Wednesday, January 30, 2013


'the unbearable lightness of being' ~ sumi ink and watercolors in stillman and birn 'gamma', 4 x 6

i've been playing around with all kinds of stuff lately.  i mess around with something for a few days, then off i go again.  i've tried colored pencils on just about every surface i can think of, including yupo (very cool for faces, but tricky), and i recently ordered matte dura-lar so i can give it a whirl.  i also bought the arches drawing pad that's farther down the post.   i'm curious about many things these days!

since i just bought the dura-lar and arches pad, i was feeling pretty satiated - until yesterday while waiting for my dh to check out at barnes and noble that is...


that's when i spotted these brightly colored, hardcover moleskines - 2 1/2" x 4". i held one up to him with a look that said "can you believe the sweetness of this?"  he gave me an answering look that said, "i don't see how you'll be able to live without one, lynnie..."

colored pencils and graphite in tiny moleskine

it's the perfect little book for my purse...


in early january i bought this book, and it's largely responsible for  my current fascination with colored pencils.  of course i've always loved them, but seeing what the author and other colored pencil artists are doing with them now has me seeing them in a whole new light - it's way way beyond what you usually think of when you think colored pencils.  and to top it off, she does all of the illustrations in this book with 20 faber-castell polychromos pencils.  yeah, 20 colors...    it's an excellent book that's got me thinking about everything from color theory to perspective...

albrecht durer watercolor pencils, colored pencils and graphite in my daily book

an example of me practicing drawing accurately.  what i'd like to be able to do is draw flowers, lichen, etc. more or less accurately when i'm out walking.  otherwise, drawing *anything* accurately holds no appeal for me...  and i can only take so much of at one time no matter what, lol.  i have to draw at least one face for every realistic drawing i attempt.

albrecht durer watercolor pencils, colored pencils and graphite in my daily book

since there aren't any flowers blooming now, i've practiced drawing things like an old tooth that i found and an acorn.

this daily book is different from others i've filled lately because it has no pogo prints in it.  my pogo printer quit working, and i haven't decided how to do the picture thing since.  it was so easy with the pogo prints!   also i wanted to see how i liked a book with very few or no photos...  i thought it might be nice.  but i'm still not sure.


this arrived in the mail yesterday and i'm so in love with it that i had to include it in this post.  when i saw these pads advertised at blick i immediately  wanted one.  123# cream cotton drawing paper?!  my drawing heart was practically beating out of my chest!!


and it is pure, pure joy to draw and color on...    it's soft, yet it seems to literally grab the graphite or pigment from the pencil.  i imagine that charcoal would be a dream on it.

colored pencils, albrecht durer watercolor pencils and graphite on arches cream drawing paper

so you can see the texture,  and a little more of how colored pencils and watercolors look on it.
the white prismacolor pencil is so gorgeous on it!  and graphite just sings...  you really can't tell from these pictures how beautiful this paper is.


she's pretty rigid, isn't she?  i drew/colored her while i was waiting at the dentist's office yesterday.   i felt a lot like she looks...    

pentel .07 mechanical pencil and cretacolor 8B pencil

the stars of my show...    this is a new mechanical pencil for me; the one that i'd been drawing with for 6 years broke in early november, and  it is not an exaggeration to say that i was deeply saddened by its passing...  i'll spare you the hand wringing that i went through in the following weeks and just skip ahead to now.  if possible, i love this pencil even more than my old one...


my feet just after taking the pencil pic; they were starting to get cold!  so that's the end of the post...   : )

* * *

The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without the work.

~ Emile Zola (via tumblr)

36 comments:

  1. I loved reading your post! It's heartwarming to read about your love for drawing and everything that goes with it. (I recognize the feeling. Do I really need yet another moleskine...? ... another paperblock? Yes I do! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. fABULOUS POST LYNNE !
    ADORABLE PIECES OF ART!


    xxx Susi

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lynne I love how you try all of these new things...and tell us all about them.
    That little hardcover molesking is delightful!!! The ones I use are hardcover and have a lovely weight of paper within (I hope your little yellow one does too..it reminds me of a daffodil).
    What a treat the arches paperblock too. Doesnt it just make your heart sing these special art supplies.

    Have a happy week Lynne and will let you know how I go with the fluoro's (I dare say it will be with a great deal of trepidation...but I'm eager to play).

    Jacky xox

    ReplyDelete
  4. That Arches pad looks gorgeous and I love the little Moleskine! I have a bit of a habit of cutting my sketchbooks up when I finish them to 'edit' and re arrange the contents so I rarely buy really nice little ones, but I must treat myself to one one of the days to keep as it is when I've filled it up with drawings :)

    Funnily enough my Mum and I are really enjoying coloured pencils at the moment and I've been looking at various books about them, the one you posted about looks brilliant!

