Category Archives: pen & ink

Bright Ideas: Inktober 12, 3 Star Earrings

I LOVE STARS! Trust me you will be seeing more of them as I am having fun drawing my earrings from the sell basket!  For awhile, verdigris was in style, and I loved it — copper and turquoise green in … Continue reading

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Jantzen Beach Carousel 5, Eagle

The all-American Eagle Horse! Jantzen Beach Carousel is a series, and this is the fifth in the set. (Below are links to others previously posted.) De Atramentis Document brown (brunaille) and Noodler’s Lexington grey (grisaille) worked the undertones.  A video … Continue reading

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VSW: San Antonio Zoo’s Dragon

This is part of an older virtual sketchwalk (see below) and I kept meaning to get to it. I love this gorgeous dragon/  I saw it painted in Daniel Smith Serpentine Primatek! *how perfect is that name?* One of my … Continue reading

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Tools: White Pen and Ink

I wanted white ink for my fountain pen.  I wanted to use a stub nib on a fountain pen for beautiful white writing, and also reduce waste (most of these you toss into the landfill.) I wanted a waterproof ink… … Continue reading

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Bright Ideas: Inktober 9, Sawdust Festival Earrings

The Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach was once a truly great craft festival, no commercialism, and cost nothing, then pennies, to enter. I bought these wonderful organic burnished metal earrings with pounded gold which tinkled softly when worn the last … Continue reading

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A Gurl Can Dream

Pentalic Aqua Journal, Platinum Carbon pen with Platinum Carbon ink; Noodler’s Lexington Grey, De Atramentis Document inks; White Uniball Signo pen 153; Sennelier, Holbein, and Daniel Smith watercolors. 1959 Morris Woody Wagon and trailer image used as source found on … Continue reading

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Jantzen Beach Carousel 4, Pinto Fishing

I had to work a Pinto into the series! Jantzen Beach Carousel is a series, and this is the fourth in the set. (Below are links to others previously posted.) The many layers, above and below. I think the fish, … Continue reading

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Mary’s Lake

Mary J. Melange blogger friend and lover of photography, shared wonderful images and I stole a few (with her permission), and this one caught my eye last night. I think I was needing some peaceful fishing energy… As it is … Continue reading

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Boyd’s Beach, 1

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

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Jantzen Beach Carousel 3, Floral

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

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Elephant Tea Pot

Another experiment… Very very fast teapot sketch, middle-of-the-night. Covered the sketch in water and dropped ink samples onto it. Inktober is all about experimenting. I think maybe it is time to stop the mad scientist.  What do you think? Fluid … Continue reading

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Tools: Filling Ink Converters

This post is for Deb. Filling and cleaning go hand-in-hand. Goulet offers the pen cleaning package! Goulet has amazing videos and I highly recommend Fountain Pens 101. I was crazy not to take the time to watch the whole series … Continue reading

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Bright Ideas: Inktober 2, Pa’s Glasses

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

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Bright Ideas: Inktober 1, Moneybelt

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

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Sammy in the Studio

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Janzten Beach Carousel 2, Grapes

Jantzen Beach Carousel is a series, and this is the second in the set. (Click here to see the first, the Chinese Water Serpent Horse.) I named this Horse with Grapes! Why am I naming them differently than CW Parker … Continue reading

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Tools: Favorite Fountain Pens

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

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Days of Yore: Laguna Beach

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments