sketches

Day two hundred and seventy-six: No fancy or artful attempt tonight. Just a happy doodle to express a heartwarming discovery. I made it back to Philadelphia on a Monday a couple of hours earlier than I would have gotten home from work. Made a grocery run, and then decided I had the time to try out the new pasta machine I brought back with me. Then I made a hearty batch of my favorite sausage and fennel pasta recipe, using the linguine I cranked out. There are several steps before the machine, and again before the dinner bowl, but I think you get the idea. I have plenty of leftovers to pack in my lunches this week. Simple joys. (P.s. Caprica is a big fan of pasta too!)

Day two hundred and seventy-four: It’s a beautiful Autumn weekend in Minnesota! Inspired by the changing leaves, I wanted to capture a sense of the season. However, I forgot that I wouldn’t have the medium settings I usually use — like watercolor — to create my study. So instead I indulged in some of the SketchBook Pro app’s special brushes on the iPad. The drawing you see here, made with my fingertips, uses several special effects built into the program. I did my best to thwart the repetitive nature of the computerized brush strokes to create the impression of a fine Fall afternoon, entirely from my imagination.

Day two hundred and seventy-two: Usually I refer to my drawings as sketches because I don’t consider them finished. This one, however, is VERY sketchy. I chose the French chateau, Chenonceau, as my subject, but then realized I didn’t want to spend the time necessary to make a polished image of the bridge-like palace. I decided to restrict myself to working with broad strokes of color to set down the shapes, and then fill in a few details, without a lot of concern for accuracy. It was a lot of fun to work quickly, and play with the colors. I especially enjoyed creating the dusky and heavy clouds that formed the backdrop to the view. And in the end, my picture still looks quite a bit like the magical castle that is Chenonceau.

Day two hundred and seventy: Costa Rica photos are a great source of subject matter. I looked at several in my travel stash before I selected one of an osprey launching from a bare branch. A very lucky snap of the shutter! As I studied each candidate (a landscape, a great heron, a mangrove swallow) I contemplated how I might draw it, what medium I would use, and how I might alter the composition. It was the giant wing of this magnificent bird that finally inspired me to put my digital pencil to the pad, and it was a joy to find myself able to easily lay down its outline. I almost left it at that! But I’m glad I filled in the body and feathers, and gave the bird a real sense of flight.