Every Day in May: Day 15 – Drawing for Myself – WIP 2

5" x 7" india ink and wash

Here’s the second day of work with this drawing I started yesterday.  I’m using india ink instead of just using the gray markers I’ve been using.   I inked the sketch with a brush instead of a pen.  Now I wish I had used a dip pen.  But there will be other opportunities.  It’s coming together.  I’ll work on it more tomorrow.

Ink and Watercolor Wash: Back to Sketching

I had been neglecting my sketchbook so I got out my dip pen and did a bunch of sketches.   The best of the bunch is this cartoon of my husband.  I found a picture that I had taken of him more than ten years ago and took a few liberties with it.  I applied an indigo watercolor wash because coolness of the color seemed to match his expression.

It felt so good to just let go and not worry about the outcome or even finishing the thing. Coming back to my sketchbook is a lot like coming home after a long trip spent in too many hotel rooms.

ATCs: Baby Girl

2.5" x 3.5" pen and markers

I just finished this card I did for a monthly trade on Atcsforall.com.  We’re assigned a partner and make a card they might like based on information they provide in a profile.  This drawing is of my partner’s granddaughter.

I think I did okay here.  I was trying to capture a sense of innocence in the eyes.  It’s hard to do.  When I’ve tried before the poor kids in the drawings just look surprised or startled.

Working on these cards really helps me sort out drawing problems.  The white of the paper is so less intimidating when it’s the size of a baseball card, and I find that I don’t feel so bad about chucking a piece or “wasting” media when I’m working on them.

What I love the most is the feedback that I get from the people I trade with.  It feels so good to know that you’ve made something that people cherish.

Portrait Swap with Cindy Gray

portrait of artist Cindy Gray

I completed another portrait swap.  This time with artist Cindy Gray.  I met Cindy through Blog Catalog and she suggested that we do a swap.  I was thrilled!  I had a lot of fun doing a swap with Ujwala so I jumped at the chance to do another swap.  You can read about our swap on her blog Draw the Line.  That swap was an artist trading card exchange.  Swapping with Cindy gave me a chance to work larger. 

Here is Cindy’s portrait of me.  Wow!

A portrait of Mellanie Collins by artist Cindy Gray

Cindy does lovely work.  Do click on the image to see it in more detail.  She works digitally, then prints it on canvas.  After the canvas is stretched and breathes a bit, she applies acrylic paint to build up texture.  You can read about her process here.  Check out her portfolio as well.

Thanks Cindy for a great experience.  Your portrait is in the mail.

ATCs on Request: Black Panther

2.5"x3.5" pen, markers, watercolor

I’ve been feeling rather stunned for the past few days.  I’ll blame it on all the financial turbulence.  I’m having trouble writing, but since this is a drawing blog, why don’t I just post a drawing?  I’ve not been drawing much this week, so I’ll just post  one of the cards I made not long ago.  I did this card by request.  I think I worked hard on this card than any other I have made.  I don’t like everything about it, but I am proud of the way the eyes turned out.   

Taking a Break

My husband is on vacation and so I’m taking a bit of a break.   I’ll be back in a couple of  weeks.  Thanks everyone for all of your kind comments.  I’m always so thrilled that people take the time to tell me what they think about my drawing.    It’s boosted my confidence so much.   Take care and see you soon.

Mysterious Ladies

His Ex

40s Beauty

Here are two of my favorite artist trading cards from the stack I made last week. I’ve been making custom cards and drawing cards for themed swaps, but these I made just for fun. I traded the 40s Beauty on the right, but I’ve decided to keep the one on the left. I’m still admiring the job I did on the hair. I’m getting a lot of mileage out of my three gray Copic markers. I am starting to feel a little tight and cramped drawing these miniatures though. It’s time to take a break and do some larger things.

Another big project for me last week was organizing my blog list. I just put all of my blogs on Google reader and found that I am trying to follow 55 blogs! How did that happen? Fortunately it’s summer and most people aren’t blogging as often. But what am I going to do once all the vacations are over?! I’ve tried to reduce the number, but as soon as I drop one, I find another two to add. *lays head on desk*

A Quick Portrait Sketch

Here’s a sketch of my husband Michael doing his duty as model. He’s such a good sport. I didn’t even have to add an obligation to model in the marriage vows. He just sees the pen and submits. In this sketch he is ignoring me and reading his book.

Drawing Him Drawing

This morning Michael and I were talking about old trucks and he started to draw one from memory. I whipped out my pen and drew him drawing the truck. It’s really hard to draw someone’s moving hand, but I managed.

Back to Sketching

The other day I was waiting for the library to open and there was quite a crowd of people waiting with me. I grabbed a pen and sketched frantically, trying to draw as many people as I could before the doors opened. It was wonderful to just draw without a plan and not care about how the drawing would look and where it might go.

I’ve been spending a lot of my free time making my artist trading cards and I realized that I have really missed sketching. I forgot how relaxing it is. How could I forget that?