That Handy Dandy Sketchbook!

'Remembering Billy'
Pen and colored pencil on paper

Sketching to Keep Busy

One thing I have been doing on a regular basis has been keeping my sketchbook with me at all times! There is no excuse to not have one, that's what I tell myself anyway. Especially when I forget it! :) If I can remember to put one in my scooter, then I'll have one with me at all times.

I have several. One is a tiny little thing, no bigger than an iPhone (which I don't own), and can be taken out whenever I'm in a situation where I'm bored -- which happens too often. The other is a Moleskin Watercolor Notebook which can withstand some abuse and is not too large. This one is my new favorite and the one I have used for my newest sketches.

You never know what you'll end up drawing, it might be worth saving.
I learned that from a very wise teacher, Miss Mularkey, who made me realize that we may as well draw on the good stuff! You can always buy more paper or use the back of it if your work doesn't turn out.

My old favorite is the Canson Field Drawing Hardcover Ringed Book. It has a heavy paper, cream colored but it is a real drawing paper, not sketch paper and holds up to massive abuses. Not that I'm a paper abuser mind you, but I don't want my paper to buckle or rip if I have to erase or do something nasty to it to fix a mistake. I also want good paper if it's something I want to frame or sell later.

Pens and Pencils

I had thrown in my purse a Micron India ink pen, .005 mm, I also have used a Zig Millennium .05 since they are pretty cheap too (look at fabric stores or Michael's), so I can get really fine lines since the book is so small. This is where it is proportionately appropriate to use this small of a pen tip. I also throw in 3 sharpened colored pencils... a light yellow, magenta and a cyan. Later, I ended up adding a few greens and darker colors to make it easier for myself, but actually I was able to get all my range with just those three colors. This is a good challenge though! Three colors acts like a printing press. Throw that black pen in there sparingly and cleverly and you can draw the world.

When I'm sitting there at a park with my kids, or in the Dr.'s waiting room, or even just sitting at the family farm, I haul out that little sketchbook and start doodling. It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something and puts me in my happy place!

New Web site Launched

Web site Update

www.amyrebella.com

I decided to redo my Web site (again) after I realized how difficult it was for search engines to track it and to add verbal information easily. It originally was more of a gallery, which was easy to update, but it wasn't practical for actually ordering from the site!

I added a form for ordering. It should work for most orders. I will be adding a section to upload pictures directly and for making payments through PayPal. Always more stuff to add!

Hopefully will get more traffic and orders with this version.

I'm glad that I can do my own site and coding, it's not so great that I am so picky!



"Saturday Evening Post Cover - 2009"
12" x 14" Colored Pencil on Bristol Board

This was several years in the making, as it was a Pro Bono for my Father, and was put on the back burner pretty much constantly since I started it. Since I have a limited amount of time right now before baby #2 is born, and wasn't too busy with other work, I should take the time and finish the project once and for all!

It's a cover reproduction of a 1950's Saturday Evening Post. The thing making it special is that I had to replace the original photo of the Harley Davidson with my Father's Indian Motorcycle.

It was interesting to go back and work on something that I started so long ago. My techniques for colored pencil have changed quite a bit over the last few years and I have learned a ton since starting this.

I have been working in colored pencil for over 20 years, but not as intensly and detailed as I have recently. The progress was much faster now than it would have been if I continued when I started it.

Glad to have it done and I will be giving it to him as soon as I can!

Another Portrait Finished

"Maggie in the Leaves"

2009
8"x10"
Colored Pencil on White Stonehenge Paper

Got one more portrait done! I'm working as fast as I can before our second child arrives in August. This portrait will be at the Center for Visual Arts in Wausau, Wisconsin for a July show. I need to frame it up and get it ready!

Still haven't heard if I will for sure be teaching an acrylic class this coming fall. This would be a great opportunity for me as I really do love to teach. I'm intentionally doing more acrylic paintings just to be able to describe my process. It's one thing to just do it, another to teach about it.

I am excited about the prospect of taking a life drawing course in the next few weeks. It's a rare opportunity to have an open lab without the commitment of a formal class and that it's right here in town. The only possible problem is that there won't be enough people signing up to take the class and they might not offer it if it's not full.

Finished Jax & Oscar

After a rocky start, I finally got the portrait of Jax and Oscar completed. It's an 11x14 on Stonehenge cream colored paper.

The best part of doing portraits is always the delivery of the artwork. They were very happy and started to cry, especially when they saw the black dog. He died unexpectedly and this was a tribute to him.

Next project: Ford F150 part II

This could be considered a series as it's the exact same image of a Ford Truck that I had just done, except the background will change. It's family who had just sold the truck which had belonged to their father. This is a great way to keep the truck and make it part of their family history. I'm hoping to get started with it this week. I'm getting really busy now and hate to stop.

We'll be having our second child in August, I expect my last days working will be in June sometime as I will probably have carpal tunnel terribly bad again, just like last time. After that though, I'll be back at it. So, right now I'm frantically trying to get as much done as possible!

Done!

"Maggie's Daffodil"
11"x14" Colored Pencil on Cream Colored Stonehenge Paper

Here it is, finished. I adjusted the color so it is closer to the actual image.

I'm glad it's done, the thing about it is that it has so much time involved in it, was it worth it? I'm hoping to get it into a juried show this month, if it doesn't get in, I'm afraid I'll be horribly disappointed. I have two other paintings I did since this one just so I have a better chance of getting something in.


"Beautiful Truck"
Pastel on Pastelbord 8"x10"

I have never worked on a pastel in this fashion before. It's always been on a watercolor as more of motion marks. I never used real pastels either, always "nupastels", which are a very hard consistency. I bought some Sennelier pastels to finish the piece which gave it some punch and boy are they velvety! I hardly have to put the pastel to the board and it leaves a heavy mark.

The majority was done in pastel pencil and some nupastel.


"Past Their Prime"
8"x10" Colored Pencil on Strathmore 500 Illustration Board

This piece was the first time I used colored pencils on a hard board and also used a solvent (unconventional Isopropyl Alcohol). The background is mostly done with the solvent application. Not an easy thing to control for me. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I didn't like using Turpentine, too greasy. I think next time I'll try to use heat instead of anything solvent based. I see wonderful things done with just melting the pencil lead on the surface of the paper.