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Category Archives: pen & ink
Cats: The End of a Sketchbook
Kamala and I are the only gurls in the bedroom. She thinks she owns Mitchell, and competes with Jai, Sammy and me. She spent eight years living outside our door in a rural area and fended for herself, with fresh … Continue reading
Posted in art, art journal, color, drawing, journal, memory, pen & ink, sketchbook, timed painting, watercolor
Tagged Aquabee Super Deluxe Journal, art journal, cats, crazy cat, Daniel Smith watercolors, Holbein, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, Platinum Preppy pen, QoR watercolors, Uniball Vision Elite, zen cat
4 Comments
Chinese Silk Bag and HOBO Bag
This is an exercise in gesture versus guidelines, and in permanence (in the form of lasting details and materials) versus impermanence (fast, light materials.) I have two bags I reach for besides my painting bag. One is this lovely silk … Continue reading
Posted in drawing, painting, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, watercolor
Tagged art journal, bag, Caran D'Ache, Chinese, Daniel Smith watercolors, guidelines, HOBO, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, Platinum Preppy pen, pocketbook, Primatek, purse, QoR watercolors, silk, Stillman & Birn, watercolor, watercolor pencils
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My Business Sketchbook: Our Holiday Card
It was fun to create a holiday card this year, the end of my first year of watercolors! I had good models in a late 19th century chair from a set that will be conserved next year, and our cats, … Continue reading
Posted in art, cards, drawing, furniture, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, watercolor
Tagged armchair, art journal, bow, Cat, chair, Christmas, Christmas lights, Daniel Smith watercolors, Delta journal, edwardian, gentleman's chair, Hanukkah, holiday cards, MPF Conservation, New Year, Platinum Preppy, Polar Brown Noodlers ink, Santa, Stillman & Birn, Victorian
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My “Business” Sketchbook: Washington State Justice Building
My last sketch onsite from earlier in the year, with watercolors added Sunday. It was pouring, our work at the Capitol completed, and we were on our way home. Mitchell wanted to explore the Justice Building. The Library was lovely … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, drawing, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor
Tagged art journal, Caran D'Ache, Daniel Smith watercolors, Delta journal, fleur-de-lis, lamps, Lamy Safari pen, lions, Platinum Preppy, Polar Brown Noodlers ink, QoR watercolors, Stillman & Birn, torchére, urban sketchers, USk, Washington State Capitol Justice Building
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Monastery of the Precious Blood Portland Oregon
Drawn on site in Mount Tabor, this is such a pretty building. Reminds me of Southern California, home home home . . . Had almost no time! Drawn in an Stillman & Birn Alpha journal on site with Caran D’ache … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, drawing, painting, pen & ink, pencil, sketchbook, timed painting, urban sketchers, watercolor
Tagged architect, art journal, Catholic, Daniel Smith watercolors, guidelines, Polar Brown Noodlers ink, QoR watercolors, Spanish Revival, Stillman & Birn, Urban Sketchers Portland, watercolor
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Architects Have Techniques in Common
I’m taking an online course right now from another architect turned artist. This artist is quite protective about her coursework staying within students, so I hesitate to discuss her by name. As our drawing styles are similar, I am taking … Continue reading
My “Business” Sketchbook: The Lion Torchéres
At the end of our last day working in the Senate Offices of the Legislative Building on the Washington State Capitol Campus, we crossed the grass in the pouring rain to the Justice Building. As you walk into the building … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, art, color, drawing, journal, painting, pen & ink, pencil, process, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor
Tagged art journal, Caran D'Ache, Delta journal, lamps, Lamy Safari pen, lions, Platinum Preppy, Polar Brown Noodlers ink, QoR watercolors, Stillman & Birn, torchére, urban sketchers, USk, Washington State Capitol Justice Building
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Our Antique Burro Chair, Monterey Style
I started out to do a little post on painting one of our chairs. Then I realized I was posting about a chair I had also painted — so figured I should post about both restoration, painting the chair and … Continue reading
Posted in color, creativity, furniture, memory, oil paint, painting, pen & ink, process, watercolor
Tagged A-Frame chairs, Alpha Journal, antiqued, antiques, art journal, Gamblin, leather, Mason Monterey, oil paint, restoration, Stillman & Birn, upholstery
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My “Business” Sketchbook: Symmetry + South Entrance
