New Year 2017

For the start of a new year. a doodled green "New" in a beautiful verse from Isaiah.

• Copic marker colors used: Y15 (airbrushed), G07,14,17, YG05
• Pen: Copic multiliner 0.2 and 0.5 black
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 4.25 x 5.5"
• Words: See, the former things have come to pass - and new things I now declare.  Isaiah 42:9a

Red, White, and Blue with Tan Frame

Some red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July.  I'm thankful for my country and those who protect our freedoms.

After I airbrushed the tan frame with E33 and 44, I drew a tan line with the E33 marker. 

• Copic marker colors used: B24,26,39, R24,29,56, E33,44
• Pen: Copic multiliner 0.5 black
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 4-1/4 x 5-1/2"
• Words: Thankful - July 4, 2016

Frond in Greens and Blues

Just a doodle. My hand wanted to draw these curvy lines today. It looked like a frond, or maybe a feather, so I colored it that way.

I airbrushed the background, and the splotchy effect was created by airbrushing with the brush end of the Sketch marker.

• Copic marker colors used: G17,28, YG23,95, BG49,53,75,93, E87
• Copic multiliners: Olive 0.3, black 0.1
  
• Paper: Neenah classic cream, cut down to 4.25 x 5.5"
  

2011 Highlights - New Year's Drawing

A bit of art journaling for the new year. I was inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "highlight." With black Copic 0.3 multiliner, I drew some wavy lines, then wrote some words - events, moments, experiences, and choices that highlight 2011 for me as a good year.

I airbrushed with my Copic markers in rough sections between the wavy lines (not masking, not trying to be too even). Then I drew white lines, dots, and squiggles with colorless blender "0" and colored in a few small areas. It was a very good way for me to look back at 2011. Happy 2012 to all!

• Copic marker colors used: Y15, YR15, RV34, BV04, BG45, G14, C0, colorless blender "0" to make the white lines and dots on the airbrushed colors
  
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 4-1/4 x 5-1/2"
  
• Words: 2011 Highlights - work, quiet, exercise, music, prayer, laughter, hugs, prayer, home*, pots of tea, health, the moon, veggie box, dancing, joy, love, thank yous, singing, safety, art supplies, landscape, listening, *where the heart is, friends, family, birds, ferry, good books, geraniums
  

Gilt-Edged Notebook

Once again, Illustration Friday prompted me to draw something I never would have thought to draw otherwise.

This week's word "diary" started me thinking about my mom and how she encouraged my creativity ... drawing, painting, collage, writing, singing, sewing, knitting, embroidery, and more. Especially all the journals, paper, and art supplies that she gave me over the years. This gilt-edged notebook, my current diary, is just one example.

I really enjoyed drawing it and thinking of her. Thanks, Mom. And thanks, I.F. See below for a scan of the actual diary.

• Copic marker colors used: W1,3, YR00,07,15,20, Y19,26, G17,21,24,28, YG97, E43,44, V000,12, BV04, RV13,91
• Background: Copic airbrushed with B45 marker, dotted with B41, 45
  
• Copic multiliner colors used: Pink, purple, sky blue, orange
• Gold Uni-ball gel pen
  
• Paper: Neenah
  

Teapot with Cup - and Sybil's Teapot

An early morning pot of tea is my favorite way to start the day. For this simple drawing (above), I used a heavy line - 0.8 Copic multiliner, instead of my usual 0.2 or 0.3. Inspired by last week's Illustration Friday word, "early." I drew it from life, but I changed the teapot color and added the green cloth.

• Copic marker colors used: Table E43,44; Background airbrush E43; Cloth G21 with BG93 lines and dots, shaded with airbrush BG96; Cloth edge G24,28; Cup, spoon, and tea C0,3, E00,33, B26, BG93, G24,28, Y15, R24; Teapot base color Custom color B2000, dotted with R02, E11,43, BG32,72,93, B21,45, shaded with airbrush C3
  
• Paper: Neenah
  

Added May 31,2010: See below (posted with her permission) for my friend Sybil's teapot drawing, which she e-mailed to me after she saw my drawing. She drew it a few years ago "in response to a wonderful exhibit at an art museum ... all kinds of artsy teapots." Wonderful patterns, colors, and shapes. For more of her drawings and a link to her blog, click on "Sybil's drawings" below or in the label list to the right.

Mother and Child

I was wondering what to draw for "fearless," this week's Illustration Friday word. Then the church service this morning reminded me of this Bible verse, one of my favorites. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." Today is Mother's Day, so the words connected for me with the thought of a mother's love.

