Worn in pen and ink

This week's Illustration Friday prompt is Worn, and this... is my ankle brace. One of several, unfortunately. I change them out depending on what I'm doing and how much support I need at the time.

It's worn because my ankle is worn. Out, that is. An old injury means there's not much holding the joint together anymore. Or at least not as much as there should be.

Ah, ankle braces. How do I loathe thee? I won't bother counting the ways. We don't need to be here that long.

How strange is it that I've taken to doodling braces, anyway? Here's hoping that this is the first and last time. I definitely don't want this to become Compression Bandage Central.

That'd be weird even for me.

And speaking of weird...

I thought I'd see if the little modelling clay men could make an ankle brace seem like fun. Turns out that even they can't make a jungle gym out of a necessary evil.

Ah well.

Thanks for trying, guys.

Brief bookish mutter

I probably don't have to mention this since I know that Danny Gregory already had quite a following, but I recently finished his book An Illustrated Life and I have to say I'd recommend it to anyone who's thinking of starting (or already has) an art journal. Definitely illuminating to see the various ways that people journal. Some are so precise, and others are very free. If anything, you get a real message of just do it. Stop worrying, stop fussing, and just DO it. Maybe if I hit myself over the head repeatedly with the book I'll remember that.

Also, I was wondering if anyone out there has done or is doing Wreck This Journal? I just started mine a few days ago, and I have to say that it's altogether too much fun. Even if it does go against every single instinct of mine to buy a book specifically to destroy it... but then that's entirely the point, right?

Abstract something. Now with more cats...

This was me trying out some colour washes. Then I thought I may as well make some blotches on top of the washes. Then I thought I'd ought to trace the blotches. Then I thought I should probably cut the whole thing out. Then I thought I'd pin it to the fridge with some cat-shaped magnets.

Why?

I DON'T KNOW.








Have I mentioned my inner five-year-old lately?

Petal Drift in watercolour

This week's Illustration Friday prompt is Drifting. So... single petal drifting (more or less) away from its parent flower.

I hardly ever paint (is it glaringly obvious? Yeah, I know), but I decided recently that I'll never paint unless I actually practice. Funny how that works. Anyway, I took advantage of a sale to get myself a decent-but-not-frighteningly-expensive travel box of half-pans, and we'll see if having paints that are meant to be painted with (as opposed to those meant-to-make-a-mess-with sets we used all through elementary school) will make me a little more enthusiastic about trying my hand.

You never know, right?

Oh, and the flowers are based somewhat loosely on one of our apple trees, but I decided to make them a lot pinker because... because I felt like it, I guess.

More guest artwork

This time from Avery, who doesn't yet have an oddly food-related internet pseudonym.

This signed original is currently hanging on my wall, if anyone would like to make a bid. It's signed, remember. And an original.

Guest artwork

This is hot off the presses, so to speak.

It's finger painting. By Wheat.

I share an office with Wheat.

We obviously work very hard...

Unfolding in pen and ink

This week's Illustration Friday prompt is unfold.

I know a lot of people call these Cootie Catchers, but at my elementary school they were known as Fortune Tellers (I guess we were a pretty tame bunch) and if you were a female student chances are that you had made at least a couple dozen of them by the time you reached Grade Six. Personally, I hadn't made one for at least twenty-five years before tonight (yesss... I'll reluctantly admit to having made one or two AFTER elementary school. They were a bit less than tame, though. Let's just say that they were adolescent and leave it at that), and it's scary how easy it was to fall back into the familiar folds.

I'm not sure why we were obsessed with the men we were going to marry when we were making these things. I suppose it's not that unusual, but it seems fairly... conventional now, especially when you consider that we weren't that far removed from the bra-burning 60s. I have a feeling that my eight-year-old self would have been horrified to find out that one day I'd decide I wasn't interested in marrying anyone.

Good thing I'm not eight anymore, I guess.

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In other news, I gave myself a little treat this week and bought some new Pigma pens. A sepia set this time. I love the black Micron I already have, but now I have Microns in two sizes, a Pigma Graphic, and... A BRUSH PEN!

Ok, maybe it's not that exciting. Still, though. New toys. Gotta love it.

Winter Craving in soft pastels

This week's Illustration Friday prompt is craving. I haven't had the pastels out for a very (VERY) long time, so I figured it was an excuse to do something a little different from my usual line drawings. This quick sketch (I know, I know. Technically it's a pastel painting but I'm so much not a painter that I cringe whenever I try to call it that) is meant to show what I generally spend most of each winter craving: something that's not winter.

I really don't like winter.

It'd be great if wishing could make the snow start to decay and cause instant flowers to spring up, but since that's never going to happen it's just going to have to remain a craving.

Click on the photo for a larger version. You know, if you want to.

Drawing Day

Hey, folks. It's Drawing Day today, and unlike last year's Drawing Day I managed to get my drawing uploaded on the actual Drawing Day.

Yay me.

Yay me for the uploading part, anyway. Not so yay me for the inability to properly plan my time this morning. The result? Yet another half-assed doodle that was too obviously done in about five minutes. Ah well. It's the good intentions that count, right?

The doodle, in case you hadn't recognised it (and I really wouldn't blame you if you hadn't), is of the only readily available model I had at hand, otherwise known as my African Violet. His name is Edgar.

Ok, so he doesn't really have a name. If you're going to be a model you really should have one, though.

Edgar was an odd choice for me because even though I doodle a fair number of plants I'm used to doing fairly crisp leaf renderings. Can't do that with an African Violet, though. They have fuzzy leaves. Or in the case of my version, absolutely and completely shaggy leaves.

Ah well.

Oh, sorry. I've already said the ah well part.

Anyway.

Happy Drawing Day, everyone.