    More art books and art materials to add to my wishlist :D

    x

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Lynne, as always your post is so enjoyable. I relate to what you said about drawing accurately and I too have done some botanical/flowers in a journal that I made. You inspire me to get it out with the start of spring. And I'm making a note about the mechanical pencil cause I love them and just use the cheapest that can be found. Just might need a pentel. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  6. I get so excited after reading your posts! And I've been thinking lately - I need to draw more -only I'm with you on only lasting so long trying to 'render' a subject. It takes such concentration and I have to hold still for too long, lol. But flowers hold a great appeal, so I've ordered the book . . . .
    Thanks for all you share! And I love that golden yellow moleskin.
    xxoo

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am so happy to have found your blog and discovered your work through your kind comment on "Drawings from our hearts"... :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I ate your post for breakfast. Fabulous in every way possible...the sweet faces and the supplies...I am SO getting that paper! Thank you dear Lynne for always giving giving giving. Image imprinted in my brain is the sweet girl with the green shoe!!! I LOVE that drawing. Now I want to draw shoes. (and you have the cutest flip flop feet there in the snow).

    You know what? I bought that exact same tiny moleskin at B&N...but mine is a calendar for my purse and it's pink. I saw those little sketchbooks and thought...how in the world could you work that small? And there you have done it quite brilliantly! Can't imagine how sweet your little yellow book is going to be once it's filled with your soulful art.

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  9. Darn you! There you go making me want to buy more journals! hahaha! I really don't mind! I love your latest additions to your journal and wish I could be with you drawing and painting in my own! As always you inspire me!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lynne that first drawing of the girl, its SO soulful, the bird person too, wonderful. I love these new works.
    I like the oranges/reds too with the softer colors, somehow you balance them all out so they are just enough.
    xx
    julie

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lynne, I love that paper! And your little yellow book. I also love your passion :-). Drawings are lovely.
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  12. So much art supply love and goodness ! You play so weel with your toys, Lynne.
    Enjoy them !

    ReplyDelete
  13. looking at the pics of your daily book this morning filled me with joy and the need to draw and paint so i did and i'm coming back now to tell you that :) x

    ReplyDelete
  14. accurate is nice but sensitivity and soulfulness not everyone can do...and you do.

    ReplyDelete
  15. wonderful to take to heart all that you have shared. loved seeing your art in all it's details and colors, whimsy and actual.

    i like to walk in the snow, barefoot, a bit most days.... a bit of time that is ;-)

    cream paper is so wonderful
    as is the tiny sketchbook, mine is nearly full and it is perfect for in the purse!

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. I was looking at those colorful Moleskins recently! No, I didn't get one because I'm not disciplined enough to use sketchbooks... LOVE Arches paper and grab it when the price comes down :)

    Love, me

    ReplyDelete
  17. Flip flops in the snow - yikes!!
    I've just started my own 'drawing a day' pledge and it seems to have unlocked my creative heart again. Seeing your beautiful drawings in your lovely sketchbooks makes me want to draw even more!xx

    ReplyDelete
  18. I always travel with my trusty moleskine, I just love the word, but now I think I must get a mini to tuck away in my backpack. (I am way too young to carry a purse--only my mother and grands carried purses. Oh, yeah and my daughter, who tries to temp me stylish handbags, but I keep a tight grip on my backpack. I think it's a hold over from my feminist formative years.) Besides, you can get a boat-load of art supplies, snacks and other stuff in a backpack.
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  19. oh what a delightful post Lynne so many new treasures lol your hubby sounds devine lol i love your fish girls they always look like they are just passing through lol sort of saying Hi .... the creama paper wow a great find for sure , pencils are like old friends u get used to them being around so know what u mean ... u are so naughty out in the snow with thongs on (flip flops) i think u call them ... Zola is great ...
    hugz bev

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh for the love of paper and pencils, colored and everything in between. So many delightful characters are making themselves known I can see. I've seen that cream colored paper in person and agree, it's dream paper, I suspect heaven's walls are draped with it for when we pass we still must color and paint; it wouldn't be heaven after all if we couldn't do that. I had to smile when I read about your favorite pencil's demise. My DD just had the same thing happen and upon the discovery informed me that we MUST go to blick tonight in order to replace it immediately, since her world has stopped spinning since...so it's off to Blick we go into the cold, cold below zero air....what we artists don't do for the sake of our creativity. hmmmmmmmmm xxooxx

    ReplyDelete
  21. you make me me smile . i know how you feel about the pencil .i still have my pencil back to when we were drawing in pt on andrea's lawn .
    i have a panic attack if i can't find it ! the arches is sooo tempting .
    xxoo

