Sleeping Lauren
June 7, 2016 § Leave a comment
This was a quick study of Lauren as she was sleeping completed in pen and ink.
The Mysterious Nature of a Two Year Old
January 7, 2016 § 2 Comments
Many years ago I sat and drew my daughter as she slept on the couch. You see, she had moved there from her bed almost on the stroke of midnight on her birthday until she turned three. There was no reasoning with her. The sofa was where she was going to sleep and only there!! She was such a great subject to draw and I made full opportunity of the situation!!
Textural Techniques in Pen and Ink
July 9, 2015 § Leave a comment
A few examples of portraying texture with ink through hatching, stippling, and a scribble technique based on your own handwriting. I find these methods provide an energy and looseness to our drawings that allow us to become more free in our expression.
Adding Value and Depth to Drawing of a Stork
May 7, 2015 § Leave a comment
I’ve been looking at a drawing I had completed years ago for The Little Book of Drawing and realizing that it seemed quite linear in nature and lacking a real sense of depth. The original was a pen & ink done in black of a stork sunning itself on a rock. I added color with a limited palette of black, dark umber, and sienna. Also thrown in is white Conte’ crayon to allow for more contrast with the background. The gradations move off of the line and instill a three dimensional nature. Funny how it’s easier to tell your students to do this than see it in your own work! Oh well, better late than never. I am including both drawings.
Still Life Using Stippling, Hatching, and Scribble
November 30, 2014 § Leave a comment
This is the same still life of pumpkins using a variety of textural techniques such as stippling, hatching, and scribble instead of just stippling. One gets a very different effect here; perhaps a more energized drawing.
Fall Still Life
November 23, 2014 § Leave a comment
Here is a contour and finished gradation in stippling of a Fall still life. The contour provides me with the framework for the gradation. I even included the small letter s’s to indicate where the shadows lay. These notations whether on the page or in a notebook help you as the artist remember key elements. The contour exists on it’s own in places as it leads you in and out of the composition.
Tree Root Tendrils
August 18, 2014 § 1 Comment
I am posting a simple pen and ink of a tree root. Notice how the tendrils of the root reach out and make contact with the border of the composition creating a drawing with a lot of movement.
Pen & Ink Gradation Technique with Scribble
July 30, 2014 § Leave a comment
This is the last in a series of pen & ink gradation techniques based on a scribble derived from your handwriting. My students complete lines of their own signatures and then transform this handwriting to a scribble. What I find so remarkable about this technique is the personal and intimate nature of this process. Each drawing is attached to the personality of the artist. By now you have probably
figured out that stippling is not my favorite. Both hatching and scribble give me greater freedom. I am committed, however to working with looser approaches to stippling.
Textural Pen & Ink using Hatching
July 23, 2014 § Leave a comment
This is the second drawing in a series of pen & ink florals using textural gradation techniques. This one uses hatching which is comprised of hatch marks or parallel and counter parallel lines to create gradations. First is the contour: then the finished drawing using hatching to reveal the underlying form of the subject. 
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. 
Dr. Mary McNaughton and Drawing 