Category Archives: creativity

Dark Chocolate Easter Bunny!

Run right out and get yourself a YUMMY bottle of Robert Oster Signature Dark Chocolate Ink for your Easter Basket!  Drawings made using the Sailor Fude and a Pentel Aquash waterbrush to move the Dark Chocolate ink. To hear about … Continue reading

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Inky Thots: Birmingham Petroleum

Above, Birmingham Petroleum on the bright white paper of a Hahnemuhle sketchbook. I test my inks on many drawing and watercolor papers. Remember that others review these inks just for writing; I am also interested in how they are used … Continue reading

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VSW: Ben Carlin’s “Half-Safe”

Ben Carlin’s Amphibious “Boat” was half land vehicle, half boat, aptly called the “Half Safe”. I was attracted by the bright yellow color, but the story was thrilling! This was part of a Virtual Sketchwalk in our FB group around … Continue reading

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Tools: Sonnet Watercolors

This is no April Fools! I am reviewing the watercolors called Sonnet from St. Petersburg watercolors (Their image from their site, right.) First off,  I bought them for the pretty box. Why don’t more makers use pretty colors for their … Continue reading

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VSW: Duluth Lighthouses, 3

Split Rock Lighthouse may be my last in this series… I took the time to take process pics for you. I started with a watercolor pencil in a color that works nicely with the image. Moved to my favorite sketching … Continue reading

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I Stand With Ukraine, 2

Posting sunflowers for Ukraine is a way to flood Instagram with messages of prayers for Ukraine. It is in actuality a fairly useless thing to do but it moves me when I see another artist’s images… I know that they … Continue reading

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VSW: Duluth Lighthouses, 1

Our Virtual Sketchwalk group (Facebook) sketched Duluth, Minnesota. I was drawn (no pun intended) to the lighthouses. The first was the Superior Entry Lighthouse. It has fallen into disrepair and is covered with graffiti. I didn’t grow up around lighthouses … Continue reading

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I Stand With Ukraine

Middle of last night I was made watching another round of tanks and fear, and journaled for quite a bit.  A ritual we do when we are enjoying our safe, warm, happy beingness (and good food and so forth) is … Continue reading

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More Idahome Flowers

More images of wildflowers from Marianne. In this set I like the line drawings a bit more. It is the transition in backgrounds I am not as fond of here. I LOVED doing the line drawings for these, and like … Continue reading

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Kamala and My Art Bag

 I bought a canvas riggers bag from Harbor Freight. It holds my A4 Hahnemuhle watercolor journal easily plus pens and brushes and watercolors and my wallet. It sits flat on the floor, allowing me to reach in and grab whatever! … Continue reading

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Tools: Fountain Pen Revolution Himalaya

I am a huge fan of Fountain Pen Revolution’s Himalaya pen (not Himalayan as I’ve been calling it all this time!)  From here on referred to as “FPR” so not to have to spell it out!  Currently I am asking … Continue reading

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Tools: First Hahnemühle Journal

I like to reuse and recycle and I’ve been looking at three years of beautiful saved Hahnemühle calendars.  Stunning watercolors prints that begged to be used! Today I dove in and made my first concertina journal using Hahnemühle Bamboo paper … Continue reading

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Feed the Birds

Okay, my game is off (for good reason, another story) but I did this baaaad sketch because I have to shake it off and that can shift my mojo. I share the bad stuff so someone starting doesn’t feel badly … Continue reading

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My Perfect Journal

I’ve been journaling for 50 years, art journaling for forty (first architectural ideas, now art).  I’ve tried many journals before finding my perfect journal.  I bought the Chinese Journals (left, and btw, review in links) from Chinatown in San Fransisco … Continue reading

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Kill Winter with Orange

Time honored tradition now in the pen community… I’m ready! Kill Winter with Orange! I’m for warm colors warm weather and this year the cold in the studio never seems to end despite woolly socks and a heater! Cold cold … Continue reading

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Inky Thots: Birmingham Two Twinkles

Twinkle is all about the shimmer! Birmingham Pen Co has fifteen Twinkle inks right now, and if you love shimmer, these are the best! These inks are Mitchell’s favorites.  He loves shimmery inks, and Tributary Twinkle is probably his favorite.  … Continue reading

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Inky Thots: Robert Oster Monsoon Clouds

  From the post Wednesday! I love sketching with soluble grey inks, but this last month I popped a new greyish purplish color in my Benu Talisman pen, which I am loving: PEN CHALET’s Exclusive, Robert Oster Monsoon Clouds.  To … Continue reading

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Robert Oster’s Monsoon Clouds Ink Sketches

I don’t usually show the images I sketch from, but this is an exception. This is a view I see almost every night: Savitri curled into my right side while I try to sketch. She thinks she helps, and as … Continue reading

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