    ReplyDelete
  22. I loved your little stiff girl you drew while waiting at the dentist office. Appropriate! Well, you often talk me into buying a book and now I think I may need Hollender's book. The cream cotton paper looks fabulous...of course your paintings and drawings would make regular notebook paper look good. And I'm adding that pencil to my list of things I need, too. Oh yes, I like your pages in the mini Moleskine...keep going with this.(I need one of those too...ha ha)

    ReplyDelete
  23. lol, my dh and i are giggling over the telepathy in the book store...
    and how did you get a picture of me in the dentist office or is it a doctors office... ??? ha anyone of those places... xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh...Lynne - wear at least some clogs in the snow! LOL! You have soooo many good ideas, now I'm digging around in my mind as to wear I put my tiny pink pocket sized moleskine that I drew in three times about three years ago! I've been looking for a mechanical pencil I can rely on so I'm going to try the pentel .07! Always my inspiration, girl!
    xoO

    ReplyDelete
  25. Lynne, your art brings me joy! I just wanted to let you know how much you inspire me. Every time I see your work, it makes me remember to just play and enjoy the process of creating!!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sigh.... another beautiful post. I read it this morning, and then told myself to go and create... and I have all day. Drawing little bits and pieces that are going to eventually be necklaces and pins...or that is what I think right now. Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  27. What a lovely blog and post. I was moved by your candid narrative on your process. My heart leaped when you spoke of the passing of your favourite pencil. I understand this so very well and guard a similar love; an old pair of small scissors, for cutting paper. I attached a large bell to them, so I could find them in my teaching bag, a few years back and when moving, I seriously pack them in my purse in a special hand sewn zipper bag. I'm pleased that you've found joy with your new mechanical pencil though. Your work is lovely and I'm happy I found your blog today. Thank you for sharing. Cheerio~

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Lynne! You've got a lot of interesting stuff to comment on here, so I feel I should number them so I don't seem so rambley (ha).
    1.I like your title 'the unbearable lightness of being'; sad book, though.
    2.thanks for bringing dura-lar to my attention. I've got lots of work on acetate, though, and so far haven't noticed it turning yellow...
    3.LOVE the teeny moleskine- and the picture you drew in it is so wonderful!
    4.It's good to practice drawing accurately at times. Besides being able to record what you see, a la
    Lewis & Clark, it makes your made-up drawings better- kind of like having more words in your vocabulary.
    5.I'm actually salivating a bit over that Arches drawing paper...
    oh, my!
    6. The girl in your picture looks exactly how I feel when I go to the dentist. But she's beautiful.
    7. Lots of love to you, Lynne, and big hugs.
    p.s. Geez, girl, put some shoes on before you go outside!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi, Lynne - How delightful to catch up with your recent 'messing about' as I finally get a chance for a leisurely visit in Blogland this evening.
    Your Pentel mech. pencil has a twin here in my pencil cup on the table beside me red chair where I do my daily drawings - I would be lost without it! xoo, sus

    ReplyDelete
  30. Oh Lynne, I love you, and I love your enthusiasm for nature, art and art supplies. I love your husband too, for that knowing look (mine would do the same). As always, love the ethereal souls that you create.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi Lynne,

    Glad to see that you have been extremely busy... Buying, THE MOST wonderful artists essentials.. Well that's what I tell my family, each time I buy something new and exciting..Essential to my work!!!

    The moleskin is perfect, yellow is a good colour, I've just been loaned and read an unusual book called 'The Yellow World' by a young Spanish chap.. Albert Espinosa a difficult but interesting read, don't buy it, get it from your library.. Expensive! And I'm not totally sure it's worth the £16.99 it costs.. So library is good.. You might get a lot more from it than me.. It's all in the reading...

    Sorry I digress.. Lost my train of thought completely..

    Yellow is a good colour at this time of year brightens up your day, each time you pick it up. Colour therapy always works for me.


    The 'Archers' paper is wonderful, and will pull up with a lot of messing about.. Love it..

    Have fun ~ Julie.

    *Note.. We are in the depths of winter.. Cold wet and grey..

    ReplyDelete
  32. Creating is so much fun and so evident in your work, which I adore. Such and inspiring post. :)

    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  33. Beautiful and inspiring art and post. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hi Lynne, I've been away from art for a long while. I have been volunteering and foster for the Baltimore City animal shelter and have gained a dog and 5 cats! Wanting to paint and sew has been creeping back into my mind and I thought of you and your blog. Thank you for the final push of inspiration! My friend, Dick Blick, and I are back on speaking/spending terms. Cyrus says "hello, can you dig it". <3, Joanie

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anyone who wears flip flops in the snow has to be a loving and free spirit. It certainly all comes out in your fascinating and wonderful art.
    I have to give the Arches a try but already love my moleskin to death.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Of course you had to have the little sunshine book :-)
    Lynne you make me smile ... a lot. I'm feeling the joy! Catching up with your posts is like taking a breath of fresh air. xoxo

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.