Sketchbook Sunday: Two Pumpkins

This week I was drawing pumpkins, inspired by a trip to the Brumbaugh Fruit and Fun Farm in Arcanum, Ohio.

During my kids' yoga class this week I decided to play around with adding color to this drawing, and a girl I babysit was sitting next to me decided to draw her own pumpkin. I like her drawing (below) much better. Mine might be a more accurate representation of the shape of the pumpkin in question, but hers more honestly captures its pumpkin bumbiness.

"Buffalo Skull"

1.5" x 2" (block) 5.5" x 7.5" (paper)
Oil-based black ink on natural paper 

It's my second such engraving (my first posted earlier today in preparation for this one.) The image is taken from my recent drawings from the collection at the Wagner Free Institute for Science. 

I'm pretty excited about it. I want to play with my dremel more. Although I need to get some earplugs. My head is throbbing from the sound.   

"Dolphin Skull"

2" x 1.5" (block) 5.5" x 7.5" (paper)
Oil-based black ink on grayish paper (not sure what types of paper. It was in my scrap stock.)

This is my first "wood" engraving. That's in quotations because I didn't actually engrave wood. Instead I engraved a Resingrave block, a product created to be used in the same way as end grain boxwood, which is the material traditionally used in wood engraving. The primary reason to use Resingrave is the cost is much less. (I purchased it from McClains.) Anyway, I'm not sure how I feel about either the experience or the final product yet other than that I enjoy appearance of the brittle mark-making.

I also didn't use traditional wood engraving tools. Instead I used a dremel. This decision was partially made because of the cost of investing in engraving tools (particularly since I'm just trying out this method for now) and partially because my hands have been hurting more and more frequently after carving and printing. I found using the dremel to feel very similar to using a wood burner, which is to say I had to move it across the surface slowly, apply varying amount of pressure, and the resistance encountered was surprisingly varied despite the Resingrave's uniformity.

"Fish in Vase" Monotype

9" x 12"
Createx Monotype Colors on 140 lb. watercolor paper

Inspired by the work I had my young students making last week, I made some of my own layered-primary-color monotypes. Not satisfied with any of them, but it still was a useful exercise and I'd like to try again soon. This was the best of the lot.

Sketchbook Sunday: Skulls at the Wagner

More drawings made from the collection at the Wagner Free Institute for Science where I work. Last time was birds, this time skulls. I'll probably go back later this month.

I am turning a couple of my skull drawings into small engravings. I have some Resingrave blocks (a more affordable alternative to end-grain boxwood for wood engraving) that were just waiting to be drawn on and carved.

Layered Monotypes by 3rd and 4th Graders

These are monotypes by students in my 2D Mixed Media after school class at the University City Arts League. Since it was a holiday and the public schools were closed I only had three students show up. But I liked their work so much I had to post it here. 

For the first layer, printed in blue, the students were instructed to cut out a shape which they taped to a piece of plexiglass. Then they rolled up the plexiglass with ink and removed the cut shape before printing. 

For the second layer, printed in red, the students rolled up the plexiglass plates in ink and then drew into them with Q-tips, then printed over the first print. 




For the final layer, printed in yellow, the students arranged torn pieces and strips of masking tape on the plexiglass before rolling it up with ink, removing the tape, and printing. 

I made an example along with them, but their work turned out much more interesting, as often happens in the classroom. That said, I think I feel inspired by my students to try this again tonight in my studio. 

Sketchbook Sunday: Drawing Sunflowers with Lysi

By now the sunflowers are bending over and all but a few have lost their yellow pedals. So this week Lysi and I decided to go outside and draw from ours before they are completely gone for the season. These are my favorite two drawings we did. Mine is to the left and Lysi's is below. Both are pencil drawings that we then elaborated on with watercolors and oil pastel resist and salt wash.