My drawing is very simple, a few curved lines on tan card stock, with a little color. I used a heart shape, cut from scrap paper, to guide the flow of the written words and to mask the shape for the airbrushed color (Copic airbrushing with my marker.)

• Copic marker color used: E4
• Paper: tan Crane's card approx. 4x6"
• Words: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18)
  

Sloping Lines in Green, Blue, and Purple

Layers of lines and colors. A feeling of gentle motion.

Inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "dip." Of all its different meanings, I thought of lines sloping down and curving into each other.

• Copic marker colors used: B21,24,26,41,45, G12,14,17,21,24, V000,04,12,15, C3
• Background was done with the Copic airbrush: marker colors B24, G14, V15.
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 4x6"

Garden Weeds

Weeds propagating in the garden. Dandelion with its many seeds, grass with its ground-level runners, and a plant that I know as "witch-weed," perhaps in the morning-glory family. Witch-weed propagates by a white underground rhizome that sends up threadlike roots and elongated heart-shaped leaves. It's difficult to remove, because the rhizomes are brittle, and just a small fragment left in the ground will grow another plant. Today's drawing was inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "propagate."

Below is my 1981 pencil sketch of a small witch-weed plant that I found growing in my garden. After I drew the weed, I'm sure I thoroughly destroyed it.

• Copic marker colors used: Rocks W3, BV23; Soil E43+E21 (colored on top of each other), dotted with E33,71 applied with W0 brush tip, all blended with W1 and 0; Leaves and stems G07,40, YG05,21,23,63; Dandelion roots E41; Rhizome Copic opaque white; Sky airbrushed with B01, then mottled with Copic Opaque White applied on a wet brush.
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 5x7"

Yellow Butterfly with Blue and Green

A yellow butterfly drifts in a space of blue and green.

Inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "adrift."

Starting with a watercolored base, I decided to experiment with a cutout butterfly. I drew a butterfly shape on a scrap of bristol board (just a bit lighter weight than my watercolor paper) and cut it out with sharp craft scissors. I used my Copic markers to airbrush the wings, add the spots, outline the wings, and color the body. I will try using cutouts again sometime.

• Copic marker colors used: Y15,38, YR14,21,24
• Watercolor wash background: Dr. Ph. Martin's radiant concentrated watercolors - grass green, ultra blue - 1 drop of liquid watercolor in 2 drops of water, brushed on wet paper. For more info about these watercolors, including my color chart, see this post.
• Paper: Base: Canson Montval watercolor block, 140 lb. cold press, 4x6"
• Paper: Butterfly: Strathmore Bristol Board, vellum finish (a lightly textured surface - not "vellum paper")

Tangled Lines

After my watercolor background (shown below) was dry, I drew the sepia lines. Then, with markers, I traced along the lines and colored a few small areas. I used the Copic airbrush to add some brown speckles.

• Copic marker colors used: E11,33,95, YR21, Y15,38; Sepia multiliner; Copic airbrush E33
• Watercolor wash background: Dr. Ph. Martin's radiant concentrated watercolors - saddle brown, orange, and daffodil yellow. 1-2 drops of liquid watercolor in 1/4 teaspoon of water. For more info about these watercolors, including my color chart, see this post.
• Paper: Canson Montval watercolor block, 140 lb. cold press, 4x6"

Confined in the Heart

The scene, imagined or remembered, is confined in the heart. Inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "confined."

• Copic marker colors used: RV19, E15, W1,5, Y11, B26,29,63, G07,21, YG05, BV20; Copic airbrush background Y15, B29
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 5x7"
• Words: confined in the heart

Curved Shapes in Greens and Yellows

A very small, abstract pencil drawing. Curved shapes colored in greens and yellows, with an airbrushed background.

• Copic marker colors used: Y06, YG21,63, G21,40; Copic airbrush Y06 and speckles of YG63. When I color on top of pencil, I try to dab the colors on, instead of dragging the marker tip across the pencil lines, to avoid smearing the pencil.
• Paper: a 4x4" square of Strathmore medium-weight drawing paper.

Spiky Plants

Spiky abstract plants with subdued streaks of color.

I airbrushed the background last (using the Copic airbrush) with a pale blue. Because it was so pale, and there was already some blue color in the leaves, I didn't mask anything when I airbrushed.

February 6, 2010: Today I posted a revised drawing (above). I wasn't happy with the hard horizontal lines at the base of my plants. So I cut it in two with my sharp craft scissors, just below the base of the plants, cutting unevenly to follow the lines of the mulch. Then I moved the bottom portion up about 1/16" to cover the horizontal lines. I added some irregular black lines along the cut edge. I taped it across the back with acid-free scrapbooking tape, and used my 2-way glue pen in a few spots on the front. It looks better to me now. See below for original version.

