Every Day Matters 3-Drawing the Purse

Recently, while going through my stuff to do some spring cleaning (well perhaps now it will be soon summer cleaning), I realized how much I am a sketchbookaholic.  I actually have bins and bins of blank sketchbooks.  Truth be told, I am searching for the "right one", yet never find it. The results, accumulated blank books that are sitting there and are not used.  So I decided to use up what I have despite the results.  After all, I am learning to transcribe what I see from real life onto a piece of paper. I am learning to see, coordinate my eyes and hands and draw from life. Isn't life experiences the best type of teacher around? At this point who cares if I don't have in possession the perfect sketchbook and not get the results I am seeking.

 Some papers I can tell are way better than others and affect my results.  The first two sketches above, are done on a cream sketchbook by Canson.  It only accepts pen and ink.  Washes are a horrendous experience.  The last one, is a generic brand of sketchbook where I used ink and wash.  Truthfully I can't get it to do the kind of wash that I was hoping to. Oh well-I am stuck until this sketchbook is finished-(only 79 pageish to go!) On my left side, where the strap of the purse is darker, I actually put in ink with a brush.

With the first one, I used a brown pen to draw the purse and the second one was with a dipped pen that I purchased at a store called Lee Valley.

I am so inspired by Danny Gregory that I have decided to get back to exploring the topics from Every Day Matters. I have decided to try to do them with pen and ink (and/or ink and wash) before I do them in colour.  I am also taking myself through a book by Bert Dobson entitled "Keys to Drawing"  The key thing for me is drawing from life.  In future, I will be posting my results from Jane Lafazio's and Laure Ferlita's classes as I have just completed both.