Every Day Matters#1 Draw a Shoe Ink and watercolour

It has been awhile since I have used watercolour with my sketches. I feel as though I have lost my mojo. I also am not sure if it is the paper from the sketchbook that I am using. I generally use hot or cold pressed 140 pound and I have decided to try out the Ink and Wash (watercolour) in a Nature sketchbook. I find that every paper has a different personality and it takes some time to adjust. Well this is it for runners. Tomorrow I will start Brenda Swenson's 75 day challenge and if I have time, I will do another sketch with pen and ink for Every Day Matters.

Every Day Matters#1 Draw a Shoe

Here is my first project for Every Day Matters. I have decided to dedicate one sketchbook for pen and ink and another sketchbook for ink and wash. The purpose? The pen and ink will focus on values, hatching and cross hatching effects and the ink and wash will focus on colour. I was very nervous when drawing this one because it was the running shoe that counts. There was no going back and no more practicing. Tomorrow I will be doing the final running shoe with watercolour and then I will do the challenges weekly while drawing every day for seventy five days for Brenda Swenson's challenge. The only thing with her challenge is that I will be doing in conjunction with pen contour drawings, shading with walnut ink or india ink. I have tried a new sketchbook for this one which is on stone paper. I am excited to start on Monday.

Runners

Yesterday I finished an entire sketchbook filled with drawings of running shoes. I really don't know what compelled me to do an entire book but I think it was due to the fact that I had a strong desire to improve my drawing skills. The sad thing is that as of 2008, I really wanted to participate with Every Day Matters group but did not have the confidence to show my work. How crazy is that? Last year in October, I began drawing a running shoe every day and by Christmas I could see my drawing skills improving. The funny thing is that I stopped drawing them after Christmas and my cat became sick thus postponing the completion that particular sketchbook. I began earnestly in September and was determined to finish before Christmas this time. When I closed this book, I was somewhat sad as I did complete my goal and now my morning ritual will be something else. I am highly determined to continue practicing drawing from life. It is an addiction with me as I absolutely love the challenge. I have completed today my first drawing for Every Day Matters as I have turned over a new leaf and opened up a new sketchbook. The other one will now be put away in storage and looked upon in the future as a testament to show my determination and perseverance.

Shared Memories

This sketch was done immediately after the previous one. I had already prepared the page and Minou sat on my lap for some time. I was able to create two sketches in this pose. One on with a white background and the other on the prepared surface. I will remember our times together as she was with me since the day that she was born. She has been through alot and I was grateful that she shared parts of my life and created many years of warm memories. In loving memory of Minou born May 9, 1993-April 25, 2011.

Does Time Go On?

A lot has been happening since my last entry. My cat Minou on January 26th had dental surgery and shortly after that, her kidneys started to give out on her. On April 1st she was her normal self and suddenly on the second, it went down hill from there. I spent as much time as I could with her, drawing her, filming her and taking pictures. The above picture was drawn with a glass pen using calligraphy ink. I gave her watered down skim milk as she loved it all through her life. I was getting frustrated with my drawing as I have failed to capture her essence and spirit. I started to cry out of frustration. I knew time was running out and to this day I could not draw her. Immediately after, she came and sat on me. This drawing will be something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. She fought hard to hang on. On Easter Monday, April 25th, it proved to be difficult battle for her and I had to make the hardest decision of my life and something that I feel extremely guilty over. Yesterday, it was her birthday. She would have been 18 years old. She was loved and is greatly missed

Jane Lafazio-lesson 5

Queen Susan's Horn and Reepicheep were drawn at a local Narnia exhibition on Hot pressed watercolour paper. Reepicheep was also painted mainly from memory as I ran out of time. Mr. Scarecrow was drawn on Strathmore's visual journal and did not mind the results. With this one, it was done relatively quickly as I was running out of time to sketch. Dropped in some colour notes and went on my merry way.

Jane Lafazio-lesson 3 Museum

These three were done on Strathmore's visual journal -140 pound. With two of them, there was a wash of watercolour paper and drawing with water-soluble pen. I did not like the results that were achieved on this paper. As a result, I went home and added some brown and black ink. The last one was done on unstained paper and did not mind the results as much on this type of paper as the pen responded much better.