• Copic marker olors used: plants- streaks of BG93,96, E71, blended with custom color B2000; ground- W1,3, V000, YR09 on W0, W5 on W0; background- airbrushed with B41
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 5x7"

Purple Statice Flowers in a Speckled Vase

A stoneware vase with statice flowers. The vase and trivet were airbrushed (using the Copic airbrush), with lines of colorless blender to decorate the trivet.

Click here to see my May 2010 statice drawing.

• Copic marker colors used: purple multiliner; flowers V000,04,09, B24 0n V000; leaves YG91,63; vase W0 base, airbrushed with Y95 and V09; rim of vase Y95; trivet airbrushed with BV04,23.
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 5x7"

Green Vase with Flowers

After drawing the decorative vines on the vase with olive Copic multiliner, I added dots of marker for the leaves and blossoms. Then I airbrushed the vase and the table top with the Copic airbrush. Finally, I completed the bouquet of leaves and flowers.

I like the vase and the bouquet, but I'm not so sure their styles go together well. Someday I will probably cut the drawing apart, then draw a new vase for the bouquet and a new bouquet for the vase.

Copic colors used: Blossoms RV10,14,91,95, R02,59, YR04, orange & purple multiliner; Large leaves G14,21, BV20, YG23; Large leaves G14,21, YG23, BV20; Vase pattern drawn with olive multiliner, G28, RV19, R59, BG05,75; Shadow C0, BV20; Vase background airbrushed with G24, BV23; Table airbrushed with C5, BV23, BG75
Paper: Neenah, 8.5x11"

Landscape in Ribbon Frame

This scan (11x14) includes most of the drawing, on 14x17 paper. I used the Copic airbrush to do the sky and the lower part of the fields.

Paper: Strathmore Bristol Board, 14x17, vellum finish (a lightly textured surface - not "vellum paper")

Airbrushed Landscape

I decided to try a full-page set of masks, trying to learn my new Copic airbrush. I cut curvy lines, then drew around the outside of each piece with my Zig 2-Way Glue Pen. I like the chisel point for this, but the fine point would work too. After the glue dries clear, it is temporary glue.

Then I airbrushed in sections, removing & replacing each mask. I had some blank paper along the edges that I colored with markers. Then it still looked boring, and the upper left sky was too dark, so I tried some lines and doodles with my colorless blender. I really like that effect - little stripes with colored edges.

Copic colors used (airbrushed) Sky B06, BG45; Purple hills BV08, C7, E49; Orangey brown hills E09,37; Green hill G28, YG99, E25; Green-purpley hill G07, R59, Y19, V09; Brown hill (lower right) E29, W7. Lines added with E33, BG45, E25, YG63, and brush tip of "sketch" 0.

Sea Animal

This was my first airbrushed background. It takes a little practice, and this one came out uneven, but with nice colors.

I used a torn paper mask (fastened down with dry Zig 2-Way Glue), a little bigger than the center image. I used a pale gray (C1) marker to color the blank edge. That made a nice little colored edge that I really like.

Then I dabbed the center image with Colorless Blender fluid on terry cloth to get the mottled texture.

About My Labels (part 1 of 3)

Updated October 3, 2009. I've tried to place consistent and helpful labels on all of my posts. One reason for my labels is to help my viewers find drawings they might enjoy. Another reason is to give me a way to sort and view my own drawings in various combinations. Most of my labels don't need explanation. "Flowers," for example. Others are explained below.

• Abstract: Includes non-representational. I know there's a difference, but it makes my head hurt to decide which is which sometimes.
• Airbrush: Using the Copic airbrush system (for more info, see airbrush posts at I Like Markers, Marianne Walker's blog... start here, then click on her airbrushing label for more)
  
• Bad markers: Although I like my pre-Copic drawings, many of them show the problems of "bad markers" - blotching, streaking, bleeding, smearing. That's why I stopped drawing until my Copic markers came along. See Bad Marker Disclaimer.
• Brightness: these labels give my overall impression of the coloring. "Brightness: vivid" is strong coloring, often primary colors. "Brightness: muted" is softer, paler, perhaps monochrome - often still colorful, but with a quieter feeling. It includes my black and white drawings. "Brightness: mid" is mid-range, somewhere in between vivid and muted.

For C-Z scroll down, or click here and scroll down.