For the last few days, I’ve found some time to sketch in the morning before heading off to work. The month of December has been a great month for sketching as there is no shortage of Christmas themes and ideas. I always try to challenge myself and sketch objects I haven’t created before. After using all this creative energy, I now have a backlog of December sketches that I can share with you.
Here’s my sketch of a gingerbread cookie. In my mind, it was definitely a gluten-free version. Hahaha!
One morning, I decided to sketch round ornaments. I traced three round circles on my paper and picked up my pen with Heart of Gold and started with the middle circle. I spent some time adding layers of shimmering gold and leaving plenty of white space.
I moved on to the next circle and decided to challenge myself by sketching swirls. I decided to use Heart of Gold for all three ornaments for a consistent color theme. I added Blood Rose to create the swirls.
I try to leave some white spaces for the highlights and always cognizant where my light source is coming from.
The next day, I attempted to finish my ornaments sketch. I wanted to use my Prairie Green ink in my third ornament and thought a tree would look nice. I tried to add some color to the tree, but it’s looking a bit flat on the ornament.
I made sure to use shimmering inks in the ornaments on the tree.
Tip: Did you notice the arrow I sketched in the upper left corner? A reminder of where my light source is coming from.
My next sketch is a candle. I thought about sketching a tapered candle, but that would have been too easy. Instead, I came up with this 5 minute sketch.
I’m finally getting my perspectives right. My candle and holder is not looking wonky. I’m quite happy with this.
Here’s my final candle sketch. The cast shadow did not come out the way it should look. I’ve been using shimmering inks in my December sketches and I picked Schwarz Rose to use for my cast shadows instead of my standard go to Thunderstorm ink. I wasn’t thinking about the underlying colors that Schwarz Rose contains nor the word “rose” in the name. Lessons learned. I went ahead and added Thunderstorm to the shadow. Good ole reliable Thunderstorm.
My next sketch is this Citrus wreath. I did not want to sketch the typical wreath greens and red berries I have done in the past. I decided to sketch lemons and limes. Here I used my fave inky colors Heart of Gold and Prairie Green.
My work schedule is changing again and I will have to shift gears and find time to sketch during the evening hours. I also want to get back into using my gouache paints and get some practice time in. I also have a few fountain pens and inky stuff to share.
Wishing everyone a joyous holiday with your family and friends.
Inks: Robert Oster Heart of Gold, Blood Rose, Schwarz Rose, and Thunderstorm. KWZ/Galen Leather exclusive Prairie Green. Van Dieman’s Ink Morning Frost
Pens: TWSBI Go with Stub 1.1 nib
Journal: Stillman & Birn Beta Hardcover Spiral bound 6″x8″