I love it when an architect moves you through spaces, making you experience an environment as it was meant to be seen or felt. I also love symmetry, especially in the hands of architects who know how to use it. … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, art, creativity, history, pen & ink, sketchbook, timed painting, urban sketchers, watercolor
Tagged art journal, central axis, circulation, Delta journal, Lexington Grey Noodlers ink, marble, Pentalic, Platinum Preppy, Prichard Building, rotunda, Stillman & Birn, urban sketchers, Washington State Capitol Legislative Building
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My “Business” Sketchbook: Selfie in the Senate Hallway
I tend to lay down to get ceiling shots. I also tend to take my shoes off anywhere I can. Mitchell caught me taking a picture of the chandelier on my back on the Senate Hallway floor. I have on … Continue reading
Sketching Eames House of Cards
Charles Eames House of Cards, above, bought in NYC at the Whitney, I think, in 1973; I bought them on my first traveling assignment as a young architect, to management school at IBM in New York. I chose them as … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, drawing, graphite, journal, memory, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, watercolor
Tagged art journal, Charles Eames, Daniel Smith watercolors, House of Cards, Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph pen, Platinum Preppy pen, Polar Brown Noodlers ink, QoR watercolors, Ray Eames, Stillman & Birn
2 Comments
Back to Architecture: Chiesa di Ognissanti, Italy
Chiesa di Ognissanti, Florence, Italy. I wanted to draw something comforting last night, and pulled out images from Italy. This is comforting to me — portraits are NOT! This is the “doodle” I did to understand the building relationships. Understanding … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, art, drawing, painting, pen & ink, process, sketchbook, watercolor
Tagged architect, architecture, art journal, Chiesa di Ognissanti, Daniel Smith watercolors, Heart of Darkness, Italian churches, Matteo Nigetti, Noodlers ink, Platinum Preppy pen, Stillman & Birn, symmetry, Tombow pens
4 Comments
Tools: Ball Point Pens
Playing with my tools in this exploratory, and thinking of Andrea Joseph, I had to also play with the various types of ball-point pens in my stash. Uniballs have been my favorite for so many years, first the older Vision … Continue reading
Posted in Buddha, drawing, pen & ink, sketchbook
Tagged Andrea Joseph, ball-point pen, contour drawing, Pilot, Uniball Vision Elite, weeping buddha, Zebra
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Waking Early to Crescent Moon
Originally posted on Lunar Moondae:
I woke at 5am to lok for the crescent moon. Traces of sunlight in a lapis blue sky at one end of the view; but cloud cover hid her over the mountain where I expected…
Posted in art, Booby Gurl, journal, pen & ink, sketchbook, watercolor
Tagged art journal, Booby Gurl, crescent moon, lunar cycle, tsunami
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My “Business” Sketchbook: North Entrance Chandeliers
I think these are my last lamps for a while. I’m not sure I want to become Kate-light! To draw this last Tiffany chandelier I could stand and rest my notebook on the marble railing, next to Big George. All … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, art, drawing, history, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor
Tagged art journal, chandelier, Daniel Smith watercolors, Holbein, Lamy Safari pen, MPF Conservation, Polar Brown Noodlers ink, QoR watercolors, quinacridone gold, quinophthalone yellow, Sennelier, Stillman & Birn, Tiffany, Washington State Capitol Legislative Building
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My “Business” Sketchbook: Tiffany Chandeliers Mark Pathways
It is unusual for me to start my sketchbook posts with photographs, but this Tiffany chandelier is simply too beautiful. I did not do them justice! They line the hallways and mark entrances to the various rooms, providing a delicate … Continue reading
Posted in architecture, art, drawing, furniture, history, journal, painting, pen & ink, sketchbook, urban sketchers, watercolor
Tagged art journal, chandelier, Daniel Smith watercolors, Mason Monterey, MPF Conservation, QoR watercolors, Sennelier, Tiffany, urban sketchers, Urban Sketchers Portland, USk, Washington State Capitol Legislative Building
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My “Business” Sketchbook: AYA Sushi
Aya Sushi sustained us during our days in Olympia. I am a sushi aficionado; I was hooked during university. Aya Sushi is the best sushi I’ve had since Lalaland! I reserved a page in our business sketchbook because we ate … Continue reading
Posted in art, drawing, journal, memory, pen & ink, sketchbook, watercolor
Tagged art journal, Aya Sushi, Olympia restaurants, orchid, Stillman & Birn, Super Washington
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My “Business” Sketchbook: Washington State Campus
Stepped outside at the end of the day while waiting for Mitchell to fetch me, and decided to do a couple of quick sketches of the two main buildings on campus, the Legislative Building (where we are working) and the … Continue reading
D.Katie Powell Art 