Second in a Series of Anna and Clare at Play
October 28, 2014 § Leave a comment
This is the second of a three drawing series depicting Anna and Clare at play. The first drawing showed the two little ones thinking about their next moves and now they’re beginning to interact. The tunnel at the playground allows their imagination to run wild! The contour or line drawing does most of the work for you by laying out the framework of composition, form revealed through a light source, and your personality. Serial imagery allows your storyline to go further than what you see in just one work.
Anna and Clare
October 22, 2014 § Leave a comment
This is the first of a three drawing series of my grand daughter Anna and her friend Clare when they were very little. This scene depicts the two resting and thinking in a play tunnel while planning their next moves. I’m showing both the contour or line drawing with the finished gradation.
Changing from Pencil to a Limited Color Drawing
October 2, 2014 § Leave a comment
A new frame was created for a pencil drawing of mine. It no longer worked as the frame held a similarity to brass. I added a limited palette of browns so that the entire piece could become integrated.
St Paul Cathedral
September 8, 2014 § Leave a comment
I am posting the contour and final drawing of the St Paul Cathedral in St Paul, MN. I was looking above the rectory at the dome and wanted to lead the viewer to that upper area. This was accomplished by allowing the focal point to contain all of the values including extreme lights and darks. The gradation scale became more restricted and encompassed only middle range lights and darks in the lower areas. 
Floral Gradations in Stippling
July 20, 2014 § Leave a comment
I recently posted three floral contours to be completed with the textural gradations of stippling, hatching , and scribble. Here is the first comprised of clusters of stipple marks that create dot like effects to support the contour. It is a time consuming, detail oriented endeavor, yet can also be completed in a looser more painterly manner. 
Quick Color Ink Contours
July 7, 2014 § Leave a comment
I’ve completed three quick ink contours for an upcoming color drawing class I’m teaching. Each will be supported with textural gradations using stippling, hatching, and scribble. And I’ll post when they are completed.
Watercolor Washes for the Pileated Woodpecker
April 13, 2014 § 2 Comments
This is the next stage as I finally get to laying in the watercolor washes for the pileated woodpecker. It was seen in my daughter and son in law’s yard feeding on insects from a dead tree stump. I will add colored pencil 
as the final step to give greater depth, nuances, and hue to the contour with washes. I’m hoping that this combination will allow my drawing to become more free. I see it is still a work in process!!
Pileated Woodpecker
March 17, 2014 § 2 Comments
I’m posting sequentially the stages of a drawing of a pileated woodpecker scavenging for bugs in a tree stump. This first posting is the contour. It provides the framework for the drawing. It reveals the light source, a sense of form or depth, and allows my personality to flow out onto the page. Next will come the watercolor washes and finally the colored pencil to give greater clarity to the composition. This bird is majestic especially in flight and is quite reclusive in nature. My daughter and son in law were lucky to spot it in their yard.
Edie
February 16, 2014 § Leave a comment
I’m posting a contour drawing of a wonderful little girl formerly named Sorissa and now called Edie by her adoptive parents. She has such a smiling face and I was attracted to her black and white characteristics which will contrast with the light source. I am hopefully working to submit this piece to Deviant Art which is show meant to dispel the myth of the dangerous nature of the Pit Bull and Rottweiler. A wonderful example of the warm nature of these animals is Edie. The contour provides the framework for the watercolor and colored pencil drawing. It provides me with so much information about the light source, the form and color of the body under the fur that if I never saw Edie’s picture again, I could complete the work. I’ll show this in stages.
Reflection of Hazel
December 6, 2013 § Leave a comment
This is another drawing of my piano teacher Hazel. It was a three drawing series of her that was part of an exhibition based on the theme of reflection. Here, she really fills the picture plane. I see the folds of her clothing bearing a similarity to the folds of her face. It reminds me of what a dear friend she was. Even though for most of our relationship I was a girl, age didn’t matter with us. I could turn to her for anything. She understood me and I her.
Dr. Mary McNaughton and Drawing 