These Family Sketches…fyi

I thought you might like to know how I’m going about these little drawings/paintings of my family from September of last year.  I pulled out a sketchbook I found on sale at that great art store in Boone I mentioned in the last post.  The sketchbook is a long rectangle shape.  I really don’t like that shape.  I like squares.  So, I drew 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ squares on every page.  The paper must be 6″ x 9″.  It’s also a rather slick paper…great for drawing, not great for watercolor unless you love the look of watercolor on Yupo.  It doesn’t matter to me, I just wanted to use the book to make a series of these drawings/paintings of this day with my family.

For these drawings, I’ve started out in pencil.  I don’t typically draw with a pencil…I like pen.  I like being locked in to whatever line my hand makes.  I like seeing the restatements.  I like mistakes.  But for these I wanted to be able to get the drawing JUST SO, and then proceed with what I had in mind for the line work and the color.  I’ve used gel pens or markers for some of the lines along with Neo Color watersoluble crayons and watercolor paints.  This sketch is almost entirely done with watercolor.  There are a few dashes of crayon here and there as final touches.  Some of the other sketches are done entirely in crayon.  I choose what I think works best for each drawing.

This little painting is of the stream (or “crik” as I called it in a previous post) that ran by our picnic table at Julian Price Park.  All the kids loved playing in the stream! (all 11 of them!  That is, except for the 2 “teens” and the wee tiny baby:)    Wading, peering, collecting, catching, splashing…oh, the wonders at a creekside!  The wildflowers growing along the creek were a beautiful back drop to one of my nieces drawn here.  The funky gold and brown shapes are rocks in the creek bed…in case you were wondering:)

I’m taking such pleasure in making this little book of sketches…there are so many more to come:  my mom, my siblings, my sister-in-law, and the unbelievable cuties who are my nieces and nephews.  Oh, and the teenagers!  Yes, the teenagers were there too…not frolicking in the crik, but there.  You’ll get to meet them all…eventually!

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