Another Week of #INKtober Shoes

A friend who follows me on Facebook as well as here asked yesterday if my shoe collection ever ends. Eventually it will, but at the moment, it doesn't look like that will happen before the end of the month. I'm noticing trends, themes, and buying habits that are not confined to shoes alone.

And although I had hoped to get quicker with my sketching as time went on, I only appear to be taking more time. I can't stop adding in details - the more I look, the more I see. Actually, it's eating into the time I might otherwise spend at the machine. I'm not minding that too much (it's another story I'll share later), but it does influence which shoe I choose each day, trying to go for the simpler ones in hopes I'll finish sooner and have time for the studio. So far, not happening. And there's one shoe in particular I keep putting off drawing because of all its detail. My days get away from me somehow, but I still manage to get a shoe or pair of shoes sketched each of them.

Inktober Challenge - The Final Days

I have to be honest; I was beginning to lose my enthusiasm and run out of steam as I faced these last six days of the sketching challenge. And to make matters worse, on that first day I was working on a small family history project that suddenly had me going down unexpected research rabbit holes (FindaGrave.com is a fabulous resource!) late into the day. Suddenly, I only had about 20 minutes for sketching (I usually spend close to an hour at least), and surprised myself by quickly completing the pencil undersketch before having to move on. The inking and finalizing would have to wait for the morrow. But the morrow was a long and tiring day spent out of town and by the time I returned home I was too spent to do much more than sit in front of the tv. So no finishing the previous day's drawing let alone starting on the current day's. So I have finished out the month a day behind each day, but I finished!

My enthusiasm returned when I remembered that I had a set of gel pens in 8 different colors. Granted, there is value to sketching in black or brown ink, working out shadings to represent color changes and basically reducing an object to something basic and simple. But I was beginning to miss adding bits of color, and the 4 cups I had lined up all cried out to be rendered with some color. I was succumbing to my tendency for literal interpretation while having to be a bit creative when missing the exact colors. It turned out to be a good learning experience, with my brain registering how the solutions I came up with could be applied to similar situations with fabric and thread. Kinda exciting when I made that discovery, since I always hope these dabblings outside of textile work with have cross-over value. I also enjoyed the extra interest and challenge of adding the pencils, pens, scissors, toothbrushes and glue tubes sticking out of the cups (not to mention they often solved the problem of drawing accurate cup rim ellipses). Truth be told, I think this is my favorite page of cups.

I do have one more souvenir coffee cup I could have sketched, but its design is very busy and included three different text types and I just wasn't up to it. I knew I'd be drawing this tea cup so decided to end the month and the challenge by adding its matching teapot. They gave me a chance to draw a handle faced the opposite direction (I had wondered if it would feel awkward or be a problem after drawing so many the other direction, but it was not) and then something with a lid. The pears and basket are raised decorations which isn't evident here, and the pot brews 2 cups of tea. It's a nice little set for when I know I will want more than just one cup, and I can let my mind wander to my sister-in-law who gave it to me.

And in the process of using the gel pens for the last six sketches, I have fallen in love with them. I've only used them sporadically since buying them on a whim a few years ago. Now that I've spent all this time with them and have a feel for their advantages, I'm sure I will be getting them out more often. Is there something like this lurking in your workroom that once you took the time to really try it out has become a favorite thing?

I think I may have gotten this sketch itch out of my system for the moment - thanks for hanging in there with me. I'm hoping I can convert the daily discipline of it to the studio where any semblance of a routine has been missing for a very long time. It's the "just do something every day, if only for 15 minutes" thing I have to convince myself of and really do. Just like sitting down to sketch each day for this challenge. 

INKtober Cups Go Slightly Awry

Oh my, that did not go as expected. Perhaps I'm getting overconfident or merely a little bored with my cup drawing, but I thought it might be fun to sketch one as it lay on its side on the table. Actually, I was trying to get out of sketching the Edward Hopper painting, "Nighthawks" that is printed around the outside. And yet - I ended up sketching major parts of it anyway, but nearly upside down. I can't put my finger on what's wrong here, but something is certainly off.

And so I spent the next two days on these little food service coffee cups from my college days back in the 1970's. I hardly believe this is what we used as they only hold about 6 ounces. No wonder we lingered after meals, drinking cup after cup to get the appropriate wake-up and study buzz. Now I use them for anything from bacon grease to icecream and only occasionally drink out of them when I need a bit of milk warmed in the microwave to settle my stomach or dip graham crackers into. 

