Category Archives: art journal

Boyd’s Beach, 1

Posted on October 4, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

Randy Boyd is letting me use some of his Laguna Beach *home home home* images for Inktober. It started out okay, then I tried adding colored inks to it. For some reason they got darker and more *aaack* until I … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, challenge, drawing, landscape, pen & ink, sketchbook | Tagged #inktober, Diamine Ink, Laguna Beach, Lamy Joy, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, Pacific Ocean, palm tree, palms, Pentalic Aqua Journal, Platinum Carbon pen, Randy Boyd, Super5 ink | 9 Comments

Jantzen Beach Carousel 3, Floral

Posted on October 3, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

One of my favorites, the Floral Horse! Jantzen Beach Carousel is a series, and this is the third in the set. (Below are links to others previously posted.) The many layers, above. Grisaille (pronunciation, taken from the French word for … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, architecture, art journal, commission, history, painting, pen & ink, process, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged #inktober, amusement park, architecture, commission, Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, Fineline Masking, floral horse, grisaille, grisaille underpainting, Holbein, horses, Jantzen Beach Carousel, Lamy Al-Star, M.Graham, Mason Monterey, Oregon, Pentalic HB woodless pencil, Pilot Parallel pen, Platinum Carbon pen, Portland, Primatek, QoR watercolors, Sennelier, virtual sketchwalk, watercolor, White Uniball Signo pen | 13 Comments

Bright Ideas: Inktober 2, Pa’s Glasses

Posted on October 2, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

How do I let go of family things that no one wants? Draw them! Bright Ideas multi-color journal, with Platinum Carbon pen with Platinum Carbon cartridges and Lamy Al-Star with De Atramentis Document black ink, White Uniball Signo pen, Fat … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, challenge, journal, memory, pen & ink, sketchbook, writing | Tagged #inktober, art journal, Bright Ideas journal, De Atramentis Document ink, glasses, grandpa, J. E. Landen Optometrist, Lamy Al-Star, Platinum Carbon pen, Portland Oregon, White Uniball Signo | 7 Comments

Bright Ideas: Inktober 1, Moneybelt

Posted on October 1, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

INKTOBER IS HERE! One of the two challenges I look forward to, this one is drawing every day. It is a great way to tone your drawing skills, play with texture in line-work. For all my love of color, I … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, challenge, journal, pen & ink, sketchbook | Tagged #inktober, art journal, belt, Bright Ideas journal, De Atramentis Document ink, Its only money, Lamy Al-Star, moneybelt, Platinum Carbon pen, Portland Oregon, rhinestone, White Uniball Signo | 6 Comments

Sammy in the Studio

Posted on September 30, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

Sammy in the upholstery studio… He even has his own chair, the Moon and Stars chair. Black cats are not easy to paint. Black on black on black… Pentalic Aqua Journal, Platinum Carbon pen with Platinum Carbon ink; Noodler’s Lexington … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, art journal, furniture, journal, making a living, memory, pen & ink, watercolor | Tagged art journal, Cat, Daniel Smith watercolors, Fineline masking fluid, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, MPF Conservation, Pentalic Aqua Journal, Pentalic HB woodless pencil, Platinum Carbon pen, Polar Brown Noodlers ink, Portland Urban Sketchers, Primatek, Sammy, tuxedo cat, upholstery studio, urban sketcher, Urban Sketchers Portland, USk, watercolor, White Uniball Signo | 32 Comments

Tools: Favorite Fountain Pens

Posted on September 25, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

NOTE: UPDATED 1/2018!With Inktober arriving in a week, pens are an appropriate tool to review! (BTW, yes I am doing the challenge — I love it — but I don’t use the prompts. I just draw every day in ink!) … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, creativity, pen & ink, tools | Tagged De Atramentis Document ink, Diamine Ancient Copper Ink, Fabriano Watercolor journal, Goulet nibs, Jinhao, Lamy Al-Star, Lamy Joy, Noodler's Ahab pen, Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Pilot Parallel pen, Platinum Carbon pen, Platinum Preppy pen, review, Super5 ink | 28 Comments

The car studio

Posted on September 24, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

Shari Blaukopf's Sketchbook How do I paint from my car? What does my setup look like? I’ve been promising this post for a long time and I finally found a photographer willing to take some quick photos of me sketching (well, … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal | 2 Comments

Days of Yore: Laguna Beach

Posted on September 23, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

I am homesick. Sketch from an old black and white photo from who-knows-where, looking East into the Laguna Hills, when they were pristine… With more news of fracking pollution approved to dump in our oceans, I am homesick for better … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, drawing, history, journal, landscape, memory, painting, pen & ink, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged architecture, art journal, Daniel Smith watercolors, eucalyptus, fire station, home, Laguna Beach, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, palms, Pentalic Aqua Journal, Pentalic HB woodless pencil, Platinum Carbon pen, Primatek, virtual sketchwalk, watercolor | 7 Comments

