I forgot to load the last 5 images I did for Inktober. I opted to not complete the month – I had some bad allergy days, got behind, then chose to turn my energy to finishing Christmas ornaments. Here are the remaining 5. I do enjoy Inktober, but did not feel the push to finish it this year, which I found interesting. It was a fun challenge though.
21 – Chains (my childhood farm gate)
22 – Scratchy – barb wire and hairs from our cows
23 – Celestial
24 – Shallow – my cat’s dish
25 – Dangerous
Week 3 started off with some murder mittens.
Continuous line is coming along, and I am learning a lot that I never suspected – like, you really need to plan out where your start and stopping points will be and how you want to create textures, or not.
These do not land in order:
Rise – the image in the upper right below – this is my annual commemorative drawing of my brother who passed away at this time in 2020. Smack during covid and we could not even travel for a funeral.
“Hope rises like a Phoenix from the ashes of shattered dreams.” – S. A. Sachs
Thinking of all the losses many of us have suffered in the past 3 years. Inktober is firmly linked with a consuming devastation and the climb back out of that dark place, until hope could catch me once again and carry me up – away from it’s grip.
This year I am absolutely swamped – with teaching a class, a busy tech writing contract, commissions, gifts, and more. Sooo…. something I had my students do is continuous line drawings as warmups. Well why not? They are quick.
Whoa! They are also humbling! Not easy at all, but very good practice for the artist’s eye and hand. So here we go!
Inktober is here! However, I am busy teaching high school art, working full time, and finishing Christmas commissions. What to do, what to do?!
Catch me on Instagram for a daily post – I will be working to build my skill with continuous line drawings. They are quick, but not easy. A good way to keep the ol’ artist’s eye fresh and the creative brain challenged.
I will post the week’s collection on here, so you won’t miss out if you are not on Instagram.
I put out a call to my Facebook friends for pets to practice my line work and inkwash on this year. I was planning to pull out of a hat, lottery style, but I could not do it. How can we reject any of these precious pets? Fortunately the submissions were manageable and I have been working on these Inktober submissions until all are done. Here is the final one and rounds out 2022 on a lovely note.
I chose to do more line and a large brush wash on her.
Sweet Lily appeared on an ornament commission a few years ago! It was fun to revisit her cute face in another medium.
These 2 cats were watercolor memorial gifts for a friend. Her dog was an Inktober image you may have seen months ago. It is always such a pleasure and an honor to do these.
I know my art has always been about gifting and bringing joy to another human being. Finding that special image that helps heal their heart and show some kindness and gentleness in the world. Pet portraits do just that, so it is no surprise that I gravitate to them as a choice of expression.
I am finally getting caught up on my Inktober pet portraits, interrupted by some final ornament orders. This is Fergus, joining Boo (who was completed in October) on their trip to the East Coast, compliments of the US Postal Service.
This little sweety is headed to Canada. This may be the floofiest white texture I have worked with in ink.
A Golden Crowned Kinglet who I later watercolored, and 2 more birds I plan to watercolor.
Flexing My Wings 