I'm always amazed at the faults that show up once I scan the page and look at it on the computer screen. A curve at the top of a cup that looked nice and even suddenly has one side higher than the other; sides that seemed the mirror image of each other now obviously aren't. It does make me more aware the next time I sit down to draw, knowing that for some reason my brain tends to "fix" things in my head unless I take a closer look. And I have to be a bit cautious about getting lazy. That cup on the right - I totally ignored that it had a curve at the bottom - not much of one but certainly more than what I ended up giving it. But I am still pleased with my handles on those two at the bottom.

 

INKtober - 3rd Week Wrap

Are you as surprised as I am that I've not run out of unique cups to sketch? I knew I had a lot of individual cups and mugs but this has really opened my eyes to how many I have. Some I only drink coffee from (I wrote a post here about designated coffee cup for each day of the week - perhaps you'll recognize the ones I've sketched.), others are just for tea while a few have been known to hold either brew. One in particular is a favorite for hot chocolate, with or without coffee or brandy added. One smaller one that has a saucer is perfect for hot buttered rum while some other small ones picked up during my food service days make handy portion control icecream dishes with handles. And then there's that punch cup that's never used at all. You might think I never get rid of a mug unless it breaks, but while packing for the last move, I actually culled out some mugs I'd tired of or that meant nothing to me because my cupboard space at the new place was limited. As for cracked and/or chipped mugs - they merely move into a different function as pencil or toothbrush holder. I may verge on being a hoarder, but I'd prefer to think I'm just thrifty and sentimental.

I finally figured out why I was struggling with proportions (cup width too narrow, handles too wide. I'd been sketching with the pad flat on the table which meant I was not looking at the page straight on. Once I tipped it more or less parallel to the cup so I was seeing what I drew at the same angle I was viewing the cup, I came much closer to right on the first tries. Also, I quit drawing the oval opening of the cup first which seemed to make a difference. Suddenly I'm not struggling with the shape of the handles; I'm thinking the practice each day of studying the shape and drawing it is doing its magic of improving eye/hand coordination. Without so much struggle, the exercise becomes more fun. And then I wonder if I can make it more challenging, as with the lower left mug that has been turned to show the detail on the outer edge of the handle. Another of my elaborate floral cups, but that day I was not feeling the intimidation and really enjoyed the detailed drawing and fill-in work.

Just one week and a few days to go . . . and I'm not running out of cups! And here I thought I might have to supplement with sugar bowls and creamers and maybe a teapot to make it through the month.

Inktober Cups - Intimidation Factor

I'm learning a lot about myself as I choose a mug each day to draw. I may have mentioned this before but when I see letters in any scene I decide to sketch, be it on the side of a building when urban sketching or now on a mug, I immediately freeze and think, "I can't copy that." But I can, if I just settle down and take it one letter at a time. Block printing isn't nearly as difficult to recreate as my panicked mind wants me to believe. But script, like in the Chicago cup, had me nearly putting it back on the shelf as undoable. Which is not acceptable. It didn't take me long to settle down and remember, letters are just shapes. Break each down into their parts rather than look at the whole thing. It worked! And frankly, I go through the same intimidation sometimes with textile work, with the solution being just the same.

But text is not the only thing intimidating me. Some of my cups have rather intricate designs like the cup next to the Chicago one. Oh my, I thought, do I have the patience and skill to pick out the details on the urn, and the flowers and that butterfly? That initial intimidation really did set in and make me want to just sketch the basic shape of the mug and move on. But again, just find one logical place to start (in this case that urn) and build from there. Is it 100% accurate? Does it include every single flower and detail? No, but it doesn't have to. You get the feel of this 70's mug whose design is similar to applique projects I would tackle in the future.

But some days I need something relatively simple, either because of how I am feeling physically or mentally, or the amount of time I have to spend on the sketch. Yesterday I had an unexpected appointment that found me spending most of my afternoon out of town and leaving me with a tiny opportunity when I returned to work in a sketch. And a tiny space too at the bottom of my page. So I chose a pink Depression glass cup that belonged to my grandmother. I've never thought much about what that cup might have held. There's only the one, which often is the case with things from my grandmother's possessions. Mom told me she would often take advantage of offers for a free this or that, which explained the many designs of silver spoons in her collection. That may be the case here too, and after pondering this small glass cup for awhile, it dawned on me that it is probably a punch cup. Here's to Grandma!