Birdhouse

Posted on September 15, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

(Image provided by Sharukh Bamboat: friend, tour guide, writer!) I thought it would be fun to show how the choice of an ink color can change-up your drawing. I keep a stash of good images (both mine and other folks) … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, drawing, painting, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged birdhouse, Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, Holbein, India, Pentalic Aqua Journal, Pentalic HB woodless pencil, Platinum Carbon pen, Primatek, Sennelier, Super5 ink, Vasai | 15 Comments

Sunflower Honeybee

Posted on September 14, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

(From an image by Cheryl KP, with permission) “Every artist dips [her] brush into [her] own soul and paints [her] own nature into [her] paintings.” Henry Ward Beecher I have been gifted by the Internet God/desses of Amazing Connections to … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, journal, pen & ink, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged bee, Daniel Smith watercolors, Holbein, honeybee, Pentalic Aqua Journal, Platinum Carbon pen, Sennelier, Sunflowers | 7 Comments

Working on Commission: How to Connect with a Subject

Posted on September 13, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

I am almost completed with my commitment to painting many of Oregon’s Most Endangered Places for Restore Oregon. They will auction the images at the Restoration Celebration dinner to raise monies to further the cause of restoration and saving pieces … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art, art journal, creativity, history, memory, painting, process | Tagged commission, connection, inspiration, process, Restore Oregon | 5 Comments

Creative Life

Posted on September 12, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

(Image by Dan Antion, with permission; his blog is No Facilities.) A dialogue with a friend yesterday about perfection in his painting (he is learning gouache) reminded me that perfection freezes us. Also, NO artist is objective about their work … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, creativity, landscape, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged Daniel Smith watercolors, fog, grisaille, grisaille underpainting, Holbein, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, morning, No Facilities, Pentalic Aqua Journal, Platinum Carbon pen, Sennelier, Sunflowers | 19 Comments

To Heal

Posted on September 11, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

I am loving the paintings that I am doing for another, AND, it is nice to play around in my own sketchbook! Thanks to Tracey Fletcher King for a photo that became my middle-of-the-night entry. Pentalic Aqua Journal, Pentalic 2B … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, journal, pen & ink, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged Austrialia, beach, Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, fog, Holbein, Lamy Joy, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, morning, Pentalic Aqua Journal, Platinum Carbon pen, Sennelier | 2 Comments

Sketchpack Project: Week 4

Posted on September 3, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

Shunyata… Buddha. Sacred tobacco roll and broken Buddha head (we set his head on our altar — he was a garden Buddha who disintegrated!) Jai Jai Ganapati (crazy or annoyed??? WILD EYED!) Mei Fa Buddha Style! Annoyed Cat Buddha! Just … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, Buddha, challenge, creativity, drawing, pen & ink, waterbrush | Tagged #Sketchpack, Artsauce, August Challenge, buddha, buddha face, Capetown, cat buddha, De Atramentis Document ink, De Atramentis Tobacco ink, Diamine Ink, fish, folded jurnal, Ganesha, Jinhao, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, Mei Fa Hairstix, Platinum Carbon pen, Sketchpack Project, tobacco, waterbrush, zen | 4 Comments

Doors in Brazil, Middle-of-the-Night Sketch

Posted on September 1, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

To me this is a compelling street scene because of the line of doors…. Update: Murilo S Romeiro took the image of Tiradentes, a small town in Minas Gerais, Brazil. For Thursday Doors, Norm’s blog round robin open to anyone! … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, challenge, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, virtual sketching, watercolor | Tagged #thursdaydoors, architecture, art journal, Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, Fineline masking fluid, grisaille, grisaille underpainting, Holbein, Lamy Al-Star, Pentalic Aqua Journal, Platinum Carbon pen, Primatek, Sennelier, Thursday Doors, virtual sketchwalk, watercolor | 16 Comments

I’ve got a Patreon Page!

Posted on August 31, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

I’m getting ready to begin teaching, and so, drumroll…. I launched my Patreon page! Yes, here I am asking for your support and money… I support two artists, one on Patreon. For the cost of a coffee out, I contribute … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, art journal, class, creativity, drawing, history of journal, history of sketching, journal, making a living, pen & ink, pencil, watercolor, writing | Tagged art classes, online classes, Patreon, video classes | Leave a comment

Summer Veggies

Posted on August 29, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

Okay, despite my annoyance with Pentalic Aqua journals, it is what I have until sixty pages are used up! (I will tell you if my bugging them a second time gets their attention! While I am working on the pieces … Continue reading →

Posted in art journal, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, watercolor | Tagged Daniel Smith watercolors, De Atramentis Document ink, Diamine Ink, Holbein, Jinhao, Lamy Al-Star, Pentalic Aqua Journal, Pentalic HB woodless pencil, peppers, Pilot Parallel pen, Platinum Carbon pen, QoR watercolors, Sennelier, tomato, watercolor | 2 Comments

Kamala and My Sketch Bag

Posted on August 21, 2016 by D. Katie Powell

I have such a love-hate relationship with Kamala. She drives me crazy, never really wanting relationship with me, but definitely trying to drive me crazy by getting into the exact things I want her to leave alone. She pushes baskets … Continue reading →