  The icing on the cake was a visit with my a Aunt Gladys, Uncle Clayton and cousin Carla with Danny and the boys, topped off with a game of Spades to finish the day!  What a great day!  Painting number 5043 in 5043 days. 

Forest Gateau Rider

Forest Gateau is the 4th ink from this year's Diamine Inkvent Calendar, and it's rich and decadent.  The surprise sweet treat is that this ink is scented, and smells just like the cake!  Into this miniature landscape I've penned in a horse and rider with a glass dip pen. I keep meaning to try out a little bleach when dry, but I never remember.  I wonder what would happen if I try that on the wet painting?  So many ideas, too few hours in each day.  Painting number 5029 in 5029 days. 

Noble Fir

This lovely green ink is day 3 of the Diamine Inkvent Calendar. Working on a wet sky mass, I dropped the ink loosely into tree shapes.  As that dried, I added more ink for the foreground trees and water.  Leaving the bank white to represent snow, I love the contrast between them.  I did think of trying out bleach on this one, but forgot all about it.  Perhaps I'll try another to see what the reaction is.  I love these little presents to open each day in December!  Painting number in days.