A Few More INKtober Cups

I made handles for my basket yesterday and meant to get them attached today to have something textile-related to show before sharing the next group of cups. But I've frittered the day away in masterful procrastination because, as excited as I am about these handles, I anticipate I won't enjoy the process necessary to secure them to the basket. So instead, you get more INKtober sketches of coffee cups!

It occurred to me that this subject is sustaining my interest not only because of the variety of mugs I own, but even more so by the fact that there is a story behind each one. They are an eclectic collection representing over 40 years of experiences, travel, interactions, finds and gifts. Whether bought as a souvenir (or received as one), chosen from an array of pottery at a fair, brought home because it struck my fancy or given to me by a friend, I pretty much can remember where and when and why each came into my possession. So as I sketch, memories flood back (as you can read if you click on the picture for the larger version) and I can relive a bit of that moment from the past, and often recall a special person as well.

So why wouldn't I look forward to choosing another cup each day to spend some focused time with? Studying the shapes, the shadings, the way the handles are attached, the glazes swirled is much different than just drinking my morning coffee from them. They each have a story to tell and I am enjoying listening to them without distraction. It's the point I was making to Charlton Stitcher in the comments on this post - that if I'm going to spend time sketching, I don't want to do it just to be doing it. I want to be intrigued in some way by the subject matter so I won't lose interest or feel I'm wasting my time. For now, these cups are filling the bill. 

An Inktober Page of Cups

The #INKtober challenge is doing the trick. I generally settle down to sketch a cup either after lunch or my afternoon walk. Just do it, because I've committed to the challenge. I wish I could put myself on a schedule like this, but I must not be alone in this inability to start and sustain a daily practice - all sorts of challenges of every kind abound! In fact, friend Meg from the art group has been doing a sketch a day challenge with her daughter since mid-May and both have been posting their work to their Instagram accounts. See this post for the story and the links. By the way, Meg has revamped her website/blog at a new location: megmarchiando.com Go check it out!

I think the ovals are getting better but I still tend to sketch the cup a bit narrow on the first try. I'm quite intrigued by the variety of handle shapes - more than I realized. Cups just seem like one of those standard things, but goodness, they are not. Variety expected, I suppose, with the hand-thrown ones I buy from artists, but I would have thought there'd be more consistency in the mass produced ones. Silly me.

I found my interest wavering yesterday with the pewter mug with glass insert. Not the cup's fault - I'd been looking forward to sketching it. I just didn't have the focus to settle down and really look, catching my mind constantly wandering and my pencil making marks that did not correlate with reality. Just wanted to be done with it. Made me wonder if I should change subjects - maybe I was tiring of the cups in spite of their differences. But I was back on the horse today, working hard to get the angle of the cup sides right, that oval opening better, the handle just so. And most of it felt like it was coming more easily, which is the whole idea of daily practice. 

Click on the photo to read details of the cups and how each went.

#INKtober Redo and Newdo

I took another stab at that first cup, doing a pencil sketch first, lots of erasing to get the handle and opening right before finishing in ink, and it is much better! I thought cups would be easy to sketch but as I moved on to a simpler one, I continued to be challenged by proportions and getting that handle right. I read once that ovals like are found at the top and bottom of glasses, cups, vases as they sit above or below eye level are difficult, and that the only way to master them is to just draw tons of them over and over and over. Not as a part of a cup or a glass but just ovals of varying shapes until you get the hang of it. I'll keep at my cups. 

Click on the photo to read the details. I am liking this idea of writing notes with my sketches, especially since I am trying out a set of micron pens that include 3 different sizes of points. Curious to see what difference using an 01, 03, 05 can make. Also puzzled by how much trouble I'm having erasing the pencil marks regardless of hardness or softness of the graphite or kind of eraser. Has to be the paper. I'm using a Mead brand Sketchbook of dubious quality, although it's supposed to be acid-free and lignin free. The graphite just seems to work deeper into the fiber of the paper rather than be picked up and removed by the eraser.

INKtober Challenge

For those of you who think I can draw so well, I offer contrary proof! Click on the photo to read what this is about and here to see what my model actually looks like. The challenge is the brainchild of Jake Parker.

If you'd like to join in and need prompts, here they are. But it's ok if you focus on a single subject (I'm considering tackling all my cups) or whatever strikes your fancy. The point is to just draw SOMETHING each day and nearly as important, show your work on or off-line.

I'm thinking Zentangles would count too so may throw a few of those in as well. After all, they are drawings in ink. Google on the hashtag and you will see plenty of examples from artists all over the world who are taking part (if they are not already showing up on social media feeds. Come on - it only hurts a little and you can only get better!