"City of Light" 9 x 12 mixed #Inktober

Our challenge for Girls Just Wanna Paint during October is "chiaroscuro" which is a pictorial representation of values without color. (Click the word for the entire definition).  I have been doing a series of drawings using ink for the #Inktober challenge, this being my 31st.  I decided to create an image in approximately five values, one being the tint of the paper I chose.  I drew this image of Paris in ink, then used a brush with some india ink for the darkest value, following with white conte crayon for the lightest value.  I also used my warm gray marker and layered combinations of the warm gray and lightly applied conte to soften the black and the edges.  The black is a little heavier than I prefer, but I am very interested in the experiment.  Chiaroscuro drawing traditionally involves tinted paper and an indication of values.  As always... thank you for looking!. 

"In Flight" pen & ink 9 x 6 #inktober

While flying to San Francisco, I did an ink drawing of my tray table, including two water bottles and my sketch of the two water bottles.  I divided the page into three frames for a little more interest in the simple drawing.  
This is my 29th image for #Inktober.  Thank you for looking.  

"Afternoon in the Park" white conte pencil on ink 4 x 5 #Inktober

This is a black and white study of a painting I found years ago which I thought was beautifully designed and the values handled masterfully.  I can not attribute the original work, but it is not mine.   I explored the composition using a white conte pencil on an ink ground.  The ink provided some tooth for the conte pencil, which layers up very nicely.  The drawing is rendered in three values, which reinforces how powerful this design is.  Studying other artists' works can be very valuable.  My gut tells me it might be Carol Marine, but I have researched and can not verify.... mystery.  If you know the painting, please let me know and I will attribute.
This is my 27th entry into #Inktober.   As always, thank you so much for looking.

"Caritas by A.H. Thayer" 9 x 6 pen, ink, warm gray #Inktober

Spent some time at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts for my birthday yesterday.  I am a fan of Abbot Handerson Thayer, and spent some time studying this painting "Caritas", which the MFA purchased from Thayer in 1897.  My research tells me it may have a relationship to some of the images in a mural he was commissioned to paint at Bowdoin College.  I'll have to get up there to see that.  I love the romanticism of the figures, the clothing, and the sumptuous renaissance framing which is an art in itself.  The clothing reminds me of the "one Grecian Urn" scene from "The Music Man" with Hermione Gingold leading her women's group in a modern dance.  Here is a brief link to that iconic scene.    

I remember visiting Washington DC a number of years ago.  The National Art Gallery was under construction, so a subset of the work was hung, salon style, in the Renwick Gallery.  I stopped in my tracks in front of a painting of roses, and it was Abbott Handerson Thayer's work.  

 Look at it here... wow!!!!  The edges, control of values.  
So, spending part of my birthday studying paintings was a great joy.  
My 22nd entry for #Inktober is a value study of "Caritas".  Thanks for reading and for looking.

"Waterfront" pen & ink 12 x 9 #Inktober

Spent a wonderful birthday with my family today.  We began at the MFA, where we "found" my daughter in the gift shop. After looking at some sumptuous paintings, we traveled cross town, picked up some Kane's donuts for sustenance aboard the ferry up to Salem.  However, we could travel to Salem, informed the ticket salesman, but there was only room for one of us to come back.  The plan was to visit the Peabody Essex.. so, we regrouped, hung out in Columbus Park along the waterfront, with coffee, books and in my case, sketchbook.  It was a balmy 75 degrees, people everywhere... a fabulous day.  Then we wandered the North End, had an early dinner and meandered back home.  A lovely, lovely, day. This is my 21st drawing for #Inktober.
As always, thank you for looking. 

Day 15 "Lamppost, Paris" pen, ink, watercolor pencil 4 x 5 #Inktober

About a decade ago, I was in Paris on trip with school.  I need to get back to spend more time.  The city is take-your-breath-away beautiful, in scale, design, in its grandiose structures, but also in the smallest of details.  This is a study of the base of a lamppost I noticed as we waited to cross a street. 
When we slow down, spend time looking, heighten our senses, there is beauty in the details, in unexpected places.  
This is my fifteenth #Inktober entry.  Thank you for looking.

Day 14 "Quiet Harbor" pen, ink, colored pencil 9 x 9 #Inktober

I love drawing from the foreground to the back, thinking about the interplay of lines and shape and what needs to intersect what where and how.  Sounds a bit vague as I reread, but truth is, once I get going, it is very specific... maneuvering reality as I draw it to avoid unintentional geometry and misleading tangents and intersections.  Today was gray, albeit warm for mid-October, and occasionally drizzly.  The harbor is in transition from summer's bustle, to winter calm; half of the pleasure boats are in storage, many on the other side of the harbor, indicated here by the slightest suggestion of grouped masts and shrink-wrapped boats.  
This is my fourteenth entry into #Inktober 2017, and as you can see from the additional photo here... I can not take full solo credit for my work.
Again, thank you for looking.  I'm enjoying the intentionality of  making drawing time each day. 

Day 10 "Kitchen Gadgets" pen & ink 3 x 4

Busy, busy day... managed a quick sketch of the kitchen gadgets on our counter.  We keep them next to an antique ironstone pitcher in which I keep paintbrushes, of course.  This is my 10th entry in the #Inktober challenge.
Thank you for looking.

Day 9 "Huntington Ave" ink and wc 9 x 5 #Inktober and Childe Hassam

The city is so beautiful, all day long, but especially at dusk. I loved this dusk view along Huntington Avenue, and will use it as a study for a larger painting.  The one point perspective reminded me of so many Childe Hassam paintings of Boston.  See a couple below.  

This is my ninth drawing in the #Inktober challenge.  As always, thanks for looking.

Day 8 "Main Street, Rockland, Maine" pen & ink 9 x 12 #Inktober 8

Rockland, Maine is a favorite destination of mine.  The sumptuous Farnsworth Museum there with its beautiful collection of American art including the 3-generation Wyeth family.  The main drag is just right for walking, browsing, eating... just a nice place to be.
This is my eighth #Inktober entry, a pen and ink drawing.  I used my 40% gray Prismacolor marker to indicate the shadow areas.  The Prismacolor markers are double-ended, and can be purchased in warm or cool grays, and different percentages of gray.  They are great for a two-tone value study as above, or for adding more values.  

As always, thanks for looking.

"Honey Bear" pen & ink 6 x 4 #Inktober 7

I pulled out a bottle of ink and a brush today to add to my pen and ink drawing of this honey bear.  I have noticed in the stores that the pointed caps are more rare, I'm sure it has to do with maximizing packing space in the crates of honey bears.  I happen to think a honey bear with a flat top is nowhere near as charming, and they seem to look a little disappointed with their lot in life.  
This is my 7th drawing for the #Inktober  challenge.
As always, thanks for looking.

"Above it All" ink and watercolor 6 x 4 #Inktober 4

Each summer we visit Monhegan Island in Maine, no surprise if you read my blog.  This brazen gull spent a lot of time on the railing of our deck, keeping an eye out for a possible crumb or nugget of food.  
My #Inktober 4 drawing of an image from the deck, above Monhegan's village and Manana.  The mainland is 12 miles distant.

As always, thank you for looking.