Inktober starts

This is actually the first time I’ve participated in Inktober. It’s a 30 day drawing challenge and every day there’s a different word to serve as a prompt for the art.

Jake Parker created Inktober in 2009 as a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year.

I have all kinds of ink pens – fountain pens, dip pens, felt tip pens, brush pens, technical pens, bamboo pens, etc. etc. which I’ve used and collected over the years. Add to that inks of all kinds and colors. So experimentation was high on my list of reasons to participate in this challenge.

And then my son Andrew Cornelis, who is staying with us now, wanted to do it with me. So now dinnertime is when we show off our efforts, and I will be sharing them here as well. Mine are all portraits done from the Sktchy app archive photos and portrait challenge, and his are fresh from his prodigious imagination.

Day One: Fish. by me. drawn with stick, brush and dip pen

Day 1 by Andrew Cornelis

Day 2: Wisp. by me, watercolor, dip pens and white gel pen

Day 3: Bulky. by Andrew

Day 3: Bulky. by me. red-black ink with dip pen and brush

Day 4: Radio by me.

Day 4: Radio by Andrew

Day 5: Blade by Andrew

Day 5: Blade by me

Day 6: Rodent by me. Sumi ink and brush

Day 6: Rodent by Andrew

See more of Andrew’s drawings here!  More coming soon!

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Sketching in the Dark

When my friend and colleague Chris Carter was in town teaching workshops, we teamed up for some fun sketch-ventures.  I wrote about this one in my newsletter (see link on the previous post).  Sketching in the (almost totally) dark of a night club (Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastopol) is something Chris is comfortable with, so I borrowed her confidence for an evening, and here’s what came of it on my end. (Check our her blog to see my inspiration). Since this is illustrated journaling and storytelling, I’ll share the whole story from beginning at 10pm when the doors opened and we grabbed the only table near the stage, until after midnight when we left the night to the young people.

black ink and dip pen with watercolor in Strathmore w/c sketchbook, 5″ X 7″

10:15pm I guess it’s good to not be able to see the faces or any detail.  You get the overall feeling. . .and color doesn’t much matter either.  There’s dark colors and then there’s light colors.  Period.

10:45pm  Now I’m using my Japanese brush pen and drawing and painting to the music. There’s a DJ, but where is the headliner, we’re wondering?

10:55pm I’m just trying to capture the “vibe” with my pen, and dancing a bit myself.

11:15pm The headliner, Ras Attitude, still hasn’t come, but the crowd is definitely warmed up. . .and then

11:16pm  Ras Attitude enters, lights up the stage and audience. My pen goes a bit crazy. . .

Then settles down enough to get the stripes in his 3 foot high hat drawn in.  What a colorful character!

12:15am  We pack up our pens and paints and leave the night to the young people.