SusieG Studio

In a previous post, I eluded to finding a new job. This new adventure has taken away quite a bit of time from me that I would normally use to enjoy the many hobbies I have. This includes my sketching time.

After a few months, I find I’m a bit rusty with my sketching skills and I have to get back to the basics of using just my pencil and paper to create quick sketches.

I still use my Stillman & Birn Alpha journals for my pen & ink sketches, but also have used them for some pencil sketches. I try to avoid mixing my artsy mediums in one single art journal, but some days it can’t be avoided. I tend to pick up the nearest journal on my studio desk or go with my fave at the moment.

Here’s a few pencil sketches I created recently. I’ve been focusing on shapes and shadows. Trying to keep it loose without adding much details.

In a larger journal I’ve started using, I created a rough sketch of a tree in our front yard.

I filled in the shadows or dark areas with my pencil and leaving the white of my paper to show the highlights.

In my square 7″x7″ journal, I created this trio of graphite sketches. I looked around my house for objects with basic shapes. I’m getting better at sketching round objects and curves. I still need a bit more practice with perspectives.

What shapes do you see in this sketch?

My empty sketching pens (TWSBI GOs) are still sitting in a cup. Still not seeing any action for the last few months. That will change shortly. My workshops are coming up in a few weeks. I’m pulling out my swatch cards of my favorite inks and selecting my favorite colors to sketch with. I know I will need a medium blue, turquoise, medium red, bright yellow, golden yellow, medium green, olive green, teal, brown, gray, purple, etc. I will probably end up using inks from my favorite inky manufacturers like Robert Oster, Van Dieman’s Inks, Colorverse, and Diamine.

I’m looking forward to filling my TWSBI’s with colorful inks as I know this will be a great motivator to start sketching with my inks again.

Prompt #1: Grab a piece of paper and a pencil. Go into your kitchen cabinet or pantry and find three (3) objects to sketch. Quickly sketch the outlines or shapes you see. Remember, don’t get caught up in the details as you have creative license in your sketches. See how long it takes you to sketch.

Prompt #2: On another sheet of paper, see if you can quickly sketch all three objects within 15 minutes. Try to sketch the same objects in 10 minutes.